I'm Done w/ Gear Review Videos 

Thank you for all the supportive words. A few things I probably could have expanded on: - I am very much open to the idea of making videos with new gear if I'm not speaking in them. The problem is that few companies would want this and it's RU-vid algorithm poison. - I should've emphasized this better: No part of me feels like I'm "giving into the trolls" or "letting trolls win". Those who do value this channel will just see more inspiring and educational content, those who exist solely in the geartube community will see one less face on the weekly treadmill of content. - I have no ill feelings towards Polyend, or really anyone in-particular here. When I explain these things to someone who isn't part of this space, I probably sound like Brad Pitt from 12 Monkeys. It's the same ridiculous controversy with the company name changed every few weeks and for some reason I unintentionally volunteered to be the spokesperson for it. - I've managed to make some of the most viewed gear content on this platform this year and lose money in the process. I started an NPO that is bound by law to make all transactions public at the end of the year. I routinely disclosed my friendships and biases. If THAT is considered "shilling", I simply cannot offer more. This already wasn't sustainable. - Finally, in my position, spending money on gear was actually more problematic than receiving or borrowing a prototype because confirmation bias is MUCH stronger, and nobody is immune to it. I will take a bullet for something I spent $400 on while having no emotion at all regarding something that showed up for free.

I was part of the design team of PolyBrute at Arturia. This was a long development and these always come with their share of frustrations, emotional rollercoasters and so on. You can't imagine how happy and proud I was when I watched your review of PolyBrute.. and for that I am grateful. It pushed me to try and make better instruments. Whatever comes next on this channel will most certainly be great and hopefully will make you a happier person :)

"Social media made y'all way too comfortable with disrespecting people and not getting punched in the face for it." - Mike Tyson

i was a bedroom guitarist / hobbyist for the last 20 years. I had easily 30k in music equipment. i was very entrenched in the youtube culture, following companies release dates and buying and selling gear constantly. I got divorced earlier in the year .. and finally joined a band. Started actually going out with others to play and make music.. I realized 90% of my gear was a waste and pointless. I sold almost all of it . I now look at most of the gear channels for what they are, not entertainment, but commercials to try to push products on you.

I felt the same way about working in the motion picture industry. It was toxic af for me personally, and one day I just looked to an intern and said… hey buddy, come here. I then asked him, do you wanna be on the camera crew and take this free tool belt with all my tools. It’s your’s kid. Make them proud lol. He was shocked, and thought I was playing a prank on him. It was the last day of shooting and I just grabbed my cloths and my coffee maker and walked off into the sunset. Haven’t looked back since. Cheers to all them film crew’s out there, but it’s just not for me. Not cut out for it. So now I just play my synths, samplers, and instruments for my self only. Do a little photography too. Either way, I don’t find a lot of joy in the career side of creative endeavors. Work as a horticulturalist and I’m happy. So this video makes sense to me.

I am, in fact, one of those people going "aw." I'm sorry this content stopped being fun to make, and hope it frees you up to do more of the stuff you do enjoy making! More crazy audio science stuff would be super rad, and I know you're really passionate about those ideas when you get them!

I don’t blame you for making this move, man. While you may not want toxic optimism right now I have a feeling that dropping this and focusing on your documentary and other things that excite you will be a huge breakthrough for you and the channel. Onwards and upwards.

you can NEVER be right... you are so on point about this... if you REVIEW and not DEMO, which is what we do, then you are a shill if you are positive. BUT if you do your job and your criticize, then the fanboys of the product say you are too critical.... what the hell do they WANT from us. This is the hardest part of this job. But you do a good job and you have to read these comments and TRY to not let them get to you.... which isn't easy in ANY way. I get it... it's my day to day.

dude - its not just the synth community - its the pretty much most of the world, but more so online for obvious reasons. Still, I love you man, i love watching your videos, and I love your voice! plus you are a super bright human being.. so please feel that. Pete xx

My son wrote and recorded his first single earlier this year. At the age of ten. You’d be amazed how many human beings take time out of their day to leave hateful comments on the music video of a TEN YEAR OLD boy taking his first steps into being an artist. It’s a full time job for me to monitor and delete the trolls. Humanity is disgusting.

