Chas, I think the point that I was trying to make was, whether it's a REAL band, or a sequence, it still ISN'T all you. And I honestly think we are insulting our audience's intelligence to imply that they really DO think it is all you, when you sit down and a full band comes out of the speakers.

They can tell the difference, but honestly don't care. Just like no-one really cared when guitars went from one string to six (or more), or the accordion sprouted the chord and bass buttons.

Yes, I agree that there is a difference between someone who plays a one finger melody over a complete backing, and the player that plays 100% of all the parts other than bass, drums and maybe a guitar rhythm, but unless he is playing behind a curtain, give them some credit and admit that the audience CAN tell the difference.

TBH, as far as the audience is concerned, as long as either is entertaining (remember, we aren't talking studio here!) it is all good. I think the idea that the audience, if they are paying ANY attention at all, can't tell the difference is a bit naive.

BTW, the furor over Minni Vannilli lip synching wasn't that they were lip-synching. Plenty of artists have got away with that in a variety of circumstances. What they got busted for was lip-synching to SOMEONE ELSE'S vocals! Most major artists lip synch to their OWN recorded vocals... sometimes for TV issues, sometimes for health reasons (some of the singer/dancer acts are huge productions that can't be cancelled easily if the singer has a sore throat). And, let's not be rosy-glassed here... Some of the biggest and brightest stars in the world of jazz and popular standards singers have gone on TV singing to tracks. The practice has been going on FAR longer than the advent of sequencers and arrangers!

Where was the outrage?

Sorry, but this is a far deeper question than simply sequencer or not. Let's face it, the TRUE question goes back to the wax cylinder. The minute that ANY music got produced without a roomful of live musicians, the rot had set in. I bet you have a CD player, an iPod, a radio. That's not "everything was played by the player in real time", even in the studio while it was being created..!

Just give the audience more credit. If they are looking in your direction while you play, and give a damn at all, it's pretty easy to tell what YOU are doing and what you aren't. And if they don't give a damn at all, who CARES what they think?!