Cakewalk installed anti spam features in these forums a few months back, since then I haven't seen any (there might have been a trivial amount since I have no idea as I haven't seen it).

My question still is when was the last time anybody saw spam?

Cheers...

I think it would be beneficial to most if irrelevant posts within a thread be deleted completely as well as those that start the kind of opinion wars we often see.
 
I would also like to the ability to link to a new thread within a thread where specifics related to the OP's subject can be made for a reader's further research.  Kinda like a sub-thread if you will.  That way the general theme of the OP can be discussed as well as related specifics "off to the side".
 
Regular ("expert") contributors as moderators is an excellent idea.  I have a lot of respect for many of the regular contributors here and I believe others share the same.  I would like to nominate bitflipper, robert_e_bone, FastBikerBoy, scook, b rock, Mod Bod, CakeAlexS and the ever social nice guy, bapu just to name a few.
 
Kind regards,
 
Living Room Rocker

There hasn't been any spam to speak of for a few months.  Prior to that I had been flagging hundreds of posts (yes, hundreds) because I tend to work weird hours and weekends.  Whatever they did to stop the India spammers definitely worked - good job guys! 

I think it would be beneficial to most if irrelevant posts within a thread be deleted completely as well

 
I really don't see that as being necessary.  As Craig has said several times, forums tend to regulate themselves.  Besides, who decides what is relevant and what is not.  There are times when a little bit of humor injected into a conversation can completely diffuse a tense conversation that is about to explode. 

Of course, actual humans always stay on topic, right? 

I think in general the extra mods idea is great. Look forward to it being put into operation.

Moderation changes : This is perfect way to take out whats left of your users/clients !
 
A small group of handpicked by Cakewalk community members will be invited on a trial-basis to moderate specific parts of the forum.
 
A small group of people with little or no track record in the recording Industry !
 
A private forum will be setup just for this group so that they:
 a) can bring major issues to the attention of Cakewalk staff
 
 
If you haven't  listened to your user data base over the last 10 year's .....what make you think this will help ?
 
The list goes on : But the user level on this form has droped to record low's with many Pro Users= has record in the music industry
moved on the be nice about it.
 
As for x4 there would be little or no reason to update... and as for the direction this form and cakewalk are  going in , there would be little reason to post anything here at all.
 
On a final note: Im glad gibson picked up cakewalk...someone had to. on the other hand now we have a payed moderator ..blowing his own horn...but I guess that his job !
 
Good Luck To You !

I tried really hard but I didn't understand that at all.

Firstly as somebody who has been in the 'music industry' on a professional basis, who still plays a small part in it, who still knows a few people who used to sell thousands or even millions of records (some I got involved in), I can tell you that it barely exists any more.

Secondly nobody knows who the moderators will be yet, not even Cakewalk I suspect.

Thirdly nobody knows what X4 will be (if indeed it still will be called X4) other than Cakewalk so in that case nobody knows whether it is worth upgrading or not.

Forthly Cakewalk has been listening over the last year and has been active about it and it has helped tremendously.

Fifthly the idea that only recording pros should be able to moderate forums is ridiculous. Most people who use this software are amateurs and I couldn't care less if they were airline pilots or unemployed (which incidently a lot of musicians are) as long as they did a good job.

I tend to think that the skill set for a Moderator has nothing much to do with musical or software skills. I would say having a balanced view of issues, a tactful and conciliatory mind set, that is, people skills would be far more necessary.

On that count Cakewalk have a written record via this forum of how people handle themselves and controversy or hostility when it arises. I'm sure this will give them more than enough information to qualify any potential future moderators.

As for Craig A. He's been an asset that I don't think we could measure in reality. He has as vast a body of experience in all the relative fields associated in the music industry and to top it off he has literary skills having been successfully published numerous times, that more than qualify him to comment, administer or moderate any area of this forum.. His contributions reflects that uncommon trait of selflessness we don't see a lot of. Gladly we see a considerable amount of it here, measured by the amount of time that many make to contribute in both their knowledge and their general pleasant demeanour.

CakeAlexS
I tried really hard but I didn't understand that at all.

Firstly as somebody who has been in the 'music industry' on a professional basis, who still plays a small part in it, who still knows a few people who used to sell thousands or even millions of records (some I got involved in), I can tell you that it barely exists any more.

Secondly nobody knows who the moderators will be yet, not even Cakewalk I suspect.

Thirdly nobody knows what X4 will be (if indeed it still will be called X4) other than Cakewalk so in that case nobody knows whether it is worth upgrading or not.

Forthly Cakewalk has been listening over the last year and has been active about it and it has helped tremendously.

Fifthly the idea that only recording pros should be able to moderate forums is ridiculous. Most people who use this software are amateurs and I couldn't care less if they were airline pilots or unemployed (which incidently a lot of musicians are) as long as they did a good job.

 
Maybe he doesn't understand what a moderator does in a forum?  If a topic is about how to get a side-chain to the master bus correctly, and some dipstick comes in and declares that Eddie Van Halen is the bestest guitarist ever, then a moderator would quietly split that reply out and probably send it to the Coffee House where it can be properly ridiculed.  
 
If someone makes and opinion about how they mix a track, and someone else attacks the person and not the opinion (e.g., calls him names, etc.), then moderation should remove the attack and warn the person who made it.
 
If we're in a topic about new features we'd like included in a future upgrade, and someone comes in to promote their DVD burning software, then a moderator would remove that post and send information about the poster to Cakewalk for banning (or perform the three-flags and you're out technique).
 
I actually doubt ANY "recording pro" would want to be a moderator because it means spending a LOT of time in the forums and not just in the areas they have an interest in.  Basically, they simply don't have time to handle the task (and it DOES take time!).