Does Anyone Here Actually Care About Product Reviews?

[Anderton]

I remember the days when Keyboard had in-depth reviews from people like Jim Aiken. You could pretty much take his analysis to the bank. Sound on Sound still carries on that tradition. 

 

But does anyone care about product reviews? Do most people decide what gear to get based on forums, word of mouth from friends, YouTube videos, or what? What influences you to check out and potentially buy something?

 

I would guess that for many (most?) Musicplayer.com regulars, the opinions of fellow musos count more than the "they-gave-me-gear-so-I-love-it" YouTube people. But I'm curious what y'all consider credible sources for piquing your interest about products.

[GovernorSilver]

MPN GearLab of course!

 

Except whatever I wrote in there.  I have a newfound respect for you Craig, and Dr. Metlay, Jim Aiken, etc.  as top of the line product reviewers.

[Anderton]

I like GearLab too  

 

My goal isn't to say whether I like something or not (who cares?), but to describe something as accurately as possible so people can make up their own minds. True review story: I once reviewed Native Instruments Kore. At the next NAMM show, one person came up to me, said he ended up buying Kore because of the positive review - and he loved it. But another person said "Wow Craig, did Native Instruments cancel any advertising after that negative review?" The differerence is that Kore was ideally suited for the first reader's needs, but not the second's.

 

As to Native Instruments, they just thanked me for explaining what it did  

 

[GovernorSilver]

Yeah, that's the level of art/science in review writing that I have yet to reach.   

 

How to describe the product in detail, in a way that is coherent, articulate, without too much rambling.

[Anderton]

You're already so far above most YouTube "reviewers," you can rest easy

[RABid]

2 hours ago, Anderton said:

The differerence is that Kore was ideally suited for the first reader's needs, but not the second's.

Know what remember most about Kore? I bought it, they dropped it, they came out with Komplete Kontrol, I bought it, again.

[RABid]

I do read reviews, check forums, and even watch YouTube. I never watch youtube as a "should I buy" curiosity. I either watch product A vs. product B, or tutorials on how to use the sequencer, program a sound, etc... YouTubers reviewing a product may not tell you what is wrong with it, but someone showing you how to use it most always covers the issues you will run into and how to get around them.

[David Emm]

Yes and here's why.

 

First, I care to the extent that strolling through various reviews and Net hubub productively occupies time I might otherwise use to build a 'tomic bomb in the basement. 

 

Second, I can filter out YouTube fuzz and get a passable idea of what a given tool will sound like. That's half the proverbial battle. 

 

Third, I've been at it for a long while now, so I can fill in various gaps through prior experience. I can apply a vital sliding scale to the alleged Good and Bad, which usually = a worthwhile purchase and implementation.

 

Case in point: Prof. Metlay's exhaustive Wavestate tutorial. That's a golden "review."

[Anderton]

1 hour ago, RABid said:

Know what remember most about Kore? I bought it, they dropped it, they came out with Komplete Kontrol, I bought it, again.

 

I still use the cute little Kore USB desktop controller for doing edits with a variety of gear. Better than a doorstop! Although - the "catch" is you need to have an older version of the controller editor on your computer to program it. 

 

Kore was a first pass that, shall we say, didn't set the world on fire.  I wonder if anyone here is a fan of NKS...

[RABid]

Yesterday I put in a preorder for the new Akai mini keyboard controller. This morning I watched Taetro do a review. He brought up issues with the joystick that does not always return to center and a built in arp that does not sync to tempo. You have to set the song tempo for the sequencer and the arp tempo separately. Off to go cancel that order.

[The Real MC]

So yes I actually care about product reviews.  But I am very selective about the sources.

 

MPN, Sound on Sound, and Analogue Heaven are the only online reviews I trust, but not absolutely.  I know how to operate a lot of keyboards, guitar amps, processors, mixers, etc so I can spot a bad review.

 

A lot of negative reviews are from owners who obviously did not know how to operate the gear, have hooked it up wrong, or have failed to read the user manual.  One reviewer years ago sold his Andromeda on AH claiming he didn't know (and wouldn't learn) to program it, then everywhere else he slammed the instrument.  I almost never judge gear on their factory patches, some are stellar some are awful.  A lot of reviews judge the instrument only on its factory patches, without ever doing any tweaking on their own.

With the exception of select group of people with established integrity, I take positive reviews with a grain of salt.  Too many online reviews on other websites are "planted" by fakes posing as owners.  One of the websites had to completely wipe the reviews because there were too many fake ones.

[Anderton]

5 hours ago, RABid said:

Yesterday I put in a preorder for the new Akai mini keyboard controller. This morning I watched Taetro do a review. He brought up issues with the joystick that does not always return to center and a built in arp that does not sync to tempo. You have to set the song tempo for the sequencer and the arp tempo separately. Off to go cancel that order.

 

If it's not out yet, then a review like that could be highly beneficial. Once I wrote two reviews and sent them off for fact-check. The reviews were so negative the manufacturers decided to postpone releasing their products until the issues were fixed, because that was the only way to squelch the review.

