Stephen Fortner Posted December 28, 2005 Share Posted December 28, 2005 Dear Musical Friends, That ain't the Steely Dan song I'm talking about, though it could be an appropriate soundtrack for the news I'm so excited to share with you. As of January 3, 2006, I will be joining the full-time staff of Keyboard magazine as technical editor. I'll be supervising all the gear reviews and writing at least as many as I already have been. I don't intend to slack off on artist features either, as those have always been very fun and fulfilling. Essentially, it's the #2 content-creation position at the book, and when those of you who are attending NAMM in January see me, I will already be acting in this capacity. Ken Hughes, who has been both a mentor for the nuts-and-bolts of it all, and a model of integrity to me, is going to stay on as a freelance contributor, the same role I have played for these past seven years. He'll be out in the field more than ever, playing in bands and doing his new full-time gig with a sound reinforcement install contractor Most relevantly to this forum, I and all the editorial staff are going to retain moderator status, lurking and posting here more than ever. I will continue as active moderator, and Dave Bryce, in my book, is welcome to be as active as he pleases. There's an unprecedented opportunity here. This will mark the first time a member of the senior editorial team is also actively moderating and participating in the forums on a daily basis. There's a ton to do at the office, but those of you who know me from here know that I do my utmost to get you real answers in a timely manner. I sincerely hope I can facilitate Keyboard meeting your needs more than ever... I really believe this is your magazine as much as it's anyone's. Major props to Ernie Rideout for giving me this chance, to Ken Hughes for his insights and guidance, and to all the Keyboard readers and forum members who've always made this place feel like home. I look forward to serving you in the coming year. Stephen Fortner Principal, Fortner Media Former Editor in Chief, Keyboard Magazine Digital Piano Consultant, Piano Buyer Magazine Industry affiliations: Antares, Arturia, Giles Communications, MS Media, Polyverse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Botch. Posted December 28, 2005 Share Posted December 28, 2005 Congrats Stephen! Great way to start a new year! Botch "Eccentric language often is symptomatic of peculiar thinking" - George Will www.puddlestone.net Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidLifeCrisis Posted December 28, 2005 Share Posted December 28, 2005 Best of luck in the new position. It's nice to have friends in high places hanging out in the forum. Steve A Lifetime of Peace, Love and Protest Music www.rock-xtreme.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DafDuc Posted December 28, 2005 Share Posted December 28, 2005 Congrats! Exciting news!!! I played in an 8 piece horn band. We would often get bored. So...three words: "Tower of Polka." - Calumet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugo H Posted December 28, 2005 Share Posted December 28, 2005 Congrats! And it's great to know you'll be both moderating and editing. I think that will truly pay off. Kawai GS-40 grand & other keys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Muscara Posted December 28, 2005 Share Posted December 28, 2005 Congrats! I'm glad you'll still be around here as well as in the mag. Makes us all feel like we're part of it even more, I'm sure. And if I ever see you in person, I'm gonna wonder why you're head isn't bigger than your body like the picture! "I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck "The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverDragonSoun Posted December 28, 2005 Share Posted December 28, 2005 Congrats!! Wow I may now be communicating with a celebrity Begin the day with a friendly voice A companion, unobtrusive - Rush Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Davis Posted December 28, 2005 Share Posted December 28, 2005 You will absolutely rock that gig! Best wishes for Ken Hughes as well. It's gonna be a great 2006. Mike Davis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric Posted December 28, 2005 Share Posted December 28, 2005 Congrats my friend! I'm one of those people like you that has read KB Mag since I was an early teen in the early '80s and always wished I could be a writer for the magazine. I never put myself in the right place at the right time (yet), but know that you and Ken have done this. Best of luck in the new gigs and I'm sure it will be AWESOME! Regards, Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midinut Posted December 29, 2005 Share Posted December 29, 2005 Congratulations Stephen ... you deserve it! And tell Ken to come back around and join us here as well. It was nice having him around ... tell him he is missed! Good luck and Happy New Year! Kronos 88 | MODX7 | Wavestate | Crave | KeyLab 61 | CPS SSv3 | MacBook Pro | MainStage | Komplete 13U | V Collection 9 | Roland Jupiter-Xm | Slate VSM ML-1 & VSX | Behringer Poly-D | ASM Hydrasynth Deluxe | Roli Seaboard Rise 49 | Spectrasonics Omnisphere 2, Trillian, & Keyscape | AAS Collection | More VSTs than I'll ever figure out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niacin Posted December 29, 2005 Share Posted December 29, 2005 congratulations, well deserved judging from your contributions to the mag and to this forum. If I can ask one small thing that occurred to me after the thread a couple of months ago about reviewing keybed actions: could you consider listing in the specs the keybed please. Fatar TP-4, Yamaha FS-whatever-it-is, etc. and note somewhere other currently manufactured keyboards that use the same keybed. That way most of us can probably find something with the same keybed in our local store if the reviewed item that interests us isn't stocked. Thanks for listening, Peter Gig keys: Hammond SKpro, Korg Vox Continental, Crumar Mojo 61, Crumar Mojo Pedals Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanS Posted December 29, 2005 Share Posted December 29, 2005 Great news, and congratulations to you Steve. What we record in life, echoes in eternity. MOXF8, Electro 6D, XK1c, Motif XSr, PEKPER, Voyager, Univox MiniKorg. https://www.abandoned-film.