I've heard people talking about putting a hard drive, a motherboard, power supply and a program with some goodies inside of their keyboards. What is this about? This is very interesting, I want to know more.

Many synth/workstations have user-customizable hardware to a limited extent. The parts are very proprietary though. They're not like PC's where you just plug and play.

On my Kurzweils I've added internal HD's, Daughter Boards, Orchestral ROM's, PRAM, etc. Those parts (other than the HDD) are extremely specific though.

what are the point of these synths? other than thier all-in-one package? cause there is nothing that a midi controller and a desktop/laptop and synth software that will absolutely blow away such a weak synth keybaord.

That's debatable. It depends on what you're doing. There are so many different types of synthesis in the digital domain alone. Then you get in to analog and no computer can touch that. If you tell Keith Emerson that a PC can walk all over his MOOG, you'll have a bad time.

The all-in-one package is a huge advantage in my opinion. My synth has never crashed. Can't say the same for any Windows PC. Plus a lot of outboard gear is a pain - especially non road-worthy stuff like computers.

Besides, one thing I like about hardware synths is that they have individual 'personalities'. The hardware and software are well matched and very efficient, no latency, quick setup (at some gigs you have very little time for this), etc, etc.

Software synths have their place but hardware synths are still very much sought after (sometimes even running a desktop version of their own software for ease of editing).

Out of curiosity, how much does these synths run for? It sounds super expensive.

lets say a $3000 synth is about the same as a $200 computer spec wise. serious. the specs are a joke. musicians are not tech savvy at all, they just loooove getting ripped off.

TecFlip: a top-of-the line synth comes in at about $3500 new. I buy most of my synths used for a lower price.

If I could think of a way that a computer would allow me to do more, I'd consider going that route but honestly my keyboards have much more functionality than I know what to do with. I bought them used for $1,000 and I would have spent more on computers within the time frame that I've used my synths. I really just don't need anything I don't already have. That's not true for everyone but it makes financial and practical sense for me.