having automatically gone for RealTracks in recent projects I just happened to revisit some old tracks from the midi only days.

an old cole porter song sounds amazing with the count basie style and none of the RealStyles quite capture the feel.

and now i have some better midi sounds i won't automatically start with RealTracks styles.

some of the old midi styles were programmed with real skill and i imagine they offer precision that RealTracks don't - if a style needed a particular bass line it was programmed in even if it was for that one style only.

but maybe i'm rediscovering something a lot of forum members never forgot!

Even with playable styles we're somewhat limited to what was played by the musician. If the style fits well, that can be great. If it doesn't fit so well, then MIDI gives more options.

With ever improving synthesis engines, the sound quality of MIDI is closing, maybe sometimes has closed, the gap. If one wants something specific, maybe a sax growl at a particular point and it isn't in the RealTrack, it's going to be pretty tough, I think, to add it convincingly.

Bob,
Midi styles are a huge BIAB asset..
Perhaps I am wrong, but to people who are building their own styles, not just using premade ones, there must be a way to properly pick out individual Midi stems out of hundreds (thousands) of PG styles... It sort of works but the process is broken. Not as near where I feel this "picking" should be.

I started couple of threads on subject recently because I came to a certain roadblock(s) when trying to use MIDI styles. This thread deals specifically on the issue, which I believe has to be fixed to work as it should:

https://www.pgmusic.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=697474#Post697474

Here is a "wish" item. To be able to audition (and pick) individual tracks within MIDI style preview:

https://www.pgmusic.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=694983#Post694983