Lynn
......... there are many programs that blur the distinction between real and fake.  Any way, your hard work is paying off.

If you have the $$$$$$$ to pay for them. Or if you can afford several hundred dollars for a wind controller plus a keyboard controller that can accept them. I have many songs where I use horn & string VSTIs, but I hesitate to post them because I hate to hear the comments that the horns or strings sound fake.  Yeah, it may be obvious but it's like rubbing it in.  What good does it do to point it out?  It only hurts.  Very often they don't comment on the arrangement which I work very hard on.  Just the "the horns sound a bit fake" or "it would be nice if that was a real sax".  It hurts.  I can't do anything about it, so I stopped posting them.
 
Anyway, Thanks, Lynn!
JB

Well the arrangement is a standout, I think most of us agree there. And you have clearly given the horns a lot of attention , and they are so well placed in the arrangement that had you not disclaimed them as "fake" that I probably wouldn't have noticed or cared.
 
Cool comparisons, the Dan, Chicago, and I'd add early Level 42 but no one really knows them so whatever the hell these days.   :)
 
If I can venture outside the music and give you an overall song comment? I think in spots, you may have too many words going on. Lyrically it's quite dense with a lot of syllables coming at the listener in a short period of time. I have no real right to critique your word choices, as that's the personal expression of your idea here. But as a listener I was struggling a bit - the music wants to groove, and does! But in spots it's like the words were requiring a lot of attention to parse, and so the grooviness is not supported by the cadence of the lyrics.
 
For example, in the area :40 to  :55   it's like you are singing a busy horn line. It's a good horn line, though! Also 2:20 - 2:35 ish.
 
That said, I liked your phrasing in the chorus a lot. The words in this part have a cool wrap-around thing going on
"You don't have to grieve 
Love you can get from 
Me I'm all you need 

Try to see through me 
All you mean to me "
 
 
 
Just .02 from some hack in his mind palace.  :)
 
 
Again, the arrangement is very creative, you nail the pop-jazz style. Absolutely keep 'em coming! 
 
cheers,
-Tom
 
 
 
 

emeraldsoul
 
If I can venture outside the music and give you an overall song comment? I think in spots, you may have too many words going on. Lyrically it's quite dense with a lot of syllables coming at the listener in a short period of time. I have no real right to critique your word choices, as that's the personal expression of your idea here. But as a listener I was struggling a bit - the music wants to groove, and does! But in spots it's like the words were requiring a lot of attention to parse, and so the grooviness is not supported by the cadence of the lyrics.
 
For example, in the area :40 to  :55   it's like you are singing a busy horn line. It's a good horn line, though! Also 2:20 - 2:35 ish.
 
 
Just .02 from some hack in his mind palace.  :)
 
 

No worries, ES, and thanks for your feedback.  I guess at times I was getting carried away by the groove on those spots.
 
JB

John,
 
Good song, had a couple listens through and found it very enjoyable.   I wouldn't sweat the "fake horns" a whole lot.    Anyone can buy a sample library, however, not everyone has the ability to write or arrange music.   I think your horn arrangements are really good.    Many people I know do all their arrangements with stock MIDI plug samples because they are much less system intensive, later when done you can always swap them out for something more convincing if necessary.    
 
If you are worried about it, I am sure there are people here on the forum that would be happy to run your MIDI parts through a hi-end horn sample program so you could hear the difference.   The main thing is you have the arrangement, the expressions, hits, falls, etc.. convincingly programmed and that is the hard part.   
 
Regards

Level 42, Steely Dan, Billy Joel-esque you're in good company.
 
I thought the horns sounded good.
 
Thanks for sharing.
 
Good Job!
 
paul

This is a cool funky tune - I really liked the bass line.  I thought the horns fit well in the mix - made me think of vintage Chicago. Nice job on vocals - really liked that ending.

Mark, Paul & Doug-Thanks so much for taking the time to listen.
 
John B.

Nice arrangement, catchy tune with interesting chord changes. Gotta say, I really enjoyed this. I agree with the comment about lyrical density. It's absolutely fine in the verses and in the (really awesome) pre-chorus, but my ear wanted to hear a bit more flowing, less rhythmically complex melody in the chorus to make it stand out and to engage me with a new rhythm dynamic (and to give me a rest!)  Donald Fagan is a master at that kind of thing.
 
The mix was nice and clean too. I'd probably not pan some of the vocals so hard but that's just me. Great tune!