Diki,
I guess you could run both arranger engines at the same time..but, IMHO I don't think I want that...I just want to use one at a time,,maybe different one for each song, or even different one for the same song.. on different nights?

Korg uses MIDi PC's to control most arranger functions (into1,2,3, VARS, fills etc)
This is not a problem at all if you are using a MIDI foot pedal unit. All you have to do is easily setup a SET (most allow for at least ten sets of MIDI control setups) to control whichever kbd you are using, then select it depending on the kbd at the time.

If you wanted two arranger engines running at the same time (??), then it would be a problem.

The Behringer FCB1010 handles this issue in fine shape. If you are playing a song with Yammaha T3 select set A, Korg PA Set B, Roland G-70 Set C etc.

Where the BIG isue is = The MIDI implementation on most arrangers is very poor and very amateur.

Let's say you want to use a Yamaha T3 to play sounds on another MIDI instrument, say a G-70 (Korg PA, HW sound module, VSTi etc)....You can look in the manual for the G-70 and find the necessary MIDI bank/Program change message to send to select say a nice Sax...BUT YOU CANNOT program the T3 so that when you select a performance or sound in a style to actually send the correct MIDI message out!

That's what we need to tell the MFG's we want (along with other better MIDI implementation).

Any PRO synth can do this fine...The PA2XPRO being a PRO arranger can also do this fine and I use it all the time. It is the only one I am aware of that can.

When I had the T2 and a Kurzweil PC2R...I wanted to do this so I called Yamaha support to see how...they told me 'You don't need to do that this is a home keyboard and everything you need is in there already'...end of support call.

That's the attitude of the arranger Mfg's we need to change for us that want/need TOTL arrangers!

Lee S.

Lee, may be you could create a basic style using some SA or Mega voices in Yamaha and another basic style using drums and other sounds in Korg and play them together changing the style's variation on only one arranger but I guess it would be very complicated though. On the whole Korg Pa line you can send out midi Pc messages, including the lowest range Pa500, it's not that hard to implement it. For me it would be good to be able to control the Psr Intro/Var/fills/End from my NanoKontrol. I could use the 18 buttons in any of the four programable Sets (18x4=72 possibilities) and have it at the tip of my fingers.

Victor

So anyway... as I was saying...I really like the concept that Korg came up with...an arranger piano that doesn't cost $5,000 as does the typical arranger/piano like Clavinova or Roland's KR line - way too much for an instrument which becomes hopelessly outdated without any chance of a software upgrade.

If Korg had outfitted the Pa588 with their advanced voices, it would be irrersistable. I imagine the next model will have them. Could it be that they want to clear out the 500 and 588 with such deep rebates?

I'm tempted to wait and see. But I also wonder if the 500 and 588 could be given a software update like the 800 was given. Owners were claiming the update made their 800 sound like a new board...and doesn't the 500/588 share the same engine with the 800?

Tim:

The Pairing either the PA800/588/ to the T3, is a win win situation!!.
I do not want to get in pissing contest, that is not my thing, BUT, NO single manufacturer, regardless of the name/model, makes the "perfect" arranger, since we ALL have different taste, needs, level of talent, skills and do not forget that we are talking about something "subjective" to the sole individual.

I like different things/features/sounds/styles of each individual manufacturers,
I am OPEN minded, but in the end, I can not carry 4 or 5 keyboards to each job, so, I made decisions on what keyboards will do certain things that I expect and so on.
That is how I arrived to the formula of this 2 arrangers. I do not understand why some players have 2 keyboards of the same brand and model in the stage, that is redundant,(unless is a backup).
Think that you are an artist that needs ALL the shades of each color=sounds, that's how I see it, sometimes I may need a darker, brighter, or wherever sound, and having 2 different sounds(tone generations) is easier to find what you want.

------------------
mdorantes

To be honest, YES... I DO want to run two arrangers at the same time. Let us take, for example running my G70 for what it does BEST (let's say drums, saxes and E Piano, for instance), and syncing an S910 to it, for what IT does best (let's say the acoustic and electric guitar parts, Bass part, etc.). A combination of what is BEST on each board, rather than pick the compromise you can live with best, and leave it at that...

While theoretically, you MIGHT be able to trigger the divisions with an external piece of gear, it's going to be pretty complicated, as you are going to have to send different MIDI streams to each keyboard, as whatever makes the one keyboard trigger it's division changes is going to probably have some unintended effect on the other arranger.

Bottom line is, this would be a walk in the park if only the manufacturers would pick ONE common set of instructions. No need for complicated external gear. Simply press VAR4 on the one keyboard, and VAR4 comes up on the slave...

Hi Victor...good to hear from you again,
Yes, I think you can use the Nano very nicely to control the Yamaha style elements.

As far a styles/sounds..I am very happy with the styles I have on the PA...sometimes I may want to use a VSTi or other (Kurzweil PC2R) sounds instead of one on the PA..No problem to do it as we can just use EXTERNAL mode on that track, key in bank/pgm and off we go...Neat. (CC0, CC32, PG chg). Save that in a songbook entry and good to go anytime.

Lee S.

Full control of the arranger styles may be incompatible between boards, but ever since Midi came out you have been able to sync the Tempo, which can also activate the Start/Stop button on the slave. (Even my Wersi Alpha from 1984 could do that)
You can also get Midi control boxes that will swap the CC for you. (Setup once and then you can forget it)
A standard always comes in handy though.

Bill