KVR Audio

aciddose · Post by **aciddose** » Fri May 11, 2012 9:38 am

well it is a thread about reviews.

edited out xhip-related: http://presetexchange.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2

when you ask what a plugin offers you, you ought to go into it instead asking if it can solve X. if X = null, you can't really even give a valid impression. although your comments are helpful even if they're not technical issues. ( http://presetexchange.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=3 )

so to add to the thread i still think it's a valid point to make in a review. just say you're making a partial review in such a case. the simplification of everything can get really annoying, especially the idea that something should only be rated on a 1-10 scale.

if forum members could up-vote/down-vote reviews, a review of a review in a sense that would help a lot. it would be even better if review content were split into sections which could be voted on independently.

the review of the gui section might be spot-on, but the audio review might be non-existent. i think we should allow for this sort of situation rather than reject it in favor of the usual allowance for stupidity. why simplify everything down to the lowest level?

ghettosynth · Post by **ghettosynth** » Fri May 11, 2012 4:45 pm

aciddose · Post by **aciddose** » Fri May 11, 2012 9:30 pm

ghettosynth wrote:
if forum members could up-vote/down-vote reviews, a review of a review in a sense that would help a lot. it would be even better if review content were split into sections which could be voted on independently.
Perhaps, I get the sense that it would just be a popularity contest here. The review section would end up like those idiotic "what are the 10 best plugin" threads.

not if it required effort to vote (actually reading the review) and by associating user-names and using a "karma-like" system ( http://slashdot.org/ ) it can be quite effective. it isn't invulnerable to bias but that can be a positive attribute if the views of the user base are accurately reflected.

what about the current system isn't already a "10 best plugins" anyway? reviews are difficult to read if they're not on the list out of 100s of plugins.

answered your xhip question in private.

Tubeman · Post by **Tubeman** » Fri May 11, 2012 9:37 pm

ariston wrote: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?"

You know, many of those reviews might be from company representatives disguised as an ordinary user. I'm not saying they are but you should take everything you read on the Internet with a grain of salt.

Tricky-Loops · Post by **Tricky-Loops** » Fri May 11, 2012 9:47 pm

Tubeman wrote:
ariston wrote: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?"
You know, many of those reviews might be from company representatives disguised as an ordinary user. I'm not saying they are but you should take everything you read on the Internet with a grain of salt.

Yeah, social marketing... It's the same thing with Amazon - I don't trust the good reviews, I only read the ones who have less than 4 stars. OTH you don't know if the bad reviews are written by the competitors, so maybe they aren't true either.

hibidy · Post by **hibidy** » Fri May 11, 2012 9:49 pm

I made a negative review on one of those sites once and somehow I never made it on the website

TristezaOrange · Post by **TristezaOrange** » Fri May 11, 2012 10:14 pm

This thread made me re-download Xhip and I'm loving it!

ghettosynth · Post by **ghettosynth** » Sat May 12, 2012 1:20 am

aciddose · Post by **aciddose** » Sat May 12, 2012 2:04 am

that's definitely possible.

i'm not sure if kvr's members are part of a collection of sects surrounding a hive or more like slashdot's nerdcore and handful of kooks which regularly attempt to post and get quickly modded to oblivion when they forget the scientific method or make outrageous statements.

i can't often stand reddit, with slashdot at least i know the flavor of crap they serve up regularly and can block that out. reddit has every flavor on the menu.

mcnoone · Post by **mcnoone** » Sat May 12, 2012 2:17 am

Tubeman wrote: I'm not saying they are but you should take everything you read on the Internet with a grain of salt.

More like a molecule from a grain of salt.
Especially now that virtual life is more a popularity contest, than a talent show.

hibidy · Post by **hibidy** » Sat May 12, 2012 2:28 am

ariston · Post by **ariston** » Sat May 12, 2012 6:28 am

Tubeman wrote: You know, many of those reviews might be from company representatives disguised as an ordinary user. I'm not saying they are but you should take everything you read on the Internet with a grain of salt.

These thoughts do tend to cross my mind, although I still believe in Sandy Claws, and that buttermilk has more calories than normal milk. Still, when you've been around here for a while, you get to know a few people and their likes/dislikes. So when someone who's been around and has posted stuff about a certain product time and again writes a review, then I tend to assume he/she knows what he/she's about. "Reviews" by company affiliates always have this... how should I call it... crysonicness about them.

Someone here mentioned putting on a cynical attitude when writing a review... I remember a music critic who always did just that. He wrote his critiques from both an enthusiastic point of view and a derogatory one. The results were usually both funny and informative.

hibidy · Post by **hibidy** » Sat May 12, 2012 6:39 am

I don't have quite the cynical view about this. I think it's really mostly people who got a new toy and are excited. Is it really hard to relate to that? I mean, if I reviewed something every time I bought it it would pretty much always be a 10

The KVR user reviews - what a great age this is! Only 10s!