I'd like to thank everyone for the different perspectives.

Soidrock, I must admit there's a ring of full-throated manifesto in your first post that I like.

As I mentioned, my main intended use is not to create things start to finish, but rather, to import something from outside the PG universe, like a midi track which already has a formed, set structure and known key, chords and tempo, and then audition single-part accompaniment candidates, and then pick one or more best candidates for mixing in.

So in Realband, at any given time I will be able to see all my candidates (some of which might be muted) and then arrange the winners visually, using clip length trimming, volume automation and what-not. Losers eventually get deleted.

For this kind of workflow, then, I think RealBand will be best for me.

By the way -- the last RealBand manual I saw was for the 2013 version, with a separate "What's new in 2014" pdf. Does anyone know if they ever got woven together, or even if by chance there is a 2015 version available?

Thanks again to everyone. Though please keep posting on this topic if you wish -- I learn a lot from listening to y'all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tDj_VanH3g