IN THE COURT OF THE PROTOOLS KING

[FirstGarden1]

A Pilgrim’s Progress To The Land Of Protools

(Any old Crimson fans out there?)

T’was a bright, adventurous afternoon in the twilight of mine extended youth (by virtue of clinging to my aspirations) when perchance I came upon the Land of Protools. Long a visionary, but with nary a Vision from Opcode these days, I set out to find another friend, mayhap a lifelong, fellow sojouner, along the pathway of Great Personal Creativity.

And so, soon in my search, mine eyes spotted what appeared a lovely land, flowing with the milk of human Kindness and the sweetness of honey, freshly procured from the hives of thoughtful souls . . . Generous upgrade policies; and a near-universal acceptance that maketh the MOTU Mountaineers and the Sons of Steinberg wax green with envy. High atop the most lofty mountains rose Protools’ finest, its snow-covered peaks glistening in the sunlight of Earth’s Good Fortune. At the next highest peaks, (yet still breathtaking in their view) many pluggins make their glorious display thereon. Finally, at the foothills, where the common folk dwell, lieth Protools LE.

In a nearby village, there I stood, amid the hustle and bustle of the townsfolk in lively commerce, and the sound of jovial musicians in their colorful attire, making Beautiful Music. The pleasant singing of their pipes and flutes, harps & lyres seemed to celebrate Life itself, as they fanned the flames of our most treasured inspirations. After a jolly, inquisitive perusal through the tantalizing postings from Protools, I sent for the free video. And, within a few short days I received it with much gladness of heart. In my thoughts, I said, “Now these brethren publisheth a good thing.”

By nightfall, I had the video upon mine viewing screen. But, in nearly the selfsame moment, a profound confusion setteth in. Upon mine screen was a dark-haired fellow telling me about Protools, and betwixt every other sentence, I found meself cringing in utter embarrassment. And, I asked myself, “What manner of presentation is this? . . that this fine fellow conduct himself in such fashion so seemingly unworthy of the excellence, patronizing his hearers with such silly antics and theatrics as though addressing a multitude of gnarly young dudes in stringy cutoffs, wreaking of stale tobacco and slobbering over their beers and bowls of chronic’??”

And then said I, “Methinks ‘tis not the style that counts, but the substance”, as I most strenuously struggled to recapture mine early impressions from afar, of the nobility that resides in Protools’ pleasant land. And so, after abiding thru more embarrassing and sundry theatrics (“lame musician lingo”), we finally arrived at the summit on the hill wherein cometh the performance of the beloved minstrels. But, much to my dismay, t’was a tune that matched not a whit the nobility I perceived from afar, nor the appearance of the wisemen I had envisioned behind the console. In their stead, mine ears heard, “Kaleidoscope Angel Wants To Trip With Me”, as my heart wilted in weirdness over this somewhat demented spectacle of cheap 60’s-like juvenility. And, I thought in mine heart, “Could this be the image such a great company wishes to project?”

And I thought further, “If I could just get past this spectacle (so ridiculous as to beggar description) . . . if I could just forget what I am hearing and persevere in that fine image at first, in spite the appearances . . maybe, just maybe, I can get on in my journey into Protools Land”. And, I wondered in my heart, and marveled, that out of all the wondrous approaches they could have taken, in holding forth great Intelligence, and the Excellence of Image, how is it they took such a visage as this??

For, far have I traversed in my journey, seeking to join that great mecca to ProtoolsLand where (as once like with Rome), all roads lead. Across the treacherous, Vast Internet Valley my sojourn hast led me, amid woven webs of transcient truths, elusive info and patchy solutions, Amazonian jungles of endless commercial hype, perpetual Rain Forests of rhetoric and wildly conflicting tribal dances on ground that seldom seems solid. And, in spite of my unanswered emails to Protools, I wended my way to relative sanity in my choices therewith.

I came upon a clearing, and thought meself out of the wood (Ha!) as I embarked upon the quest of the near-fabled Mac G4-dual processor. This newfound joy was but short-lived when I spied a whole new forest amid the foothills - a veritable briarpatch indeed - known as the town forum (user conference). Everywhere, there were town criers to be seen, and some ominous postings about a greedy, despotic king who reigned over the Land Of Protools. As I looked on in utter disbelief, I exclaimed, “This cannot be. Not Protools!” I knew that mercenary greed tends to run rampant in the human heart, but this place is different. Is it not?

There, mine heart was taken in consternation, tho not entire discouragement, as I looked and beheld my many countrymen, like meself, seeking to untangle the terrain of substance from shadow, hope from hype, present progress from future “promise” ; and, honestly, wondering about the jesters and high-tech jugglers in the Court Of The Protools King . . . about what balancing act they will play between their wealthy “subjects” and the common folk they profess to serve? In plain words, will the nobility play out? Or will those of modest means be kept from the promise? Is dual processing (along with many other things) but a dream to die in the foothills? Will not a bridge be formed that extends across the divide? Or will the have-nots be lured to spend all their life and substance, in endless tribute to the King, to simply make a decent production? Will product support go the wayside . . as with all companies that grow large? Does not human nature dictate that with growth and greater affluence, the ‘little man’ is nothing and greed becomes all-consuming? Or is human nature intrinsically more noble? Haply, the script is not yet written.
Or is it?

So, unto thee, O King, whom thine loyal subjects near and far have bestowed the crown, heed thou well the words of the messenger, a pilgrim and would-be friend for life. For thy strength lies in the many, not the wealthy few; and there are many more like me. Weigh thou carefully the choices thou shalt take. In so doing, thou shalt quell any chance of sedition and a new mecca to the Mountaineers of MOTU or the Sons Of Steinberg. Would thou let another king capture our hearts? Trust not in thine own dominance in the realm, nor in thine own strength, lest God humble thee (as He hath others) and send thy subjects, like so many streamlets trickling away down the mountainside. For good fortune is but a moment, but Noble Character endureth forever. In all thy doings, deal faithfully with thine own, upholding the Vision of Excellence in all the land. Carry the Torch of Benevolence that gives birth to true Dignity and Greatness, and thou shalt gain the trust, respect (and enduring support) of peoples everywhere.

[search-one]

who's your dealer?

[search-one]

who's your dealer?

[editor]

J.R Tolken is on the DUC now. Well written... where is Gandalf the Grey when you need him.

[WestPhillySoulzition]

I worry about anyone who really does read whatever it is that is in that you wrote

[Frank S]

I couldn't get past the first paragraph. I don't think King Crimson wrote anything like that either

[Gremz]

I liked it. I also like JRR Tolkien.

His insight is not new, but how it was put was entertaining.

I think he should record the script and put chamber music in the background and make an MP3 of it and post it.

Now, theres an idea - attach MP3's to your postings containing dialog about how we really feel!

Gremz

[jmarso]

whatever you're on..... I want two of them.

[editor]

Well I didn't actually read it all, (I used to review films) but recognized the style... and wonder about a guy with that much time on his hands.... "The Hobit" does Rule though.

[krazee]

well spoken-)
give us some more-)