Sorry, but the market for hip sounding arrangers is already out there, and buying WSs at a rapid pace... Only to find that SELECTING and CONTROLLING all those hip arps live is a daunting task. Graft the Variation/Fill/Intro/Ending concept to these same hip loops, and you have a machine that is FAR more fun to play with (fun sells!).

If you feel the word 'arranger' is enough to stop the sale, don't call it an arranger! Call it something else. Anything else! It won't stop it from BEING an arranger...

The MotifXS and the M3 are the WS industry's first tentative steps into TOTL arranger country. You don't see the word 'arranger' anywhere in their promotional material. But that's what they are attempting. If the arranger industry, with decades more experience at how to control loops (that's all styles are, in a way) in a live situation can't make a profit from this trend, their executives should all be put on a wall and shot!

They can't even agree that the market even exists, despite all the WS people rushing in that direction.

Yes Diki ....in theory your points all make sense...gearing arrangers to a younger market ...BUT, here is where the problem lies as I see it.....years ago it was more prevalent to actually take lessons & PLAY an instrument....but that has since faded extremely with the advent of computer technology with so many OTHER ways of making music which has taken the younger audience of musicians to Branch Out in so many multiple branches with different opportunities to make music that WE didn't have as they IN stead of making to commitment & effort to take years of their time to learn how play they instead go in so many other directions which dribbles down to less interest in using an arranger KB vs the other avenues out there.....just having younger geared styles is NOT going to sway them vs the Gear that being used to make today's style music. So to recap its either learn to play? or push a few buttons?

Chas...Jimmy Smith...Richard "Groove" Holmes?
Man if you've ever been "there" (and you obviously have), you get it.

If you haven't played that style, or at least been an been an avid listener, you don't.

What a wonderful part of music history. If I could, I wouldn't do anything else, and that includes lugging around a B-3 (house jobs only).


R.

This IS a nice discussion. To bad it's a classic "hijack". Sorry, Ted. BTW, I agree with the gist of what Donny was saying; push all the buttons you want, but ONLY after you've learned to legitimately play.

chas

Yes, Donny and chas, but remember, workstations are not being bought by players who can't PLAY (they buy grooveboxes, software and MPCs, etc.).

As bad as we might think things are, there IS a younger generation of keyboard players out there, and they ARE buying WSs in FAR greater numbers than we are buying arrangers!

And chas, just to encourage you... most of the young keyboard players I have seen recently are playing organs and old Wurlis and Rhodes (or Nord clones) as well as WSs. The 'jam band' circuit is doing very well, and has it's roots in older bands like the Funky Meters, Grateful Dead and the like, with a heavy emphasis on Hammond sounds.

Now, you probably don't go out and seek these kinds of bands to listen to (most of us beat a quick retreat from any club without a single customer over 30!), but they ARE there... Google 'Galactic' band from N.O. to get a taste...

And, just like us in our younger days, they are into playing with real rhythm sections, etc.. In all fairness, we with our arrangers are FAR more 'button pushers' than they are!

Don't give up on them yet....

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Anthony Johnson:
[B]There is very serious ommision on both the SD3 module & the SD5 keyboard - no USB to Device port, for a flash drive or external Hard Drivenowadays.
Anthony.

We at CMC Dist are very aware of this issue of no USB. To at best correct it We at no charge include in the SD3 2 cables which can directly connect the SD3 to a computer USB

Ted