I think our music, particularly music from the early days of synths, was shaped by the tools that made it. The instruments and the early days of computer editing itself, with all the limitations of each thing, sort of shaped what was played on them.

The same thing has happed with the computer generated stuff of today, it’s limitations (or more often than not, it’s lack of limitations!) help define the music made on it.

Truth is, very little of today’s electronic music uses a keyboard at all. A pad bank, some knobs and sliders, a mouse a monitor, couple of speakers... Okay, maybe the artist got some two octave MIDI controller keyboard if he ever played a piano as a kid, but electronica just isn’t the place you go for keyboard virtuosity!

The gizmo is a great idea for us, but honestly of little value to the electronica kids. They already got what they need, a hell of a sight cheaper than a TOTL arranger, and a big old 76 that actually needs you to know how to finger chords and play in time ain’t much use to a dubstep producer. Remember, that’s how they define themselves, not as keyboard players. Producers.

Any of us old fossils that maybe want to play in that sandbox, I think we should use the stuff the pros use, with the additional benefit of being much cheaper than any arranger that had a decent workstation included. 🎹😎