Do we really need a fourm?

This site already has a fair level of integration with Muff Wiggler, and to be honest I think that Muff's has already established itself as the de facto website for modular synth discussion. I mean sure this new forum "doesn't look like an Excel® Spreadsheet" (personally I like the vBulletin look), but I really don't see anything here that Muff's doesn't already offer. In short, making multiple general-purpose modular synth forums is kind of like making multiple modular databases; different distributions of people can yield different results. This can be a good thing, but I think the community around modulars is small enough as is.

Just my two cents.

This site already has a fair level of integration with Muff Wiggler, and to be honest I think that Muff's has already established itself as the de facto website for modular synth discussion.

No doubt about that. And the MG forum is not meant to replace Muff, which would be a ridiculous and hopeless effort anyway.

MG already had a kind of basic forum functionality for a while with the discussion/comment section where you could comment on unique modules/racks/patches, so the idea behind the forum isn't exactly new.

The context sensitive discussion made absolutely sense but the implementation wasn't as good as I liked.

The new forum engine just tries to expand this functionality by adding a search function and a more common thread hierarchy and the possibility to add threads which are not bound to modules/racks/patches.
In my view this is evolution not revolution.

The goal is to merge discussions into the forum in a way 90% of MG users won't even notice while given the other 10% who care better tools to use.

Unfortunately I rushed the launch so the migration isn't ready yet (what bugs me).

I mean sure this new forum "doesn't look like an Excel® Spreadsheet" (personally I like the vBulletin look), but I really don't see anything here that Muff's doesn't already offer.

In short, making multiple general-purpose modular synth forums is kind of like making multiple modular databases; different distributions of people can yield different results. This can be a good thing, but I think the community around modulars is small enough as is.

When I started MG 3 years ago a lot people told me there is no reason to do it, because of the already established options available. If I had listen to them what would have happened?
Probably nothing!

People would still happily use their JAVA planners just because others told them that's the way to do it.
And most would accept that and wouldn't care about it at all.

I just try to improve things. This doesn't work in 80% of all times, and I never now if it will work or not.
I am sure that somewhere a kid is building the next Über-Planner, not because it makes sense, but because he wants to do it.

Yes please.

As 1 or 2 other people have said, and I have mentioned privately, I really think that there should be a section where one can talk about more general music related topics - whether about more philosophical issues, or about compositional methods, etc, etc.

On the general question about why another forum? I'm perhaps the least objective person to respond to this, but I think that people who would ask that question underestimate the number of people who are dissatisfied with the way that the mw forum has turned out. There are a few people here already who either have quit that forum, or have been involuntarily dismembered.

Totally! I don't visit Muff's.

I agree with nelson, a composition forum would be cool!

The goal is to merge discussions into the forum in a way 90% of MG users won't even notice while given the other 10% who care better tools to use.
-- modulargrid

This happened today!
Since the comments from the individual module/patches/rack pages will be aggregated in the forum I had to change the forum structure to make this happen. That means:
No more format specific forums

As 1 or 2 other people have said, and I have mentioned privately, I really think that there should be a section where one can talk about more general music related topics - whether about more philosophical issues, or about compositional methods, etc, etc.
-- Nelson Baboon

I agree with nelson, a composition forum would be cool!
-- Wiktorion

Since the Forum is still very weak by now can we use the Modular Discussion Index for that? Perhaps I can just find a better name for it?

I agree with the changes. At least for now. The other forum does suffer from format separation I think, as people will stick to what they know. That said, not looking forward to Buchla discussions that will only make me wish I had some. :)