A simple Sax reference project...

[Bassist]

Some of the threads here have touched on getting good Sax sounds
out of JABB3. It has been a long-standing effort of mine to get
something decent sounding. To start with some credible reference
material, I got the Sammy Nestico book "The Complete Arranger
(Rev ed.)". It has scores and a CD to tell you what it sounds like. I
used the first example which is about 9 bars of "Invitation" and
created a MIDI mockup.

Parts of the book can be found here at Scribd (The Complete Arranger)
on page 18.

An MP3 of the MIDI mockup along with the Sonar Project, a screen
capture, and the Alto Sax track as a MIDI file are here. Hopefully,
this is helpful to other that are trying to climb the curve of effective
JABB3 rendering and MIDI mockups.

Did you do anything besides transcribe the chart note for note
with Nestico's articulations? Did you do anything to the sound of
the alto? Mine sounds like an organ in a hockey rink.

But I don't have JABB, only what came with Finale 2009 and 2010. I can't
2010 to load.

[jdsnyderii]

Did you do anything besides transcribe the chart note for note
with Nestico's articulations? Did you do anything to the sound of
the alto? Mine sounds like an organ in a hockey rink.

But I don't have JABB, only what came with Finale 2009 and 2010. I can't
2010 to load.

Yes I did quite a bit more than transcribe, in fact, I did not really transcribe the piece per se. To help me get the interpretation, I listened to a professional recording of the piece (to get the vibe so to speak). I then entered the notes into the Piano Roll of my DAW (Sonar X1 in this case). The MIDI file and Sonar Piano Rolls in the download link are specific to the Garritan Library; any approach like this will be specific to the library which means that library selection is fairly important.

So, to make these ideas work on another VST instrument, you will need to understand what parameters you can control. Specifically, the Alto sax is tough. While the Alto 3 in JABB3 is reasonably good for this tune (you always have to experiment a bit), it certainly does not come for free because the Saxophone is very expressive.

What you are looking to control is A) vibrato (speed and intensity), B) note attack (i.e. tonguing), C) Volume (i.e. loudness), D) timbre (e.g. raspy versus smooth). So, that would me you would need at least 4 MIDI CCs for your VSTi. In the case of JABB3, the Sax has about 12-15 CCs to control the instrument. I also use the Pitch Bend, Portamento, Legato, and Release Controls to make the note bending sounds.

In Finale 2010 (which I have), the built-in sax is not so good; I don't recall what CCs are available for it. I would recommend buying JABB3 (quality for price cannot be beat). If you are strapped for cash, you might look for a couple of SoundFonts that have those controls available. You can use the SFZ+ player for something like that to play SoundFonts. They will ultimately not sound as good as JABB3 in general and will likely be much harder to make work.

Does this help?

[Bassist]

Yes I did quite a bit more than transcribe, in fact, I did not really transcribe
the piece per se.

That explains it.

What you are looking to control is A) vibrato (speed and intensity), B) note
attack (i.e. tonguing), C) Volume (i.e. loudness), D) timbre (e.g. raspy versus
smooth). So, that would me you would need at least 4 MIDI CCs for your
VSTi. In the case of JABB3, the Sax has about 12-15 CCs to control the
instrument. I also use the Pitch Bend, Portamento, Legato, and Release
Controls to make the note bending sounds.

Does this help?

All of the above! How did you tweak each setting? How does one get a
raspy or smooth tone?

Yes, this helps. I'm going to save for JABB and all the other sounds
I can get. Thanks

[jdsnyderii]

That explains it.


All of the above! How did you tweak each setting? How does one get a
raspy or smooth tone?

Yes, this helps. I'm going to save for JABB and all the other sounds
I can get. Thanks

The Alto MIDI file posted at the top of the thread has all of the settings in it as well as pictures of the most important ones. You can look there.