Women will always pay to watch handsome and charming men playing flutes.

Hmmm.
The question is: Are real wind instruments doomed. Not just flutes. The answer to some extent is Yes as long as some keyboard-playing fool thinks that they can mimic the sound of the other instruments well enough and the audiences accept the synth sound so that they other instruments don't need to be hired for gigs.

The tone quality of the different octaves/registers and notes isn't quite right.
The speed of the vibrato never changes.
There are mistakes/missing notes. Flutter tongueing in one spot?

Just my previous point about this Syrinx solo. Most people don't count this piece correctly right from the get-go. In the interest of interperitation every doted eighth rhythm is counted differently.

I've heard a saxophonist play this piece as well. I thought I was having a bad flashback trip at the time.

~Bilbo
N.E. Ohio

Again I agree with Bilbo, it is hard for someone operating a keyboard to mimic the subtlties of a great player

People pay to watch bad players perform. The fact that there are better players/recordings don't seem to stop these horrid professionals performing... people still enjoy the music somehow.

Worry about the Clarinet and Oboe being phased out before worrying about the flute!

That does not sound like a flute at all

Ooohh... Clarinetists are in danger. The flute and bassoon were obvious fakes, but that Clarinet is quite good.

I suspect it is easier to emulate speaker feedback! tee-hee

Nah, anymore than any life music is really doomed. Sure you can emulate any instrument, but hey, you could put on a CD as well. I very much doubt that you could ever really replace the sound or feel of a good life performance. I go to classical concerts regularly, and you couldn't replace or mimic the sensation of a whole orchestra playing, or for that matter a good soloist, every performance is a unique experience. Anyway, if a keyboard player is good enough to mimic a good soloist life, then I'm happy to hear him/her play the keyboards, he/she doesn't need to fake something else.

"Ah but it probably does to almost anybody who is not a flute player."

True, Micron, but even when I didn't play the flute, I could tell what was a flute/not a flute

There's no heart in playing a synthesized flute.

And plus, that recording sounds like a saxoflute o_O Odd, I know.

I think that cell phones are. I HATE cell phones. People can be so rude with them. The worst is when they drive and talk on them and then cause accidents because of it. I don't own one. If I am out, that means I don't want to be gotten a hold of.

Actually the flute one sounded pretty good. I saw an interview by Richard Marx (an 80s singer) on TV and he went on this speel about how mixing of current singer are. You can manipulate it so much that you can sing out of tune and fix it to sound good. Don't get me wrong I enjoy some of this but the downside is anyone with real talent is missed. Forget live performance or rather you can get that but lip synching.