Christ, you can't even take a sweatshirt off without someone assuming you're doing it to manipulate them. You're a great guy and I love your content! Thank you for everything you do!

Oddly enough (and maybe selfishly) I’m sort of happy you made this choice. I feel like it’s a rare public acknowledgement of what the online experience is turning into I don’t think I’ve heard any “big names” just come out and go: this is no longer manageable or enjoyable. And I think it’s a good thing that that is now happening because I bet most of us have been feeling these toxic vibes just get out of hand as time goes on Much respect, and be well

Jesus Christ man, i had no idea you had to deal with this kind of bs -- I'd naively imagined the worst of it (i.e. threats of doxxing/hacking) was reserved for the biggest and more recognizable channels/names. Hope youre doing okay mentally, i love nearly *all* the content and music you've produced. You're an exceptionally talented musician and an intelligent, elequent and witty speaker, whose voice is surely valued in the RU-vid Music Sphere!

Happy to see creators recognising these things more and more instead of completely burning out to 0. You have to love what you do and if you end up forcing it you'll feel horrible and it'll probably show in the content and noone wins. Huge respect for acknowledging it and going where your interest takes you, keen to see this doco when it comes out!

There is something about that one video you made with the polybrute that really made me start making music again. It was a great showcase of the board and I think you had mentioned spending so long in the flow that you experienced the sunrise. This is what the other reviewers don't do that makes it a special experience coming from you. I'm hoping to still be able to watch in on your musical/personal journeys no matter what you make videos about.

I have watched all of your videos for years and learned so much about modular from you. However, I don't think I ever commented and put in a good encouraging word. For that I apologize. You were there for us, but we were not there for you. You are too good and too talented to be doing this. We were all lucky that you took so much time to give your insights into music making gear, for that I thank you. On to better things! Best of luck!

This is why we can't have good things. I'm glad you're doing what's necessary to take care of your mental health, and I've never understood the toxicity being flung at you. You're a true Chicago gem, my man

Benn, you are an inspiration. To know that someone, anyone, robbed you of a joy you once had for whatever reason is heartbreaking. I hope at the very least you will continue to nerd out about cool gear in a more solitary fashion, though vicariously living through that experience will be missed.

The Loopop comment was completely inappropriate, getting hate for sharing your opinions is worlds different from getting hate for supporting a genocide for your information

"I wasn't paid"..."I was given X", that's being paid, more specifically it's bartering. I'm guessing since you don't consider that being paid you haven't paid the government the taxes you owe them from these barter transactions. The amount of youtubers who make the same stupid statement is incredible and just shows the lack of financial knowledge the average person has.

Sorry man! You seem like a great dude! You will always have my support!

I'm sorry you have to deal with such trash, you deserve the best and your passion is unmatched. YT comments are the epitome of degeneracy, those select few haters don't have a life so they trash talk and bring down someone that does. Take your time and please take a break for however long you need, in the end, your mental health matters most and first.

I'm a music software developer and a musician. From either perspective; I'm absolutely sick of music gear and software. I'm sick of people obsessing over gear and plugins, quibbling over minor differences, wasting all their time argung on forums and fapping over expensive vintage gear instead of spending their time making music. Absolutely. Fucking. Sick of it.

"The more I learn about people, the more I like my dog." Mark Twain

I am BEYOND excited for your documentary on The Hum! Such a fascinating subject, people don't tend to recognize noise pollution nearly enough and it lines up perfectly with your previous content about the mechanics of sound. That video about the time/sound perception of animals is an all-time RU-vid Classic.

Gear reviews are a dime a dozen. Your content on music industry in general is unique and valuable. That is why I follow.

The internet will always be a shit place filled with toxic people, focus on those that matters on here not the random strangers that hurl insults or scream at you, or spread negativity.