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Bryce Posted December 29, 2005 Share Posted December 29, 2005 dB ==> David Bryce Music • Funky Young Monks <== Affiliations: Cloud Microphones • Music Player Network Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Loving Posted December 29, 2005 Share Posted December 29, 2005 Congratulations!!! "Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKeys Posted December 29, 2005 Share Posted December 29, 2005 Congrats, for a lowlife like me I tend to have friends in Low places. Maybe my life is about to turn around now that I know someone in High places. Good luck to Ken too. Jimmy Those are my principles, and if you don't like them... well, I have others. Groucho NEW BAND CHECK THEM OUT www.steveowensandsummertime.com www.jimmyweaver.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Fortner Posted December 29, 2005 Author Share Posted December 29, 2005 Niacin, Regarding keyboard actions, we're doing exactly this now, beginning with some reviews in January. Alesis Fusion (Jan) and Yamaha Tyros2 (Feb) both include a sidebar called "Gimme Some Action." We didn't list other keyboards that use the same action, but did talk about how each played. I scope the velocity curves through MIDIox too, to make sure a keyboard isn't set up in some DX7-ish way with nonstandard velocities. Stephen Fortner Principal, Fortner Media Former Editor in Chief, Keyboard Magazine Digital Piano Consultant, Piano Buyer Magazine Industry affiliations: Antares, Arturia, Giles Communications, MS Media, Polyverse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill H. Posted December 29, 2005 Share Posted December 29, 2005 Originally posted by Stephen Fortner: Most relevantly to this forum, I and all the editorial staff are going to retain moderator status, lurking and posting here more than ever. Wow...good luck with this one! Seriously, I hope that those of us who post in our slack time but don't when we have other things to do will give you guys the same respect. It will be nice to have you folks around more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Hughes Posted December 29, 2005 Share Posted December 29, 2005 Whoa, word gets out fast!! Yeah, I imagine I'll be in here more again. Update, for those of you who were here when I left the forums a couple of months ago: Dad passed away on Dec. 11. It was not unexpected, but it was far sooner than we expected. I'm thankful that we got to be there with him until the end. But that has nothing to do with my leaving - the decision was made around the same time I decided to leave the forums. For whatever reason, my objection to all the stuff I saw going on here in the forums precipitated a re-evaluation. I spent the following weekend talking with my wife, my Dad, and various trusted friends about the disconnect I was feeling. I realized that I was just plain burnt out from the day-to-day around here, and frankly a little beat down by four years of staff reductions, budget cuts, management shakeups, Dilbertesque management decisions, and the two hours plus I spend just getting to and from here every day. It was time for a change. This has been the coolest job in the world on the good days. What's cooler than getting 25 minutes with Prince when you expected 5? What's cooler than a backstage tour of all the jaw-dropping hardware Madonna took out on her last tour? Sitting in an empty arena while Chester Thomspon and Phil Collins play thru a few loops of the "In the Air Tonight" beat? (and of course the MiniDisc was on "record!") Crawling all over and under Peter Gabriel's stage? Hanging and praying backstage with Jars Of Clay at the Warfield in SF? Giving future superstar Tom Chaplin of Keane a lift to the show venue in my car? And then enjoying a lovely meal and conversation with Tim Rice-Oxley a couple hours later? What's cooler than hearing Ed Robertson of Barenaked Ladies make a running joke out of the fact that the guy from Keyboard Magazine is at the show tonight to interview Kevin Hearn? On my birthday??? The redesign process was several months long and fairly grueling, but how immensely cool to have been a part of it. On the long list of people I hoped to meet and/or interview, only Randy Newman and Bruce Hornsby are not yet crossed off. This gig has rocked, no doubt about it. I got to be the first person outside Alesis - and the only magazine guy, period - to see the Fusion before its NAMM debut. I was the only guy granted an interview with the crew that created the Korg OASYS. Jerry Kovarsky showed us the drawings months earlier. I've held in my hand Ed Rudnick's drawings for the panel layout of the infamous E-Mu Audity and pawed a massive E-Mu modular at E-Mu HQ. I've gigged with a brand-new Mellotron, that wacky Roland V-Accordion, and the amazingly crazy Williams Keytar, as well a s a slew of other great but more "normal" boards. I've helped Speakeasy Vintage Music grow by leaps and bounds just