I like the RTs when they are just right, but I'm a tweaker, and you can only tweak audio so much. You can edit MIDI thousands of times more than audio. Here are a few of the most basic and easiest examples:

Perhaps that guitar sound would be better for my song if it sounded more like a Strat, or a distorted Les Paul, a Tele, or a Santana type compression sound? I have, for clean guitars, over 20 different voices.

How about changing that acoustic piano sound to a Rhodes or Clav? Or a Wurli?

Change the ride cymbal to a ride bell? Change the snare sound? That drum roll might sound better on a high tom. The congas in many Salsa songs need to be a tad behind the beat. (This could go on with for paragraphs drums alone)

What if I want to inject a song specific figure in the song on an instrument already playing? Playing a lot of cover tunes, that comping bass, piano or guitar might need to play one of those figures at any time during a progression or phrase, and if the instrument sound doesn't match, it will bug me (and serious listeners).

Song specific, or one from my imagination longer intros and endings?

Rhythmic kicks that are more complex than a shot? Think "Oye Como Va", "I Got You (I Feel Good)", "Day Tripper", "Smoke On The Water" and thousands of others.

How about exaggerating the groove? Moving the backbeat ahead or behind the beat a bit? Drummers do this by feel, and it's song specific.

And who says the bass on the Real Track has a better tone for a particular song than another, or guitar, or sax.

I could go on and on. The above just scratches the surface. There are so many things you can do to "personalize" a song and add to the expressiveness of music.

IMO, expression is much more important than tone. If tone was king, Dr. John, Stevie Nicks, Leon Russell, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, and so many other singers would never have made it. They expressed themselves in a way the public appreciated.

And what is perfect tone? On guitar, is it Hendricks? Slash? Kath? Page? Clapton? Gale? Blackmore? Kessell? Gilmour? BB KIng? Albert King? Freddie King? Christian? Pass? Harrison? Duane Eddy? Scotty Moore? Raitt? Tharpe? Tedeschi? Orianthi? Bachman? Benson? Caiola? Pizzarelli? Chuck Berry? And on which guitar? Amp? FX loops?

On sax Getz? Turrentine? Walker? Brecker? Coltrane?

IMO tone is second to expression. Using MIDI can take a BiaB output that is very good, and turn it into something even better. I play music for a living, and even better is essential to surpass my competition. Just good enough, isn't good enough.


Insights and incites by Notes ♫

Bob "Notes" Norton smile Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com

100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove
& Fake Disks for MIDI and/or RealTracks