Patreon Update - June 2022 VIDEO EDITION

sorry to hear about your dad. i know what your going through,i looked after both my parents until they past away. Don't worry,all the rewards will come.

andy

I've only just joined your Patreon and watched this, and all I can say is that I'm glad I did and I wished I'd had sooner. Looking forward to seeing your future content whenever it arrives and wishing you all the best with life's travails.

RE above: I hope it wasn't a very large bang....hopefully, nothing over the maximum decibels of a very large Boombox. I have confidence in all of your efforts.

Morning Mat, is the offer of the X-3R still open? Been thinking about it for weeks since watching this and I’ve wanted a R2R for ages - bit shy to ask I think, I’m in the NW too - Rochdale. I’ve probably missed the boat now mind you!

Only just getting my viewing caught up (been that kind of month for me as well); upon watching, I upped my tier to the next one. Don't ever worry about dropping a week or two; it's all good and I look forward to each and every release, even if there's a bit of a gap between them.

Lately I look forward to these monthly updates more than your regular videos :)

Sorry, mate. You’ve got a community right here who cares. You take care of yours and we’ll be right here when you get back or as you can.

Don't you worry, Matt, about only getting 3 videos out in a month! You are no machine, and your day has only 24 hours. I for my part, can wait a couple of days longer for a video, no problem. The most important thing is that you stay in good health, if not "the world's healthiest man" ;-)

Mat, top priority is take care of yourself (and your family!) Everything else is secondary – if a video needs a bit more work every so often, just take the extra time. No one on here will mind, and the general YouTube audience rarely keeps track of posting schedules etc anyway. I am pleased for you that you got Bob 2 though – I still use mine regularly, and while it does take up a bit of space, I’d really miss it if it wasn’t there for the things it is best at.

Mat, thank you for sharing that. I have no expectation here. I enjoy what you do and want to support it no matter the frequency. Take care of yourself and your father. Thanks for everything.

Mat, like others here I've just watched the first section of the video and paused to leave a comment. I want you to know that I enjoy all of your videos and they brighten up my day when I see them, but I'm not bothered about when that is or how long the gap between them is. Life happens. Here in Ireland, editions of the Sunday morning political show on RTÉ One keep being cancelled because they can't get a team together to produce it. You're just one person and yet you've been more consistent than them recently! I'm a patron because I like what you do, and perhaps even moreso at this stage, because I like who you are as a person. A lot of your personality comes across in your videos and I feel like if we were neighbours or colleagues or whatever, we'd also be good friends. Whenever I talk to my mother about your videos, I tell her what "my man Techmoan" has been up to, in the same manner in which I talk about my real friends. I've learned so much from watching your videos over the past few years and you've inspired me to by tapes and records of artists I like rather than just streaming their music. Keep up the good work, but at your own pace.

Sitting at home this week, recovering from Covid and happy to listen to an Hour of Mat Blather On. I'm happy for 2 things: the referral to Mend it Mark, and finally learning about the Community tab on your Patreon page.

As expected there is an outpouring of support here for what you do, to the point where I feel like I'm just one of those commenters saying what had already been said. But I don't think I'm alone in saying that I don't see patreon payments as a price per video - I see them as an acknowledgement that I very much enjoy watching and listening to your videos at whatever rate you are able to produce them. We've recently welcomed our first child into the world, and honestly for the 3am feeds I've found your videos incredibly relaxing. Thanks for making difficult nights a little easier!

Wanted to add, when my mother passed I was almost 1000 miles away, brother called me that night to tell me Mom is in the hospital, their were no flights till morning, I took the 11 hour drive, got in car and just left as I was, she passed 3am, halfway there, no chance to say goodbye, you Sir please understand that nothing else is more important than the time we have,, money isn't recognized, fancy things, what's recognized is our health and the amount of time we spend on this planet, physical well-being, I teach the kids if you don't have money what do you have, we have each other, we're a family a powerful force when we're together. I wish I were there to say goodbye, you Sir be there for him without worry, we'll still be here for you.

Will always support you as you are one of my all time favorite Youtubers

Adding to the chorus as I’m just now catching up: thanks for sharing, and I’m sorry times are rough for you now. I appreciate your commitment to quality videos, and will continue to support you no matter how long they take. I wish you the best!

