it's easy to get jaded..imagine how the seasoned user felt when you first asked ' how it does it work?' to keep on topic i don't think it matters as long as it sounds good. period. if you put afx or liam howlett in front of reason compared to average joe, it would sound miles better. why is that? talent...pure and simple. hawtin - pioneer - has just released a 5.1 surround sound mix - did he make that using an atari, 909 and a mackie desk..did he f*k. embrace the future....you may as well - it's happening anyway. I'd like a 909 or a juno 106, but in reality that gear hasn't been manufactured for over a decade......I used to have an akai sampler, but soundforge came along, and it pissed me off that some hookie software could do something better than something I'd paid a thousand quid for...but hey thats life..........