Sax on Arranger Keyboards ...

I almost posted this in chas' 'country' thread, but did not want to hijack it ...
I was listening to Benny Golson's original Killer Joe - and many other jazz sax players playing a wide range of songs - and I cannot help but think that the sax is the most difficult instrument for arranger keyboard manufacturers to emulate ... Is it because each sax player and/or saxophone has a sound all his/her/its own?
I know AKBs have many different sax sounds, but why can't the KB manufacturers produce a true Getz or Desmond or Mulligan sound?

Personally, I think the best sax sound I've heard on a AKB is what I think was called the 'Soft Alto Sax' on my technics Kn6000 ... Sounded the closest to a Paul Desmond sax than any other I've heard ...
JMHO

Tony let's face it AKb's saxes come somewhat close if played properly which is rare, but in reality for many reasons will never be the real thing.

Tony, I think it's really difficult to get a good sax simulation without some kind of breath controller; better yet, a complete wind controller (with/without built-in sound module) such as the old Yamaha WX5, the Akai EW4000s/EW5000, or Roland AE40G). It's not the tone so much as the subtle dynamics of the sax that is so hard to capture. Of course, if you get a wind controller, you still need to know sax fingering. I know sax/flute fingering and I have thought many times about getting a wind controller, BUT, I figure, if you know how play sax, why not just play a real sax into a good mic.

Of course manufacturers will continue to try to make more authentic sax sounds on keyboards; now, they just need to figure out how to get keyboard players to think and play like a sax player.

chas

I need to get better at this too! I do ok with Brass and wind section. Solo Sax works are the most challenging for me. I gotta get me a breath controller.

I think the point is you can't play sax and the keyboard at the same time. So, we as k'board players do the next best thing and "fudge it" . The more you think like a, in this case, a sax player and listen to how they phrase their music, the better you can get to being .... close.

Allan
chas [/quote]

If you want to get get close to a real sax, roli seaboard seems the way to go... it offers so much controll, espescially if you add a breathcontroller on top of the roli...

For sax, i guess the 25 key seaboard rise would suffice? Just put it on top of a pa4x, us ethe chord sequencer for your chord progression and give it a run... i have seen a pretty impressive sax demo by Marco Parissi, he was using a Sax VST from SWAM...

Marco is one of those musicians that can make ANY synth sound good ("keyboardist not the keyboard"). One thing that us mere mortals should always do (if possible) is to play the synth in MONO mode (to avoid any possibility of accidentally playing more than one note at a time). Other tips; stay in the natural range of the instrument, don't use the extra dexterity of the keyboard to play faster or more complex than you could on the real instrument. If it's a wind instrument, allow for 'breathing' (a sax player can't play for a solid minute without taking a breath). In the absence of a breath controller, practice using velocity (touch) to emulate the dynamics of the real instrument. Play legato and use 'slurs' where appropriate. If all this fails to produce a satisfactory result, go down to the musicians union and hire a sax player .

chas

Now THAT was believable !

Tahst the one i meant....

does anyone here own a seaboard unit? and is he playing on top what everyone so dislikes when discussed a SMF/Mp3 backing track too?

As he does not appear to be using his left hand to initiate chord changes, I would assume he is playing over an SMF or mp3 ...

He is playing together with some other musicians?