Fabulous Oddcast as usual. Matt, I will definitely not stop supporting you on here when you are going through a tough time and can't be quite as productive. In fact, this is when I'm sure you need the support most! Honestly, you are just such a thoroughly interesting, decent and humorous person, it gives me great pleasure to give you the small amount of support that I'm able to. I spend a lot of time on YouTube these days and the enjoyment I get from your videos is worth far more than I could ever pay. Take care of yourself, Matt.

As an impaired one, I'm happy to have Dave Smith's support.

I heard you about camera angles. That made me remember you made a video once about it. Can't find the video though...

Family first, don't worry about anything else

In a perfect world we’d all have a stable income with plenty of time off to deal with issues like these - issues that we all have to deal with sooner or later. More than happy to stay active. Best wishes to you and your family.

Take care of yourself first, when you enjoy doing the stuff again, we will love it. Don't worry about a schedule of any of that nonsense I hate to break it to you, but you're not a TV Station Matt 😀 I just upgraded to the highest tier, hope Patreon will help a bit to tide you over tough times and soon enough we'll all be back to giddy reviews of decades old BGMs and ancient tape exegesis!

Hi Matt, the only thing I'd like to say is: family first. Take care.

Quality, not quantity, with the very few Patreons I support. You're worth the wait. Deal with your real life first, I'll wait.

Take care of yourself, Matt. I lost my mum too in April. I know something of where you're at. Focus on looking after yourself. Well done for being so open about where you are. Perhaps some Patreons will leave but I am guessing the vast majority will stick around and support you.

I became a Patreon, because I had seen a lot of your ‘retro’ hifi videos, loved them (especially those with the puppets at the end ;-) and with the whole covid thing wanted to support you and several other retro guys. I agree with you that I prefer a well done video over a longer time, so take your time, and looking forward to your next one whenever ♥️

Know ive said before you have such a back catalogue of videos i often find myself finding a forgotten gem and rewatch them. See skip has uploaded another vhd movies trailers ( https://youtu.be/bhaelTTzEDQ )

Techmoan's update videos are more interesting than most youtuber's actual content...

You have a loyal fan base here Matt, so everyone understands. Regarding the Llandudno / Conwy visit, I live just down the road near Caernarfon so know it can be miserable when it's raining. If you like your real ale, I highly recommend The Albion in Conwy. It's my "local" even though I live miles away. I had a similar wet experience last week staying in Chester where it p***ed down continuously. A lovely place in the sun; grim in the rain. If you decide not to abandon North Wales as a holiday destination, then Betws-y-coed is worth a visit if you haven't been already. I'm happy to give recommendations of places to visit.

About the no video post on Patreon: if I remember correctly the 8-bit guy sometimes posts a non-video item. I’ve never minded, and if it’s a quick post, I might even prefer it.

I'm sticking around since i have an annual pledge. Didn't expect anything in return, when i pledged.

So sorry to hear this, but so uplifting to read all of the supportive comments here. As a long-term supporter I just wanted to add to the number of voices saying that I'm not going anywhere. All the best Mat, I'll be thinking of you.

Release videos at any rate you see fit- you will see no crabby comments about it from me. I will continue to support the channel because I'm a big fan of whatever you release and at whatever rate you see fit.

Life throws curve-balls. I get it. I deal with it too as we are all human. I am not going anywhere. I still very much enjoy your content so keep it up as well as you can and know that I am not going anywhere due to a slight decrease in productivity. I truly wish you well. One thing, I think you have a FINE face and a very pleasant voice.

I just signed up, because I've enjoyed your videos since way back when you did dashcam reviews and so on, and because I heard life was giving you a rough go at the moment. I want to give you my most heartfelt appreciation and encouragement. You're a good egg, your channel is one of the friendliest and most enjoyable places on the entire internet, and I want to thank you for everything you do.

I am only echoing what others have said here really. I really enjoy your videos (must have seen well over a hundred by now and often return to some many times) and admire your resilience and humility. There's no expectation of a set number of videos at set intervals; what you're doing works and we're happy. Keep on going and keep the weary dry wit; self-deprecation is a very English thing but don't be too hard on yourself.

Funny that. I've got to enjoy 12 years of great content, so you must be mad thinking I'm leaving. So I guess I did the same as Robsa,...

i could listen to you talking about random things all day. still can’t believe a little over an hour just flew by as i watched this update

Sorry Matt, I know you hate this sort of thing but I’m afraid I have just increased my Patreon payment to you with absolutely no expectation of any amount of regular monthly uploads. Make as many as you feel you can as far as I’m concerned.

