Hi, I would really welcome any feedback on the sax in this track. I have never liked midi wind or brass much when I tried to play it on keyboard but with this number I am experimenting using the Logic tenor sax with guitar midi instead. Not being a sax player I don't really know how to judge the 'authenticity' of the sound. Any sax players out there who could give a thumbs up or down would be great.

BACK BURNER: https://soundcloud.com/user-663569023/back-burner/comment-1400188726

To construct this track I started with the Blues Trio 4 Style.
Drums - BIAB real track from the style.
Bass - I imported the BIAB midi and edited it by dragging some notes about and 'humanising'.
Guitar - played on my Epiphone Broadway
Organ - IKM B3 plug-in played on keyboard
Sax - Logic Tenor Sax played with guitar midi.

Hope everyone is keeping safe and well

Chris

Hey Chris,

To my ears, and I'm not a sax player mind you, it sounds like the real deal.

Lovely guitar work! Bass and B3 sound good too.

Good track, enjoyed.

Hi Chris,

My kinda music - sounds authentic to the Jump Blues era - well done.

Rhythm Section - good.
Guitar - excellent
Sax and Organ - both sound pretty realistic.

The other sound that would be great on this track is a Jump Blues Brass Section with supporting stabs and phrases. I have been pressing PGMusic for years for this in the RealTracks Wishlist forum. You may care to add your voice in support.

I would also like to hear this track developed with some vocals.

Thanks and send us more.

Best Regards
Nigel

Chris,

Impressive. All the parts sound great.

Really nice job on the keys for the organ. Needless to say...excellent guitar. Good mix.

The sax...sounds like a sax! (to me). I thought the sample lacked "bite" (and a bit of "crispness") that I would expect from a sax guy in the studio for this. Nothing to do with the playing (which was excellent)....

Well done.

fj

Nice piece !

Good effort but..... I'm of the opinion wind instruments and midi don't usually deliver a "real" sound.

I think your sax sounded best when it took a little solo in the middle.

moto

In my opinion, it seems that you have achieved something very good. I imagine the orchestra playing there, it sounds really good.

Hi Chris,

THAT IS JUST COOL - definitely my kind of stuff! The song rolls second to none. Great work in the guitar ad the organ.

Well, the sax... I've been experimenting quite a lot, because I'm using horn sections in almost any of my songs. And I played in bands with horn sections for decades, so I think I have an idea of what they should sound like.

Good sax sounds are rare, especially if they're affordable - mostly they sound artificial and somehow flat (not in the sense of intonation).

I think that is because there are not too many instruments that players can 'torture emotionally' like a sax - the range of how it can be played is so incredibly huge..

I ended up with Vintage Horns by Big Fish - still not the end of my dreams and I try to avoid using the sax as a solo instrument, but with a lot of tweaking I get along with them.

Once again: a sublime tune!

Cheers,

Stefan

Thanks for the feedback. Based on suggestions I have adjusted the sax sound. I had added a 'soft' filter and some distortion which I have now removed. Now it has a brighter, crisper tone.

I really appreciate your listening and comments.

Stay well everyone,

Chris

This sounds really smooth and real to me! I think you did a fantastic job, especially considering you said yourself that you aren't a sax player. It has that perfect jam session vibe to it. Really enjoyed this, thanks for sharing!

Very cool tune Chris. Guitar was excellent and the sax was very very cool. Well done

No horn experts here ... but the two of us have always loved a sax and pay attention to them.

In short, this sounds great to us! We've always equated saxes with the human voice and this captures that.

And the fact that it's showcased by a super cool vibe adds to the pleasure.

And of course it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing!

J&B

Thanks Nigel.

I used to write a lot of songs (lyrics) but my voice isn't up to much these days. I also have written too many variations of 'I love you baby' and 'my baby done left me' type songs. ha ha. When I croak out a few lyrics these days I tend to get more philosophical, which some people like and others dislike. I'm finding (or hoping?) instrumentals will allow the listener to apply their own interpretation...

Thanks Dave. I have had some really good feedback on how a sax should sound and operate and have made quite a few tweaks in response. I did some more adjustments today and am pretty happy with it now. I'm still thinking a really good VST would make the most difference... Always temptation abounds once you embark on this digital music journey... :-)

Thanks Floyd, I have tweaked the sax sound now. A few people made similar comments. I had originally put a soft distortion on the sax in the mistaken idea that it made it more natural. I got it the wrong way around...
I really appreciate the feedback...

Thanks to everyone for suggestions and comments. It has really helped me get the sax sound about as good as I think this particular VST will allow. A few edits later and I have really learned a lot... That's the great thing about midi - it allows a lot of post-tweaking!
I really have appreciated all critiques.

Hi Chris,

It is bluffing. I'm not a saxophonist, but the tone is excellent. It's a really well done instrumental soundtrack. I appreciated.


Kindly regard
Derochette
alias JaniJackFlash

Ok Chris, I'll start by saying that I'm no expert on midi or sax playing but I know how one sounds like it, and I have to say that you achieved a pretty good sound on the sax. Wind instruments are very hard to emulate using a guitar midi or a keyboard. Not being familiar with the logic sounds I think this sax sounded pretty good.
Gongrats!

Mike B.

Well, Chris. it sounds like a real sax to me, although the player doesn't seem to explore the full range of the instrument. But then again, I might be the worst to ask. I once wrote out horn parts for a song, and the tenor player said, What are you nuts!? "Not even Charlie Parker could reach these notes with his alto." I like Nigel's suggestion for adding "...Brass Section with supporting stabs and phrases."

Man, that brings back memories of Jam sessions, it's hard to believe that the sax is from a synth, it really sounded real to me, Loved everything about this one...

Chris,

Sounds great to me! Really like that organ pop on the left and that real smooth jazz lead solo. Excellent production!

All my best to you,

Deej

Love the vibe!! Cool music!! As far as sax goes, it seems to me that it is the most difficult thing to sample other than the human voice in solo mode. Keeps getting better but never gets the effect of a real player. Still dig the music!! Take care. Greg

Fantastic sound. Love your guitar and B3. Those two instruments were made for each other! The sax sounds really good, great work on that as I know how hard it is to get a convincing MIDI sax sound.

FYI - I have found that the Swam saxophones are the most realistic sounding saxes available, (YMMV). The best play to purchase them is KVR as they are $20 USD cheaper than through Sample Modeling:

https://www.kvraudio.com/product/swam-saxophones-by-audio-modeling

I hope this helps.

Thanks for the tip Mario. I've been looking longingly at the SWAM stuff for a while now...

Chris, I think you perfectly captured what you had set out to achieve.

This is a mixture of Jazz, Rock, Blues and everything rolled into one.

Yes, it can easily take you back to that era.