In my other post about setting up performance lists and performances, it was implied that in the past, arrangers were configured to facilitate "live" changes to voicing, styles, and perhaps other parameters as well. When would you say the paradigm shift to "User Programs" or "Performances" occurred? What would you say was the last, best Roland that was built around the old paradigm? Even though this is a Roland sub-forum, if your experience suggests that other brands are engineered this way, feel free to mention those too!

Probably, the G1000 was the last Roland that emphasized front panel control of most things, the subsequent V/VA series had a far more streamlined approach. The G70/E80 did have a really good live approach by clever use of the touch screen (it was easy to hand mute individual Parts from the screen, for instance), but by then the sheer number of styles, sounds and effects was so overwhelming, I’ve no idea how anyone managed to run it without using the Performance (UPG in old Rolandspeak) system…

Yeah, I’m sure if you stripped down to maybe a few sounds and sufficed with the ROM effects, didn’t dig much into the full capabilities, you could get by, but that’s not really USING the arranger, is it?!

To be quite honest, I didn’t even run old school on the G1000, it had Performance memories and a ZIP drive for instant loading of styles or SMF’s, and I’ve always hated farting around pressing buttons like a madman in between songs when pressing ONE would achieve the same thing, instantly.

It takes more work at home to make setups for every song you do. But a tiny fraction of work on the gig, where it counts. You can either concentrate on your audience and your playing, or on pressing half a dozen buttons and sliders, but not BOTH. I’m getting paid to entertain, so the work I do to set everything up in advance more than pays for itself. Pushing buttons doesn’t entertain anyone, even me!

My limited experience with Korg’s, and my almost non-existent experience with Yamaha’s definitely leads me to believe that both of these brands do better than Roland’s have for years if you want to ignore the Performance/Registration type features. But none of them nowadays have so few sounds or styles that selecting from a vast collection on the fly is going to be quick and as easy as it used to be back in the days when you might have 60 odd sounds and a few dozen styles!

The more you want to run old school, the more of your arranger’s capabilities you are going to have to leave unused…