Mat -- take care of yourself and your family. I'll still be supporting you on the highest tier :) FWIW the only reason I'm on here is to support you since even without Patreon I'd be watching everything you put out. I have no expectation of a regimented release schedule.

Hey Mat best wishes to you, love your videos. I bought the bob primary because of your video of it but after your bob died, I hoped yours was a Monday model of course. I use it daily, and I use it with the “bob rewinder” unit. I refill with “Suma Nova L6” Really love it, in many ways I think it is better than my former bosch series 6 full size, and soon I will be making cartridges with aluminium friendly dish soap. ( Suma Alu L10) – Anyways, I am very afraid of the wifi of the unit. Have never turned it on, never tried it. Afraid the French will destroy my way of using my dishwasher. It would be very nice if you could test the rewinder with the newest firmware from wifi. Best regards Jacob.

Welcome back Bob 😍!

I'll be here regardless - take care of yourself! Absolutely get more entertainment out of this channel than any netflix sub or anything and for less.

I pay a month on some Patreons what I pay you a year. I joined because of you. Great to hear from you. Keep smiling (which you do a lot more than you admit!). Stay safe

I enjoy almost ALL of your videos. Life happens, take your time and keep your standards high. You are a Youtube treasure.

Yep so everyone here has said what I wanted to. Also I’m going to increase my Patreon level certainly would never lower it. I do however blame you for my habit of buying old broken stuff and fixing it and now having lots of stuff I probably don’t really need, wouldn’t have known it existed if it wasn’t for you. But honestly thank you for the videos you make.

I just wanted to say I joined the Patreon because I wondered why there wasn’t a video and remembered you mentioned a sick relative. Also, I had foot surgery two years ago and discovered your channel. My doctor gave me pain medication but it didn’t help. I watched your videos when I couldn’t sleep and it really helped to pass the time. I’m glad to be able to be a patron now! Take care of your family and yourself. Maybe Sony will have those speakers out when things straighten out! Though with Sony, I kind of doubt it.

Like everyone else has said, take care, I’ve been there, we’ll all be here when you get back to wanting to return. Keep well

In comparison to netflix, amazon and various other subscriptions I have at least my Techmoan sub has stuff I want to watch. Don't think any of my other subscription have done a reel to reel documentary. And I watch a lot of the old videos so no pressure from me 😁

Just take care of your family. You only get one. We will be here.

I never noticed you put videos out on a schedule, so I'd continue to support you just the same.

Suggestion: send your now-broken John Grisham player thingy to Steve of "StezStix Fix?". It would be a nice little collaborative thing to do and you both get a video out of it. https://www.youtube.com/c/StezStixFix SB

All good here Mat do what you need to do we will be here

Mat, I really feel for your situation. Life tends to dump on us all at once sometimes. Take all the time you need to get things together. We’ll still be here. Not gonna bail on you in your time of need, not after all the joy your videos have brought me.

Don’t worry too much Mat, we’ll all still be here no matter how long it takes for you to produce video, we prefer Quality to Quantity, that’s why we signed up to support you. Keep smiling.

Not bailling!

My support will never stop. ❤

Dear Mat, I've been (and currently am) through tough times as well and videos like yours help me unwind a forget the troubles for a moment. I feel deeply grateful for that and I can understand, that you might have to deal with the same, sadly. Take your time, I'll be here and do my small part in supporting you and enabling you to slow down when necessary. Take care!

Take all the time you need to upload videos, there are plenty already posted one can watch while new ones come up. I sometimes watch Techmoan videos on auto play for a week at a time or more, they are very informative and entertaining. My subscription will not change, in fact I might owe you more for all the great content. All the support from this end, keep up the great work Mat.

Like others have said, the quantity of videos won't effect my subscription.

Dear Mr. Moan, even if you put out one video a month I'd consider my Patreon well worth it.

I think I know who Dave Smith is. He’s a friend of a friend. My parents asked me if he was ill too… (I don’t think he looks very different to how he looked last time I met him five years ago or so)

Life gets complicated, I’ve been there myself a few times. I’ll still be here watching.

