Claudiu,

For my part, I¡¦ve never received anything other than helpful advice and encouragement on this forum. As someone said recently on here, the board has been going for so long that it has become more than just a talking shop/help desk for arranger boards. It has become a meeting place for old friends. Many seem to have made friends through the board long ago and there is a real sense of community here (for example; note the many well wishes for George).

I think that makes it even more remarkable that there is no cliquiness on the board and that the community is very inclusive. There¡¦s a real enthusiasm for helping out newbies to the point of being willing to answer the same old questions over and over again.

Like you, I get excited when buying new gear and eager to learn as much as I can as quickly as I can. The temptation is to take advantage (in the nicest sense of the word) of the goodwill on this board. Unfortunately, apart from the few lucky enough or talented enough to make music full time or those that are retired and enjoying a well earned rest (yeah right, meaning having to do all those jobs for the wife, you put off for all those years ƒº) the rest have full time jobs to do and can¡¦t be at our call 24/7.

I certainly don¡¦t play the type of music I suspect most on here do but that doesn¡¦t mean I can¡¦t learn anything. On the contrary, listening to other peoples¡¦ styles and opinions, especially when it comes from someone on a very different track from me, is probably the most rewarding.

Have patience my friend and you¡¦ll find this board to be one of the friendliest and most helpful on the net (and I¡¦ve tried a few).