Why can't people just say stuff sucks?

[amishsixstringer]

I look for gear online often, since there's not really anywhere too close to audition things, so I tend to try to figure out what things work like from online reviews, but often I see reviews by everyday people who are trying to sell me shit. Like...oh I have this mic, so everyone else should buy one too. "It sounds great for the money". How many times have I seen this worn out phrase? I wish there was a place that had honest reviews...if it sucks, say it sucks. I also am starting to see that many people will review say...a large diaphragm condenser mic made by some chineese company out of plastic, which is fine, BUT that is the first microphone of its typ this person has ever owned and has only been into recording for 3 months. "It sounds 'natural, warm, has extended frequency response, and a signature colored sound'. Most of those things contradict eachother, but since they've seen these magic sell words in other reviews they throw that in there. Another thing is the EQ/Recording Magazine reviews...wtf? EVERYTHING they review is great...because the company sent it to them and paid them to put a review in their mag...*flips page* WOW! A FULL COLOR AD FOR THE MIC IN QUESTION FROM THE LAST PAGE! Amazing! Sorry, this post doesn't have much of question...more of a rant, and I'm sure I'm not the only person to notice and mention this, but sheesh. No, offense to a lot of people on here, but there are a few names that i take advice seriously from, and others i just take with a grain of salt...


This thread sounds as good as threads posted by much more expensive people.


Neil
PS. I love you

[Rodgre]

I started a related thread a while ago.

http://messageboard.tapeop.com/viewtopi ... ht=reviews

I usually have to wait six months or so after a product is released and see what people I trust on these message boards have to say about something. Sometimes, however, you can see through a review in a major publication. They usually say things like "for the price" and "good for a home studio" and stuff like that.

Roger

[amishsixstringer]

Whoops, sorry. I didn't mean to start something already done. I must have been away while that one happened. At least I see that some folks agree. You can all let this die out now. Peace


Neil

[thethingwiththestuff]

well, inexperienced people aside, i recall this little conversation with a "drum teacher" i once had......

me at 17, smiths shirt - "yeah, i'm thinking about getting a new kit. i would love to have like an old vintage ludwig."

him at 28, ponytail - "uh........what?? dont you want to take advantage of all the new technology?"

i would never want some meathead to tell me ribbons and old EV's suck because they dont sound like smiley face curves.......so, ya know..... maybe it goes both ways?

[joeysimms]

I look for gear online often, since there's not really anywhere too close to audition things,.. <snip>

Some gear sellers (mercenary comes to mind) will let you try something and return it, or so I'm given to understand.

I hear you on the catch-phrases fuzzy-words reviews though.. One look at a recent TapeOp magazine shows it is filled with exactly that kind of (to my mind/experience) utterly useless verbage, repeating the same bullshit over and over like a mantra, plus.. <whisper whisper>some magazines will not print mean bad reviews because it upsets the advertisers paying for the magazine...

[Randy]

I don't see the use of doing a review of something and saying "it sucks." Waste of space. If you can't find a use for something, ignore it. Let it die a lonely death. The trick in reading a review is trying to find out where the reviewer is coming from. If s/he records death metal and thinks a compressor is great on kick drum, it will probably suckon kick drum if you are recording jazz. I don't see how anyone could get use out of a negative review- except in the case where you got screwed by the company and they wouldn't set it right.

As an aside, I have never met a mic I couldn't use. It may suck on vocals, guitar, and fiddle; but is perfect under a snare and on a harmonica.

[honkyjonk]

I've met a mic I couldn't use on anything. It's a rode NT1000. Complete piece of shit. there you have it. Review from the Honk. Complete ass-crap. Not even good on honkyjonk piano. Fucking fucky fuck. Butt ass stinky.

[philbo]

Ok, here you go: Stuff Sucks.

One must look at the reason a review appears. Some (I suspect most) are marketing driven - - "Here's our new whiz-bang thingy, try it out and do a review"

And some are driven by a guy who bought and uses something, and wants to share his impression of what it's good for.

I tend to trust the second group more. But, from a marketing standpoint, you can sell Ford Escorts or you can sell Rolls Royces.... Assuming you can choose between selling 10 Ford Escorts a day or 1 Rolls Royce a year, which one is management going to consider you good at "moving product"?