I'm just ten minutes into your update and I'm already compelled to write a comment. I can't speak for everyone, Mat, but I am not about to "bail" (as you put it). Family come first, and if your Dad needs to be taken to the hospital, that's what you do. I am well aware that my meagre £6 a month is part of your "salary". I like what you do - but I also like YOU! I am certain that feeling is enjoyed by many of your patrons. If your output resolves to one good video per fortnight, that's fine by me. It is important to me that you also are happy with the quality of your work because it shows. If your advertising income will work sufficiently well, reduce your output but maintain the quality. That's fine. The other thing to say is watch your stress levels - and don't start on the cocaine!

Wish you all the best Mat. Know exactly how you feel, unfortunately my great great uncle has taken a turn for the worse and my family are having to care for him with his dementia. Please don’t feel like you have to put a video out if your not feeling it, we’re all human at the end of the day and I’m sure everyone won’t mind. Take care and keep up the great content! :)

Even if you once said you don't want people to feel sorry about what's happening in your family, wish you still all the best. I guess I'll be in that situation in a couple of years... Take care, more important than regular videos. About the Bob: I guess the manufacturer just wants to make sure that you're happy, that's the best advertising they can get! Enjoy the new machine!

If anyone is interested in fixing videos, I'd recommend "The Youtube Fixers" -series by My Mate Vince. You get to meet a lot of different Youtubers you might not have seen before.

Not sure if this will help with the Sony speakers or not. https://www.followthatpage.com it allows you to monitor a webpage for changes. The free version will let you check 20 pages daily and 1 page hourly and will send you an email when a change is detected. I have been using it for years, much quicker than the usual stock alerts on websites. P.S. Love all the videos, happy with whatever schedule you are comfortable with.

... didn't realise a carriage return would post it! What I'm getting round to, is there any mileage in re-working some of your older videos, re-presenting them with new material, things that have been learned since they were posted etc? You're now in the position of having to pull a Rumpelstiltskin number every week, straw into gold & getting more difficult all the time. There's some amazing stuff in the back catalogue which goes back quite a few years now. Should be possible to use that, most of your current viewers are probably unaware of the gems there.

Mat, as well as not checking other people's comments, I think it's fair to say most viewers wouldn't remotely think of checking the content of your earlier videos. Which is a great shame - it represents a vast amount of work, covering the most 'tasty' tech morsels. Could describe it as a legacy which should be possible to reference back to.

Hi Mat first of all you have my empathy regarding your father. My Mother and Mother in law both suffered from Dementia. It caused all members of the family a lot of stress. I am a patient Patreon and will not cancel may membership. I love all your videos and I'm happy to wait. One of my Patrons decided to change the time he posted videos on YouTube. Youtube analytics suggested it. They now go out at six pm in the evening and he does not actually show them on the patreon email. he will be cancelled.

Having worked with dementia sufferers, I get how hard it is for you to deal with as it’s emotionally draining for families I’m staying put and honestly just do what you can when you can.

Take your time, take it easy!!! Knowing that you are OK is what we want in return for being on Patreon

I will keep this short and sweet. I am forced by law to pay for the license fee which was used to fund the lavish lifestyles of multiple sexual abusers that the BBC were aware of and did nothing to stop it. Knowing my money is going to someone who has literally provided me hundreds of hours of joy; whilst they go through a difficult time in their life. Yeah, let's just say I'm fine with it. We are all human beings, let's help eachother regardless of what you 'think' you should be providing.

I'd be very careful about putting copyrighted music on any channel. I had a channel banned because of that, and because my original Big Car channel was under the same e-mail address, I lost access to it (and still have). It's not worth the risk in my opinion.

My personal opinion is that being a patreon doesn't imply getting anything in return as such. It is the action of supporting someone because you like what they do. Little as my contribution might be. My life also gets in the way, dealing with some issues myself and not only I don't "check" the regularity but I do have a backlog (in this channel, no longer) so even if I'd expect something "regular" in return, it would be dishonest to cast disapproving looks onto the calendar. Now your latest videos I liked a lot. I mean, how many people can do a video of a box. The research and story telling is something I love from you. Have you considered other "outlets" and not only Youtube? I consume really all video content from YouTube but I keep hearing about creators looking for alternatives. BTW, I guess this superthanks is YT capitalising on twich tipp system... Oh well. I do understand you. With regards to the community, yes. I go there less than I would enjoy. I find it is a weird underdeveloped forum, to be honest. Not from your side but from patreon. It is a bit of a mess drawer, I feel. Nonetheless there are very valuable contributions and I did want to post myself, among others asking for help on a couple of issues. Then again you made that video on replacing the laser on a player ( I have 2 kenwood one which does not recognise anything and the other who needs a lot of encouragement)... And I guess I'll get a third one, seeing what it entails. So, hang in there. Regarding channels, I just stumbled upon this https://youtu.be/RTB5XhjbgZA It is somewhat weird, but I find it's made with so much love...

