My newest idea!

[SteveB]

Perhaps an exercise that could be accomplished while Admin decides the future of the Forum, (possibly undertaken by 64gs), is to delete all the Memberships which haven't been accessed for say 6 months. At least then it could seen just how many active Members there are, for truth be told, what are the numbers realistically? A hard-core of say 50 active/posting Members. (I don't include myself among these BTW). Then there is the 2nd tier of posters/lurkers (I'm here), and then there are those who, for whatever reason, sign-up, post once, and disappear. It seems that the people who remain here do so because they like what they find.
I'm wholeheartedly in agreement with those who are questioning the assumption that Dig-Mtrks are losing popularity.
I do think that for the sake of clarity, that whatever direction the Forum is to take, should be formulated with some speed, then this seemingly constant topsy-turvy is settled for good.

[Vanncad]

I think this site is great the way it is. I came here from 64's BR site, where I really didn't participate much, and only shared a couple songs. I was initally attracted to this site because of the talent I heard and the ease of uploading .mp3s. I feel people have a connection here because of the medium they use to record and that is what ties everyone together.

Mind you - there is a definite tilt toward the MBR side of things, and that's okay because that is the device that most members seem to have. "Majority rules". I know it is frustrating for people who post their work on the other boards to not have as many "hits" on their posts, but maybe there is another way around this and make their work more visible. (maybe one "music" board with meta-tags on posts to show the genre/recording device so users can filter content?).

I think that there are probably already plenty of song sharing boards out there, but this community has a great "vibe" to it. This community is diverse, helpful, encouraging and open-minded.

The mix of talent on this board allows people to be more "open" to share their music. There is no pressure or "contest" atmosphere here. This is proven by the comments from "shredders" on "country/folk" songwriters work and vice-versa. Beginners can beneit from the wealth of knowledge shared by the more experienced members here, and the "seasoned" musicians benefit from getting exposure and knowing they may have encouraged someone to pursue their "dreams".

I agree - it is hard to keep with all of the new music being posted, so maybe some type of separation of music and technical questions is in order.

One last thought. Has anyone ever approached Roland about helping to sponsor this site and provide hosting space? Are they even aware of our existence?
I am sure the music posted on this site has persuaded more than a few people to buy or upgrade to a new BR recorder. It might limit the type of language/content that is sometimes posted here, but there could also be some benefits to a partnership (or silent partnership?).

Whatever you decide, I will still come to this site because of the people that support it (and my music).

P.S. - If digital recorders are "dying out" then that sucks, 'cause I'm just starting to figure out how to "rock" this thing. 


Sorry for the long post...

 - Vann

[IanR]

Hi,

I'm fairly new to this site but I have already posted a couple of songs and felt the encouragement from those who have given me comments.  I love watching the count rise on a daily basis as people view my posts and possibly have a listen to what I've done.

I don't think this site should change.  I'm still learning how to use my mbr so I monitor the questions that others are asking and I always find the advice helpful.  I never would have found all the other tools, such as the drum arranger, without this site.  

I can understand the argument for merging the song upload board BUT if that were to happen I would like us to keep identifyig the machine we used to record our music.  I also like it when people identify what instruments or other machines and software have been used because that helps me learn about how others construct their work.

I do not access any other web sites like this one.  This is it.  I have a look every day at lunchtime and sometimes at night like I am doing now.  I used to be addicted to cyclingnews.com (I am a bike rider) but now I have spread the addiction to this site.

I also have wondered about the Roland angle.  I suspect that they know about this site and that some of you are actually Roland people.  But I don't care.  I think they should leave the site alone until the day it looks like it might fall over.  Then they should email admin and offer him some support.

There you go.

