We are truly living in a great age for computer music. The KVR user reviews feature so many plugins that score a perfect 10 - why, it's almost impossible to buy anything that's less than revolutionary, stellar, exceptional and top-of-the-heap! Good times, for sure.

Now seriously, I get carried away by the new kid on the block as much as anyone, and can appreciate how initial thrill and awe overwhelm objectivity and cool-headed appraisal. But this kind of undifferentiated praise makes it very hard to accurately assess a plugin's worth if you're actually in the market to buy something. You could argue that the text is much more important than the rating (and I'd agree), but, more often than not, the texts are "it's a 10!" spread out over three paragraphs, without even bothering to explain how the author arrived at his conclusions.

I realize there is no way to actually change this, but maybe some folks could take a deep breath and wait at least a month after purchasing before writing a review, so it doesn't come out all gosh and wow and super, dude.

Off to write my "Iris - ten thumbs up" review now.... followed by "If Diva's a 10, do we have to mark down all other synths, or should we set it one louder... to 11?"

i've written (this week!) 2 reviews on kvraudio, and gave both plugins 10 stars...based on what they are, and what they can do.

nothing is perfect, so i'm already writing with that in mind. but, for me anyway, something either is great, or...it's not. anything that might fit in between is not worth writing about; anything at the bottom of the scale IS worth warning others about.

maybe next time i'm balance things out; give a 9 where i see something falling slightly short. but i also think that people tend to review the plugins they own, and use (and therefore like).

but...point taken.

now am going to turn my amp up to 11, and get back to work...

I think part of the spread seen in the reviews is due to people being more likely to review the things that they really really like. Or, really really dislike.
Id guess there is the opposite of a bell curve in the review average.

edit:
Oh- But yeah, lots of tens out there these days.

...and some here have complained about the consistently high ratings over at CM. Admittedly, the few times they toss out a 5 or 6, you know you've got a real stinker on your hands.

Aw, I don't like ratings anyway. Reminds me of grades, or psychological testing, which I can happily avoid in my current job.

"Mrs. Turner, I've got some good news! Test results indicate you're feeling 0.2 less depressed compared to last week."

Who wants to review a mediocre plugin? Not me. Have fun with that.

"This plugin was literally so "OK" that I decided to study its function for the better part of this year so that I could have the chance to provide you lucky readers with this unabridged report on the subtle nuances of it's underwhelming operation."
Last edited by rifftrax on Fri Apr 27, 2012 12:03 pm; edited 2 times in total

This!

Another thing is that we're conditioned from mag reviews to avoid using the full range that the 1 to 10 scale gives us. If we did, 5 would represent something average within its field and so by definition you'd expect to see an equal number of plug-ins scoring both above and below 5.

The only magazine I can think of that's ever stuck to their guns and used the full scale in a meaningful way was the old games magazine Amiga Power. Publishers and developers hated them for it. Read pretty much any gear review mag that rates things out of 10 and you'll rarely see anything scoring below a 7.
Last edited by cron on Fri Apr 27, 2012 11:57 am; edited 2 times in total

Personally I admit I am guilty of over-10-ing by reviewing just things I really like. But everything is relative. You can't say "this plugin is objective 10 points, thisone is objective 0 and you guys scale your reviews based on real comparison". And even if you did, people would still review just the good stuff, becouse economic behaviour (demanded by todays age) supposes you to buy just great plugins.
It's ironic, but not much we can do about that now I guess...

I rate this thread a 10!

It's important that people only review products that they own or have used extensively. But I don't think people should review ONLY what they REALLY like and or what they REALLY don't like.

Let people know if a plug-in is mediocre. Let them know what the strengths and weaknesses are. Not every plug you ever buy will knock your socks off, so tell people honestly when you do get something that they might not want to shout about from the mountaintops. That will give people a better idea of whether they want to buy something or not.

But I guess that's what ariston is trying to point out.

I'd review everything I own if I were more experienced. But I'm not, so I don't feel qualified.

This! We're not professional reviewers here, we're enthusiasts. It takes something (nerve? too much free time?) to sit down and write a review of a lukewarm plugin (I know I haven't done it yet, so I really can't complain). But that would be really helpful for others.

To give credit where credit is due, I think Sendy's reviews are usually very good. You can tell she's enthusiastic about these things, but she does a great job of explaining WHY she likes/dislikes something.

