I haven't heard any of the guitar demos and so I was wondering what the quality of sound was. I think the drums and the basses sound fantastic and since I play guitar anyway, I'll probably pick it up. I was just wondering if anyone uses Jazz/Big Band for rock productions.
My responses below are based on my experiences with the first release of JABB. (I haven't used the ARIA version).
I haven't used the electric guitars, but I have used the acoustic guitar -- an unusual 10-string, which is nice if you need to go a little lower and a bass would be too heavy. I think the brass and saxes would work for rock, if you like your sax section loud and honky. The brass is a little more flexible because there are more choices (lots of mutes and clearer differences in timbre at low volumes and velocities.)
The drums are okay, especially for ballads and softer pieces. If you want a lot of volume, and your music is very heavy, this library might not be the best choice. And, if the guitars are really what interests you, you might want to consider a library that has sampled strummed chords - or one that lets you make your own and determine how they are voiced (a la Real Guitar).
This isn't really a rock library, but I've always thought that the brass and saxes would make a good brass section for a rock band, if you built your rhythm section from other libraries.
It depends<G>...Originally Posted by Dane Grant
as a guitar player I have yet to find a guitar library that was useful for anything other than effects. Since I can play in my own parts I really don't use them. So ignore that!
The basses are better than average. A dedicated bass library such as Seyer or Scarbee will sound more complex, but they will require a LOT more effort to use effectively.
Same goes for the drums - DFH Superior2 has WAY more nuance, but it is just a drum library, and it takes up over 30GB of disk space, so you'd hope that was the case. On the other hand, if you are just roughing out the part then JABB is certainly up to the task.
The keyboards are in the same category, they won't replace NI B4 or Garritan's Steinway, but they work really well in context.
The brass and winds are not, in my opinion, at the same level, they are much better. Now that could be that there are not as many competing products, but I think the JABB trumpet, trombone, and alto or tenor sax work nicely in a Chicago or BST or EWF or TOP kind of setting. If you need multiple players the brass works really well, but the saxes, require quite a bit of care and extra effort to avoid that synthy/organish sound. In fact, I haven't figured out the trick, but I've heard demos by folks that have.
There are still libraries out there that could, with sufficient skill and effort, do better, but I think the difference is smaller... and I am kind of picky about these sorts of things.
Thus far all my rock&roll with horns arrangements are transcriptions of copyrighted pieces, so I can't share them here. I'm still trying to learn how to write great horn charts. I will try to adapt one of my horn charts to something that I can post.
In the meantime, if you want to add brass and woodwinds, in limited count, JABB is an excellent choice. If you are just working on your arranging skills then I think it covers drums, bass and keys too.
If I were doing a piece for commercial release, and it wasn't going to end up as an MP3, well, I'd use DFH Superior or Jet City for drums, and Scarbee for electric bass. It would be a tough call between JABB and Seyer for upright bass, but that's partly because Seyer is a GS instrument, and I'm tired of fighting with GS. I would use B4 for organ, and either Sampletekk libraries or NI's Elektrik for Rhodes or Wurli. I use the piano from JABB as often as any other, maybe more often. It sits beautifully in a rock or pop mix! And I would use JABB for all my horns.
I'd also expect to spend 3 or 4 times as much time sequencing the parts. And that's not a good thing!
Oh, and I always track the guitars myself<G>...
Bill Thompson
Audio Enterprise
KB3KJF
I did a TOP type of tune a shortly after buying JABB3. Used Piano, upright bass, trumpet (solo & section) tenor and bari saxes and flute on this. Guitar was a real guitar contributed by a friend and the drums were another program.
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page...songID=9674641
I also did a little jazz instrumental. Horns all JABB3 as is upright bass & piano. Drums again, another program.
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page...songID=9860790
On a side note, I agree with you on JABB great for horns in R&R, but not long ago I sampled the Chris Hein collection. They sound a bit better IMHO.
John Bowen
Yes jazz and big band both are good for a rock sound. I surely enjoyed this kind of music. I would suggest everyone to listen to such music.
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