The next time Native Instruments has a sale, I will probably pick up a copy of 'Session Horns', just for the tailored 'section' approach'.  Looks like a fast workflow to add a decent horn sound to pop, jazz, funk, etc.

I can't believe the Cakewalk TTS-1 has been completely overlooked in this thread for those signature Roland pop horn section sounds. These horn sounds have been burned into our brains for decades now on countless hit records.
 It's certainly worth a try, being you already own it, and I've found it to work quite well in tandem with Dimension Pro's many sampled horn patches spread out and over between several expansion packs.
Garritan Pocket Orchestra developed by Digital Sound Factory is nice, but as nice as it is, that was only included free with Dim Pro as a carrot waved in our face to encourage us go visit DSF"s website and discover gold. And at really reasonable and affordable prices.
 And all Dim Pro patches, voices, and samples work flawlessly with Rapture Session and Pro. VEERRRY Nicely!
 
 But don't discount TTS-1 by any measure because it's an old discontinued DXi synth or simply by other's opinions, at it's heart lies a genuine Roland Sound Canvas engine and with many selectable "version" releases throughout the years. And despite many user's opinions I've read and heard about over the years their are some Sound Canvas patches I would NOT want to live without.
  you can assign up to 4 parts of separate audio outputs per instance, although I highly recommend opening a separate instance of TTS-1 for each ensemble patch or individual part for optimum sound quality and control using the right EQ and reverb audio plugins.
BIG emphasis on the right EQ and reverb/Room settings, and HUGE emphasis on getting the octave ranges right.
 Not a problem with sampled horns which typically can't and won't play out of their octave ranges.
 The TTS-1 does not play samples and will exceed an instrument's natural octave range which is very cool for creating new sounds to your canvas, but not so much at all for authentic sounding instruments.
 
You can get surprisingly good authentic sounding "Pop" horns section with TTS-1 "Providing" you do not play/perform any part(s) out of any of the individual horn's natural octave range.
 

I agree with Steev...TTS-1 is not too bad if you put in the time and understand what horns should sound like, not only in timbre but physical properties. Look online for info on horn section arranging and voice the trumpets, bones and saxes like they should be voiced. Give each instance of each instrument its own track. EQ etc. as needed. I would say that using care can allow a marginal synth to sound okay, and just plopping down block chords can make a good synth sound bad. Good luck!

rbecker
I agree with Steev...TTS-1 is not too bad if you put in the time and understand what horns should sound like, not only in timbre but physical properties. Look online for info on horn section arranging and voice the trumpets, bones and saxes like they should be voiced. Give each instance of each instrument its own track. EQ etc. as needed. I would say that using care can allow a marginal synth to sound okay, and just plopping down block chords can make a good synth sound bad. Good luck!

You should have this book in your collection.  It has been the standard for a long time.  It tells about the ranges of each instrument ever invented, and a lot more.  An old standby for composers who needed to know how to write for various instruments and not go beyond that instrument's ability, unless there was a gifted soloist in the orchestra who was able to go just slightly beyond the instrument's intended range.
 
Orchestration, by Cecil Forsyth
https://www.amazon.com/gp..._s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Blogospherianman
Fable sounds Broadway Big Band.... hands down.

Curious, do you own that software yourself?
 
Thank you so much for sharing this post because I was totally unaware of that product and I'm sold on the demo, by Reagan (on Youtube).

I just shared it (via my laptop) with a guy here at the Denny's restaurant, who told me he owns NI Session Horns, and let me listen to a Mix of his using NI Session Horns.  When he heard the demo of Fable Sounds "Broadway Big Band", he was immediately looking it up on his smartphone, and telling me how "bummed" he was because his wife is going to be upset (the cost) - he fell in love with Fable Sounds and could not get over how incredible it sounded, especially of the solo woodwind sounds.  Blown away.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZg42z9XlUM
 
We are both contemplating buying it.
 
I also told him what I read on a post about Session Horns, and that I too, thought it was not convincing enough to drop the money on.  My friend owns it, but he's now wanting to upgrade after hearing and watching the demo.
 
Fable Sounds ($2,300) is in the same quality league as Hauptwerk's Pipe Organ ($1,200).



Watching Reagan's demo of Fable Sounds, is most impressive.
 

Toddskins
 
You should have this book in your collection.  It has been the standard for a long time.  It tells about the ranges of each instrument ever invented, and a lot more.  An old standby for composers who needed to know how to write for various instruments and not go beyond that instrument's ability, unless there was a gifted soloist in the orchestra who was able to go just slightly beyond the intended instrument's range.


Orchestration, by Cecil Forsyth
https://www.amazon.com/gp..._s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Another good resource is the Interactive Frequency Chart. That has been around a long time and is handy to have bookmarked. Many romplers do have the range already limited for sample banks (why some notes don't play with DimPro, etc.), but others will transpose the entire keyboard on you (the ones to watch out for).

Does anybody have Garritan 'Jazz and Big Band 3'?  It's on sale 50% off right now ...
 
https://www.pluginboutiqu...t/1248-Jazz-Big-Band-3

Another thought here is that if you already have SampleTank 3, make sure to take a look inside at your included jazz-pop brass and jazz-pop woodwind sounds.  >> http://www.ikmultimedia.c...pp=sampletank-3-sounds
 

a new pop section with Trumpet, Mute Trumpet, Tenor Trombone, Bass Trombone and Piccolo Trumpet plus both solo and Brass ensembles. All feature multi-velocity sampling and take advantage of SampleTank 3's "round robin" effect and articulations

 

you also get 4 new saxophones: Alto, Baritone, Soprano and Tenor that all feature all multi-velocities and "round robin" for extended realism

 

abacab
Does anybody have Garritan 'Jazz and Big Band 3'?  It's on sale 50% off right now ...
 
https://www.pluginboutiqu...t/1248-Jazz-Big-Band-3

For that price, it is OK.  I'm not crazy about the Aria player.  There are not any articulations, as far as I know, although you can simulate a lot of that with controls.  The package does include distinctly different samples for each player (trumpet 1, 2, 3, etc) which does give a bit of authenticity.  And there are keyswitches for the main mutes (straight, cup, harmon). 

TTS-1 has nice pop brass sounds and is excellent as GM player, but:
1. It crashes Sonar if it isn't the first synth in the rack (loaded after other synths).
2. Doesn't have independent channel output routing.
3. Was developed by Roland so Cakewalk didn't inherit sources.