Ian

[Pine]

A long post Vann...but very well thought out and shared with a caring and concerned tone of one who really enjoys the "uniqueness" of this site. I have been on OMD's (Online Music Distributors) sites for 5 years now. The web is full of them...just off the top of my head...Soundclick, Indie Music Works, Reverb nation, Independent Artists Company, Song Planet, Mixposure...and on and on. SC has almost 4 million users..and MySpace Music with 10's of millions. HUGE sites with way more bells and whistles. They all have their place i guess. I joined the original Mixposure in it's infancy and it was like this place...a great community of peaceful, open minded supportive artists from multiple genres. As it grew, it maintained that somehow...but alas fell prey to hackers (so they said..or was it financial debt?) and irresponsible leadership. Change is good...but change just for the sake of change puts you on thin ice. Personally speaking, i love it here because we all share the same BR ingredient. Streamlining the site is a good plan and on site mp3 hosting was also nice. Is there a financial issue here? Would people pay to belong here? Bigger is clearly not always better. Quality over quantity anyday for me. BIG is out there if you want it. Places like this are not. I am not opposed to progress and like SteveB feels, i'm not here enough to really have a big say(or any, for that matter) I just know that this place has a "sanctuary" feel to it for me and it's due mostly to the fact that the folks here are genuine, kind, supportive, open minded, and all share their love of multitrack Boss recorders. Boss should clearly at least acknowledge this site, but in my experience, they are blind to all that. If ADMIN wants to get fancy, lets have individual artist pages and if necessary, have a vote on a nominal fee to keep the site up and running for us all to enjoy. Opening the site up to the general recording public has no positive benefits that i can think of. I'm all for making this place "deluxe", but BR's are the thread that weave the cloth of this community. I would vote to keep it that way.

[The Reverend 48]

Here is my three penneth
As a regular user there are several key reasons I'm here
The first and most important thing is that it is a community
The key word being community in my opinion the commonality of us all recording music on the BR binds us together unlike loads of other forums which just have music in common...........There is a real camaraderie here that you don't find on bigger sites

So would like us to stick with our current format but with the MP3 facility back and post your MP3 as one section

[Mach]

The first and most important thing is that it is a community
The key word being community in my opinion the commonality of us all recording music on the BR binds us together unlike loads of other forums which just have music in common………..There is a real camaraderie here that you don’t find on bigger sites

So would like us to stick with our current format but with the MP3 facility back and post your MP3 as one section

I am still new here but I agree about the camaraderie as I have sensed it here amongst the the members in my short time around this place. There are many sites out there in cyber-land where you don't get that community type feel.

I am a long-time member of a huge and growing site that started from the ground up but has still maintained that camaraderie throughout it's growth. I don't see why this site couldn't do the same(while growing)as long as there are members like yourselves who support it.

Yes, I'm all for the MP3 upload function also and can someone tell me where the bar is 'round here? 

[Pedro]

Thanks for all the feedback.

Based on my understanding of your posts and my idea, I'm going to post my opinion regarding your doubts:

The sense of community and uniqueness will be lost
I feel that the sense of community is so strong in here that it will not be lost or diluted. This a thing that comes from the core people of our community, not the forum format or theme. I honestly think that this is never going to be lost.

People would stop coming here to search for Boss recorders
All the information regarding the recorders would be merged in a section and would still be searched by people. Everyone would still be able to start a thread and get support for their recorder. The thing that got us together will continue to do so.

I have been looking to other hosting servers which are faster and are real (and completely upgradable) in their storage limits so the MP3 feature return is a possibility.

I'm very excited by the idea. Imagine a portal with a whole new world of music discussions, lessons, blogs and columns, etc... But with the same feeling of community that makes us different from the other places on the net.

I don't know if I'm explaining the idea well.

[gingertilly18]

Howdy, i too discovered the site by looking for recorders etc, i think you have a good idea but the "whole new world of music discussions, lessons, blogs and columns, etc..." pretty much exists already, right here!!

maybe just a merge of the separate threads might be nice. i.e no more mirco br, br600, br900, br1200 and other recorders sections. just a place where people can post regardless of their recorder.
though as i (and others) have said. what you have here is pretty awesome as it is!

michael

[Oldrottenhead]

hey pedro have i told you lately that i love you.

[Gritter]

Bigger is clearly not always better. Quality over quantity anyday for me. BIG is out there if you want it. Places like this are not.

Well said.