I hate how gear guys wont admit theyre sponsored, theyre required by law to do so, but the loophole is they receive a "donated" guitar they are free to keep, this should still count as an asset because they can later go sell that $5k PRS they were "given". How could they not be bias being given free guitars and gear they can later sell? A few annoyances; Philip McKnight pretends PRS Korea is better than core USA models "And sold my core!" bs... Tim Pierce reviewing PRS he gets to keep, but claim its not sponsored. Anyone claiming Harley Benton or other overseas are "just as good". Martin miller only doing new videos when ibanez has a new model come out. etc etc

You are one of the good ones - kudos for all the work you do for us! (music is supposed to be about HARMONY not AGONY, people!)

Just found/started watching your channel recently and I’ve been drawn to it because of your ethics when it comes to music and gear. You don’t approach things like you’re trying to sell something and NO ONE does that in this kind of space. I appreciate what you do

Comments are easy to write, making videos that are entertaining and educational is hard - keep up the good work!

I’ve been in a lot of toxic online communities: fandoms, political movements, subcultures, etc. I briefly got interested in learning more about music gear and joined some groups, and wow, they truly were above and beyond the worst of all.

I fully get the reason you’re getting out of the review side of things. People get strangely tribal when it comes to product stacks and I don’t think it’s because of the product itself, but because they have made that part of their identity and sometimes feel like you’re attacking them. People love to say someone is a shill for something because it makes it way easier to justify why they don’t like something when it just might be as simple as “It just doesn’t work for me in the way I work on things.” Do what you need to do, but do know I’ve always liked your take on music gear as a person who is only sort of into music as a hobby and curious how working musicians view a product.

Very suspicious how he had that marker at the end and put it down... what's he hiding? /s

So much social media has become toxic in recent years 😫 And this is the reason I've very much withdrawn from social media. I was the moderator / admin for several groups on Facebook. It was fun at first, but now it's just a war against trolls, scammers, and idiots 😫 And a realization that nobody listens and nobody cares. I'd do my best to remove scammers from the group. And I'd do my best to educate the group members about how these scammers operate. I'd even post warnings with examples of what to look for. But I began to feel as though I'm wasting my time. People would ignore my warnings because they "wanted to believe" that these scammers were real 🙏 And surprise surprise! They would end up getting scammed by the very same scammer I had warned everybody about 💸 This is why we can't have nice things...

There's always dumb shit surrounding gear... I play guitar and whenever I mention that certain models have neck dive, I am inevitably called an idiot for not knowing how to remedy it and for daring to point out a design flaw in a guitar that I am otherwise praising. A huge part of the musician community is insane with the levels of militant brand loyalty they get angry about.

It makes me sad that one of the best synth RU-vidrs out there has been chased out by the noise and insanity of people who should step back, get some perspective, and chill out. I am sorry to see you stop producing gear videos. Yours were very helpful to me.

awww! I have enjoyed your gear videos but my favorite thing is your out-of-the-box projects so I look forward to what's coming. I'm glad you're able to exist on RU-vid at all. I started a small channel in a space that is somehow way more toxic than synth tube and honestly the toxicity hit me so hard I quit.

Don't give up and don't let bullies win. Disable the comment section instead.

I barely have any content posted on the RU-vids but THIS is why I will never show my face or hope to reach any kind of notoriety on the RU-vids. My privacy is worth way more than any piece of free gear. That said, is viewers do kinda rely of RU-vidrs like this because it’s like the manufacturers actually do as well. And it’s not the synth community that can be toxic-it’s bigger than that. It’s people. It’s what we do. Sadly.

This is freaking awesome! I am not a musician but mostly follow you because of your exploration into other scientific, social, and business topics. And of course the ducks! 😍 Congrats on breaking free from the toxicity

i'm more of a passive watcher but now i almost feel guilty for not letting you know enough, that you videos are real fun to watch and brought lots of interesting points to my thinking about music and gear. sending lots of love man

Music was good when there was scarcity of instruments and no massification of gear. Now everybody thinks they can make music.

People getting mad over someone else’s opinions on a product reminds me of those kids that fight over which is the best Pokémon. This ain’t Reddit. Here we like to watch videos we click on, and if we don’t like it, we skip the video. Plain and simple. Love all your videos Benn!! I watch Benn and gear because I like to watch how creative you are when you have to use that specific gear. It’s never about the product itself. It’s actually very encouraging

Your video on how animals perceive us is how we met and has been a topic I was touched by in such a way that it has become a part of conversations I have with people. I am thankful for the unique videos you have brought forth through the exploration of auditory processes. I wish you the best and honestly hope continue to grow and develop your talents!

