Relab Releases An EQ ...

[Tronam]

I may not like the way it's being advertised, but I can respect the indy hustle, even if I'm not the target audience for the product. This market has grown so saturated that I can imagine it being pretty difficult anymore as a dev to raise your signal above the noise, and it's not like Relab is a faceless corporate entity. I probably shouldn't have been so flippant about something I'm sure he put a lot of effort into.

[rasmusklump]

And yet I bet - without having looked yet - that they are all over it over @Gearslutz

A bunch of posts got removed, including bmanic’s. You don’t really need to guess the nature of the posts that remain.

The ones where he badmouthed this eq in favor of the one he beta tests?

[bmanic]

And yet I bet - without having looked yet - that they are all over it over @Gearslutz

A bunch of posts got removed, including bmanic’s. You don’t really need to guess the nature of the posts that remain.

The ones where he badmouthed this eq in favor of the one he beta tests?

Look, it went exactly like this:

First of all, I did NOT badmouth Relabs EQ plugin itself at all. I wrote that I thought the marketing was way over the top (as did MANY OTHER PEOPLE in the same thread, just like here.. looks like some of those posts were deleted too). Guess Relab is paying Gearspace for advertising space, eh?

I then downloaded the demo, ran it for a few hours, considered it sounded _exactly_ like the hardware I had in my studio for more than 2 months (!!) which could be read as actual praise. I then questioned the need for such an EQ in my setup. I had already done the exact same test with the Sontec plugin from Metric Halo and come to the same conclusion, though that one actually has some "mojo" to it (some harmonic distortion and some changes to transients).

I also tested if there is any harmonic distortion happening in the Relab plugin by feeding it ridiculous input levels and could find none and could hear no changes to the actual audio. Thus I also questioned the modeling and how accurate it actually is because the hardware does distort after a certain point, but also noted that it doesn't really matter as the hardware is _super_ clean.

So, how does that criticism warrant the following?

Two douchebags started attacking my character, me personally and said I was shilling for Tone Projects. I ain't. I just always speak my mind, no matter if I beta test for a company or not and the TP Michelangelo EQ happens to be amazing in my opinion.

These two trolls tried to completely destroy my online character with blatant lies. So I defended myself, saying exactly what I just did here. It's not the first time it has happened. Looks like I've gathered a few sad souls who hound me around gearspace (two I know of who already have been permanently banned from gearspace but one of them keeps creating new aliases through VPNs and still keeps going at it). It's rather sad really that some people get so passionate about one persons opinions and views. I do understand why they do it though. If somebody says something ridiculous, blatantly false or just plain stupid.. and I happen to read it, there is a high chance that I will comment on it. Some people can't take it, or take it personally instead of focusing on the subject matter at hand. A few sad souls get so riled up that they get obsessed with "destroying" you. This is what a few people on Gearspace (and here) have tried to do. Unfortunately for them, it's hard to fight a straight talker with lies.. I have nothing to hide in any of my posts as I'm always myself. If I'm wrong about something I have absolutely no problems admitting it and correcting myself (but always as an edit or an additional post, never deleting the old wrong information after the fact).

It's funny that I now got a weeks ban on Gearspace for literally just stating my opinion on the Relab EQ, completely honestly, and then get attacked by some users and can't defend myself. I don't really care one way or the other. I'll keep being me, telling it as I see it. It's not my problem nor fault if people don't understand that I'm just one dude on the internet, just like everybody else. My word isn't gospel.. but apparently some people get really hung up on what I say.


As for beta testing. I usually get asked to test stuff exactly because I tell it how it is. I don't sugar coat things. I praise things that are good but I also don't shy away from telling the developers when it's shit. Just ask FabFilter. Or Acustica Audio.. they still probably have nightmares from my feedback. People who surround themselves with "yes" men are bound to fail. There's nothing to be gained in such an environment and developers who realize this usually do contact me. Unfortunately I don't have a whole lot of time to test things any more so I'm very selective in what I want to spend time on. Beta testing is something I always do for free. It's a real time sink and is literally costing me money to do, so it's purely out of passion that I do it, when I believe in a product.


So yeah, you can criticize my comments all day long, I don't mind at all.. in fact I encourage healthy debate. It's the only way to get to the root of things. But when people start making up what and who I am as a character, that's where I draw the line and go on the defensive. I'm a firm believer in punching the bully in the face as a tactic. It's the only thing that works.

Luckily for me, all the posts I've ever written are fully exposed to public scrutiny. You tell me if I've changed and am "shilling" for somebody? Show me the links. I don't have a youtube channel nor any other notable social media yet my business is healthy and operating entirely on word of mouth alone. I'm very proud of that and I'm absolutely certain it has to do with my decision in my late teens to be exactly as I am and not try to play any role. I jumped off that bandwagon all those years ago and I've always thought it's one of the best decisions I've ever made in life.

