Let me put on my editor’s hat for a moment and give you a US magazine’s take on this:
It’s difficult scheduling reviews of boutique items from overseas, such as the Ebbe und Flut and GenoQs: they’re handmade (obviously) and the companies can barely make enough to fill their orders, let alone loan a handful to the various gear mags that would be appropriate (EM, Keyboard, Keys, SOS, TapeOp, etc). Sending them for review takes the unit out of the retail stream (unless the reviewer buys it, which I think many manufacturers hope fo). Also, there are shipping costs involved, the possibility that the unit will arrive damaged, etc. (BTW, this is also the case for many US modular makers...)
And if you want to read a “useful” review of the product, which tells you in great detail about how the unit works, that takes time. Time that the unit isn’t generating profit for the manufacturer and distributor. (Hey, the brave souls making this stuff have to eat....)
So, the review is partially up to the manufacturer, who must decide if it makes sense to set aside a small portion of their stock. I’ve been told many a time by boutique companies (synths, mics, preamps, etc) that they fear getting a review and being overwhelmed with orders (when, without the publicity, they are already working at capacity).
Also, remember that the review may not be completely positive: that’s also been a reason why some companies don’t send gear (again, I’ve been told this by a couple of manufacturers over the years: they don’t want to risk bad publicity, especially if the reviewer “doesn’t get it”, as they themselves see it).
On the other hand, although there is an analog synth renaissance, with a growing number of folks cranking out interesting gear, there is an exponentially larger quantity of new items from larger manufacturers — both software and hardware — which are easier to grok, far less expensive, and, consequently, selling like crazy (although it is stuff that people on this list seem to have no use for). But that means someone is buying them, and that is the audience that the magazines have to cater to in order to survive. Simple.
Also, the range of topics that have to be covered by the magazines is enormous compared to when magazines such as Polyphony were around. Not only do we have mics, preamps, compressors, and synth modules on the market, but we have keyboard controllers, audio interfaces, sequencers, software synths, plug-in effects, synthesizer workstations, hard-disk multitrack recorders, hardware DSP accelerators.... The list is enormous. So, magazines have a wider range of products to talk about within a limited page count then they did in, say, 1984, and they have to tell their readers about all of it, including stuff that is irrelevant to this list. I know the editors at many of these mags think of their job as educating their readers about what’s on the market (e.g., warning them of stuff that isn’t up to snuff, or sharing their enthusiasm about gear that is exceptional). They’re trying their best to be thorough, but it takes time...
(For brevity, I’ll leave out the fact that the magazines also include interviews -- such as ours with Wiard power user Gary Chang -- tutorials, master classes, gear roundups, etc.)
Personally, I enjoy the fact that my job allows me to get the word about the kinds of products people on this list care about: great sounding analog audio products. And reviews of products relevant to this list are forthcoming (at least in EM)...but be patient.
But we also have to cover other products as well, because they share the musical instrument space, and more people want them than analog modular synths (for reasons of price, convenience, conceptual understanding, etc). It’s reflected in the music biz in general, where the simpler the music is, the more popular it becomes. (Of course, as you and I know, once a musician experiences the joys of modular synthesis first hand, there’s no going back...)
It would be great if there was a magazine (online or treeware) that specialized in modular analog synthesizers, dedicated filters, DIY mods, etc. But then again, we have of these nifty lists and Yahoo groups where people can share ideas and info for free.
Okay, /rant. Back to being a musician who enjoys his analog modules...
ginorobair
On 9/13/06 10:41 AM, "Gary Chang" scribbled:
Interesting incites into why we are so bored with the media converage
of our sport.... Back in the day, it was about spotlighting all of
the "Unobtainium" around - reviewing the melotron, Moog 3 or other
expensive gems that we couldn't afford. Kinda like looking at a car
mag with the latest Ferrari. Nowadays, Keyboard Mag is featuring the
latest Pinto in all of its glory... Where is the review of the Genoqs
Sequencer or the 'Ebbe und Flut?'
.