Thanks for that link, MichaelL. Jeff Beal is an inspiring dude.
To be clear, in my comments I wasn’t intending to imply that I think real instruments are necessarily superior to sample libraries. In my view there’s no competition – it’s just a matter of choosing the right tool for the job. Using real instruments plays into my personal strengths as a musician and producer. I think playing into those strengths is what makes a difference for me, not necessarily which tool I choose. Having said that, I do think that there are plenty of library folks out there who will more readily check something out when they know there are actual instruments involved. Of course, if those instruments aren’t recorded or played well then getting their attention could easily work against you. Superior production is essential regardless of what instruments are used – real or sampled.