Hi Vadim,

I appreciate your remarks. And I agree with some and disagree with others.

There have been hits made with a Casio SK1 sampler. If you are unfamiliar with that, it is a mini-key monophonic keyboard from years ago that can sample via a built-in mic. The quality is that of an AM radio that has a blown speaker. The point is, it all depends on your point of view and your desire/ability to veer off the main track so to speak.

Now, do top pros perform with arranger keyboards? Probably not the ones that perform on stage with other musicians. But there are many people, many of them who are part of these forums who do use arranger keyboards for solo performing and I am sure at least some consider themselves professional. Do top songwriters use arranger type instruments? Absolutely. Have you ever heard of a software program named Acid? Maybe an extreme example, but this program still uses repeating phrases to create songs and that is essentially what an arranger keyboard does.

I am with you on not wanted to rely solely on pre-programmed styles and sounds to create my own music. However, some of the arrangers available do have the ability to create your own styles. And at least one that I am familiar with is as much a full fledged programmable synthesizer as any 'workstation' keyboard. This same instrument has a 32 track sequencer with essentially the same type of editing you would expect from a computer based sequencer system.

It is not at all uncommon for a song writer to use a drum machine, several keyboards and/or modules and a sequencer to help in the song creation process. Arranger keyboards have the ability to replace all of those separate components with just one piece of equipment. When you have an idea for a song, it is very helpful to be able to call up a drum beat similar to what you have in mind and try out different melodies/chords until you work out the song. It is even more useful when you can have a bass line and some accompaniment tracks to go along with it. Not that you will use all or any of the tracks in the final song, but it can still be inspiring to hear a full band during the initial song writing process.

The idea of using an arranger keyboard in a professional environment is still fairly new in the US. However, in Europe and other areas, arranger instruments are thought of very highly. For the most part and depending on the brand/model, the sounds are every bit as good as the ‘workstations’ that are available. And as I have said, there is at least one arranger type instrument that has the same abilities as those workstations and more. Did I point out Hard Drive Audio recording, and a built-in CD burner?

Just food for thought.

Dave