Hi guys, it’s no secret that band in a box is a near miracle, but as is human nature, once we achieve certain things, we want more.

I upgraded to 2021, but was quite disappointed in the tracks available for smooth jazz. I work at a high, professional level, so I am going to apologize upfront for being more demanding than a hobbyist.

I find the drum tracks quite good. Although I’d like a bit more variety in fills and such, they’ve taken me a long way. The same is true for Jeff Lorber‘s piano tracks. There’s enough variation there that I can avoid stepping on my own toes. More acoustic piano would certainly be nice.

My biggest complaint lies with guitar, and specifically bass. Brent Mason, Dwight Sills, and Michael Thompson are all fine players as we know. But it’s fairly limiting, and Michael’s tracks are compromised with a very thin tone to them, which can only be altered so much. Missing are certain critical rhythmic strums, which can be found in abundance in the acoustic guitar tracks, but have no corresponding electric tracks for basic strumming. As good as Mark Lettieri and Bob Lanzetti can be, I find their tracks generally unusable.

Lastly, as I mentioned, and most frustrating, the bass is a real problem. Yes Alex Al, Vernon Barberry, etc. are great players. The problem is that there are some basic feels that are missing. What’s worse, the ‘Simple’ generation feature simply doesn’t work. Many of the tracks suffer from overplaying, especially since there’s no respect for developing parts by laying low in song intros and building from there. Just too busy from the get go! Additionally, 5-6 string lead bass has become very popular in the genre (Brendan Rothwell, Julian Vaughn, etc.), and I'd love some solo parts and more slapping rhythm tracks!

Thanks for allowing me to speak my mind. You guys do great work, but I am afeared that I am reaching the wall in the program. I’d be perfectly happy if you never developed or improved a single feature, but put the time and resources into recording more quality realtracks and realdrums, both rhythm and solo. No complaints on the quality of playing, but the variety is lacking, and there are some tone choices that could’ve been better. Dry tracks are always best!

Best, Warren

Warren A. Keller- Woodwindist/Producer
Spontaneous Groovin' Combustion
Tune 9 Music- SESAC