I'll light the fuse...

NO new music is "made on an arranger". None at all. Arrangers, using styles, are nice to reproduce exisiting songs, at best. Find the style that matches the song best, and play along.

What makes my E-80 "kind of" a workstation in my eyes, is the fact that I can not only use it as an arranger, but I can also write music, MAKE music, from scratch. The vast amount of different high-quality sounds, that (to a certain extend) can be altered to my liking, allow me to play each and every instrument by myself, record it as multitrack-audio or as MIDI-sequence. That's MAKING _new_ music. You can't do that using pre-cooked instant accompaniment.

Sure, I use styles in writing new music, to "capture" the general idea of a song, while I only have a rough idea of a chord progression, a melody line. And that's why I love the arrangerfunctions on my keyboard. But before the song is finished, I will have every "arranger" part replaced by my own.

Manufacturers would be wise to add a lot of functions to instruments, abandoning the idea of "just an arranger", but adding more and more features that allow the player to alter sounds, use imported samples etc etc. Once they get that right, the instrument WILL be interesting for young _and_ 'old' buyers.

And you know what? Maybe that's exactly what the R&D's of the "big three" are looking into as we speak.

Just my € 0,02

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- THE DUTCH KEYBOARD FORUM http://www.keyboardforum.nl
Happy owner of a Roland E-80 V2

[This message has been edited by Burkels (edited 03-07-2009).]

indeed!
modularity, that should and will be a good answer for various needs. GW8 seems as a good start. still, a lot of work to be done. also, open OS could be the other good answer.

That use is quite common among arranger users...I use my S900 the same way, usually when I am making a CD.

I do tend to leave in the guitar parts, such as strums, to make the best use of the mega voices.

For "live" play I always use my own custom assembled styles, as to put my own stamp on a tune.

Ian



[This message has been edited by ianmcnll (edited 03-07-2009).]

I don't think it's that common as you think it is I think that 90% of the arranger users play along with styles that others made... That's where the arranger's reputation of "PushOneButtonAndItPlays" comes from. That's why many people look down on the instrument, since they think all you have to do is press a key and the band plays. And to some extend they're right.

It's just that you don't have to stop there. New instruments with improved and added functions to create(!) music from scratch will have to be the next generation. A cross-over between arrangers and synths, if you will. Let's call them Workstations

------------------
- THE DUTCH KEYBOARD FORUM
http://www.keyboardforum.nl
Happy owner of a Roland E-80 V2

Perhaps you are right...I do know that the line between arranger and workstation has blurred a lot in the recent past.

I find making demos much faster with an arranger than a workstation.

Ian

being a good player is the #1 thing that should matter to anyone....

second is what keyboard you use

not enough emphasis is put on LEARNING HOW TO PLAY! Too many people think they know how to play in their mind until someone else listens to their music. Btw, & on topic again.... on the other hand Roland will be around a very long time they make superior gear & is not going anywhere.