Think about how many people are out there recording in their basements and use ONLY mics that are like $500 or less - There are a hell of a lot of them, maybe tens of thousands. This is where the market is headed - - more or less, into "Ford Escort" mode.
________
ANIME VID

[percussion boy]

"It sounds great for the money". How many times have I seen this worn out phrase?

Amen.

The best antidote I've found is to only buy stuff that has a good rep among engineers and that was originally aimed at a pro market -- if nothing else, it will usually be well-built and reasonably versatile.

Prosumer stuff is bound to be limited by nature -- the paradigm is, "let's make something for less than it costs to make it right, so more people will buy it." Who care what the most amazing $200 ribbon mic is when not a single great recording was made with one?

[Knights Who Say Neve]

There is definately a reason to give bad reviews- it keeps people from wasting their money.

[dirk_v]

I haven't met a uselss mic yet, but this thread is giving me the sense that hearing/reading phrases like 'good for the money' are dead giveaways for prosumer gear. I have regrettably fallen into these kinds of purchases myself, and often need reminding that just because the name of a classic mic is mentioned in the ad or review, doesn't mean that the mic in question will sound anything like it. However, if you paid $75 for a large-diaphragm condenser that does an OK job recording acoustic guitar, then it cost less, and sounded better than, an SM57 on acoustic guitar, then yes, it's "good for the money." If something was a total piece of crap, odds are, it wouldn't have even made it to market.

The bottom line is you get what you pay for. Most prosumer gear is fairly useable, and I do firmly believe that recording music is all about capturing a great performance by any means, but you do get what you pay for. The market's many cheap-sounding Chinese condenser mics will attest to this. If you read reviews carefully, and bear in mind the price of the item for sale, you should have a good idea what you should expect. I find TapeOp particularily handy to this end, since the reviews tend to be more honest, less commercial, and state street price rather than MSRP.

$00.02 in the pot.
-dv

[snatchman]

It's all about acceptance. The music industry now accepts basically ALL levels of recordings, whether it's good or bad! They say" so what if it was recorded with 'el sucko gear.Just as long as the consumer buys the CD"..! It's all about convenience, (enters the I-pod). So what if it sucks, just as long as it can store 1000 songs, I'm all for it.!".. .. ( industry people)

Take for instance my local radio station. I remember some time ago, a bad sounding project ( be it professionally recorded or home recorded) would not get played! Now you can "buy time" for yourself (money makes it happen) and play ANY quality of recording none to man... ..So.. you can imagine what's being heard with all the new home-based " studios" in my city..!.. ..The funny thing, the music is being accepted.. ...

[Ethan Holdtrue]

Pro-Tools LE sucks. :]

[getreel]

OK so some lo-fi stuff is really cool sounding and that may something to do with all types of recordings accepted. lo-fi is art....and I love great sounding(in the traditional sense) recordings too. As far as the gear goes...it's people who make music, not gear, but you need reasonably good equipment to capture what sounds the people make. Depending on the people and their style and tastes in music, the gear could be very different.
That's what makes all this music/recording stuff so interesting that we talk about it constantly.

[lobstman]

The best antidote I've found is to only buy stuff that has a good rep among engineers and that was originally aimed at a pro market -- if nothing else, it will usually be well-built and reasonably versatile.

Scott Dorsey posted this on RAP a few years ago:

What happens:

1. Neat new gadgets are introduced.
2. The studios that have to have the latest thing buy them.
3. It becomes clear after a year or so which ones are useful and
which ones aren't.
4. After a year or so more, the studios that have to have the latest
thing get rid of them, because they don't use them because they are not
the latest thing any more.
5. Some of these useful things sell at a reasonable price and I buy
them.
6. After another few years, some of the useful things become obsolete junk
and sell for pennies on the dollar. I buy them too.
7. I use the useful things in my studio.
8. After 20 years or so, they become valuable vintage gear and I sell them.

My general rule is not to buy anything unless it's obsolete, and it has
always served me very well. Yesterday's state of the art usually beats
out today's mid range gear, for about as much money.