If i owned a company and was looking to create the perfect arranger... I would take some of the most active spokesman of the keyboard forum communities and lock them together in a room and let them design the features and user interface of the perfect arranger and then build it...

If you put Eilleen of PSR tutorial and James (sharp) of Korg forums and Diki of Roland keyboard club into a single room, with their very own outspoken visions, you would get the arranger filled with features and a great UI for direct controll that would make everyone happy..

I am not kidding, but these 3 people each with a different viewpoint on arrangers but also extreme insight in their own and the userbase wishes based on long and extensive playing experience, these people know so much better what the perfect arranger needs to be from a players perspective.. All they need to add is some engineers that decide if the options are technically possible with the current technollogy..

I think i would blindly buy the keyboard...

You lost me as soon as you used the word "perfect". People are different, needs are different, use/usage is different, etc., etc. People buy arrangers for all sorts of reasons; economic (OMB's), convenience (sketchpad for arranging and composing), self-gratification (it makes them feel like they're better than they really are), laziness (quickest means to an end), inspiration (although from someone else's ideas),.....add your own reason.

Young folks want hell-fire editing capabilities, old folks have trouble finding the off/on switch. Working musicians want easy portability and lightning fast navigation, amateurs want lots of lights and buttons (to impress the neighbors) although they'll only use three of them during the entire life of the instrument (any more and they'd have to read the manual ).

And finally, if you locked the people you mentioned up in a room together, the only question would be, who would be the first to 'snap' and kill Diki . Nice idea Bachus, won't work.

chas

Design by Committee!!! Don’t think so. For all the reasons (And more) that Chas has mentioned above.

Bill

Might work.

Probably not a lot of DJ would be built in.

It's always created by committee these very complex devices. And most of the times they were ok.
As for the features, don;t you believe for one second they do not know what to put inside. It's a matter of how much they can and want to do it, for many many variables are involved.

Big DITTO !!

I agree with Bill and Chas, except for the "kill" part. Let each brand company go in their own direction, and we decide what best suits our needs.

Too bad not everyone is able to check each product out for themselves, because of location or availability. Have to rely on reviews, demos, and discussions. That's where forums, such as this, are great for this purpose even though we sometimes respectively disagree on opinions at times.

Marcus

If another arranger was NEVER produced I'd be very happy with what is available now....I think more concentration should be on playing not wasting time worrying about sounds, styles, etc, all the time...

If I'm being honest,..It's nice to dream but the bottom line is
"What does your Playing sound like on an arranger KB?"

What we have on the market today is AMAZING,
and very under utilized,....nit picking every little thing is ridiculous.

Yes, technology has given us fantastic arrangers. With the level of realism, expansion on most arrangers and the tools to create styles, voices, drum kits etc, you can almost go on for years with a great board.

In reality though, your board would wear out and become unreliable. As I regularly upgrade, my boards remain reliable and you take advantage of the technology and innovations as they are developed.

Marcus
Edit: Okay, your edited post ( above ) went from pro arranger to anti arranger. I supplement my retirement income playing arranger keyboards. I compose full arrangements and songs on my arrangers and play live. Only using or transporting my single arranger keyboard can do this convienently and effectively with all the tools I need, plus I don't want or need the hassles bringing other gear or laptops.

I already own the perfect arranger!

Gary

DITTO !!

Great..

I love mine to, but i can see dozens of little possible improbements

The only improvements I want is to have the musical skills of Boo, Russ, Chas, DonM and my son John. And, of course the voice of Sinatra.

Gary

Plus one, Gary glad you're not asking for too much!




To a degree the arranger has been a curse for me, I used to play and practice piano on a regular basis, once I bought an arranger, that all slowed down to the point where I sold my grand piano and rarely touch the CVP piano. I got real lazy with the left hand!

"old folks have trouble finding the off/on switch"

Chas, I know you didn't mean this literally, because I find the switch on my SD7 after only 20 minutes or so.
Don't forget we old folks used to be young folks and weren't always stupid.

You are totally right, what's perfect for me is quite different from perfect for Gary. What's perfect for DNJ is anything new until he uses it for the third time on the job!

I've had 4 perfect arrangers - technics kn1000 (which didn't even read midi files ), technics kn6000, KORG Pa 600 and now the KORG Pa900 ... they were/are ALL perfect because each satisfied my needs at the time ...

Actually I wouldn't care at all if my arranger didn't read midi files!
Technics was way ahead of everyone else back then.

...and the company that builds such an arranger would sell a ton of them (even at a $7950.00 street price), then go out of business. Why? No one would buy another arranger again -:) as this one will have everything (minus KETRON's Live sound)....

Your are absolutely right about that, Don ...

midi files - I don't need no stinkin' midi files!

Gary