Being helpful on forums

First, I applaud your desire to contribute.
 
When I first came here I was essentially useless as far as all this fancy digital audio stuff... but I was hell bent on learning because I lost my old music release of playing in a buttload of live bands. I got tons of help here and made many friends so I, like you, thought it only right to help where I could (kind of been slacking on that lately because I've been ballz deep in actually putting the things I've learned into action... but that's likely making me more useful/experienced so I can give better advice in the future).
 
Whatevs...
 
Here's what I try to do and it's pretty simple. When I'm feeling helpful and have the time to type up one of my long winded responses (such as this one... lol) I just check in on the SONAR SubForum, look at the thread titles and try to find topics/questions I am comfortable enough with to provide an answer. If/when I find one I click through to see what's up and if the OP seems genuine* and I can at least point them in the right direction I do so.
 
By doing this regular scanning of the forum I of course also find topics/discussions about things I need to learn and/or have never even heard of so it keeps my dumbass moving forward too.
 
There's an old Simpson's where Marge decides she's going to teach piano to help save the family finances. When it's pointed out that Marge doesn't play the piano she replies "I just need to stay one lesson ahead of the student".
 
I think that is a good philosophy to take if you want to become a more active member of the forum.
 
eg: As you learn and gain experience (as you have done) look for folks struggling with something you've gone through and figured out already and try to help. At the same time keep experimenting and asking questions of your own as well as exploring threads on topics that are new or not so clear to you.
 
So you keep moving forward and the pool of users you can help (via your own experience and studies) grows.
 
 
Anyway... that's my advice but I'm a weirdo.
 
*re: genuine... There's been a lot of increasing silliness in the SONAR sub. Some folks just want to freak out and get attention. Trying to help some of these folks can end up being frustrating to the point that you simply lose heart. Don't fall into that trap.
 
Cheers and good on ya.

PS: Be sure to keep an eye on the Techniques sub forum as well. There is lots of cool general audio tips to be found there. I'd say the Computers section is the next best place to learn (or if you are good with teh computorbs... contribute).
 
Dog's speed.

 This thread has spiraled in a delightful way. 

tlw

Beepster
Mostly I want a cello... but for a smaller bowed stringed instrument I think I'd definitely go viola over violin.

I played viola when I was at secondary school. It's a bit dull, or at least most of the classical repertoire is because you hardly ever get to play anything resembling a recognisable melody. Mostly it seems to consist of random middle notes of chords spaced out by rests.

Had I heard John Cale and the Velvets before I left school my attitude to the instrument might have been a bit more positive. With an added bonus of really upsetting the violin/viola teacher who was a real pain in all the sensitive parts of your anatomy you'd rather didn't hurt.

And they can screech just as much as violins. As can a cello.

Aw, I'm sorry it was dull for you. In beginner orchestra it *can* feel a bit dull, because you never get the melody. But you get the POWER, because your notes define most of the chords. And the solo repertoire, imho, is some of the most interesting. It had its golden age in that time when composers were experimenting with tonality and chromaticism a lot, but before they dug into 12-tone and the like.
 
Now I have to go look up John Cale and the Velvets...

Hi.
If I come across a question I know the answer to, I'll try to chime in. (Often beaten by Scook, and a couple of others...)
I visit this forum often, to learn from others, and to try to help.
On the other end of the scale, there's the (best if read from the beginning) FSF 
All the best.