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I think this is a bit too strongly put. MIDI is very much alive and well. Its easy enough to input a live performance into MIDI and for certain instruments that is pretty close. These are the instruments like piano, where once a note is struck there is little change. For instruments such as woodwind and brass, it more about what happens throughout the note, not just the attack and decay. Most early software emulation divided notes into attack, sustain, decay portions. But its not enough.
Take strings, there are over 50 different types of bowing, all of which can vary. I have often chosen staccato onl to realise that there are at least short medium and long staccatos but my package only has one type.

VSTs are getting beter at all this, also with technologies like expression maps, its now possible to emulate much more closely and to do his on one track instead of many.

I hope, and expect the next generation of VSTs to attempt to emulate each different instrument group in its own idiosyncratic manner, and to provide a GUI for each instrument, which is intuitive to those that play the real thing. I have not seen this yet, least not from the big houses, but its technically possible.

I think MIDI may still get better



Z

Please don't misunderstand me. I also think midi has got better and can get better still. I'm merely characterising the position adopted by BIAB at the time.

A crossing in the road was reached due to what was an almost unanimous call for greater realism. Rather than improve the core midi capabilities it chose to concentrate on Real Drums/Tracks and other add-ons at the cost of user-definition and style editing.
Of course this is no problem for a skilled pianist or drummer capable of coming up with custom parts of their own. For someone like me, skills in these areas are somewhat rudimentary, this takes away from the appeal and usefulness of the program.

As i said in my post, there are things that BIAB could have implemented to improve the playback engine and the realism of the midi styles comping parts. Longer patterns; dedicated pattern chains, greater user definition of parameters relating to chord voicing, more variation and a greater contrast in dynamic level of style sub sections. With the exception of the belated and somewhat half-hearted adoption of the latter suggestion none of these routes were taken.

Jammer Pro its closest competitor may lack the style database and other add ons due to lack of investment/business but in some ways its handling of the above midi parameters is far more flexible than BIAB. Perhaps one day PG music will take a closer look at its one time competitor and see the value in a route it chose not to go down.

Alan