Would like to hear anybody's tricks in midi editing for getting life out of samples. I have Sonar Studio 8 and primarily use Chris Hein Horns solo instruments.  I use the keyswitches constantly; CHH has done a good job with those but I'd like to expand on them.  I use modulation, pitch bend, and volume on an axiom 61 controller
 
Just wondering if anyone has any other clever stuff they've come up with. Particularly for long drawn out notes in jazz style.

Hi

I also fascinated by horn stuff and is determined to learn this as well.
(Just ordered Mojo Horn Section at www.vir2.com).

Anyway some experiments I have done included a midi fx that converted polyphonic keys down on keyboard, sending each key to a different midi channel and thereby a different instrument.

This is excellent for finding what works better together when playing chords like this.

A free midi fx midiPolyphony that does this is:
http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=279800

Great fun to play with.

I played around one night 3-4 years ago making a short song with some stuff from Dimension Pro if I remember right. I'll see if I can find it....
 
EDIT: Blue Brass

The key to long notes is to keep the energy moving through them with either vibrato (modulation) or crescendo. Otherwise they're static and boring. My best advice is to listen to recordings of the best players on that instrument and emulate their style as closely as you can. Transcribed solos are also readily available online so you can study their note choices and licks as well.

This is so funny, I honestly thought I was the only person on this forum who sweats this. I have been working this problem for a few years and am in the same boat... Pitch bends, modulations, etc... help but somehow its never quite there. Would any of you mind posting links to some of your that tracks you think are better examples in this space?  I would love to hear what you do and what you use. My signiture links to my stuff. I think the first two tracks are better samples of my stuff the last three and bad ones. (stiff sounding)

I had been using First Call Horns but have found Dimension does a better job.

My stuff can be heard at www.bakersjazzandmore.com. Go to the Charts page and look up Riffin on the Duke in the Straight Ahead Series, Spazz Jazz in Extensions, and El Gato Chulo in Salsafied. All were done with Chris Hein Horns Vol 2 for brass, EZ drummer for drums, and TTS-1 for pianoa nd bass. I played all the sax parts live. All projects were sequenced, recorded, and mixed in Sonar 7-8.

Also, on the Chris Hein website www.chrishein.net I did the Funky Smooth demo for Soprano Sax and The Jobim Riddle for Muted Brass.

You have to think (and perform the parts) like a horn player would do...Expression, crescendo, decrescendos, sfzorzando, scoop up, slide down, fall offs, etc,...Excellent horn players spend years developing their embouchres and techniques...Trying to recreate all of those factors with a MIDI keyboard can be frustrating and ex-TREME-ly time consuming...Even with patches that have Key Switching there may be some "velocity layer" articulations that you're missing...Take the time to really read the manual and experiment...

One trick 1 use is to clone the track 2 or 3 times and use a staccato setting on one of the tracks and layer that with the original keyswitched track to give notes a more natural accent than some of the key switch settings do by themselves and delete the notes that don't need accent.  On a 3rd layer I may add crescendos or sfzorzando (if spelled incorrectly blame papa as I copied his spelling) to a legato or sustain and can sometimes get a more authentic sound.  It can be a very time consuming process but can yield some improved results.  I grew up in a family of brass musicians and find it hard sometimes as I know what it has to sound like but sometimes you just can't quite get it there.

Get yourself a "breath controller" and play the parts like a horn player by using the breath controller.

Years ago (when I was doing lots of jingles) that's how I did it.  I don't really do horns these days (at the moment) so I can't point you to something to listen to, but I can tell you that playing horn parts this way makes a huge difference.

It takes some practice, of course.

I find the best thing to do is add a real player into the mix.  I use to add a trumpet or sax on the top,  but I sorta fell into this by accident, adding a live Tbone player works best.    

Hi Paul,
 
I gave your stuff a listen and the sections sound great. The solos exhibit some of the symptoms we are discussing but way better  than mine ;) I think I am going to need to study your stuff some more.
 
George