I understand that Nigel....its purly a marketing trick to make more profits ...more choices = more $$$$$$ just like salad dressing & "LIGHT" dressing.......Marlboro cigarettes and Marlboro "lights" if you give people choices more will buy from different camps its a great strategy that works....sure they can put it as an all in one KB but MONEY is what they are all after first and foremost.

My take is that very few combined-function/swiss-army-knife devices (of ANY sort) perform as well as a separately developed dedicated device performing the same function. Sure, you can put a hammer head or saw on the end of a screwdriver but nobody would buy it, simply because it is simply not as good as it's single-function counterpart.

Arrangers (and Workstations) will continue to evolve because developers are constantly trying to create the 'perfect' arranger (or workstation). If arranger-functions were merely a 'feature' on some 'Master do-it-all keyboard', it probably wouldn't get the same level of R&D. Let's face it; Arranger players want the ultimate ARRANGER, and Workstation players want the ultimate WORKSTATION, and never the twain shall meet. Also, what Donny said; it's probably way more profitable to keep them seperate. Trust me, the corporations know what they're doing (marketing wise). JMO, though.

chas

I think so, too. Nigel is right that it wouldn't cost much to include everything, but the problem starts with how the instrument "communicates" with the user. How buttons are labelled and arranged etc.
A voice category called "sweet voices" like in the PSR series sounds cheesy to any synth user. Controllers designed for 16-part performances required by synth users would irritate arranger users. And so on.

How about one of you folks providing us with YOUR definition of a Pro Player.

My definition is simple, someone that plays for a fee. Therefore, I guess I was considered a pro player because it's what I did for a living for more than 30 years. It was my sole source of income for more than 20 years and the only thing that changed during the past decade is that I had to take my retirement, something I didn't want to do, but it was required by law when I hit age 70-1/2. When I was a freelance outdoor writer, I was considered a professional writer/journalist. It was what I did for a living, often in conjunction with playing music and being a Pro entertainer.

I know a large number of pro players, all of which own and exclusively use an arranger keyboard. What's wrong with this picture?

Gary

The styles and voice buttons are gone for the most part on the Genos. There’s more sliders and knobs in their place.

I wonder how far the Genos is from being a “workstation” ?

Nothing wrong with that I guess.

I would say a 'Pro Player' is someone who do this the as the work for living, main dayly income. But also have to got good talent and skills for what she/he is doing as well as the talent to satisfy the public.

I guess we can twist this 'Pro' definition a quite lot, but how many of the 'Pro' autocomp arranger players can step into a symphony orchestra and participatie in the same way or level as those who have passed their entrance examination, reading notes and playing what the conductor decides to play?
I have a suspicion that the number 'Pro' drops drastically with such criteria.

When we played gigs, we called ourselves "happy amateurs" who did the best as we could to entertain the guests, whether it was Saturday dance or at weddings.
Names or titles does not matter, if your customers are happy and you are happy with your equipment and what you're doing, I think you're 'Pro' as good as any.

Yamaha names Tyros and Genos 'Workstations', so who is there to tell designers and developers at Yamaha that they is wrong?
I don't think I have the skills to argue, but I still name my Genos an autocomp arranger.

Obviously very far, if you refer to synth workstations:

In the specs I see: "Parts: left / right 1, right 2, right 3"

As I said, in a synth workstation you have 16 parts you can all use live and assign to any range on the keyboard. Having only one part for the left half of the keyboard is a no go for many.

Then I don't know whether you can access several elements within a voice and change them - I guess you can't, at least not onboard.

Gary, with all due respect, that is the weakest definition of a professional I've ever heard. To me, a 'professional' is defined by a combination of TRAINING, COMPETENCE, AND EXPERIENCE. If Quincy Jones (or any top producer) requests you for a session, you are a professional. If you play in a major symphony orchestra or Broadway production, or touring with a MAJOR music act, or teaching music (exclusively) at the high school level or above, or recognized by your peers as such, you are a professional. A back-room abortionist can practice his/her 'craft' for 30 years (and make a good living at it) but that doesn't make them a doctor. There IS such a thing as a semi-professional; 'semi' because they're missing one or more of the key components that signifies a true professional. Most true professionals also belong to multiple professional music organizations and most have certifications of some kind to attest to their level of professionalism. Aviation is a good example. Everyone even remotely associated with aviation knows what a 'professional pilot' is and nobody is going to consider you a 'professional' just because you've got 30 years flying a Piper Cub (at 2000ft in fair weather).

I say all this because I think it's disingenuous to say that just because someone is paid a fee for something, that makes them a professional. He MIGHT be a professional but he is not automatically one. The two guys I play with (jam with, actually) are true professionals while I, on the other hand, am a true amateur. Because we're all retired and do it for fun, they tolerate me, but when they were working 'pro's', they probably wouldn't have given me the time of day. Now, I'm in a position to learn from the best and I'm enjoying it immensely.

Hey, I only responded to this post because;
1. You asked.
2. I don't think the word 'Pro' or 'Professional' should be thrown around lightly.

Glad you asked, though. I like meaningful dialog.

chas

In other words even bad players that get paid are pros!... Something is wrong..