Personally I don’t pay for regular content. I support you in order for you to keep doing what you love (and do so well). I see in the comments I’m not alone in that. The tough times is what Patreon is for in my mind. And we’ll be here through them!

I will just join the cacophony of voices telling you to not worry and the priority of the vast majority of Patrons is “we are here because we don’t want you to have to deal with the YouTube rat race”. Remember that many of us also support other channels, similar to you, but who only produce videos occasionally. Technology Connections comes to mind. I know you are worried about income, but I think you know too that having less better videos is better than a lot of rushed ones.

3 videos a month is great; it could even be 2 videos a month. A couple of YouTubers I support (on Patreon) switched to “new videos most weeks” and are far happier for it, with less rushed videos. And I’d rather have quality than rushed quantity, any day. I think while you’re “on call” for your father, Mat, from the other side of the country from what I remember, it’d be a very good idea to plan on fewer videos a month, and maybe some of them are Cheese Sandwiches just to prompt YouTube to remember you. Best of luck, Ewen

Keep up the good work, both for your family and for us. Emphasis on your family. We will still be here as any reduced frequency of videos isn't close to being a deal-breaker. Your diligence and care about things make you who you are. Many of us are in similar family situations and encourage you to just keep plugging away and do what you think is best when you think it is best.

I think you'll find most of us are in this for the long run. We kick in at Patreon because we like what you're doing and how you do it. Take care of the important stuff and take care of yourself.

Mat, we are here to support you and your work. Life is like that, unpredictable, happens in the best of jobs too. Stay stong, we'll be here.

Hi Mat, sorry to hear about your Dad. Firstly take care of yourself and your Dad and don't worry about anything else - I won't be going anywhere. I think for many of us, aside from enjoying your content, you are also like a friend we have never met and being kind and understanding is just part of that.

Don’t sweat it at all. You’re never on the clock as far as I’m concerned, I never expect a quota or a schedule. Every video you make is still a gift to us subscribers!

(This comment seems to be automatically deleted by Patreon. Third attempt...) Others have expressed what I feel as well, so not much for me to add except perhaps two things: First, it's coming up on three years since my own father died, and we had many things in common. No dementia, or care home, so we would still have plenty discussions and exchange ideas. "Anything new from Techmoan?" he would often ask, as I came to visit. I would give anything to hear him say those words again... You have my huge gratitude for all those videos that we shared. Rest assured my continued patr(e)onage is safe. Second, I worry when you say you merely "think" your father has dementia. I am certainly not a doctor, but I'm also aware that there are treatable (though not always curable) conditions which may — especially in older people — manifest themselves similarly to dementia. B12-deficiency and Lyme disease are two such examples that comes to mind. Unless he's already been diagnosed (which may have been what you meant), it would certainly be advisable to have his condition properly assessed by a professional. Prayers for you both.

I'm 68, took care of my parents in their old age (80's and 90's). Tough job, it was always an uphill battle knowing that any little gain would be followed by a huge setback. Millions of people in the same situation. Part of life, I suppose, but that didn't make things easier. When it was all over, I just hung my head and hoped that I made things easier for them. As my Dad said "it's a bad business".

I'm sticking around. Hope you have time for yourself while all this is going on.

Updated to the $5 tier to help you out. I wouldn't expect a message for missing a week, but if it's going to be more than a month, a quick note would be nice.

I usually watch the whole thing before posting but, please, realise that I and I'm sure a lot of others are on Patreon because we know life is like this and we know that this is how you make videos. I have to admit I'm an Adblock user but that's what drove me to here - no popularity contest advert nonsense just a guy making videos. I'm not, yet at the stage in life you are with parents but it's going to be sooner rather than later. I don't know how well you or other people will do but for me at least honesty is the thing that makes me follow people.

Bob (or any) dishwasher hint - don't worry about finding small dishwasher cubes. We use regular cheap dishwasher powder and learned to adjust the dosage for water hardness. I hope that helps.

