And Gary, I don't think that they would plan to come close.
Adding all of the features that would bring up to par would put them in competition with the other makers building 'pro' level.

They have there own niche with a large enough market for it. I think they will pretty much stay right there.

Guys:

If a new arranger keyboard arrived on the scene (that I could afford) and provided all the things I need for writing and recording songs, I would not hesitate to buy it. I don't care if it is made by Parker Brothers Games or Mattel for Heaven's Sake.

I'm not hung up on brands or manufacturers. All I want is the most "bang for the buck" I can get. In reality, my PSR-2000 Yammie is probably all I'll ever own. Right now, I'm searching for newer styles and "voices" (I call them instruments) so I can spiff up my songs. Anybody got a dobro that sounds real?

All my best,

Dave Rice http://cdbaby.com/cd/daverice

If a new arranger came to the market that had fantastic sounds, styles, 76 weighted keys, superb editing facilities, full ability to record your songs and edit them more like you can do on a PC using eg. Pro tools and also had an internal CDRW, also had the ability to load my own collection of samples into it quickly (not like the slow T2 lol) I would buy it immediately.
If it did say Casio on the back that's not a problem, it's the features and price that matters not the company name.
Then again with what I've listed the price would probably be sky high, although the Wersi and Mediastation have some of these features already.

I agree with Mr Ed. Casio does not seem to have an interest to manufacture revolutionary products.

They surely can hire "a few" professionals and develop a new product. They surely have the funds for that, and they have slowly built a reputation and good enough products.

But competing with the likes of the 3 big Japanese manufacturers means a lot more things should be done, besides simply developing a revolutionary product.

Marketing, sales, support and infrastructure would need to be at the same "professional" level with the product, and also they would have to overcome the "toy brand" reputation, which many of you Casio owners have seen in the eyes of many friends-colleagues. This is not something they can achieve overnight, and this will probably cost more than the product itself.

And then it is a question of ROI. (Return on Investment). Will the hypothetical "revolutionary new product" line be succesful enough to justify the cost AND send Yamaha to the drawing board AND wipe the smile off Michel Voncken's lips AND be profitable down the line?

Or simply releasing evolutionary products is a safer way to profit?

My money is on the latter....
but I secretly hope it is the former
Theodore

Well lets look at it like this..., Take the former MZ-2000 and up the poly (which casio currently has the ability to do), add some new sampled sounds (which clearly they have the technology to due), add a USB port (they've already added them to the WK's and other models), and freshen up the styles (the MZ already has 4 variations ect).

It really wouldn't be hard. Just look at the general specs for the MZ-2000

Specifications
61 full size keys with touch response (initial/after).
64 note polyphony
16 channel multi timbre
MIDI
562 tones (487 normal tones, 20 drawbar tones, 15 drum sets, 40 user programs).
Layer/split
Auto-accompaniments (start/stop, intro1/2, fill in back, normal, next, break, variation 1/2/3/4, syncro start, syncro stop, rit., fade in/out, ending1/2)
130 rhythms (120 preset, 10 use programmable)
Pattern sequencer: 8 part (drum, percussion, bass, chord 1to 5) x10 patterns, up to 22.000 notes,
real time record,
step record
Registration memory (8 sets x 8 banks)
One touch presets (480 factory presets, 10 user programmable)
Arpeggiator
Auto harmonise (12 types)
Mixer function : 14 channels, external : 16 channels, mic/line : 1 channel)
Song sequencer : 17 tracks x10 songs, up to 40,000 notes, real time recording, step recording, punch in capabilities
Pitch bend wheel Modulation wheel Assignable switch
Size (WxDxH) 1150x425x202 mm
Weight 12.4 kg
--------------------------------------------

If the MZ had a USB port, more updated sounds and styles along with a bump in poly it without a doubt will be a contender. Those few things aren't beyond Casio's abilities.

No matter how good a keyboard they make their name will always their curse

CasioProKeys

There you go!

------------------
www.tagworld.com/vicentelopez


HE'S COMING, MAKE MUSIC, GET READY!

[This message has been edited by ViLo (edited 09-02-2006).]

I remember back to the 70's when the name Toyota was laughed at in the U.S., but no more.

Hi,
ask any dedicated Technics owner if they would care if the never to be released
"KN8000"
had Technics or Casio written on the back, I don't think the brand name would matter as long as the quality was there.
I thinkit's the features, functions etc that matter.
best wishes
Rikki

best wishes
Rikki
[QUOTE]Originally posted by SemiLiveMusic:
[B]

Maybe Casio should do what some other companies do. Take Fender for example. They have the Squier series. Even though the headstock says Squier, it also says "by Fender".

Maybe Casio can come up with a new name associated with a more pro level arranger--or even a synth (a synth would be cool). Casio did have a cool synth line in the 80's called the CZ series.

They could make the new name be the Larger label, and say "by Casio" in smaller print.

Squeak