Ian I rarely use any Sax except the GROWL Sax which I love for solos ......sometimes I'll use the Tenor for Bossas etc......
I never use the mod wheel also but that's just my style of playing... if I get time I'll record a few licks with different instrument on the S950 for you....there are no rules I say just good sounding music...I'm no Peter Baartmans playing but I don't think he sings as well as me either just sayin',lol but, I'm confident in my abilities & hold my own on stage with the best of them playig My Way..

How about you Fran...do you have any recordings of yourself emulating sax or trumpet etc.?

The G-70 has no "gimmicks" to rely on, so it would have to come down to your own skill as a player in emulating these instruments, which is what I expect that you would prefer (no gimmicks)...or would having SA/SA2 type voices be a benefit on something like the G-70?

Ian

If you don't use the wheel, how are you getting the sax to bend notes, as a real sax player would do?

The S950's SA Sax would be advantageous because it will switch automatically to mono for more realism, as a sax player can only produce one note at a time.

Do you have your Growl Sax (I like to use that one too occasionally) set to Mono?

Ian

This is the Achilles Heel of the arranger... Unless you use a Chord Sequencer or SMF's/MP3's, your LH is pretty much tied up doing the chords for the most part, and you can ONLY bend, scoop, etc. when you can spare the hand away from those damn chords!

But listen to a real sax player, and you seldom hear notes that ARE 'straight'... The sax is VERY sensitive to lip pressure and breath force, bite strength etc., and everything is somewhat 'loose' pitch-wise. You have to almost constantly ride the pitch bender to get something close.

I'm afraid I'm not a big fan of the majority of SA2 type gimmick horn tricks, because they seldom seem to happen when YOU want them, only when specific intervals or hit strengths are reached. They sound great when you listen back, but I get that disconnected feel actually playing them. But that's just me... as a horn player, I expect the 'tricks' when I PLAY them, not when some machine tells me I should do them!

I do like the mono/poly behavior depending on whether you play single lines or chords on the Roland SN saxes, but I'm kind of glad that none of that gliss stuff has appeared yet. I'd rather do it with a F/Sw than a button (again, I'm busy playing!), but all in all, I'd rather PLAY it than have a sample do it.

Ian, the problem with what I called gimmicks..it becomes a crutch, that a player depends on too much..As for me being a capable player to showcase a sax etc...basically I know you need to layback in phrasing and leave breathing room...other than that I I also play as a keyboard player

Well, to each his own...I think the SA/SA2 voices are incredibly expressive, considering they are played from a keyboardd and, of course, like any other feature, it depends on how the player uses them.

I haven't heard anything close to SA/SA2 Saxes on another arranger...well, perhaps the Korg DNC Sax, but again, it depends on the player.

I'm more interested in my listener at least identifying the instrument I'm playing is a Sax, rather than try to perfectly emulate a Sax, which, to be frank, is really only achievable with a Breath Controller.

Certainly recording the Sax track afterwards would be far better, which is what I sometimes do when making a Cd, but, I can also live with the limitations of playing it in style mode live.

Ian

Diki, that's why they have a hold feature on the left hand so the player can lift his or her hand and use the pitch bend, push buttons, etc... Guys like Don Mason are a treat to watch perform, mainly because his left hand only touches the left hand chord for a fraction of a second, then it quickly goes to the pitch bend device for his guitar emulations, which are absolutely incredible.

Gary

I suppose gimmicks could become a crutch for some...for me, anything that will let me put more expressiveness in a sound is greatly appreciated, so bring on the gimmicks...actually, they are just tools of the trade.

I still love to use the wheels as they certainly offer a finer degree of control, but I am not above using the SA Buttons as well.

My favorite use for the wheels is bending distortion or jazz guitar sounds and also the lead synth sounds as well.

I'm working on my fiddle/violin technique lately...that is a real challenge, at least for me.

But, it's also a lot of fun!

I simply LOVE retirement!

Ian

Ian, the fiddle is tough, but I love it as well, especially when I'm performing various bluegrass songs. The fingering technique is even more difficult to make it sound right, but it can be done with practice.

Gary

Gary,

I'm working on making the bow skip on the strings...done with alternating the thumb and index finger on the same note while playing a higher note (usually a 4th or 5th) with the little finger. The Tyros4's SA2 Jazz Violin is pretty effective and it's coming along pretty good.

Last week it was banjo...that was a hoot.

Ian