How to re-invigorate the forum ... ideas.

[JohnG]

Hi guys and gals,

It is very sad IMO to see just how little the forum is posted to these days, and I know that many of you feel the same and have posted to that effect.

I know I've tried my best from time to time to post tutorials, which is my way of contributing. I haven't done much recently, and I'll tell you one of the reasons why. I get so little feed back, so few questions, so little feeling that others are participating.

Now it may be my fault, maybe they're not as accessible as I like to think they are. Maybe they're too long. Maybe I need to give more practical examples. But that's just one aspect.
______________________________________

What I would like to explore, with as many of you as care to voice an opinion, is what we can do individually or collectively to try to bring some life back.

Let's all try to avoid 'having a go' at others, please. Let's, for a start just chuck ideas into a pool, however daft they may seem. And let's all try to give the ideas some consideration and a little lateral thinking.

My first thought, from my angle, is to look at the relatively new world of 'soft synths' or 'virtual instruments' if you prefer. I'm getting to grips with one or two myself and wonder whether a discussion about these and a tutorial or two would be useful.

And tell me how you think my tutorials could be improved, if you will.

Let's really try to brainstorm this, if you will. Positive input is most welcome.

And please tell us what's missing from this forum, that you would like to see, the people that read but don't post?

As always,
JohnG.

[weegeo]

What a great idea John,as you know i`m not a technician as such i don`t sequence but i know what i want in a trac and the chance of learning for me would be excellent.

We all chat with each other but we don`t really know each others pedigree this something that i would find very interesting.

Another Topic could be the advancements made in our industry!! is it for the good or the bad!!!


Just a few thoughts to start the ball rolling


weegeo

[Tubbs]

I agree......lets have some ideas thrown together and come up with something that gets the forum buzzing again...as always i will do my best to have them implemented.

[shanless]

I suggested this a while back...there are a lot of folk in the forum from all parts of Ireland..why not arrange a meet somewhere....I live as far up north as you can go and I know that there are some as far south as you can go....somewhere in the middle would be fine.
I know we have booking to do but just maybe some weekend would suit.
Kev

[simmo123]

Hi folks,i like the sound of Kevs "having a bit of a get together in the Emerald isle" & i wish i could be there if it does take place,but you never know stranger things have happened,also a big thanks to our midi wizard John G for putting he's suggestion forward with regards to midi editing etc,count me in for that one John,also Weegeo's input is always a welcome posting as well.All is still well with the Simmo's our summer still marches on but there is a small chance of a bit of desperately needed rain this weekend,it might put a hold on the busking side of things but that is less important at this stage,the oldies gigs are still full on & i am getting a few double headers on some days,had a problem with my Ovation guitar (electrics) & looked like i would be in a spot of bother but the store that was fixing it were good enough to loan me a 2nd hand single cutaway ovation while mine was under repair & i must admit it was certainly a lot easier to play up the neck than my standard one,all is well now as i picked it up yesterday from the store,they finished up installing an under the bridge "fishman 332" which seems to sound just a little better than the LR Baggs pickup i had before,they also managed to match it up with my existing pre-amp which saved me quite a few $.I am still gathering together some more of my recollections of our early life over here in W Aussie in preparation for another of Ole Simmo's ramblings,i have to be in the right frame of mind, which when i am everything seems to just flow & all the memories flood back so i just write them down nonstop,i have one instance in which happened way back in the 70's of my experience in bringing a truckload of kangaroo carcasses back to Perth to be used as pet food,the only problem was it was in a unrefrigderated truck but i will fill in all of the details when i send in the full story.Well thats it for now...friday 11.00pm...busking at "Jull street Mall Armadale"(try Googling it) it in the morning..one of my regular spots,it is only a small mall but can get busy,hopefully their will be a few people around after having all of the shops closed for the good friday holiday.
I will get the next "rambling" episode under way asap
Best wishes to all..the Simmo's

[oliver101]

I am not what you would call a 'regular contributer' but I like to chip in where ever it is possible. The main crux of the matter does seem to be finding new/interesting topics. Have a glance over some of the older topics that have been posted to look for some insperation.

How about forwarding the url address to all the other muso's that we all know, even if one in 10 joins up and adds to a post it will be a result.

Ian

[Jacqui]

First off although it would be Great I think the idea of everyone meeting up will be impossible, everyone is too spread out, the most we can hope for is meeting other members if the opportunity arises through travel or work, I met with Kev and his wife Catriona a few times, also Pat(Emerald) in London, Ian(Oliver) here in Essex, and even Paul Cullen(Murphy) over in Spain while I was there on holiday once, and it's been fantastic when we've been able to make it work, but that's not going to be easy for everyone as a lot of members are in other Counties as far off as India, Australia and the US, unless I win the lotto and can Pay for everyone to meet up for a big party.
I think try to meet other members if you can, maybe in your own area or if you happen to travel to their part of the world.
But let's not forget the good old telephone, which has helped me get in touch with other members, especially Gerry(Sweeney) who has given me a great deal of help and advice on the phone, and Kev always there for me when I need a track urgently, and the forum in general when I want some advice on Speakers, Anti Virus, PC software, PC problems ect, the forum is always my first port of call.

