Russ,

Thank you for sharing your observations. I had tried the PA1Xpro at the stores a few times, and each time walked away underwhelmed. I even wrote some comments to post here, but never did (saved them on my PC), as after I re-read them I thought that they mirrored many of the other comments which people were putting up. However, I can relate to a lot of your opinions, and that is even without mentioning the dismal 62 voice polyphony.

Trevor, Tom - if you come from Organ background, adding a small controller to a 61-key keyboard will probably do the trick for you. I on the other hand, come from a piano background, where musical nuance is produced by the technique of hitting the keys with a varied force, rather than pressing keys (albeit very fast) on different manuals, producing different timbres of sound. Frankly, I believe that a non-organist would need some time adjusting.

A more important consideration is that for a person performing single gigs having an extra keyboard would also mean more equipment to carry, a heavier, bigger stand, longer hook-up and break-down time. There is also an issue with the ergonomics - if you position the controller keyboard at a convenient playing height, the main keyboard will be difficult to see, or block you from the audience. I used to perform with two keyboards, but then found that it created more problems than its worth. Hence, IMHO adding a controller is not a substitute for having a good size/quality keys on the instrument itself.

REgards,
Alex