Thanks for the welcome, Diki.

I'm not too concerned about not making the bends right at chord changes...getting them when I do manage, is fine for me. I've realized that my way of playing the arranger does require a bit of compromise, and I'm comfortable using the foot-switch and swell pedal solely for sustain and volume.

If I want a more perfect series of bends, quite likely during recording, I will just record the accompaniment first, and then overdub the right hand.

Occasionally I used to use the volume pedal for bends on my arranger (one of the Electones I owned had this option as well as my old Polymoog) but I'm more than happy with using the instrument's SA/SA2 voices as I do presently, which is by using the buttons/wheels and playing technique. The SA buttons do allow for a tiny bit of setting up a bend prior to a chord change, and they also allow for a quick (and very short) chromatic run, which is easier than doing it with the wheels. I really love the latter effect...very realistic if used judiciously.

In any case, I plan on doing much more recording, now that I have a lot of extra time, and much of it will involve some degree of multi-tracking...since I won't be as concerned about reproducing the tunes "live" since I've stopped gigging, I can really go to town on the RH parts. Man, that volume pedal (affecting only the RH) sure makes a huge difference, especially when I am playing with a guitarist or vocalist...however, getting used to using my left foot on the sustain took a bit of adjustment, but now it is second nature.

Since I've fully retired (I was still doing occasional part time clinics) I am enjoying a very new sense of freedom with playing...much of it used to involve rehearsing special tunes for clinics and showcases and preparing for "live" gigs that featured a certain genre or playlist of tunes. Now when I sit down to play or record, I can choose any direction I want. It may seem like a small thing, but in my case, it sure feels good.

I'm planning on expanding my repertoire with synthy type music, a genre I used to utilize when I was working at the CBC Radio station many years ago. I will enjoy making use of the T4's awesome Motif based synth patches, and being able to layer up to three will certainly give me plenty of colors to experiment with...I can use the included PC editor if I want to do some radical changes, but mostly I only need filtering and ADSR and that is available on-board the instrument.

I don't mind the hi-jack (hey, nothing new on SZ )...the Audya sounds pretty good...it's certainly not on my list of arrangers to own, and I seriously doubt if I'll ever get to actually play one as no dealer anywhere near me will touch them. I did hope to try the new Roland BK-9, but no sign of one yet at the local Long & McQuade store. One of the sales guys will call me if they get one.

I honestly have no GAS anymore...I am totally content with the T4 and I've really made it my own with plenty of edited styles, and lots of cool custom samples...mine has the 1 gig memory upgrade. I suspect it will quite likely be my last arranger purchase, as I can't envision anything I'd like to add to it... perhaps a chord sequencer would be nice, but it isn't really necessary and I am used to not having one. I wonder if Yamaha will ever add one to a future arranger? Surely, with Korg and Roland having them, they will have to keep up.

Now that I have retired, I'm actually wondering where in the hell I found the time to work...ha ha!

Ian