10 days till musik messe
I am expecting lots of news this week..

not in arrangeres departments,its a dead world. maybe in the lowest arrangeres.

All depends on what you are looking for..

I expect a new korg pa5x later this year, musik messe might be to early
Also a New Havian could be announced
Same goes for Yamaha, a psr-s series update is due somewhere this year
Same goes for the cvp-700 series which are fullfledged arrangers inside a piano boddy
And ketron allways has a new prototype of some sorts to show..
Roland also should show something new to the arranger market if they plan to stay a serious contender in this segment

Also i think this might be the moment for arranger technollogy to make their way to more products, like workstation/synths and digital piano’s.. most likely trough further ipad integration..

Kurzweil that started to produce arrangers in recent years might actually have something serious up their sleeves..

Personally i am most interested to see if any other companies will show something akin to ketrons launchpads? Altough i think its still early for that... the only company that might do something like this could be Korg with a new pro arranger..

BACHUS ,those who are using synths ,workstations, pianos , hammond , are not interesting in arranger , they say its unproffesinal , and those of us that came from arranger world , are few ,and most of us do not work anymore , so why a company should develop and work hard for selling a few arrangeres ?

Many of those who are using synths, workstations, piano's... are interested in creating backings.. and arrangers are a perfect tool for doing this..

Did you ever have a look at a Yamaha montage/modx musicians trying to use arps to create backings... quite a lot of them are trying to mimic arrangers when they do so... most of them don't even realise..

IF they wrap the arranger in another package, something like Ketron's launchpad. Then i predict all those @pro@ players will love the arranger backings..

What many of them are not looking for is the simple system of 4 variations, 3 fills, intro and endings.. but the actuall arranger backing of patterns following chords (either played live or created by a chord sequence) now thats something different.


Yes, these people are not interested in the current arrangers with pre-created styles. But when you turn those arrangers into a creative tool, then i predict they will love it.

If manufactures thought they would sell more Workstations etc. (And make more money) by adding arranger features (Omitting the next door to useless pre-set styles and static style operation) they would have done so, however the fact that they haven’t means their research shows that demand for them is not there.

Bill

Actually both Korg as well as Yamaha allready did..
They made Karma and ARP's that can function as semi/arrangers.

Personally i think they are up for the next step.
We haven't seen any new features in this market for years.
They need something new that sells more workstations and prevents the exodus to full software based setups.
Combining Arranger features with a scene matrix. (thats what Ketron does with their launchpads) Might be exactly what the hardware market needs to pull people back.


Now even when i am right, there is one comapny i don't expect to follow this path
And thats Yamaha, they are spreading their technology over as mny different types of instruments as they possibly can.. yet never really crossbreed their instruments

So in the end... this needs to come from Korg.. They are desperately looking to create a new instrument that is refreshing and advanced enough to replace the Kronos..

For decades, I have performed as a keyboardist in the accompaniment bands of famous singers in my country, including recordings by these best singers, and I am in close contact to this day with musicians from the field, even though I have been playing private parties for the last 10 years. I do not know one of my fellow keyboarders to make a musical sketch of an automatic organ. They refer to an automatic organ as a non-serious instrument in which the player does not use his creativity but rather the creativity of Keyboard manufacturer and therefore do not use an automatic organ, although you can create an entire rhythm out of personal creativity, but why do so? When it is possible to perform simple playback on the internal sequencer of the instrument, or in a simple computer program?

Not heard of the term " automatic organ" ever but if you mean an arranger keyboard, then yes I have been told off for using them as " not a real keyboard".
But these days are NOT those days! Like everything keyboards have progressed a long way and can do more and more. They become more useful the more WE learn to use them. If we do not get into them and dig deep we fail at our chosen instrument, in my opinion.

Anyway, today's music if you listen to it is either just rhythmic beats rearranged in different ways ( not music to me) or it is rehashed music from yesterday's hits. People are looking back to the older songs to redo them, because they either like them or they are not talented enough to make up their own originals; or both.

