Thanks Kerry and Diki. Oldies, by definition, have stood the test of time. Drums for me is just a rhythmic reference, something to keep everybody on the same page, so to speak (musicians, singers, and dancers). Nothing I do is drum-heavy and I use very few 'breaks', etc. So this makes creating a drum track very easy. I use the same loops or a variation 90% of the time on swing tunes with a 'walking bass'. The variation is pretty much the same sample/loop with a bongo on top. Occasionally, I will use a drum track from the BK7m (convenience) and even (in the past) my old PA1x Pro. Doing everything in a DAW (REAPER) makes life so much easier. Best tracks come from a live drummer who occasionally comes over when we have a rehearsal.

I hear you with the Vibes thing but I have recently started to just incorporate a sound that I like into MY playing style instead of trying to faithfully reproduce how the instrument is normally played. I guess at this stage of my life, I care more about expressing myself musically than trying to sound authentic on an instrument, the playing of which, is foreign to me. In fact, this is ironic, as (being a vibes aficionado) I used to DREAM about a Vibraphone that had a standard keyboard (so I could become an instant Vibes player ). Who knew, that one day many years later, there would be a ton of keyboard instruments that could do just that. There's probably a message there; that if you live long enough, all your musical/technical dreams will come true.....and an ARRANGER KEYBOARD will one day make it's way into the great concert halls of Europe .

chas