I've often compared arrangers to 'home organs'. Nobody EVER thought that they would end up as a rare niche product either, back in their heyday. But technology moves on, music tastes move on, players' needs move on, and then the manufacturers move on.

When the capabilities of some of the TOTL arrangers FAR exceed the needs of probably 90% of their users, you get to a saturation point. Other than the die-hard few here at SZ (and we don't represent even a TINY fraction of the entire arranger buying public), few TOTL arranger buyers are EVER going to need another arranger...

So what happens to TOTL sales, now? Same thing that happened to home organs, IMO. Gradually, all the major players left the arena or downsized the division, while they moved on to what WAS selling profitably...

I think we are actually seeing what is 'next' on the horizon, but no company can get it right with current technology. The audio loop stuff from Ketron IS groundbreaking, but it really needs computer horsepower a bit beyond (maybe four-five years on) to be able to do all that it needs. And ditto with VSTi integration. That needs horsepower so overpowering that you never have to even THINK about the CPU's capabilities, along with a front end that is designed to make their use as easy as a closed arranger.

And they all need to be at a price point that is LESS than current TOTL's, not 25%+ MORE!

Home organ users got older, grayer, and tighter with their retirement dollar. And, other than maybe a few vocal segments here at SZ, I think the same thing is happening to arranger players. I'm probably one of the more forward looking arranger users, and even I could live pretty contentedly with what I have, should the need arise!

Cherish those current models, everyone... You never know when the ride will stop (or at least, slow down under our expectations). Technics players, YOU know what I'm talking about, don't you?