Like most of you, I have all 77 midi style sets, and, while I'm not a luddite in relation to Real Tracks, I really lament the downgrading of many great midi tracks / patterns etc. I know they are still there, but everything is now oriented around RTs. Incorporating midi instruments is a pain, as they are associated with styles, and, unless you are using them regularly, there is no realistic way of remembering that, say, there is a great piano part in the "country 1 soundtrack" style on Disk 50 (there is - try it). Another example is that for me, disk 73 - the "Steely Dan" disk - was a highpoint of the midi era, with a lot of great instrumental parts which could still be very useful, assuming it was easier to find and use them (and I have been using BAIB for about 12 years so I don't thing it's lack of knowledge on my part).

There are literally hundreds of great parts, often every bit as good as RTs languishing in the midi style disks. They cover a lot of areas where RTs are thinner on the ground - like rock piano, rock electric piano, organ, strings, pads etc, and even some types of basses. They are less good in terms of acoustic and electric guitar parts, and maybe brass (although with some effort,even these can sound good).

I was wondering whether there was a way of bringing them back to life. The obvious route would be through a midi part browser, similar to the RT browser. This is something I, and others, have mentioned before.

Another option might be something like "Studio Tracks" - like "Real Tracks", but not quite the same process. These could be created by playing the midi parts (duplicating the types of progressions played by the studio musicians in creating RTs) through a good sample set / virtual instrument (like Ivory, the B4 or Lounge Lizard) and creating wav/WMA files which could be used in exactly the same way as Real Tracks (ideally through the same browser). Given that the midi parts were played by humans originally (perhaps I assume too much!), I doubt that it would be a trade descriptions issue.

I feel that this would allow years of work by Peter and his team to have a whole new lease of life.

My 2p and happy to be shot down in flames.

Brian