i have had my Korg Pa1X coming up to 9 years . i have learned thoroughly, (probably) only 50% of the instrument features in terms of musical applications and not just an academic understanding.

I have barely touched the sampling side other than as a basic feature to sample my choir or one shot vocals. never used the vocal harmoniser. i am still developing my understanding of style editing features and CV's . There is just so much more to learn and i can honestly say that whatever else i may buy in the future , this keyboard is a keeper for life.

i find the more i dig into my keyboard he less tempted i am to buy another one.....

By the time you learn it all technology will have surpassed you in new models and the same thins can be done better and new features will be added also.

John,

I have the PA900 (coming next week hopefully). I thought it'd be great to use the MOXF6 for adding different voices to my arrangements.

I'll use the Tascam DP-24 to mix all and make mp3s. Then I'll mute the lead part and play that live.

-OR- I thought about dumping the Motif and getting the BK7m. That way I can have (2) arrangers and open the world to styles/sounds (I like a lot of Rol styles and sounds). Plan to take the BK on the jobs too!

I believe that taking time to set things up at home will not be a major challenge with the latter setup, especially with the help from Forum members here

BUT...I am still on the fence. Still haven't opened the MOXF6.

Let me know what you do...

Jim, open up that Motif - you'll have a lot of fun with it.

Gary

My trombone... 40 years!

The thing about GAS is, you are on to new gear before you have learned 50% about the gear you have..!

The thing is, something I notice particularly about arranger users is, it's the new styles and sounds that, TBH, 99% of us move on for. Few of us settle for long on one soundset (and many don't try too hard to convert newer and older styles to use the BEST sounds we have now).

And, given how few NEW styles and NEW sounds each of them tend to add, if you move from the last model to the latest, you gain very little. Admittedly, Yamaha make this easier for their users to do, having changed their OS very little for quite a long time, but Roland and Korg tend to concentrate on new FEATURES quite a bit, and Roland have this habit of trying to reinvent the wheel every new series, so moving to the latest, greatest involves considerable head scratching just to get back to the comfort zone they came from!

Me, I generally feel I need a piece of gear maybe 6 months to a year before I consider I have the same degree of command I have over the old one. Trouble is, if you turn your gear over every couple of years (that's the product cycle of most arrangers nowadays, especially the MOTL sector), you have maybe half of your entire use cycle not completely in control! For me, at least, that's not optimal.

One of the main reason I have stayed with Roland so long now is their Makeup Tools quick style and SMF editing tools. Each time I move on to another arranger, I am not content if I can simply PLAY older styles. I want them to use the best sounds, best kits, and to sound as close as possible to the new styles that came with the new toy. An editing tool that makes this feasible and easy to do is essential, or I end up with the majority of my show sounding pretty much IDENTICAL to how it sounded before. That's not a great improvement, is it?!

But, with boatloads of styles and sequences, even with great editing tools, it's not something I want to do every couple of years! Any time spent doing this is NOT spent learning new tunes, preparing new sequences, converting new styles...

So that, for those locked into wanting the latest every time it comes out, is why I don't do it. Pick a basic soundset that is great, punchy and versatile, what more do you need? A SLIGHTLY better sax sound? A SLIGHTLY bigger style selection? Until the arranger offers RADICAL improvement, what do you gain?

Not a whole lot, IMO...

I have to say, one arranger has been all I ever needed. That way, I can devote my time learning the ins and outs of one operating system. I do my best to dig in as deep as possible, and once in a while I have been rewarded by making the instrument sometimes do things no one thought it could do.

I know the Yamaha OS well enough that editing a style, or tweaking a sound is practically second nature, and because it is now easy to do (because of familiarity) I tend to do it far more often, which ultimately enhances everything the instrument produces.

The companies put these tools and features in the instrument for a reason, unfortunately, in my own experience as a clinician, there are very few people who take the time to learn how to use them.

I have a feeling that if they did, they would hang on to an instrument much longer.

Ian

I agree. Instant gratification is a double edged sword!

You know ... If someone made a new arranger with the exact styles from 15-20 years ago ... I'm sure I'd LOVE it. The newer arrangers keep getting busier and busier ... I like a solid, simple drum beat like my old Roland E86 had. My favorite drum machine of the day was the Yamaha RX21 (think it was an RX...?) then the SR16 by Alesis sounded so much better so I switched to that ... but they both had simple beats. I only hire drummers that can play like that. Once again ... Ringo, not Steve Gadd for me.

I've got a BK-5 I'll trade.