Hi Deej,

I can tell by the tone of your voice that you're a good guy.

The tone of how you speak, for one..and then your beautiful singing voice..

Then reading what you have to say here..I doubt the original would gave rubbed anyone wrong--I may be wrong, but I doubt it is in your nature to be offensive!

I agree 100% with everything you say, here. You seem to have a more comprehensive "from-the-mountaintop" view than some of us, understanding the value of being supportive and how that means finding something good to say with the bad. How did you put it? "Giving honest feedback, and being respectful of our peers—whether friend or newcomer—is not mutually exclusive." --that is so very true.

If some folks think we're a bunch of back-slapping, sweetheart-dealing, mutual palm greasers, they should go look in at the BIAB forum. Never anything negative ever ever EVER spoken there. Now THAT, to me, feels kinda unreal, and I wouldn't want to be a part of that scene, as much as I love the software. I would start to fish for the truth in variations on how someone worded their praise, ha! ("Hmmm...he only said "nice work" once..usually it's three times..he must really think this is shite.." --kinda thing)

We're not some Gawdawful Reddit forum full of pessimism, either. We're mostly in that middle ground, and that's where it can get tricky. We have room, here, to be ourselves, and there's room for all kinds of critiquing styles. Like you, I just personally have a hard time with the Hemmingway variation.

Watching you and others get better at your craft and grow as musicians/composers/producers makes me really happy to see. Being part of this process makes me feel more human. This at a time where the world can feel awfully dehumanizing. So thanks for that.

And sorry for any derailment I may have caused with my prior comments. My heart is in the right place.

Mike