Just to clarify, I took no offense to your comments (or anyone else\u2019s comments \u2014 even the folks who no longer subscribe to any gear mags....I can understand that feeling). If I seemed short tempered, I wasn\u2019t \u2014 I have to start using emoticons again. :-)
I merely wanted to share an observation from within my domain about the current magazine biz (at least from EM\u2019s POV). The point being there are two sides to the coin: one, mags that review the audio pintos more than the Rolls Royces and two, the folks making the Rolls Royces that don\u2019t always help (or want to) get the word out. [That seems crazy in print, but I know companies that don\u2019t want press...or so it seems.]
I\u2019d be lying to y\u2019all if I didn\u2019t admit that part of the reason I like my job is that I get to try out cool gear for free (without having to do it in a Guitar Center). But the \u201cbe careful what you wish for\u201d curse (as the good Doctor pointed out) is that I don\u2019t have enough time to use all the amazing stuff to its full extent (unless I217;m reviewing it) before I have to send it home. (And I can assure you that editors don\u2019t make enough to buy every kick-ass piece of hardware that comes through here.) (Though I keep trying to place an order for a Borg 2 from Wiard...) ;-)
If I can carve out a few hours to spend with a new gadget passing through the office on its way to a reviewer, I\u2019m a happy camper. But usually I\u2019m pushing words around the page until it\u2019s quittin\u2019 time (then I go home and try to find the time to make music between raising kids, etc).
The funny thing is that today Jim Aikin, ex of Keyboard and now a freelancer, was in the office to watch a software demo. I had lots of questions for him about various items he reviewed over the years (including the 200e he reviewed last year in Keyboard) and various interviews he\u2019s conducted (including Glenn Gould!). That was a hoot: Jim is very opinionated, and his stories are always interesting.
One more aside: Occasionally I will ask someone at a major manufacturer, over dinner or whathaveyou, why they don\u2019t reintroduce a modular analog synth like they used to make (that\u2019ll give you some hints about which companies I\u2019ve asked). Unfortunately, they usually think I\u2019m kidding... and no, I didn\u2019t ask CBS about the Buchla. ;-)
Have a Wiard day.
g
On 9/13/06 3:55 PM, "Gary Chang" scribbled:
Gino,
I realize that the Ferrari-Pinto analogy was a bit catty - sorry about
that. I think that the ghost of Konkuro came by last night when I
wrote my comment!
I can't argue with your reply - you have a quality publication that
covers a much larger domain than the typical 1984 magazine covering
the same topic. As you mentioned in your note about my article in EM,
I have personally experienced your efforts to include our miniscule
interest group's agenda in Electronic Musician's scope, which is
commendable.
But I don't think that my comment is a critcism of the magazine
business - the magazine business reflects the change in paradigm in
business in general.
You list plenty of good reasons why the larger manufacturers get a lot
of attention and why the boutiques get less. You also state the fact
that we 'Analogese' comprise a relatively tiny fraction of the EM
reading audience - to which we appreciate your personal efforts in
seeing that we get a very healthy share of print dedicated to our
rather obscure interests.
Gary
--- In wiardgroup@yahoogroups.com , "Robair, Gino" wrote:
>
> Hi Gary and fellow Wiardos,
> Let me put on my editor\u2019s hat for a moment and give you a US
magazine\u2019s take
> on this:
> It\u2019s difficult scheduling reviews of boutique items from overseas,
such as
> the Ebbe und Flut and GenoQs: they\u2019re 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 \u201cuseful\u201d review of the product, which
tells you in
> great detail about how the unit works, that takes time. Time that
the unit
> isn\u2019t 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\u2019ve 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\u2019s also
> been a reason why some companies don\u2019t send gear (again, I\u2019;ve been
told this
> by a couple of manufacturers over the years: they don\u2019t want to risk bad
> publicity, especially if the reviewer \u201cdoesn\u2019t get it\u03361;, 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
\u2014 both
> software and hardware \u2014 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\u2019s on
> the market (e.g., warning them of stuff that isn\u2019t up to snuff, or
sharing
> their enthusiasm about gear that is exceptional). They\u2019re trying
their best
> to be thorough, but it takes time...
>
> (For brevity, I\u2019ll 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\u2019s 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\u2019s 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?'
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > .
> >
> >
>