yep, definitely need to make sure they all are compatible. I had a midarm, Viking megaquilter with an inspira frame and a stitch regulator for the machine. I did learn I liked long arming on it. At the time I paid about $3000 for it. The frame and machine each had it's issues. The neck on the machine was not very long and the way the frame was, I had to level my quilt each time I advanced it which was a process and by the time I was near the finish of a bedsized quilt, I only had about 4 inches to do the final quilting. Next I got a demo AOQS Lucey which is really a delight to quilt on. This machine has a 26 inch neck and I have plenty of room even at the end of a bedsized quilt. I would try out any set up first if you can, Also, if any quilt shop near you offers rental time on a long arm, I would encourage you to try that first. They usually require you take a class. This gives you an idea if you will actually like quilting. Also, will give you a chance to see what features you like. If you can get to quilt show that has venders, that is also a place to try out machines. I got my demo Lucey and bliss table (makes the whole machine easier to move while quilting) for about $11,000. Got a 12 foot frame which is plenty big enough for me. My 10 foot frame on the other set up limited the size of quilt I could do to about full sized, definitely not a large king. Good luck!