That was me with the sweatshirt question. I apologized in the Polyend video comments, and I would like to apologize here as well. I actually think Benn is a rare beacon of integrity in this community. For some odd reason I mistakenly thought he was trying to send a religious message with the shirt thing. I know, it really seems foolish now. But I guess I was in some kind of mood. So, unfortunately, I typed before I thought. Even though Benn has proven himself time and again to be upfront and straightforward in all his messages. Anyway, I apologize to you Benn and I apologize to everyone here for adding to the vitriol. That wasn't my intent at all. But I will own it and try my best to do better. Thanks everyone.

When i see a video of you popping up in my playlist, i always know i am going to have a good time listening to a laidback and cool dude, who loves making music, playing around with toys and always curious to find new ways to make music. As a tv editor and musician myself, i know that good criticism is very important to grow and get better. But some people are just destructive, have no anger management and wanna see your world burn. These ppl have been around since and now the internet gives them a platform. Just saw a video yesterday with the same topic and it's quite sad because you guys put a lot of heart and time into it as well giving your opinions a name and face. I guess that's the stress test every RU-vidr has to get through. You can't satisfy everyone. Don't let it get to you and keep on exploring. Cheers Ben (In short: I just love what you do man 😀)

This is one of your most wholesome videos. I appreciate you just talking about yourself, your background, your ideas and philosophies. I want to see more of this.

Benn, you deserve better than the toxicity. Your best vids are the science doc type of things, hope you continue making those.

The internet has become absolutely riddled with dickheads who think that, instead of just clicking away from something they don't enjoy, they NEED to leave a stupid comment behind. Sorry you've fallen prey to them. Keep up the amazing work with all of your brilliant videos, love all the insights into the music industry that you share!

Unfortunately, these gear videos are by far my favorite videos on this channel, and you've already motivated me to buy several pieces of gear.

This channel stands alone in authenticity and integrity, not to mention your personal brilliance and time saving insights. You are so valued that any effusive or categorical superlatives will absolutely pale when compared to what you give in any video on any day regarding anything at all. I watch and rewatch and learn. This gift of knowledge and application that you routinely provide to us is invaluable and has no equivalence somewhere else on this platform or any other platform. Much gratitude coming your way from the Pacific Northwest USA!

I think we’re all exhausted from gear and things being constantly sold to us when trying to learn production tricks. I don’t blame ya.

Sorry you have to deal with this stuff man, RU-vid is a lot better with you around, we’re lucky to have you

Since gear has become a status symbol, anything to do with the community is a joke. I play guitar, and this "movement" has not only driven up the price of products, but has created a bubble of nonsense that is a massive and useless distraction. I don't like that at all. I want to make music again. It can't be long before this bubble bursts and I will celebrate when it does.

Some people make music. Some people obsess over the gear. The 2 are not the same people.

literally watching this after the Play video, which I appreciated. love your work. please don't make decisions based on youtube comments because as we all know they are a cesspool at a level that few other social networks can rival.

We don't deserve you. Thanks Benn for your work! You're probably the most genuine and honest youtuber I know. You usually correct yourself when you notice inconsistencies in future videos, your passion is completely honest. But honestly, these sh***y people are out there and youtube unfortunately attracts "shilldetector9000ers" and cynics like any other public place.

I don't comment often. However, I am a Public School Teacher in the US, and I can relate to the topsy turvy (to put it extremely fucking lightly) commenting and criticism. I hope you continue to create content, if only to keep us (me) thinking about content and creativity.

“I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member.” - Groucho Marx

You stand out as a creator that puts effort into being as honest and fair as possible in whatever you do. You've got integrity and I think it shows. It's a shame you'll have to stop doing something you enjoy, but here's to other fun projects! I look forward to what comes next.

