Slán Go Fóill

[Sacred Synthesis]

Not to be melodramatic, but I didn't want to be rude.  In the past I would just disappear without a word, but this time I won't.  I've decided to leave as moderator, and after Sequential has replaced me in a week or so, to leave the forum as well. 

I've loved the enthusiasm for synthesizers constantly expressed here, the decency of the way forum members have communicated, and especially the reverence for Dave Smith and his long line of musical masterpieces.  But the fact is, my personal tastes in synthesizers look back to the old DSI.  And after recently buying a second Prophet '08 Keyboard, it struck me that I'm well enough supplied for the future.  I don't foresee any personal needs or inclinations toward the newer Sequential instruments.  Plus, the prices now are so steep that I can't see myself affording a Sequential synthesizer.  By now I've said everything I have to say on this forum, and I have nothing else to add.  So, I've decided to simplify life a bit, conclude my forum activity, and concentrate more on other pursuits, both musical and non-musical. 

Believe me, this is difficult to do.  I've invested a huge amount of life and love in my activities here, on the previous DSI/Prophet forum, and with this company in general.  It gives me a lump in the throat to leave it all behind.  But such is life.  Things change, hopes and ideals wither, and aspects of life become stagnant. 

I hope I've caused no hard feelings with anyone due to my own critical tendencies and poorly expressed opinions.  If I've offended anyone, I sincerely apologize. 

Slán Go Fóill.

+T+

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIzzdsPw8NY

 

[Manbird]

Not to be melodramatic, but I didn't want to be rude.  I'm leaving as moderator, and after Sequential has replaced me, I'll leave the forum as well (probably in a week or so). 

I've loved the enthusiasm for synthesizers constantly expressed here, the decency of the way you communicate, and especially the reverence you all have for Dave Smith and his long line of musical masterpieces.  But the fact is, my personal tastes in synthesizers look back to the old DSI.  And after recently buying a second Prophet '08 Keyboard, it seems I'm well enough supplied for the future.  I don't foresee any personal needs or inclinations toward the newer Sequential instruments.  Plus, the prices now keep them out of my reach.  So, I've decided to simplify life a bit, conclude my forum activity here, and to look to my own musical pursuits.

I hope I've caused no hard feelings with my own critical tendencies and poorly expressed musical passion.  If I've offended anyone, I sincerely apologize. 

Slán Libh.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIzzdsPw8NY

I'd be more than happy if you decided not to leave the forum. Your feelings/opinions about your own connection to DSI gear and any frustrations you might have with the way you see Sequential shifting its mode of operation have never been expressed with unkindness that I've seen. Personally, I've always greatly valued your input here. You're an essential part of this community, I'd say.

[jok3r]

Oh no?! Why did I come to this forum so late (it's already in the middle of the night here)? This must be a nightmare...

Sacred Synthesis, your posts, thoughts and feelings about music, synthesizers and the whole wide world will be missed. In fact, I cannot imagine this forum without you.

I wish you all the best. Perhaps some day you will find your way back. I absolutely hope so...

Will you still be doing your Youtube videos? I subscribed to your channel there a long time ago, so I won't miss a thing.

Best wishes,
jok3r

[Sacred Synthesis]

Thanks so much, Ant and Jok3r, but this has already been taken care of.  And I'm hoping to eventually increase my output on YouTube, which has been on hold due to another musical project and some personal issues.  You might be surprised at the amount of time that moderating can sometimes require.  In the past year - along with the other moderators - I've spent hours just removing spam.  I'd like to devote that time to other pursuits.

[LPF83]

I suspect I speak for many here when I say I'm sorry to see you go, and your multitide of contributions to this forum will be missed.  In terms of peaceful online discussions about synthesizers, this forum is somewhat of an oasis, and you helped make it what it is.

[Sacred Synthesis]

Thank you very much, LPF83.

[LoboLives]

I always look forward to your musical pieces with the Poly Evolver and can’t wait to hear what you have in store for the future. You have truly been one of the pillars of this community and I hope that whatever you do in the future, we all have a chance to experience.

Peace be with you my friend.

[Sacred Synthesis]

Wow.  Very generous words, LoboLives.  Thank you.

[chysn]

For 13 years over three online fora, I have admired your enthusiasm for synthesizers and synthesis and music, not just DSI/Sequential's, but of all kinds. I'll miss your frequent interesting insights on subjects light-hearted and heavy. These have been communities where decency reigns, and you've always helped to set that tone.

