Yikes!

AJ, are you reading something between the lines? I didn't see anything negative in Gary's comments..
Sure Gary is a Yammy guy, but he is always open minded or at least tolerate to guys like me[Roland guy].
Gary, like many others here are always willing to help you out with a problem solution, even if it isn't their cup of tea..

I , like you are also interested in the soft synth world and it's capabilities, although currently I still have to depend on hardware stuff..

AJ , re think your comments about Gary..I don't think there is any malice in his words...or for that matter..yours..

The one thing that has always been a constant with this forum is that the discussion has been about arrangers, even when talking about softsynths or amps or midi files or live performance or whatever, it always came back to how these thing related to the core topic. And that's important because arrangers are the one thing that brought everyone here in the first place. This is the only active arranger forum I know of, and I've found that arranger users are different from the other keyboardists out there. There's plenty of other keyboard forums that would either poo-poo arrangers or would just be so flooded with other types of discussions that you'd have to weed through the forest to get to the arranger topics. I wouldn't be here if I didn't own an arranger and was interested in topics specific to how to use it.

I just bought a new keyboard that I'm very excited about to go with Reason v3.0... I'll be talking about it on Harmony Central's keyboard forum or Keyboard Magazine's Expert Forum or on the alt.music.makers.soloact newsgroup, but not here because it's totally off-topic. Is it so wrong to want to keep arrangers in the arranger forum? I would vote in favor of stronger moderation if it meant that arrangers would continue to be the primary focus of this forum.

I have to believe that the recent obsession with all the questioning of what is on and off topic has happened largely because there isn't all that much that is new and exciting to report about arrangers. Of course that's just my opinion, but it certainly affects what I will consider purchasing in the future.

I have no interest whatsoever in discussing A / B comparisons of hardware arrangers, speakers, drum machines, etc, but I think these things are relevant to an arranger setup for someone else, and I don't complain if that's the topic of the moment. If it doesn't interest me, I simply don't read. It really isn't that hard to do. So if I discuss what I use in conjunction with One Man Band and my soft arranger system in general, I would like the same courtesy.

I respect what everyone is saying, but I don't want to see this become a place where forum cops abound. I think Nigel does the job just fine, and he always has. it isn't like folks are coming in here and discussing analog synths or workstations on a regular basis, but if it somehow ties into my overall setup, then yes, I think it's relevant. I have been here for over 4 years now, and I never remember so much quibbling over what is and what isn't topic. It's getting old guys and gals.

I've also seen many "regular" members ( including and especially me ) at one time or another take a thread and run a completely different way with it. It happens. No need to fret about it.

Fran, after rereading over and over, I am quite sure you called it right. My apologies to Gary, as I'm sure my initial reaction was totally unwarranted. I now think I completely misread what he was saying.


AJ




[This message has been edited by Bluezplayer (edited 03-17-2005).]

How about renaming the forum to:
"Keyboard Arranger and One Man Band forum "?
That would incorporate and include many more and maybe silence the critique?

GREAT IDEA!! Or rather, add a discussion group with this name.

I really don't have a problem with software arrangers being discussed on this forum. Even if people are using a software arranger I bet they are using a keyboard to program/trigger it anyway. Hey this is an arranger forum whether you use a hardware or software arranger. If you don't wish to participate in a thread ... then don't. It's not a problem one way or the other. I'm not about to exclude ANY arranger users just because they are using software. Face it, software tools are going to become much more prevalent as computer power increases. And even if you are using a dedicated keyboard you must realize it is simply a keyboard with a software arranger on board. In my mind there is no distinction between the two. They both run on software be it in the the computer or in the keyboard. Face it, all digital keyboards run software.

All users are welcome here.

Of course they are! One of the great things about this forum is how welcoming and inclusive it is - and noone would suggest otherwise!

I think that the suggestion was, that considering so many of the topics lately have NOT been about arrangers - but about studios, workstations, software DAWs etc, it might be an idea to separate these two subjects (studio / arrangers) into two discussion groups (or which I would be an active member of both!)

Whichever way you decide though, I'll be happy . As far as I'm concerned you've done an amazing job and service building and upkeeping this forum - and whatever the king says - goes!

This thread has really wandered off topic in parts, but that's good too. To reply to the original question: I still read the Arranger Forum posts daily, but find things have taken a slant (subject wise, not opinions)that just doesn't interest or involve me as much. I know the familiar names are still around, and like them I also frequent "The Bar" for more discussion. As far as new topics are concerned, I'm kind of burned out in that area right now.

The administrators of the Keyboard Forum at Harmony Central said they were directly contacted by Yamaha and asked to remove the cross-post of the Tyros II images. The guy who actually cross-posted the pix was never contacted (that was me).

If Yamaha didn't want their prototype keyboard seen then I still don't understand why they allowed the keyboard to be used at a performance and photographed, unless it was stolen. If the pix had been taken inside the factory and smuggled out illegally then that would be a clear infringement of Yamaha's product secrecy, but that didn't appear to be the situation in this case. Yamaha's good representatives could've come forth and provided a little explanation as to what happened, either here or at HC where they also participate, but I guess they are content to just look like they've lost control over the release of their products.

The draconian impression remains the same - Yamaha can and will use it's influence to have open forum posts it doesn't approve of removed, and that is an infringment on the concept of an open forum.

[This message has been edited by Nigel (edited 03-18-2005).]