I only hope that Yamaha either include software to easily slice your own loops and get them in sync, or adopt an industry standard like REX or Apple Loops. If they adopt a proprietary format (like they have for their sampler section multi-sample data), the selection and price for any new loops is going to be a bottleneck.

I think this is what is doing in the Ketron... It is WAY past time that easy tools to put your own 'Live Loop' sounds into the Ketron should be available.

I guess my only misgiving about the whole thing is, will Yamaha concentrate on these drum loops rather than continue to improve the MIDI kits themselves? It's an area Yamaha are currently pretty weak on (compared to most others, IMO). They started to get a bit better with the new kits in the T4, but this might distract them. And, you are faced with the same problem that the Ketron has... The audio drumloops are SO good, if you have a style (think just how many legacy Yamaha styles are floating out there) without the loops, it is going to be a bit of a letdown in comparison.

But easy import of audio loops (synced audio multipads is a great idea!) might be the very thing that gets the kids interested in arrangers again. Just imaging the vast library of modern dance music loops out there right now. Dubstep, house, you name it! If anything can get kids back into arrangers, this is IT!