Agreed - that's true also for most consumer review sites - love or hate it.

Also, I'd imagine people review after they've purchased (in which case they've often already decided they liked the product). There are a lot of products that can be reviewed on demos, but that's not always the case if they are hobbled, unavailable, etc.

I think getting rid of the number system might help (can you post a review without it? You can just discuss strong/weak points, but not be concerned with posting a poor score (I also think a lot of people don't want to feel like they've disparaged the devs, many of whom are active, helpful, and friendly on the forums. And it's so subjective - what are the points deducted for a plug that sounds great but hard on the CPU? You can objectively state that, but not necessarily determine whether it's a flaw (poor optimization), or simply a trade-off.

I like the CM reviews, but have wondered also about their relationships with developers (or any mag for that matter). I asked Chris Randall about this once (he never answered), since CM reviews AudioDamage plugins and Chris is a contributing editor - I'm not AT ALL accusing CM of consciously skewing reviews, but even sub-conciously it's gotta be tough to be critical of friends and colleagues.

I guess that the OP is taking aim at me...

That's OK...Everyone is entitled to their point of view...

I have reviewed a couple of -u-he soft synths thia week and given them a 10 BECAUSE I feel that they deserve it...

And yes - I made mention of the fact that Diva was worthy of an 11 because it really has raised the bar with regards to soft synth development...

And whenever I play that instrument I absolutely feel that way !

There are many other soft synths that have ended up in the trash that I could review and they would receive a very different score...

Maybe I should review them ?

There's some popular pieces that have ended up in the rubbish here...

I've been a professional musican for over 30 years,so I'm not some kid running around chasing the latest shiny toy..

Hopefully,I've also learnt what works in a recording and what doesn't...Not just listening through crap monitors in a bedroom scenario...The monitors here are extremely detailed and are essentially flat from 12.5 Htz all the way up to the stratosphere..Absolutely gorgeous to listen to music through..

I do believe that we are seeing some exponential progress with regards to soft synth development and it is exciting to see and hear the results..

I prefer positive things,but I am tempted to review some of the popular toys that have been directed to the rubbish here...Although I am always interested in somebody else'e point of view,I prefer a little time and some contemplation before I make up my own mind on any matter...

And no - I haven't even bothered to check out Iris at all right now.

It's not even on my radar....

I need solid tools that work in a professional situation - 100% of the time.

When I was trained in a music conservatorium a million years ago,we were trained to "listen" and when I have reviewed those synths,they were reviewed after listening to them on so many levels for quite some time...

I have always found the reviews where something has just been released and they have become the new "go to" absolutely hilarious...

I piss myself every time...

I have worn my main pair of shoes for over 10 years now..

They are extremely comfortable and they've taken me to so many places around this world...

So surely they would have to rate a 10 ?
Last edited by digitalboytn on Fri Apr 27, 2012 4:45 pm; edited 2 times in total

Why concentrate on the negative of a plug-in ? You use a plug-in to find the bad aspects of it ? No, you use it to get the good aspects of it. No harm in mentioning things you personally don't like, but bottom line is you focus on whats good about it.

Marks out of 10 are subjective, i've given plenty of 10/10's because thats what the plug-in is worth to me, hence the user review.

I never pay attention to review marks in the likes of CM as I just read the review itself, what the mark means is often influenced by something else imo. Maybe a pessimistic view on it, but then like I said, I dont pay attention to it, I use the review as a means to see what the plug-in etc is about, features etc.

see? after reading the original post, i went and wrote a new review here, and gave the plugin...a 9. (insert gasping smiley face here).

everything is relative isn't it? i recently bought a rave-reviewed synth plugin, only to sell it 2 days later. it WAS amazing, but...not what i needed (and i only keep what i need).

it's also a lot like mac-vs-pc, or tvs (say, samsung vs sony). we prefer what we OWN, and tend to think that the tv/computer/plugin we bought is the best one.

so, everything is subjective, and should be taken with a grain of salt. (read thru reviews on amazon & you'll know what i mean).

i've been shopping for new synth plugins, and read thru (actually, skimmed thru) a lot of reviews here at kvr.
but i've learned to try the demos BEFORE i buy anything; my own judgement is what will work best for me at the end of the day...

Nope.