Workstations are pretty easy to figure out hammer. On the other hand, the main thing that hinders arrangers, in my opinion, is the mechanical style repetition that make arrangers sound - canned - thus restricting 'natural' rhythm and beat like you would achieve from a real live band feel and sound. Mike

There in lies the biggest problem...key word "REPETITIOS" !

If I really had to do without an arranger, I'd go the Band In A Box route.

Ian

Hi Ian ,
me too.

I had the technical knowledge to know how to multi track record etc but not the musical creativity to produce a finished song.
Hence, I use arranger keyboards.

For precisely the above reason, I probably wouldn't buy another workstation.

If arranger keyboards disappeared off the planet earth today, I'd be more than content using Band in a Box/Real Band. In the last couple of years or so , it's gone ahead in leaps & bounds.
Hadn't realized to what extent until a few months ago when i upgraded my laptop. The audio loops it now uses for some of it's styles ( mainly country , rock & jazz ) make backing tracks sound a lot better than they did when purely midi tracks were used for styles. The majority are still midi styles or a mix of audio & midi. The good part is PG, keeps adding more of these audio styles with each upgrade. They're certainly not free, but I don't mind spending $100 or so a couple of times a year to get an upgraded version of the program , plus a heap of new files.

So, with a synth or keyboard controller plus software synths, I'd get along quite nicely.

Correction on the Pa3X. It does NOT have an on board Sampler. Sequencer yes, Sampler... sorry. Which is one more example of an arranger not having a full featured sampler that is usually included in most, if not all, totl traditional workstations.

What some of you might not realize is that traditional workstations e.g. the Roland Fantom G, Yammie Motif XF, etc. are plug and play just like your typical arranger. You turn it on and start playing. When you want to include the additional "benefits" of comprehensive sound editing and sampler capability the workstation can provide that too. My Fantom G can also layer up to 8 different sounds together at one time which is a plus for those times when you might need a rich complexity in your sound on occasion. I can also split sounds along the keyboard eight ways. Favorite sounds can be recalled at the touch of a button and I can hold the keys down and transition to another sound, seamlessly, without any disruption in sound etc., etc., etc. I'm sure the Motif XF and Korg KRONOS both have a multitude of similar high end features as well.

Arrangers as we know have auto-accompaniment that assists you with your playing to give you that one-man-band (OMB) ability whereas workstations don't of course. But workstations are just as easy to play as any arranger. The main difference being that the auto-accompaniment of arrangers makes one person sound like a whole band whereas workstations are generally used for use "in" a band with other band members and where the songs that are played don't sound repetitious, canned and/or artificial. But if you belong to a band, and gig, you'll obviously have to split the money proceeds amongst the other band members. Arranger gigging proceeds go to just one person - Don Mason. In other words just the arranger player since you cut out the middle man. Sounds good to me.

I'm waiting for the day when arrangers from the Big Three provide more of a "free flow" sound such as the Audya tries to accomplish. But I don't want to spend $5,000 + tax to gain that privilege. Call me cheap, call me frugal, call me miserly, call me wise beyond my years - nah uh... won't do it. Kudos to DonM for biting the bullet and taking out that second mortgage and forking over the big bucks for the Audya but if I was to spend $5,500 i.e. ($5,000 + tax) on an arranger it should also cook breakfast, vacuum the floors and take out the garbage too. Maybe some day right? lol

PS: Just kidding Don. And I'm sure you've already recouped most of your investment by now because of your frequent gigging schedule. At least I hope so anyway. $5,500 is a lot of clams huh? I'm sure the Audya is worth it to you though.

All the best,
Mike

Ian,

I agree with most everything you said above, but--if I had to do without an arranger I would just stop performing. With an arranger I'm having more fun than I could ever ask for, while a work station is just what it is termed--WORK! I don't want to work--I just like having lots of fun and getting paid for it. That's why I go sailing and write magazine articles about boating--I'm having fun, and I'm getting paid to do it.

Cheers,

Gary