The most realistic sounding samples wouldn't even sound right if you are playing them in the style of a guitar.
Oh, but I have. And they do...to a higher degree than you might think. I take into account how horns are played and the key ranges and registers they're played in. I keep the horn parts down to simple accents (no solos) and I don't bend notes on horns that can't bend notes. We're talking straight blues and old R&B here. I started playing trumpet before I played guitar, so I'm not a stranger to how horns sound. It's quite possible to put together simple horn sections that sound as believable as the realism of the synth/virtual software allows. It's the same with the keyboard sounds. I use mostly acoustic piano and Hammond B-3 and I keep the parts pared down to simple backing chord lines. With piano I put the left hand parts on one track and right hand parts on another. Sometimes on a B-3 part I'll use little tricks like dragging a note, low to high, to a drone note (like B-3 players sometimes do) on one track and place a simple (opposite hand again) solo or chord part on another track, simulating the opposing hand part.
When you live in a geographical area like I do where there just aren't many other accomplished musicians you make due with what you have to work with. And, for the most part, it's just me. I use
BFD 2 drum sample grooves for percussion and sometimes "play"/put together my own drum parts triggered by a drum machine. I play drums but I'm not a drummer and I play my own bass and, of course, guitar parts. I really do regret I don't have a current example or clip to share with you as I'm just beginning to put songs together.
One of the problems I have using a guitar to trigger synth or virtual sounds is the triggering pickup sometimes doesn't track crisply. I might start a horn line with a triplet and it doesn't come off as smoothly as I'd like. Other than those limitations it just comes down to the quality of the sounds. However, I'm not naive enough to think my recordings "sound just like they have real horns". If you're a musician they don't. But if kept simple, the "average listener" probably can't tell the difference. Which brings me back to my original question...Who offers some of the best sounding, Protools 7.4 compatible, keyboard and horn virtual software? Thanks again.
Tom