To me that is where the modern arranger workstation comes in, because it complements both the older standards through to the modern hi-hop, electronica style music. Place a synth and an arranger on the same stand and you will be surprised that no one can tell the difference from the dance floor; they won't care. It is only other keyboard players who have their own opinion- and that is all it is.

Only people who ever criticized what I was doing was from out of work musicians in the audience who wanted my job! I rarely get that anymore, as most are amazed how good it sounds. They don't know what the arranger is, and most think I'm using "tracks" because that's all they know to do.
On the occasions where I have worked with bands in recent years, they wouldn't know an arranger from a kazoo; they only know I can make the sounds they are used to hearing.

really?

Maybe this is an idea for the not so serious musicians that want to make actuall money gigging? And therefor rely on solo gigs and or duo’s?

Anyway... next to backings... its also a creative tool.... hench the name workstation...

Donm ,please check in youtube in live music from the seventies till today of famouse bands and singeres , you won't find any arranger on the stage , and if you will find one -i did not - it will be only because someone wants to be original on the stage and i am shure that he does mot use it to make new songs.

Dud, you don't understand, I don't CARE what other people use or have used. The arranger has kept me from having to get a real job for many, many years. This is an arranger forum and not a place to be putting them down.

AGREE!

I am too an arranger player in the last ten yeares , but i am realistic.

Me too. So realistic, in fact, that I have made my living with arrangers since they became good enough to take on stage ... and the 20 years before that. Today's sets include Arranger Styles, SMFs, MP3 trax, sequences, and straight live playing and singing, (Sometimes, I just go out front and ... well, FRONT)
but whatever the market will bear ... I intend to provide. I'm going down with this ship ... and not in the near future, if I can help it.
Your choice of tools is just a fraction of your act ... use what you need, play what you want, but do it with fire, energy, and most of all ... humility. Our audiences depend on us to wash off the everyday dust of life, right? (someone famous probably said that first)

You cant believe anything you see or hear on the internet. Back in the 80s my friend got a job as guitarist with "Pretty Poison" - they loved his audition, his look, and his sound and hired him to tour. When he showed up for rehearsal, he had his amp of choice ... and it was NOT a Marshall Stack. The band leader wanted the look of the stack on stage, but Louie was committed to his "sound" so he hollowed out the bottom cabinet of the stack, and placed his little 12" combo amp inside, and that was the cab that they mic'd on stage. He rigged the input of the "dummy" head on to to connect to the hidden amp, and no one knew the difference.

Billy Joel has an entire arsenal of keys, and computers BELOW the stage that no one sees ... Hollywood, YouTube, Movies - it's all smoke and mirrors. Just get out there and make something happen.

Now 1 week away from MM...no tidbits?

Not a single one..

Also the fact that for the last 2 weeks filter settings on youtube do not allow a search of most recent vids does not help in finding new announcements on the tube...

Youtube disabled their search filters to prevent people from finding the latest horrific live footae from terrorisattacks that they where trying to remove..

One, Two, Cha, Ch,a Cha, ....

~ Joe Ayala - R.I.P.

YouTube filters have now been re-enabled

Bill

Many musicians in Germany say Musikmesse is dead with regard to synthesizers. Some major companies are obviously not present there. Synth news are rather expected at Superbooth.

Synth news is...

But for organs, piano’s and arrangers.. its still musik messe..

But superbooth is probably the most refreshing synth event in the world, so they deserve the attention too...

I‘m always interested in arranger modules... I think Roland has now finally stopped BK-7m production. I hope I will have enough money next year to buy an SD-40 instead of spending 10 times as much for surgeries... But new alternatives for modules are welcome. Ketron is hopefully at Musikmesse. For the moment, I am determined to buy a V3 Sound Sonority XL module, which has some great acoustic solo instruments the Yamaha MODX cannot provide. But that‘s a pure rompler module without styles of course.