Mat, I'll chime in with everyone else here who wish the best for you in dealing your current troubles and to categorically state that I'm not going to bail out of here. On a lighter note, since you don't have one of those happy, smiley faces--neither do I--but can we coin the phrase, "Resting Techmoan Face" for that condition? I'll have to check out the Mend It Mark channel, sounds interesting and reminds me of another YT repair channel, "Mr. Carlson's Lab" that I enjoy for the host's pleasant demeanor and vast electronics knowledge. Also, being a Canadian, he has his own particular pronunciation of the word, solder, which is different not only to how we in the US say it, but different from your own pronunciation (as you've mentioned yourself) and of course, Big Clive has his own variation, so now I've got to check out Mend It Mark if for no other reason than to hear how he says, "solder." Cheers, Mat!

We subscribe to support. Taking care of family is most important, take your time.

I'm not going anywhere Mat, happy to provide the extra support when you need it. I will try to use the community tab more, I had forgotten about it.

I do understand the impulse to give people the preemptive OK to bail... but to me, helping my favorite video makers have a little stability, so they can better weather tough periods when their video output (and YouTube money) gets a little light, is basically the whole reason I subscribe.

I am ok with videos turning up whenever they do. It’s never even been an expectation. That might sound odd but I am always pleased when they do turn up, whenever that is.

Great video as ever. I knew it was a family thing, from your last update. Hope things get better. Thanks again.

^ What they said 🙂 It seems like lots of channels are uploading fewer videos lately, many due to circumstances beyond their control. It's hard when you just can't seem to get a job finished (or even started) because something crops up; it's just one thing after another, and the firefighting wears you out. I know this won't often fit in with your workflow, but why not try she videos in installments. For example "Well, I can't do much more until I've got a replacement belt/screw/widget, so I'll have to call it a day for now and we'll see how far we get in the next part." Maybe add in a tease about something interesting you've already found out from your research. Keep the video length long enough for YouTube to include an ad to keep the revenue coming in, and the algorithm will be happy for frequent uploads. As for us, we're just happy for any content you have time and energy for. Thanks.

Mat, thanks for the video. I am not going to bail out.

Your muffled tracks could be azimuth - will affect outer tracks worse

Hi Mat. As everyone else has said, I don't expect a video a week. I'm just grateful for whatever you put out. I supported you here because I had found an honest guy, with similar interests to my own who made really interesting videos and I wanted to show my appreciation and give something back. So I'm not going anywhere and will wait patiently for the next video, whenever it comes. Look after yourself and your family.

Do what is needed to be done. Patreon's are here for you regardless .. you put a lot of you in your videos and especially on these members videos, so we are investing in you and not just content.

Let me say it louder for the Mat Taylor in the back: TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF AND YOUR FAMILY - YOU OWE US NOTHING! Be good to yourself. Please.

$80 for a book? What a ridiculous amount of money. 😉 Be well. Just FYI I’d double my pledge even if you released once a month.

Dude, take rest when you can. Taking care of parents is just hard. I don’t think any of your Patreons are put out that life is getting in your way. Take care.

@Holger P Kleinert - Oh, no! Not Dave Smith now too. :(

Echoing what everyone has already said, take your time and make the videos you want to make

Mat, along with the rest of the comments on here - it's fine to have a break, life gets in the way sometimes and some things have to go on a go-slow or a break. So don't stress about weekly content, you obviously take great pride in your content and that comes over in the videos, just release videos when YOU are happy with them and if that takes longer then that's fine..... All the best!

I look forward to your videos but I don't expect them. If you need time to care for yourself or family take it. I hope, support via, Patreon to give some income that is not at the whim of the YouTube algorithm.

Mat, like everyone else who has commented below, I truly think that you must put your own family, health and wellbeing first. Whatever works for you works for me and I'm sure all your other patrons. All the best, Mark.

Health and family come first and sometimes just life catches up with you and takes time to get stuff done. No problem if your production rate gets down.

It just happend to be that a well known chap by the name of Dave Smith died a few days ago at the age of 72. He was the inventor of MIDI and designer of some well regarded synthesizers from the 80s and the past few years.

Mat, I can only truly speak for myself, but my contributions are in the traditional sense of the word patron; in essence given for those videos that do come out, not with any expectations of a regular schedule. Do what you have to do including taking a break if that is needed.

You'd have to skip a couple of years before I looked somewhere else, Mat. Take care of your dad, your Mrs, and yourself. When you're ready to post, I'll be here.

