Hi Guys,

I have today been playing around with real tracks: 3257, 3268, 3259 and 3260 which is a swing Shuffle Horn Section at 130 BPM by Jim Clark.

I think he's on the right track here. The main problem is the preponderance of long held notes and this is not how Horn sections play on mid to high tempo (i.e. around 110 BPM and higher) Blues, Soul & R&B music.

Instead they play predominantly shorter "stabbing" phrases to support the vocalist or soloist.

So in a 12 Bar Blues for example you might have:
Bar 1: One stabbed note on first beat.
Bar 2: " " "
Bar 3 & 4: Longer Brass Phrases and stabs ( a fill or a response to the singer's first line)
Bar 5: Same as bar 1.
Bar 6: Same as bar 2.
Bar 7 & 8: Same as bars 3 & 4
Bar 9: Held Note
Bar 10: Same as bar 1.
Bar 11 & 12: Same as bars 3 & 4

It may be that Jim Clark did all this correctly (because there are some good short stabs and phrases in his Real Tracks) and maybe the mistakes have been made in the editing room at PG Music.

I could potentially achieve all this by spending say 6-12 hours editing all this in my DAW but I'm not sure I would be happy with final outcome and what about next time I need a Horn Section on a song - I would have to go through the whole nightmare every time.

I don't mind editing BIAB Real Tracks in my DAW - I have to do this for every song but that's because the Real Tracks artist has understood the genre and done a great job (e.g. all Brent Mason tracks). Then I can pick and choose the best phrases in a solo for my taste. I never have to edit Brent Mason's Rhythm tracks - they are always spot on, correct for the genre, and plenty of variations.

The three instruments (2 saxes and a trumpet) also sound a bit cheesy and artificial but that is probably not the main issue here.

This is very similar to the problems and lack of usability associated with the LD Miller Harmonica Real Tracks.

What do you guys think - can these Horn Section Real Tracks be fixed or will it require re-recording with great direction from an expert Blues, Soul and R&B musician/producer?

Nigel Spiers
Christchurch, New Zealand
info@nzacoustics.com