I’m one of those who heard this and thought “awwww”. I enjoy all your videos, even the gear ones. And you’ve learned to string a sentence together pretty well! RU-vid is going to be a little bit lesser of a place now without your thoughts on new gear.

You’re a good man Benn, honest, insightful, and articulate. It’s a shame there is so much tragic toxicity out there; doubly so that you have been undeservedly subjected to it like this. I look forward to seeing you continue to follow your passion and wish you well.

Man this world :(, the web :( both love and hate it sometimes... Thank you for all the reviews and we support you whatever you're gonna do next! ❤

Literally the most sincere, interesting, mind-bendingly creative RU-vidr in the space, and this is the fucking guy they bully into submission? The internet is a fucking cesspool.

I couldn't believe how many people in the MPC community acted as if you were not qualified to speak on the problems with your MPC Key 61 (that you purchased). The most insane thing to me was how it continued after pulling out your old MPC's, as if all your other gear and experience didn't matter, either. While I know that much of it was due to jealousy, tribalism, and the toxicity of the internet...damn. Here we are the following year, with a totally different piece of gear, set of circumstances, and community. Guess we both saw it coming, with that whole eyebrow crack...sorry. Man, this is a toxic space.

Years ago I accused a RU-vidr of being a shill, and he wrote back and defended himself, and it suddenly occurred to me that even though I thought I was defending the world from jerks, maybe I was the one who was being a jerk. Now, if I see a genuine shill I just move on. And for the record, it has never once crossed my mind that you might be a shill; you are one of the most sincere commentators I've ever watched. (BTW, that RU-vidr -- Rick Beato --seems to have survived my ill-considered assault on his honor.)

Sir, You are one of the best RU-vidrs around. After a 40 year break I started making music again a few years ago and your channel has always been informative, inspiring and fun. Your passion and unique approach to showcasing “gear” is a joy to see because everyone can tell you love making music. Don’t let a small noisy minority spoil what you enjoy. By the way, the rushed make-up looks fine 😊

One of the things that is cool about your videos is how creative they are. You can and will do that with whatever videos you choose to do.

Don't sweat it guys new gear review coming in a few months

There are some incredibly toxic people in these spaces. When you’re a woman it’s all that much worse (and you’ve made a video about inequality in the industry which I applaud you for 🎉) you’re amazing and big respect for taking care of your mental health and preserving your integrity! Happy new Year 😊

I feel you Benn. You're not alone. I had to get out of all my synth subreddits because they've become toxic cesspools of negativity and trolls. I joined them to meet like-minded people and have a good time, but it's like it's gotten too big or something. I'm sorry this has been your experience as well. I hope you get what you need from ditching the toxicity. Luckily, we can all just turn off and disappear into our studios.

Wow, you're truly a gem. I'm so sorry that you've had to deal with this shit for so long. What a shame that a vocal minority can throw so much trash. Your transparency and honesty has always been inspirational. Stay strong ❤

I continually reference this video when people give me toxic crap. So sad that you experience this of trying to be genuine about the content you make. It's the loud, toxic, and annoying ones that ruin it for the good ones.

No worries Benn. I basically quit caring/watching RU-vid synth / gear videos anyway because it’s too easy to become focused on gear when the focus should be music. Most of these people are just pretend engineers and tinkerers that buy gear to listen to the presets loop for a few hours then move to the next piece. They treat them more like expensive CDs.

I’ve been watching your videos for years! The first time I remembering seeing you interacting with people online was on Reddit with the Synthrotek misery where you talked about offering to pay to rebrand gearslutz. I have always appreciated you pushing for a less divisive world we can all make art in. I will miss your gear videos. But, I hope to see more science and adventure videos (you and Cameron in the cave is one of my favorite videos in the last year or so). Please be well!