[lotus2035]

U guys better not be married

In Sweden, wife own you!

[bmanic]

The ones where he badmouthed this eq in favor of the one he beta tests?

And I wanted to address this directly.

@rasmusklump: That is a literal lie right there.

This is exactly the kind of lies that the two douches over at Gearspace said. Did you happen to take a screenshot of my post at Gearspace before it was taken down? I tried wayback machine but it doesn't have a copy of that days state.

So yeah, I'm calling YOU out @rasmusklump . This is exactly the kind of toxic behavior that needs to be fought head on. Don't be a liar. It really is as simple as that.. be yourself and if that means being a liar, try to be better. Change. It'll be good for you.

[midi sentinel]

I don't remember him mentioning the other EQ in his post. Other person (people?) did.

There was nothing bad in bmanic's posts anyway. He said what he thinks and plenty of it was actually useful for someone like me, who knows little. He was the one talking about that EQ being very clean for example, I did not know that. The fact that he didn't like it is irrelevant. He provided good information.

The 'marketing' of this thing paired with behavior in that GS thread would really cement my decision to never buy it. Luckily, I was never their target anyway so no loss for them there.

But as someone who is a beginner in 'mixing things' (but an old fart and with heavy music background), being bombarded by all kinds of nonsensical marketing shit from all sides at all times gets tiring.

Every single EQ or compressor emulation are somehow very unique and special. Apparently they have 'mojo'. So we have like 50 compressors and EQs, all being very special and all of them doing something different. That only select few can hear and rest of us should just trust them that it's better.

How are then they so special? I mean, they all eventually end up distorting the signal in some way, and some people might find that pleasant. Others might not. I am one of those that absolutely hated Vinyl and when CDs showed up I was the happiest man alive.

That old equipment is not so special because it was 'special'. It is so special to so many people because it was there at that time. Nothing else.

And it is insanely, and i mean insanely tiring trying to learn something properly when everything on both YouTube and forums just ends up being a f**king useless promotion for something. 6-12 months ago I was subscribed to quite few YouTube channels that were reviewing plugins and gear in general. I thought I will learn something. I learned f**k all. Well, I've learned that Internet is pretty much dead and has been replaced with collection of commercial networks that are solely focused on either trying to sell something to their users, or trying to sell their users to someone else.

So yeah, I really wanted to read the thread about that EQ because there were interesting things in there. And now it's all gone, we will only get to hear how that 'unique curve' is so special because no other curves or products can do that, therefore it must be so much better for transients and 'oomph' and whatever the hell buzzword of the week is.

Just like any other 'special' product.

Rant over (and I wasn't ranting at you ).

edit: typo

[midi sentinel]

(Well, I am dumb, clicked reply instead of edit and can't delete it...

[enCiphered]

In any healthy online community, the exchange of diverse perspectives should be encouraged, not stifled.

[elxsound]

I may not like the way it's being advertised, but I can respect the indy hustle, even if I'm not the target audience for the product. This market has grown so saturated that I can imagine it being pretty difficult anymore as a dev to raise your signal above the noise, and it's not like Relab is a faceless corporate entity. I probably shouldn't have been so flippant about something I'm sure he put a lot of effort into.

That’s what I was thinking too.

and likewise, it can be hard to even have your opinion raise above the noise too.

[elxsound]

@bmanic, you’re not wrong about YouTube videos.

We’ve gone far from instruction, to just entertainment or product advertising.

If this YouTube community doesn’t implode soon, I’ll be surprised.

[pekbro]

Seems like they might include this in the sub as some guys were complaining at GS, me included. heh since ive had that sub for 10 yrs
probably, its not seeming an unreasonable
complaint.

*i only pay $7.99 mo, and i've wanted to support them, thats why i would do that.
Ive had my adobe sub even longer. That
one i have to have and its only for PS, $9.99 mo.

[enCiphered]

Seems like they might include this in the sub as some guys were complaining at GS, me included.

How did you manage not to get banned?

[kritikon]

So let me get this straight. There's a furore over this uber-mojo Eq marketed as a magic analogue emulation of some magic hw Eq, that is actually very well modelled on the analogue Eq that is actually so clean it may as well be a digital Eq, apart from the fact it's got f**ked up Eq curves?

Hell yeah, I'll buy 3 of them, no make that 4. Software is a f**ked up world sometimes...

[jtsterays]

The hardware is just Pro Q in a metal box, fight me.

[pekbro]

Seems like they might include this in the sub as some guys were complaining at GS, me included.

How did you manage not to get banned?

Ive never been banned there, although ive argued with many on quite a few occasions. Here as well, tho ive come close pretty sure.