<HTML><BODY style="word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; "><BR><DIV><DIV>On Apr 16, 2006, at 7:19 AM, Chris Manders wrote:</DIV><BR class="Apple-interchange-newline"><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">5) If I owned a Korg MS-20, I would not want to bring</FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">it with me to gigs due to reliability issues.</FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><BR></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">I have seen many people gigging using Laptops and</FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">Software synths.</FONT></P> </BLOCKQUOTE></DIV><BR><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Not really arguing with any of your excellent points, but I have to say that I think my Korg MS-20 is much sturdier and more reliable than any Laptop computer I have ever owned. I am always very apprehensive about using a Laptop on gigs, especially if the whole show depends on it. That's just too many very fragile eggs in one very fragile basket for me. If I need sequencing on a gig, I usually try to use a prerecorded Minidisc to handle it -- this has always worked well for me. If the show needs more than two audio outputs from the sequences, I use one of those 4-track Minidisc units (Yamaha MD4S). I've used laptops on shows before, and it always made me very nervous. That's just me, i guess, since a lot of people are obviously quite successful and happy with that kind of setup.</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>My MS-20 is actually pretty tough, is about 25 years old, and has never failed on me, not even once. I don't like taking it to gigs, though -- too much hassle, no polyphony, no built-in effects, not sonically flexible enough. For live work, I'd rather just replace it with some crappy sounds I program in my JV-1080 (blasphemy!), which is close enough in sound (double blasphemy!), plays 64 voices, remembers patches, has MIDI and effects, and also can provide a decent dulcimer, pan flute, french horn, cowbell, or orchestra hit if the need arises -- and it does, often.</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>MB</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV></BODY></HTML>