You are one of the most transparent and passionate musicians on RU-vid. To anyone that made you feel like you are being anything but your sincere self, f**k you. I will never understand why people watch videos just to complain about them. You’re a GOAT, Benn, and so many of us love your content and personality. It’s why us “normal people” (grains of salt and all) that watch content we like… well, watch it. If I don’t like it, I don’t watch it. I don’t care about most sports so I don’t watch much sporting content… who populates their own RU-vid feed with content they actively dislike? Sounds like a *SKILL ISSUE* and Benn isn’t the one with said issue… Some of you folks need to get a life or maybe write a song about how you feel because there isn’t much worse cringe than nonproductive “musicians” bagging on real musicians. Unsure how a well priced and cool groovebox is even remotely a hot take. The device involved here is literally called PLAY. I guess your channel isn’t the kind of parasocial drama some of these folks require to find happiness by being a toxic POS behind a keyboard. *BENN YOU RULE - STAY TRUE* ❤❤❤❤❤❤

It's just jealousy, every successful social media creator gets this, just ignore them and do what you enjoy

Sorry about your experience. I've enjoyed all of your videos that I have watched. Looking forward to your upcoming projects.

Some people suck, your work is consistently great regardless of the focus and while I’m one of those in the “aww” camp, I’m so excited for what’s next!

Thank you for all your contributions for the synth music community. Your gear videos have influenced my personal selections of gear every now and then - gear that I still hold on to as precious tools for creation. It breaks my heart to see you go but I fully understand your reasons. Take care Benn, looking forward to seeing the documentary and all the other videos you make in the future! ✌

oh buddy you ain't even wrong! Starting my channel was supposed to be fan based content of TPB related storyline and me taking on the role of a missing character for extra content for the boys. My viewer base expected only one thing from my content which was "Altercations with police" which I was not for in any way shape or form. My character was supposed to be "reckless" in nature but I AM NOT that character. My content got me stalked by police, bike gangs, gangs, youtubers, youtube CEO's, Lawyers, hollywood celebrities and mainstream musicians... the list goes on.... Funny because the ONLY person that truly understood the contents intent was Tom Arnold himself. One youtuber even used a quote from a video of mine to rename their company to and my whole quote was the company slogan as a way to tell me, "I can't play with the big dogs". After ending up with police surrounding my house over a wheelie in an empty parking lot (where I had been requested by police to do such things) , having a motorcycle stolen from me, the constant outlash of comments berating and threatening my property or life over fiction they could not understand I said , F*** this and F*** RU-vid as well. - a Content Creator formerly known as "Baby Randy"

Thank you Benn for all of the great videos you have made and shared. I'm happy if you got some free gear out of the gig! I value that you're sharing an opinion, above all. I can go to the manufacturer's web page for the details. It's a shame that some folks aren't secure enough in their own selves to allow someone the space to hold their own opinion. As for me, I welcome them, respectfully delivered, that are different than my own... I'm open enough sometimes to let that change me, to learn something new and expand my own breadth through that exposure. I hope that the folks who channel their self-expression through toxicity can learn a happier path though life. They've got bigger issues that whatever the latest perceived gear slight they've found, and unfortunately for them those problems will plague them, diminishing their own quality of life until actually dealt with and healed. But I diverge! As for your stated "What's next..." I've always found your "other" videos (ie non-gear denos) much more unique, creative and special. You've got a curious mind that takes you and your viewer on some incredible adventures and a real penchant for sharing that joy and discovery. I've always felt richer, smarter or otherwise uplifted after one of them. I can't wait to see you grow in this direction. You can be damn sure I'll be along for that ride. One day I hope to shake your hand at a conference, club or other venue and give you an abbreviated version of this "Thanks" in person. Screens are ubiquitous, but a real human connection is priceless, however brief. PS. I totally relate to your "Forgetting how to string a sentence together," esp. after the pandemic shift to work-from-home. LOL!!! I just -might- be the guy who talks the ear off of the mailman whenever I bump into them. :)

I was a child growing up with your music benn. Only 10 years old listening to the flasbulb - red extensions of me and my vacant life. Growing up, you were my hero and I even used to tell my dad how I wanted to be like you when I was older. I struggled with bipolar disorder and had problems being normal like other kids and you and the squarepusher were my only 2 artists I even had on rotation. I'm glad to see more people knowing about you, and I do hope your channel grows even more.

No one did gear videos quite like you, and I hope that in some capacity they continue in the future. Appreciate everything you do and all the inspiration you’ve provided over the years!

