As I said on another thread...

"ALL brands of arrangers suffer from having features that aren't used by the average buyer.

I have addressed this issue with Yamaha many times, but I am only a very small spoke in a VERY big wheel.

All manufactures use these "features" as a marketing ploy...people then feel they are getting a lot for their money, even though they'll never use them."

Ian

Ian just keep addressing them.....we dont want what we have now to tank like Technics did a few years ago leaving dedicated loving players holding the bag.

Hi Bill
I know well too that is possible loading many Vst's in the studios and from some years.
I was only SHOWN that now under Linux is possible loading Unlimited Hosting ASIO clients application and NOT Vst's only.

I have here windows Xp too, BUT when i start to loading the first ASIO application then I'm not able to open another and use it in the same time, because the audio card is already take from the first application.

Try yourself to open Reaper under ASIO, then open cubase SX, Kotakt stand alone asio version and so on, then let me know if you can use all together.

This feature we need because we will use some Vst/hosting under background system, like:
-Kontakt ASIO for the second background Sampler
- Vst hosting ASIO Voice machine/harmonize
- Vst hosting ASIO Voice Vocalist
-2-3 VstHost ASIO for open more Vst effects/revebs/delay

If all this where under Vst mode, only ONE application like reaper-cubase can drive and then we are NOT able to use it for other realtime and backend application.

Just look the all Openlabs video, they have the same problems:
OR they can open Reaper and then with the keyboard play the sounds under the Vst tracks
OR they can open the Karsym sound manager for multiple sounds realtime players.

IF they will open both togheter, the keyboard can not working with the Karsym sound manager or reverse.
This is NOT a openlabs problems is a Windows limitation.

Under Linux now is more simple than windows, just one click and the ASIO host is open, Jack connection where you like and all is done. Need less than 5 seconds.
Linux Jack connection kit is like one Printer server, where 1-10-100-1000... PC and ASIO applications, can print ( here mean Print Audio and Midi data) in the same Printer ( audio card)
Understand the concept?

IF then you don't care to use a lot of Vst, this is another argument, BUT under linux need only one click and connect audio-midi to the desidered device, game made.
We can also simple run any desidered Vst, ASIO applicaton under the desidered Mediastation hardware buttom that you feel like one embedded system.
More simple like that, I really dont know what the Linux developer can do.
Cheers

This is a somewhat cynical view of the arranger as an instrument though... Let's get rid of all those features that the 'average' home user doesn't use.

Might as well start with those pesky black notes, too, as I am sure most of those 'quit when they were nine' wannabe's mostly play in C... Think of the money the arranger manufacturers could save (and the complication for the user!), and of course, how much lighter it could be

The perfect arranger.... for morons!

Not cynical, Diki, just an honest evaluation after many years of clinics.

Ian

Actually, I believe that the average buyer has all they want from these arrangers. They have fast, easy music creation...withot or without lots of
(or ANY) musical training.
I keep reminding myself that as a pro, I am in the minute mirority of arranger users that perfrom on stage, worldwide. I'm sure most of these units sit home.

Bottom line - As long as they make something that enables me to entertain a crowd....I'm open to suggestions !

I play in C, lol.
I also use some black keys occasionally.

That's all most buyers want, Dave, but the pro manages to take it several steps further and makes the most of features that are lost on the average owner.

Personally I'm glad they keep adding features...just as long as they don't replace or drop the ones that are very useful...like Diki's chord sequencer, or dedicated panel buttons for most often used functions.

Ian

And therein lies the problem... Perhaps a Linux engineer CAN'T make it any simpler, but a MUSIC engineer would know it has to be...

He would know his market, and realize that most of these people (musicians) haven't got a clue about print servers, yet alone most of the technobabble that instruments like this make you confront. The reason that arrangers are wildly popular is that they DON'T make you confront the nuts and bolts of the instrument's design. You turn it on, you press Bossa Nova 1, hit the OTS button and play - and the instrument sounds the best it CAN sound. NOT after you have loaded up the (hopefully) compatible VST instrument of your choice and jacked this into that, opened two incompatible sound players together, wired the effect sends from one VSTi into the inputs of another VST reverb and software routed the outputs of that back into a control matrix so you can control reverb depth with an onboard slider... (I'm exhausted just thinking that up!)

Of all the things to tie complexity of that degree to... an arranger?!! It's kind of like getting Bugatti to design a dump-truck.

It's like watching a traffic accident... Guys like Ian (who demo and sell arrangers) are going 'take all the complicated stuff off', and guys like Domenik (who build them) going 'look at all the complicated stuff I've put on'!

And all the rest of going 'we want all the good stuff... just make it moronically easy to use'.

I guess NOONE wins...

You know what's crazy...the majority of arranger buyers don't even know what MIDI is...and that's been around for decades.

Make an arranger look the slightest bit too complicated, and most potential buyers will walk.

Ian