The tutorials are a great idea, but obviously some members are much more experienced at the midi editing than others, so what one person may want to learn may not suit someone else.
I think if a tutorial is being done it would be good to try and get everyone using the same software, and also the same midi file, so that all the steps and edits can be followed along with the tutorial and you would be able to see exactly how it should all look because you'd all be doing the same thing as the tutorial, if you get what I mean.

Anyway that's my tuppence worth, or should I say Euro or Dollars worth.
Jacqui

[Tiny]

Get Some Big Busty Blonde,s on That will Live,n Place up
Tee! He!! ;D ;D ;D

[Jacqui]

So what can I have then ?? ;D

[Tiny]

;D ;D ;D

[shanless]

''there are a lot of folk in the forum from all parts of [glow=red,2,300]Ireland[/glow]..why not arrange a meet somewhere...''

[JohnG]

Thanks to all who have responded so far, and for those who haven't, have a good think about the issue, what would make you a) spend more time here and b) encourage you to join in and post?

1. IMO a meet up for those members living in reasonable proximity sounds like a great idea. I know other forums, who share common keyboards, meet up yearly in a hotel and make music.

From my experience meeting up with folks who share the same interests can prove a real delight. Can't it Terry? I will have to leave that to others to implement as I live on the continent. It needs a small team, two or three people to organise if it's to be 'an event', but just someone suggesting a venue once in a while e.g. "I'll be in Dublin in three weeks, why don't we meet up in Monty's of Kathmandu and begin our evening out at 18:30?" ... or something.

2. A latest news section is a good idea, I think, but less easy, at least IMHO, to implement. It really needs someone to keep tabs on latest developments and just write a short paragraph on a reasonably regular basis ... OR ... when anyone hears of something new just to drop a note about it. I could keep tabs on the MMA as I visit it every day (mostly).

Do we need a new section for this Gerry, or should we just add it to Talking Points for the time being?

3. You make a good point about tutorials Jackie. It's one of the issues that;s dogged me from the start. Cubase, Sonar, Anvil Studio, Jazz, Acid, ProTools, Band-in-a-Box, the list of sequencing software is huge, oh, Cakewalk Pro Audio, XGworks. My dilemma is which to use as I'm betting, if we did a survey, that we would find people use all sorts of different software.

However, maybe an attractive option would be to use a freebie like Anvil 2011. Comments please.

4. Oliver, I'd be interested to hear your ideas, thanks for coming back.

5. Contacting other Musos. Definitely worth a try.

6. Oops, other's pedigree. We have an introduction section, but whether it's worth another section I don't know. Anybody else care to comment?

7. Big Busty Blondes. Well, it would suit some, but as Jackie has commented, not all. Are you offering some kind of input to this section? My wife might have something to say on this subject too, not necessarily on a positive note, though!

8. Jackie, I'm guessing that maybe you were hinting at some more basic tutorials for complete non-technical beginners. Am I right? I'd appreciate some feedback, if you can, on what you'd particularly like to see. Then I'll see what I can do.

I think I've answered all points, if I haven't give me a nudge.
Just my 2d worth ... as usual.
JohnG.

[JC]

Hate to say it but Franks postings certainly reinvigorated the forum for a little while!! lol

[simmo123]

Hi folks,some really good suggestions have been made regarding a bit more contact between members, some a little harder to implement than others eg,meeting up at various locations,however i thought Jacqui's suggestion of the good old fashioned telephone call was a very reasonable idea especially for members like myself who are just a tad off the beaten track & find that distance can be a problem for meeting up with fellow forum members without incurring some pretty hefty costs,that is not to say that Patricia & i will not be making any more visits to the UK where of course a big percentage of the members live.We have in our part of the world some super cheap deals on for calling the UK & other parts of the world which i use from time to time to have a really good chat with John G & also Rainbow (Graham),i find that it is very rewarding as we talk about everything from the weather as well as the music plus family news etc.To get the ball rolling i am more than happy to have a chat with any of my mates on the forum regardless of age/gender etc & i am sure we would be surprised just how much in common we share between us,the only detail to be sorted out is to find a common time when we are both available bearing in mind we are about 8 hours ahead of UK time at the moment,but that should not be to hard to overcome,the only other detail i forgot to mention is that the cheap calls only apply to landlines & not mobiles: an example of the cost to us is when we call the few relatives we have remaining over in the UK we can chat for about 20p an hour with no cost to the person receiving the call so the cost is minimal for us.Anyway its just a suggestion but i would be thrilled to swap yarns with you although an interpreter may be required for our Scottish & Irish members ;D.Give it some thought as it may well add another dimension to the forum as well as a way to cement friendships.
Very best wishes to all...Simmo...

[Jacqui]

Hi Kev
Ireland for a meet sounds like a great idea, you certainly have the most members I think, could be a hell of a Party

Jacqui