I just want to add my opinion to the main topic (The Pro leaving this Forum).
I have always enjoying being a member of Synthzone, even if the focus here has always been more on gear and less on music. It's a fact that the times of greater activity on the GAK Forum have coincided with the release of a new arranger keyboard and the last great "burst" dates back to the PSR 3000. I, like Jim, am a member of other music "Fora" as well, and personally right now the place I enjoy visiting most is the Music Player Forum. Even there people talk a lot about gear: the only difference is that they talk about Motif, Triton, Fantom, Andromeda, etc. and not about arrangers keyboards, but almost every day there is at least a thread about music. Right now there is a guy from Brazil who asked how he could play a Deep Purple organ solo and people from all over the world took their time to analyze the Jon Lord solo and give their advice, going to the point of indicating the fingerings he should use!
I have to say that there is a great deal of music proficiency going on there and, by comparison, the only time here on Synthzone people seem to talk about music (and not gear) is when they ask for a midifile ( ) or -at best- for a music sheet. Maybe that's something to do with the fact that many people here proudly claim to be "entertainers" and not "musicians"?
Sorry for the rambling, but all this is to say that, aside from the specific issue of this topic ("The Pro vs. Alone and Forsaken") I too am posting less and less and -even if am not actually thinking to leave this Forum, maybe because I have developed an affective relationship with it- had to vent my disappointment with the turn things have taken, lately more than ever.
I hope that my rambling can somehow modify things, but really doubt it.
Regards,
Andrea