I take solace in the fact that you've quit all three of these fora at some point, and we keep dragging you back! Maybe not this time, but I'll continue to follow your excellent work on your YouTube channel, and I'll also implore you to continue your blog.

Take care.

[Sacred Synthesis]

Thanks so much, Chysn.  As you know, I've enjoyed our colorful exchanges over the years.  But it's easy to spread yourself too thinly, so that one thing keeps you from another.  I had intended to write on the blog and record on YouTube much more than I have over the last couple of years.  Hopefully, these activities will eventually be given more time. 

[hoodoo_ray]

I probably haven't been massively active on here, but the exchanges I have had with you have always been insightful and most of all honest -  even if sometimes we agreed on things, and sometimes did not, it has always been cordial and respectful, and that is quite rare nowadays.

Just as an aside, I am also of the opinion that the true glory days of DSI / the Sequential revival were those early days of the Evolver / P08 / P12 etc. and even the PX - even though I also love the more 'vintage' synths, there was something new, fresh and exciting about those times.

Good luck in the future, and if you ever change your mind and happen to come back it will be a pleasure to connect with you again!

[Sacred Synthesis]

Thanks very much, Hoodoo_ray.  Whatever we disagreed about is irrelevant now.  All has been forgotten. 

I would obviously agree with you about the early DSI days.  There truly was something new and exciting that was happening then.  DSI was out in the front of the industry and a leading force in the analog and knob-per-function revival.  In first discovering Dave's work in the significant year of 2007, I felt as if I had found a pearl unlike any other pearl (not that I'm into pearls!).  And personally, it opened up great musical possibilities, such as I had not previously recognized in synthesis.

The synthesizer world is now flooded with so many instruments that the announcement of yet another brilliant, fabulous, spectacular, nothing-else-like-it synthesizer is...redundant.  Wonderful - a thousand-and-one features at our fingertips.  Yet the forums will still murmur with threads pleading for new features, since the latest instrument has already been recognized as inadequate.  How could the company possibly have overlooked such-and-such a feature? 

Enough of this tread mill; I'm jumping off now.  I've wanted to for years.  I'm content with synthesis just as it is and feel no need for some missing feature.

Pardon me, but the organist within just isn't impressed by such magnitude, by technological more, more, more.  It makes the rei-issues of vintage instruments seem interesting by comparison.  Meanwhile, I haven't lost one iota of fascination with the Poly Evolver and Prophet '08.  After all these years, still, nothing strikes my ear like an Evolver.  What I have, in other words, is more than enough.  I'm slaying the gear dragon once and for all.

Anyway, thanks for the kind sentiments.  Leaving this forum gives me a lump in the throat.  It's often been a happy escape when other parts of life were not so bright.

[timboréale]

@Sacred Synthesis, I understand how it can be necessary, as I have myself withdrawn from many fora in order to focus on personal and life betterment in other ways.

I wish you the very best, and you have my sincere thanks for the music you've shared, for the sanity you've contributed (both via moderation and in your own participation) to this forum, and for the interesting and thoughtful dialogue we've had. I definitely got the sense you were feeling a bit exhausted and weary with it recently, and I hope you find the mental joy, freedom, and unfolding of creativity you're seeking. I feel that you definitely did bring your personal touch of sacredness to your music and your approach to music as a whole, and I've appreciated encountering it.

Enjoy your time off/away, and I hope that you'll still occasionally pop in as "one of us" normies around here from time to time.

Cheers,

[Sacred Synthesis]

Thank you, Timboreale. 

[Soundquest]

Holy Cow Sacred Synthesis!  Without you on the forum its like the Rolling Stones w/o Jagger!   Definitely will miss your posts and our mutual admiration of the PEK.  I plan to check into your YT channel, but I really hope you can revisit from time to time.  Maybe a  PEK rev 2 would change your mind 

 PS>  your posts on the old forum as the analog organist were among the first that I had read back when I was buying my first "real synth"- PO8.

[Sacred Synthesis]

Thank you, Soundquest.  You and I were fervid members of the Poly Evolver Brotherhood, and I enjoyed all our exchanges.  It's indeed difficult to leave, and I don't take this change lightly.  But I do intend to devote more time to my YT channel and blog.  More music, more thought, and less chatter.  Thanks for your online friendship.