Or are we just deluding ourselves with manufactures just selling us mutton dressed up as lamb.

Here are 2 recordings from 1988 (Almost 28 years ago) using the keyboards available at the time

Select

Like a Classic

You decide

Bill

Wow! These sound quite good, especially the Classical one.
Hard to believe they're from 28 years ago.

Are these built-in keyboard demos?

Is the Classical one a Roland?

I think you've made an interesting point!

Was a Kurzweil involved here? Sounds much too realistic for a normal instrument of 1988 for my ears. Korg M1 sounded worse. And the M1 was the most advanced, sample-based synthesizer of that time that was still affordable.

I originally asked if it was a Kurweil, but then edited my post to read Roland. That's because his header asks if TOTL ARRANGERS are really advanced, not TOTL WORKSTATIONS. As far as I know, Kurzweil did not make any arrangers 28 years ago.

I was also thinking that perhaps the Classical demo was from Technics.

The title may be slightly off, however Midi is involved which is the staple of all arrangers. (Styles are just Midi loops unless audio) I was also tending to focus more on the sound where manufactures are claiming to have made great strides.

The player is still very popular today.

Bill

So this wasn't from an arranger from 1988. I was sure it couldn't.

That makes sense, now. So I'll stick to my original post, before I edited it, and say that the Classical demo was made with a Kurzweil.

[quote=
I originally asked if it was a Kurweil, but then edited my post to read Roland. That's because his header asks if TOTL ARRANGERS are really advanced, not TOTL WORKSTATIONS. As far as I know, Kurzweil did not make any arrangers 28 years ago.

I was also thinking that perhaps the Classical demo was from Technics. [/quote]

Arrangers at that time were never as advanced in sounds as the ground-breaking sample-based synthesizers like M1. Otherwise Yamaha could have dumped their FM-based Electone organs very quickly... I still have some cassette recordings of my Electone and later Electone + SY-55 from that time... That's why I thought a synth has to be involved here.

Arrangers at that time were never as advanced in sounds as the ground-breaking sample-based synthesizers like M1. Otherwise Yamaha could have dumped their FM-based Electone organs very quickly... I still have some cassette recordings of my Electone and later Electone + SY-55 from that time... That's why I thought a synth has to be involved here. [/quote]



I remember that time well. I was in a Montreal store in 1989 and saw the Korg M1, and also the Roland U-20. I bought the U-20. I somehow liked it better, for my needs.

You're right about arrangers back then. I wanted one, but didn't find anything, except those big, expensive organs which played accompaniment, and also a small arranger-type module. It only played a few parts at a time. I don't remember the brand.

How old is the B3?........I rest my case..