workstation vs arranger

[JeffLearman]

Clue me in on the differences between these two, please!

 

I have a general idea of a workstation. For one, it'll have a built-in sequencer and drum patterns. They're also usually fairly programmable in terms of responding to multiple channels of MIDI input (multi-timbral) and generating MIDI output, and also having configurable zones (for either MIDI output or local sounds).

 

What other features are expected in a modern workstation?

 

How does an arranger differ? I have no experience with arrangers, and my only workstation is the Ensoniq MR76, designed way back in 1996.

[DaveMcM]

The upper end arrangers are everything you mentioned above. In addition they include not only drum patterns, but full accompaniment consisting of drums/percussion, bass line, and a number of chordal phrases. The pitched phrases can be transposed to any key on the fly typically via your left hand by playing chords on the lower end of the keyboard. Arrangers have an assortment of styles (drum beats and accompaniment phrases) to choose from, i.e. rock, country, swing, latin, etc. and each of these have at least two phrase variations, fill-ins, intro/endings that can be triggered on the fly.

 

Personal note: it is kind of funny to me that most of the workstations out today focus so heavily on arpeggiators and drum patterns, but lack a way to avoid the abrupt start and stop of the drum track by including an intro of some sort and and ending pattern. But then that would be an arranger, wouldn't it? Hmm... Back when Generalmusic was around (of which I was part of), we had an arranger/workstation called the Genesys that was every bit a full-fledged workstation but also a pro-level arranger. The Korg Pa3X is a great example of a workstation/arranger hybrid.

[JeffLearman]

Aha thanks! That makes sense.

 

That's funny about the intro/ends on the drum patterns. My Ensoniq MR76 has a bunch of great drum patterns built-in, but unfortunately doesn't allow you to create your own (except by sequencing it along with everything else). That's fine, and the drum tracks were recorded by excellent drummers. The biggest mistake they made was that they forgot to include minimal/basic patterns. Whenever I went to use a pattern, it wasn't ever quite the groove I wanted (even though every pattern has 8 alternatives and 8 fills you could bake into a sequence). So I had to start from scratch. If only they'd included a set of really minimal, basic patterns, I could have started from those and added my flavor. Ah well.

 

I want to play MY music, not play along to someone else's!

 

Anyway, thanks again.