Pro Sound News, Mix Magazine to Merge

[Anderton]

Actually, I think this makes sense beyond the usual industry consolidation that happens. Mix was born in the days of big studios, which aren't really with us that much any more. Also, with the line between "pro" and "everything else" blurring, I'm not sure it makes sense to have a magazine like Pro Sound News, which is based on there being a difference between the two. There are people using Dante networking to connect their garage where they record drums, to the bedroom where they do the mixing . Pretty much anything goes these days.

 

For me, the coolest part is that I've been asked to write the back page editorial. It's called "Open Channel." This won't be the satirical stuff I wrote for Electronic Musician under the name Craig's List, but cover a variety of topics. Anyway, it's kinda cool I get to write for a publication again. It's been a while.

[KuruPrionz]

Congrats, and I am surprised there are still magazines.

 

I subscribe to Tape Op and I get something from AARP every month (they've saved me thousands of dollars so far!). but that's about it.

MPN is sort of a random, largely unedited magazine but there are valuable things to learn here too.

[Mike Rivers]

Old news, but good to hear you got the back page gig. The two guys who had been doing it were pretty boring.

 

They need a technical editor really badly. Put in a good word for me.

 

Anyone else here remember when each issue of Mix was about the size of a medium sized phone book, and that the articles about people and studios were pretty heavily slanted toward the Bay Area (where it was, and still is AFAIK). And I remember the first issue of Pro Sound News, too. Both good mags, but very different, and both have shrunk substantially in recent years. I hope the consolidation will put some spark and more interesting kitchen table reading in their content.

[Theo Verelst]

My single US connection as late teenager was keyboard mag, and when in '84 I got my first commercial synth, there probably was an influence there. I read your contributions as well, but I don't remember what they were in that time...

 

The stuff that was produced for the well known great records contained more information and processing intents than people nowadays even are aware of, in spite of mainly digital having become much cheaper.

 

T.

[Notes_Norton]

I remember your contributions to EM Magazine. I enjoyed them.

 

Congratulations on getting another writing gig.

 

Notes

[Anderton]

What's cool is I get to write about pretty much anything. I'm not all that sure about the health of magazines these days (remember Keyboard?), but maybe I can be vaguely provocative, and help the cause

[Notes_Norton]

When I started my Band-in-a-Box aftermarket business, magazines and local music stores were the way I received new information. Sadly both magazines and local music stores are on life-support.

 

I like the wealth of immediate info I get on the Internet, but sometimes I miss the slower paced magazines and the person-to-person local music stores.

 

Times change and it's important to roll with the changes.

 

I used to get a comp subscription to Mix, Keyboard and EM when I was running classified ads, but I don't get any magazines anymore. Again, good luck, I hope you have a good run.

 

Notes

[Anderton]

I like the wealth of immediate info I get on the Internet, but sometimes I miss the slower paced magazines and the person-to-person local music stores.

 

What I miss most about magazines compared to the web is that the material in magazines is vetted. Magazines aren't flawless, but they're rarely sources of blatant misinformation.

[Mike Rivers]

What I miss most about magazines compared to the web is that the material in magazines is vetted. Magazines aren't flawless, but they're rarely sources of blatant misinformation.

 

Good point. But all too often these days, while information in a magazine article may not be incorrect, some things written articles are all too often useless to most readers. How important is it to know, when reading about how to record guitar, what amplifier is being used? What would be useful is to read how a particular amplifier was selected, though for many beginners, their own answer is "the one I have."

 

I see a lot of technical errors, too - wrong units of measure, misuse of "phase" is very common, in several contexts, and most commonly, incomplete specifications or specifications that are irrelevant to the topic - for example describing a mic as "edge terminated" when what's more important is that it's a large capsule condenser mic.

 

It's really hard to self-edit, and there usually isn't someone to look over an article and point out (and fix) technical errors or missing useful information.

[RABid]

First thing you have to do is build a list of sources that you halfway trust. Too many people on the web, print or TV have an agenda and their content is biased towards that agenda. Whether political, social, or a goal to get the reader/watcher to click a link and buy a product so they get commission. When I find a good source I become a loyal follower.

 

While at my sister's house I happened upon a news channel. It was great. No agenda, just the facts. She said it is the cable company that produces that news channel and it has become very popular. I hope it becomes popular enough that other news sources take notice. If they loose a measurable chunk of viewers to a channel without an agenda maybe they will try it.

[Anderton]

There usually isn't someone to look over an article and point out (and fix) technical errors or missing useful information.

 

Hey! Remember when magazines used to have a thing called an "editorial staff," or an "advisory board"? No, you wouldn't...you're too young

[Chip McDonald]

Interesting, so this is why SSS is no longer listed/at the top "forums"....?

 

I read everything I could when I started playing around '83-84. MIX was always... sparse with practical info, but I'd read through it anyway, hoping to glean some morsel of knowledge. Really think the Stephen St. Croix/Marshall part was the most informative - I'm not sure how many boxes a band had out on the road and what board they were using was the best utilization of the magazine, but I'm just a peasant. I'd try to grab old copies when I could (or any audio periodical) to try to "catch up" to 1984.

 

The internet has condense the experience of bookstores into an immobile, but ultra-efficient activity.