Recommendations please..

[Rickvallone]

I play in a band that is heavily influenced by bands like The Cars, the Rentals, etc. However, I am working on starting a more electronic based group as well. Up until now I've been using soft-synths. I have been satisfied with the results I get but wish I had more stability. I'm looking to purchase a hardware synth to add to my software setup.

My requirements:
Sequencing
Arpeggiator
At least 12 note Polyphony but the more the better
Sampling would be nice but not a huge deal
Deep editing of synth tones
$300-$600 range

So give me some recommendations. I have heard some great and some not so great things about the Korg Electribes (no chords), however they seem like an all in one solution for what I need.

Thanks. All help and suggestions are greatly appreciated.

[dry bones]

You should be able to get a Novation Supernova II secondhand for that kind of money. No sampling, but it has knobs/buttons/sliders for pretty much every function on the front, and the polyphony goes up to 48 voices. I could only afford a Nova IIX, and it has plenty of in-depth programming on top of the tactile controls on the main panel.

[jupiter8]

A Kurzweil K2x00 perhaps. I believe it has all the stuff you mentioned. Beware that not all of them sample.They need a sampling card fitted.