Didn't the Roland VA7 do the morphing style thing?

Regarding onboard recording, you oughta be able to plug a guiar in and record it to a track.

Maybe... plug a USB drive in and play MP3 files... with a "Player" you could pull up on screen and select the file and even create a playlist for breaks.

------------------
Bill
Yamaha PSR2000

Hi, I think a real EASY way to make/edit styles, either with the PC help with a sort of drag and drop feature,(as an example, from Cakewalk/Sonar) the measures from a SMF, or perhaps an output (in the keyboard for a mouse to do this..... and also a second screen on the board that allow you to "edit" or see other action like for the lyrics/score/playslist/plan the mp3s for your break, to do list, etc... for life performances without leaving your operating screen.

OH, I forgot to say:
Make it a controller keyboard so all the buttons, knobs, and sliders are assignable so that the keyboard can perform as a midi controller.

I mean like more of a library of musicians, phrases, riffs, instrument styles, that can be compiled to user styles. Through an easy user interface. And the ability to create seamless transitions between two styles. Not crossfading, but like musicians playing together.

Another cool feature is to have realtime control over "humanizing" properties of each track in the style. That would be cool!

Doc-Z

1 - Include an arpeggiator in the arranger.

2 - Have a set of a dozen or so discrete assignable buttons very close to the keybed. Maybe under the keys like the old console organs. Ability to take any of the functions including those currently only accessabe from inside menus, such as chord scan mode and keyboard split, and harmony type, effects processor, etc... and have the ability to easily assign them to any button.

3 - Ability to buy any off the shelf virtual instrument library and load it in. If you need more memory, make the memory upgrade process very easy and modular.

4 - Ability to plug in a standard computer keyboard and provide EASY midi editing capabilities into the arranger.


5 - Have a unified music database. Where one database selection could contain and call up ANY COMBINATION of any of the following items, registrations, MIDI's, MP3's, WAV's, lyric txt files etc... Create the ability to store 'performance segments' containing a sequence of items from your database, so you could arrange your performance segments in any order and your next song/registration/setup/lyrics/midi/mp3/wav would all be queued up automatically at the end of your current song.

6 - Ribbon controller and Beam controller

7 - Set of at least 10 or 12 assignable velocity sensitive pads. These pads could also recall midi files. With a single touch 'memory' button, allow you to easily play/record anything and assign it to a pad.

8 - Foot controller that is EASY to configure on the fly. Have like a 'direct' button for the foot controller. You hit the button, select a function, tap a switch on the foot controller and it's re-assigned.

9 - Have a break button that will allow you to insert extra measures cleanly. Kind of like a rythem hold that temporarily suspends the rythem without cutting off all the accompaniment voicess, then allowing you to restart at will.

10 - Have a large tiltable display similar to the size of the Oasis, capable of handling not only the Arranger control window, but also a lyrics window and score window and a music database window simultaneously. You could easily switch windows by touching it.

11 - Discrete output channel for drums only.

12 - When using the 'ensemble' or 'harmony' settings, allow you to vary the properties. or have the computer vary the properties of each of the generated harmony voices so they are not totally identical duplicates of the original voice. (except for the pitch) This would produce a much more realistic sound when using the harmony or ensemble function.

13 - In addition to the style buttons, also have a time signature button. Pressing the Ballad style, will bring up all ballad styles, then pressing the 6/8 would filter those styles and display only the 6/8 ballad styles.

I would like to see the return of the 'swing' knob, so you can change the swing feel of a style (from straight to slightly swung to stronger swing etc.) as easily as you used to be able to do on the old 80's drum machines, and a 'half time' button that would keep the hi-hats and percussion parts the same, but halve the time on kick and snare. Both of these features appear on Steinberg's Groove Agent soft-drum machine, and I find them incredible useful, and musical. I also like Groove Agent's MUCH greater choice of rhythms and fills (something like 15 or 20 variations and fills from stupid simple to stupid busy!). An arranger with the ability to have as many variations as you want would be MUCH better than the current limited choice.

I would also like the option to only have the drums play a 'pickup' fill if I hit Fill in the middle of a Break/Mute, just like a real drummer does. Most arrangers, if you hit Break/Mute for a mid-song break, you either have to wait until the end of the bar to start again, or if you hit Fill on the 'three' or 'four', ALL the Acc parts start up rather than just the drummer. Very unmusical!

Lock tempo to stereo beat-sliced loops is only going to be REALLY practical if all the arranger manufacturers adopt USB 2.0 for data loading - as it stands, the load times are impractical for live use. But when it happens, it'll be GREAT!

I guess if everyone is happy to spend maybe $5000.00 all these features could make it to market ........but I doubt it.....when the AVERAGE person is buying KB's in Sam's club, etc ... for $299.00 !!!!

i would like to see an arranger board that could change styles/play endings by way of user settable key velocity/aftertouch...