The strings on the V3 Sonority XL module sound very good:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALvdHiRODA8&index=4&list=PL7jdw7PV1eYocX9GlHY4iCzrSogAENEOl

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8rtwO4b5uA&list=PL7jdw7PV1eYocX9GlHY4iCzrSogAENEOl&index=5

Yes, there‘s a dedicated symphony orchestra department in the Sonority XL. But also great solo samples from famous musicians of Alpine music such as Vito Muzenic. Some samples are identical to the software library „Alpine Volksmusik“ from Best Service.
https://www.bestservice.de/alpine_volksmusik.html
The person behind these samples is Klaus Dzida from Tyrol. His company V3 Sound was formerly „Limex“, e.g. known for the excellent Limex Vienna Grand piano module.
Yesterday I discovered a B-ware Sonority XL module at Thomann for 495€ (95€ less), so it‘s on the way to me now.

That's great, Crossover! I hope you enjoy the module! I'm looking forward to reading what you think about it, and hearing your demos on YouTube! Thanks for the info.

By the way, now that you've had the MODX for a while, how does its sounds compare to the other gear you've recorded with on YouTube? Of course, of particular interest is its strings and other orchestral sounds. Thank you!

A new concept...
To build your own controller



Might be interesting to see where this leads
Espescially with varranger and other software based setups in mind

https://sonicstate.com/news/2019/03/28/makeproaudio-scalable-self-build-audio-and-control-system/

https://www.makeproaudio.com

Might become interesting.
The company is from Neunkirchen-Seelscheid, I think that's in Southern Northrhine-Westphalia or Westerwald.
They should improve the speaker quality in the video, it's a strange English accent to my ears, and drowned out by the music...

A fan of V3 Sound here. I have a number of different boards in my V3 Sound Desktop arranger module. Yes, they do have sounds and features that no other module/keyboard/arranger can offer. When it comes to ethnic stuff, even my Ketron SD40 can't hold a candle to it. Also got one of their Triangle modules, oh, yes, Volksmusik VST,too. I used to be able to open it in Independence Pro, but not anymore as it doesn't support it anymore. As good as the V3 Sound Desktop arranger is, its weakness is that you can't get styles from a 3rd party. I loaded up Yamaha styles. They play but no variation works.

That‘s interesting. Klaus Dzida recommended me to buy the V3 Desktop, as it‘s also able to assign solo sounds (typical Oberkrain duet trumpet + clarinet) to lower and higher note solo (similar to Tyros/Genos ensemble sounds). But it‘s too expensive for me at the moment, so I chose the Sonority XL. I presently don‘t play with styles any more. For duets, the „Turbosounds“ app (by „Turboreini“, whose sounds are also available as an expansion for V3 desktop) provides a duet option, too.
I guess you have some Celtic expansions? I read there is a cooperation of V3 with someone from Britain.

Seems the V3 desktop module is no longer available...

Only can find the v3 sound modules on their website

Impossible. Klaus Dzida emailed me last week to buy the V3 Desktop.

Then why isnt it on their website?
Or is there another website?

http://www.v3sound.com/en/index.html

On the German-language version, it is presented in the section for accordionists.

http://www.v3sound.com/de/d-ov-akkordeonisten.html

Thank you..
Seems the desktop version is only available in German language...

Probably because of the actuall content...

They also offer it here with Celtic sounds:

http://accordion.co.uk/

Actually I am drawn to the patch management capability of the Desktop arranger apart from the styles. What's nice about the Desktop is that you have 16 "virtual" MIDI channels within the unit, and you can layer any combination of 16 sounds/percussion in four different groups (Four groups of sounds would make a registration, and the Desktop can handle 10,000 registrations the user makes), and you can choose any one of the groups with two momentary foot switches (or via MIDI messages). You can save all types settings such as effects, octaves, panning, and so forth.

Yes, I have the Celtic board in my Desktop arranger. Roy in Scotland, the international distributor of V3 Sound, demonstrated the prototype Celtic board a few years ago when he came to the States. I am no expert on Celtic music, but you can utilize the sounds for various types of music.

sounds interesting, i will have to check the manual on this

so at last i was right , nothing important for us in musikmess just as i expected.