Don't fret over the video output Mat...many of us have had to go through what you're dealing with right now and totally understand the stresses it can create. Can't speak for everybody but I know I'll be here no matter what

I'm inclined to up my contribution rather than reduce it or leave! I must subscribe to a hundred or more channels, but I'm only a Patron of two of them! I'm off to hospital myself this week for a pacemaker replacement. It's just day surgery these days, but the nerves, wait and preparation still bite. Your videos are good at helping me chill out a bit.

Mat, to be blunt I don't care a **** about regular videos or being ripped off by you - if it's quiet I care about YOU with all that's gone on this year - and the very truth that you like to make videos once a week. I was REALLY hoping you were on holiday in some exotic locale to avoid some of the Jubilee stuff around you. My mind occasionally strays to the worst case scenarios -but that's my fault. So don't worry about it, glad to see you not injured or anything worse. 😵‍💫 I'm a nervous wreck at the best of times - apologies for future pings asking after you. £80 not bad at all for the Pioneer repair. Love the Teac R2R clip. I enjoy how powerful FF and rewind are on R2R. When you promoted the Community area I was thinking, please call me Grace instead of G J 😆. And please everyone join us there, the more the merrier. Random commenting: Oh man, thanks for the brief muppet voice. I like your copper coffee mug. 💕 Bob II - he looks very nice in grey and white - it's very kind of the manufacturers to send you another one. I agree with you: 🚫 Facebook 🚫 pardon, Arsebook, as well. Mend it Mark is a channel I will check out for sure.

Just moved back to working in healthcare full time here, so I get all of it. Nothing wrong with what's coming out - if you took a break I wouldn't mind as I'm struggling to find the time to watch them as it is :)

Re dishwasher tablets. I have a counter top dishwasher with a cut notch in the door for detergent. However the standard tablets are too large to fit and are too much detergent for a wash in this counter top unit anyway. I was cutting them in half, but that was a hassle. Everywhere seems to only sell tablets now, but I ordered a bottle of Fairy dishwasher gel from Amazon and filling that recess with gel is just the right amount for a wash and saves having to faff about cutting tablets in half.

Thanks for entertaining us, even if not everything is easy for you at the moment. Times will get better. I promise :)

If you need to take extra time now and then, it will have zero impact on my support here. I started to support you because I really appreciate your work. It's obvious how much care and energy you put into your videos. So if something gets in the way of that and prevents you from producing the video you want, I understand you not putting the video out.

Sorry to hear that things are still rough. I can't speak for anyone else, but I'm going nowhere. I've only been watching for a couple of months, I've been a patron for most of that, and I intend to be for as long as you're doing this. Hope things on your end settle down soon. You're the best. ❤️

Take care of your life, don't worry about us. I can't speak for everyone, but I'm not going anywhere. Take your time. Your videos aren't as important as you having a life and taking care of your father. I know how it feels when work overwhelms you, so again, don't worry about it. You're the best!

Hi Matt, I am going through the same thing now with my Dad - including the pressure on job. Appreciate that's not much help at all. Spent today in A&E after another fall... Just hang in there man. YouTube might disagree, but pretty sure your Patreon people are going to have your back. Make sure to look after yourself whilst in the eye of the maelstrom. Doug

I subbed on Patreon to show thanks for the many years of quality content, and that you're one of the most honest video makers on YouTube. I enjoy that you just share your interests with us, and that's enough for me.

Still in the intro, and I just wanna say exactly what every one else has said: Deal with life, we'll still be here, and the videos will come when you're ready.

Take time to deal with your issues. If you don’t then they will compound and eventually you’ll always be playing catch-up. I enjoy your videos and have no issues with you taking a breather to deal with issues, we are all human and need to keep perspective. Be well and I look forward to any content you can. deliver and continue to enjoy the back catalogue. Most of all take care of your dad and yourself.

You and your family's health come first. Hope things get better for you before too long

Sorry to hear you're struggling at the moment. It sounds like you've got a lot on your plate, so please make sure you look after yourself. Obviously it isn't simple from the financial side but as a patron I can say that I'm happy when you post, but not disappointed when you don't, if you know what I mean?

Issues over revenue aside, is it ever reasonable to expect a regular schedule from a solo YouTuber? I'd say no. I hope life gets easier before too long.

Do what you need to do. We'll be here.

I've only watched the intro so far but I just want to say that you're stuck with me, I'm not going anywhere.

I'm plenty patient for you to take all the time you need to get things in order. No rush.