by telling people how cool their products already were. I've been shown prototypes and seen my suggestions implemented in the production model (though I have no illusions that I was the only one making those specific suggestions). But somehow, I burned out anyway. So it's time to find another mountain to climb. Almost certainly I've just reached the end of my tolerance for the "normal everyday" BS of working in a large corporation - Steve's absolutely right to be enthusiatic about joining the mag, and Mike and Ernie remain bouyant about the future. They all have very good reasons to be so. It's still far better than every other mag that presents similar content. And I'm stoked to be able to continue contributing. It's still my favorite magazine, and I still believe in it. The way I look at it is that I'm leaving the company, but not the magazine. I'll write for as long as it exists, if they'll have me. I'm reallly excited about my new gig, too. Spending my days helping the Church get a clue about the need for presentation excellence and then helping it get there. In the past few years, as I've seen my home church wake up to the need to use media at least as well as the rest of the world if not better, I've developed a passion and a restlessness to see that lightbulb go on in every congregation. I'll get to live out that passion in the new gig. So, best of everything to the Keyboard staff, and I'll "see" all of you in the forums a little more often again. Cheers! Technical Editor Keyboard Magazine More people pay for Keyboard than any other music-tech magazine. Period. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Vail Posted December 29, 2005 Share Posted December 29, 2005 Hey Stephen, Congratulations on joining the editorial staff! I had the extreme privilege myself for a time, and it certainly changed my life for the better. Used to look at other people and think, "Poor schmuck, probably has a rotten job. Me? I've got the best gig in the world!" Enjoy the experience and have fun with everyone you come into contact with, but be sure to pace yourself and leave plenty of time to make music. As Billy Preston, you, and everyone else here knows, it will go 'round in circles. Happy New Year! Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trill Posted December 29, 2005 Share Posted December 29, 2005 Yeah Steve!,congratulations on the new position Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linwood Posted December 29, 2005 Share Posted December 29, 2005 Ken, I'm so sorry to hear of your loss. Even though you could see it coming, that doesn't make it any easier. As far as the Mag goes, change is always good. Enjoy it. it's a new era. Spend more time with family and don't work so hard. Life is short, as you know. I'm sure that Stephen will do great, as always with his new position. linwood Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niacin Posted December 30, 2005 Share Posted December 30, 2005 Originally posted by Stephen Fortner: Niacin, Regarding keyboard actions, we're doing exactly this now, beginning with some reviews in January. Alesis Fusion (Jan) and Yamaha Tyros2 (Feb) both include a sidebar called "Gimme Some Action." We didn't list other keyboards that use the same action, but did talk about how each played. I scope the velocity curves through MIDIox too, to make sure a keyboard isn't set up in some DX7-ish way with nonstandard velocities. muchos gracias Gig keys: Hammond SKpro, Korg Vox Continental, Crumar Mojo 61, Crumar Mojo Pedals Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Pierce Posted December 30, 2005 Share Posted December 30, 2005 Stephen, Great gig! Couldn't have happened to a more deserving person. You will kick ass in it, I'm sure. You're not relocating to the Bay Area are you? That's a long drive from Santa Barbara! --Dave Make my funk the P-funk. I wants to get funked up. My Funk/Jam originals project: http://www.thefunkery.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle ggurl Posted December 30, 2005 Share Posted December 30, 2005 Wow, I think I've missed a lot that's been going on around here lately! Ken, I'm sorry to hear about your dad. I'm unclear on the details of earlier incidents mentioned, but I truly am sorry to hear it and offer you my sympathies. And, I wish you all the best your future endeavors ... I hope we cross paths again someday! Stephen, congrats on your new gig at the magazine! Are you in fact relocating to the Bay Area? Anyway, I can only echo what others have stated here, which is that I'm sure you'll do a great job in your new role. Here's to looking forward to a new year, and fresh starts all around! gg Original Latin Jazz CD Baby "I am not certain how original my contribution to music is as I am obviously an amateur." Patti Smith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MusicaL Posted December 30, 2005 Share Posted December 30, 2005 Ken, Sorry to hear about your dad. I'll be praying for you! I wish you the best with your exciting new endeavor. Steve, Congrats on your new gig. That's really very cool. Happy New Year everybody... aL Gear: Yamaha MODX8, Mojo 61, NS2 73, C. Bechstein baby grand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Nursers Posted December 30, 2005 Share Posted December 30, 2005 Congrats to both Steve and Ken - sounds like things are going the way you both want them to The Keyboard Chronicles Podcast Check out your fellow forumites in an Apple Music playlist Check out your fellow forumites in a Spotify playlist My Music: Stainless Fields Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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