Being familiar with each horn's sound and capabilities, and knowing how to use the available MIDI tools (controllers) does help a ton with the facade. The samples can only take you so far on their own. Replicating a live musician on their preferred insrument is a big challenge. They use tons of nuances that may not get noticed at first.

Example - Sanborn often slides up to notes slightly, and his tone is very recognizable. Expecting a generic sax sample to replicate that is not realistic. BTW I have a sample set of his sound. Just getting that nasally tone alone makes it seem more more real for his style, but a ton of controllers are indeed needed to finish it off..


I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Make your sound your own!