Fran, I will start off with some overall concepts and approaches.

As you know I have adopted the approach that the Auto accompaniment utilizes lower quality sounds or instruments due to the need for the Wavetable to be GM/GS/XG compatible and accept program changes. I have used a highly modified version of sYnerGi GS together with LiveSynth Pro (other synths will work). There are at this point no very high quality GM wavetables which will accept program changes suitable for live performance needs.

For my lead or melody voices I use top of the line samples or virtual instruments, e.g., Bardstown's Bosendorfer, Garritan Strings and so on. I use these with a top of the line Sampler (Kontakt).

For my vocal harmonizers, I use DecaBuddy or Antares (industry standard).

Finally, I recommend the use of at least moderate quality effects, eg., those found in Sonar 4, etc.

To make it all work, I tie it together as a system with forte Ensemble. This host software is designed to work well in live performance situations. You could use other hosts such as Sonar, Cubase, etc. I find forte more reliable and efficient.

A system such as this can easily exceed the quality and effectiveness of any hardware based system and will do so for years to come. It sounds fantastic and is reliable....plus the price is reasonable. You can spend more and do even better. The good news is that you can start almost anywhere and slowly upgrade to suit your budget and your needs. Furthermore, the system is flexible, you can go into small details and change elements of one voice to changing out and adding new voices.....to changing the whole wavetable.

NI's Bandstand promises to be a good wavetable. Given NI's past track record ...it should be of good quality. Even so...if it isn't, just change the things you don't like and you are away to the races. This needs to be checked to see if NI lets you get into their wavetable and change out voices.

So you can go smaller (lower quality) sounds and effects for live performances to speed up the loading process and higher quality sounds and effects for studio work. You can do all this with the same system. If you must have SAVs then the world is your oyster, e.g., RealGuitar, NI B4 II, NI Guitar Rig, NI Akoustic Pianos, Analog Synths, Samples with Keyswitching (voilins with up and down bow, etc.) and so on and on. It is not to difficult to exceed the quality of today's top of the line arranger keyboards. To all of this there remains one problem...nobody can come up with a good virtual pedal steel for country music. Who would have thought?

Alternatively you can also use a combination of hardware and software, e.g., Workstation with Arranger Software, Arranger with software samplers for high quality lead voices, etc.

As I always say....the proof is in the pudding. I believe serious composers and screen writers (and more and more live performers) will continue to use software based systems. Those with massive budgets will always use real musicians with real instruments.

Fran just give up on your G1000 and your friends and start a new life with just software and a dumb controller keyboard. Make the system look impossible to your customers. Make your customers say to you....this little bit makes all these beautiful noises.....it just can't be can it??? Fran you can't lose....our newest minimalist.


[This message has been edited by Frank L. Rosenthal (edited 11-02-2005).]