This topic is fascinating in light of the release of the Prophet X. For so many reasons:
- Dave Smith had a significant role in various building blocks fundamental to the formation & evolution of workstations. (polyphony, patches, sequencing, keyboard, microprocessors, midi) Today, we have his expression of this, in our time.
- What is a workstation? Is a production-sequencer a fundamental definition of it?*
- Yamaha retires their workstation.
- Sequential returns to sampling. Big-time.**
- If a workstation means inclusion of a production-sequencer, will a keyboard workstation stick around? (Kurz & Korg have top-end ones, & Yamaha & possibly Roland have mid-tier ones.)
- Akai reintroduced a pad workstation.
- The changes in computer ability and folks’ changing absorption of those changes influences this.***
- In light of the ease of managing deep sampling & MIDI arrangement on a computer, would we have the patience to learn an instrument with great power, but great learning curve.
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* I think so. In fact, Yamaha called the Motif a Music Production Synthesizer. They call the Montage a Music Synthesizer. They did maintain their groove-capture & playback sequencer. (They did try to make it more user friendly. I think they did in the removal of production sequencer & sampler sections; and appreciable growth of the digital synthesis department. Besides a quick perusal upon release, I don’t know if it reached a successful place.) In opinion, Montage & Prophet X are the most neighboring instruments these two companies have had in quite a while. AND they are so different. Amazing, really.
** Sequential's sequencer is to keep the focus on live playing & sound shaping. It's not for groove capture & arrangement.
*** Today, a computer cannot totally imitate a performance keyboard. On sound, low-level latency, dedicated UI, management of components, and time-investment/longevity of constant. … Of course, computer wins on size, flexibility, multi-purpose use, file management, and other ways.