Have you USED any modeling software?

It's a tradeoff... You don't need gigabytes of sample data, but you need vast amounts of computing power. The more accurate the model, the more power you need. And they still have a VERY long way to go to come out with ANY acoustic instrument model that will fool the listener (you didn't think for one minute that sounded like a REAL clarinet, did you?).

Let's take the piano, shall we... Pianoteq by Modartt http://www.pianoteq.com/ is a modeled piano. It's pretty good, and actually does a FEW things better than samples (string resonance, for instance), but compare it to Ivory http://www.ilio.com/synthogy/ivory/ and you realize it still has a way to go.

But the assertion that we were listening to MUSIC was absurd. We were listening to a very poor modeled clarinet. For some, that may indeed BE music. I would think, though, if you wanted to listen to music, you might want a few more instruments...! This is where the article blue-sky's us. The horsepower to even model ONE instrument truly accurately doesn't yet exist. You can get close, in a few cases, but no banana. But the horsepower to model an orchestra, even a small wind ensemble is decades away.

In the meantime, major Hollywood movies are being scored by sampled orchestras. You are being fooled by them every day on TV. This is NOW.

Modeled orchestras are 22nd century technology...