First of all thanks for an interesting discussion.

The point I am not making very well so far is that the actual recording of midi tracks whether piano or bass can be greatly improved. You can drag and drop notes to make a primitive track or it can be played in using a good controller. It can be straight quarter notes or very complex. The quality of the actual midi recording has nothing to do with general midi playback. I know for certain that good midi tracks can sound very good. The better the playback device the better the sound.

Here are two examples of midi that sounds quite good to my ears.
1. recorded piano midi tracks played played back on my RD700. I often use this instrument rather than a real grand piano because it normally sounds better. It is always in tune and very playable. A midi recording catches a lot of the great sound including velocity, pedal and midi notes. The actual playing determines the quality. Many existing BIAB tracks sound good through this instrument.

2. the EZ drummer format also works well and still uses midi. The drum style/patterns are recorded midi loops by real drummers. The recorded midi trigger various drum kits and sounds. I occasionally use EZ drums because I can select and mix the drum kit and various volumes etc. This is not pure GM but the concept still applies. Many existing BIAB drum tracks sound very good when trigering these drum kits.

I really like real tracks when they work and they work for me most of the time. There are plusses and minuses for RTs and Midi and I use the one that produces the best result. New projects always start out with RTs. I use midi when I can't get what I want. I frankly think the issues with the piano RTs limit their application to a narrow range. It appears that the pedal hold is one limiting factor plus grand pianos are hard to record. I frequently use a suitable BIAB midi piano to have better control of the playing and sometimes to improve the sound quality.


I would be delighted to see PG (where possible) record the RTs both accoustically and via midi. I know this would work well for the piano tracks. Very clean audio stereo tracks could be recorded simultaneusly along with midi. Sometimes the playing is great but desn't stretch very well. Wouldn't it be great to have both? Many guitars are and basses are midi equipped as well.