"Aww" is both the best thing I can say and heartfelt.

Although it’s ironic that I’m commenting here, it seems we haven’t realized how much of a bad idea was to create comment sections.. yes, it’s a terrible idea to give everyone a microphone and a loud speaker in the streets and that’s also true for the online world. You see, most people are profoundly ignorant and downright dumb, this is the majority of the population, not the minority. Same goes for the degradation of the quality of culture and arts in general, specially music. We decided to give buying power for the first time to kids in the form of clicks and streams, this is just a combo of bad ideas, because you wouldn’t hire a kid to decorate your house and you wouldn’t want to hear/read stories and opinions of deeply unbalanced and raging lunatics. The fabric and chords of society have been stretched thin, and the anonymous veil of the internet doesn’t hide anything, it just reveals the ones with the highest degree of lack of control, and that normally is where the most amount of energy gets displayed. Ragebait culture is not only on the emitter side, it’s on the receiver too, the negative comments made with the spirit of getting attention. And these rotten human beings shouldn’t get any attention, period.

Benn, your content is always top quality. Your opinion and insight are valued. Thanks for sharing the journey. Peace

Your genuine being has always shown through so clearly in the almost two decades I've followed your work. Your authenticity and passion is truly so inspiring. No matter what you do I'm sure it will be great.

Content creators should just change their job role to advertisers at this point. It’s all so disingenuous, I hope this is the signs of the end of the influencer era

About the HUM: I don't know if that is relevant but 15 years ago I was diagnosed with hyperacousia with later led to my current state with tinnitus. Prior to my diagnostic, and a crisis that made everybody sound like the adults in the Peanuts cartoon, I heard a long hum every night. I even thought that the portable hard drive that served my Media Center was the cause of this. I'm sure you're looking at all the angles for your research but mine is simply acknowledging that part of the people that experience that hum are maybe at the first stage of something that's going to hit them sooner or later. If you think that's relevant, I'll gladly fill out the form. Great video as always. Cheers.

I totally understand your decision. Even if 99.9% of death treats from internet trolls are totally empty, you still have to take all of them seriously for your own safety, not to mention the safety of those who are close to you. You just never know with some people out there. Having to deal with that shit would no doubt be stressful for anyone and I can totally see how it would sap all of the fun out of making gear content. Perhaps I'm one of the few that's sad to see you step away from gear videos. The video you made on the FLKey convinced me to pick one up for myself and I have really enjoyed using it. There were plenty of other videos from other creators on it, but you definitely did the best job of demonstrating all of its capabilities and its unique integration with FL Studio. So I for one have always really appreciated your input on both hardware and software.

You're one of the only gear reviewers I watch as you review the gear from the perspective of someone who just wants to use it to make music, not for the sake of making a product video. Your perspective is more honest then just about anyone I have seen on this platform and that why I subscribe. I think that having a unique personal perspective will always generate some tension as there is nothing that everyone will ever completely agree on.

We love you Benn. Sorry for the toxic people you have to deal with. Thank you for your friendship, passion, and insight. Ha! I hesitate to hit comment as I'm sure there will be shitty replies to this one. Oh well.

I want to state that a great part of that toxicity is SO AMERICAN as I notice it in other fields

You’ve always been good in my book. I am one of those 29 people out of 30 that are absolutely fine with all of the endeavors you undertake. Lovely stuff. I’ve always thought that you are a fun and down to earth generally smart guy and will definitely support one day in my other YT channel and would love to see any live performances that you are involved in if I ever make it back out to the states.

Man, that was gut-wrenching. I love your channel, I love The Flashbulb and I hope to see and hear more of both in the future.

You have been a blessing in the music World. Greetings from a Long and Mcquade Canada employee... I recommend your videos to several customers every week.

I don't really have much history commenting but I wish I vocalized my support and gratitude earlier. I wish you the best moving forward and can't wait to see what you have in store. Godspeed, Benn!

you are gonna be missed in the gear space, but i can understand and relate to your decision. Really enjoyed your perspective on feature sets and workflow combined with great demo examples. keep up the good work with your channel, whatever formats you choose..