thanks scd. i can see why you are beta-testing, you have a logical and rational approach to this, whereas some others might be having a crazed seizure at even the concept of this 'new flagship'. given your info to date, i am keen to check out the 5k when it's made available.
as regards the real-time options i mentioned, it's not a deal-breaker by any means, but it relates very much to how i like to use equipment. some never touch the track mutes - i like to play and record them like a piano performance - to me it is where the magic happens. i like to experiment whilst recording, switching quickly around the machine, trying things, going with the flow, letting the unit 'breathe' it's hard to explain these things to someone who doesn't work this way. an event-list person cares not for such 'vague terms'
anyway, i would use qlink to note adjust to help work out a nice lazy lag for the snare, pushing, pulling while the beat loops.
i would use qlink to TC to shift my options for precise rolls and repeats on the fly, dropping notes and ghost notes into those hard to reach areas of the pocket.
i would use qlink to swing % to add multiple types of swing to a track, giving the hats a different 'walk' to the kick.
all this stuff may sound trivial, but for making beats that really move it's fundamental. i have found even the simplest 'childlike' patterns have huge amounts of timing shifts going on - open 'in da club' in Guru as a loop and look at the lag you find on the kick hats and clap.
some people like to do all this AFTER they record but hey im not that type of guy...