 

There have also been a few times when a software review mentioned bugs. If the manufacturer didn't want to see it in print, I would negotiate on when the review would go into print, like "I'll hold off publishing for two weeks if you can get me a rev that fixes the bugs during those two weeks."

 

This is one reason I'd get frustrated with readers who had conspiracy theories about fact-checks being a way for manufacturers to rewrite reviews. Quite the opposite. It's also a way to save my butt if I miss some really important feature, or misunderstood how something works.

 

[David Emm]

6 hours ago, The Abominable MC said:

So yes I actually care about product reviews.  But I am very selective about the sources.

 

MPN, Sound on Sound, and Analogue Heaven are the only online reviews I trust, but not absolutely.  I know how to operate a lot of keyboards, guitar amps, processors, mixers, etc so I can spot a bad review.

 

 

My acid test for a reputable review is one that includes some form of Loopop's Pros & Cons or moments where Nick Batt warns you of three potential v.1.0 OS glitches. You hear about the good, the tolerable and the wretched. That's the way WE'd do it if we were kicking back over suds and comparing notes. That's also fair to noobs, so its win-win.

[Anderton]

35 minutes ago, David Emm said:

 

My acid test for a reputable review is one that includes some form of Loopop's Pros & Cons or moments where Nick Batt warns you of three potential v.1.0 OS glitches.

 

But...beware of reviews that include something negative just to appear "fair and balanced." When editing EQ magazine, I ditched the "pros and cons" thing in favor of "strengths and limitations." It may seem like a subtle difference, but it caused reviewers to look at gear in a different way. I wanted to get as far away from the "I like this, I don't like this" vibe. Having to quantify strengths and limitations brought it back to the gear instead of the reviewer.

[RABid]

The reviews that I hate are the pre-release "let me spend a half an hour describing every detail of buggy incomplete software driven instrument that will probably be very different upon release after I give them my 5 page report of things that need to be fixed." Wow, this happens a lot. I've gotten to where I look for version 2 reviews.

[bill5]

Not in the tiniest. Once I found out how common it is for reviewers to give glowing reviews because then they get free stuff I dismissed them. Word of mouth and forums like this are the only things that influence me. 

[KenElevenShadows]

I like reviews, but typically read several of the same product so I can see certain patterns. 

[mcgoo]

7 hours ago, KenElevenShadows said:

I like reviews, but typically read several of the same product so I can see certain patterns. 

 

Same here. I've been looking at the Keylab mk2 88 and have read everything I can find on it (and on its competitors) . On paper it's everything I want in a gigging controller. A common complaint in nearly every review though is the action being too heavy. That's such a subjective thing but it will be a deal breaker if I can't hang with it. Ultimately, I'm going to have to try it out.... But the reviews have been helpful in narrowing my choices. 

[Notes_Norton]

When I'm looking for new gear, especially if expensive or if I have limited experience in the subject, I search out reviews. I favor trusted sites and publications.

 

When I got treeware magazines like Keyboard, Electronic Musician and others, I read reviews even if I wasn't in the market for something new. I do remember Jim Aiken, and you are correct about his reviews. They were spot on and unbiased.

 

I think I bought my first Buchla Thunder tactile MIDI controller due to a review. Mrs. Notes has two, and Buchla's company still keeps them running in those rare times when they break.

 

I miss the old magazines. At least the ones that mixed info with the overt and covert advertisements. Keyboard, Electronic Musician, and Pro Audio Review were among my favorites.

 

I used to run a classified ad in Keyboard and E.M. advertising my aftermarket Band-in-a-Box products. That got me started in what is now 30 years and running in that business.

 

On the other hand, I also like the instant search function of the Internet, which is probably what put the magazines out of business.

 

Insights and incites by Notes

[Al Quinn]

Yes, I read reviews before buying gear. I like Sound on Sound reviews. YouTube has served me well in terms of understanding how keyboards sound. Reviews on forums like this are helpful too. Actually, my reason for joining this forum was to gain knowledge for updating my gear. Overall, it's been a good experience. To my pleasant surprise there's been more chat about music than I expected. I like music much more than I like gear.

 

I've learned that the action and finger-to-ear connection can only be evaluated by actually playing the keyboard. Of course, action and finger-to-ear connection are so subjective that reviews can't help too much. If it weren't for the no-hassle return policies I wouldn't know how to sort this out. 

 

Buying amplification is difficult and reviews can only be so helpful as we all hear differently. Two people could be standing next to each other listening to the same amp and have quite different opinions. 

[KenElevenShadows]

8 hours ago, mcgoo said:

 

Same here. I've been looking at the Keylab mk2 88 and have read everything I can find on it (and on its competitors) . On paper it's everything I want in a gigging controller. A common complaint in nearly every review though is the action being too heavy. That's such a subjective thing but it will be a deal breaker if I can't hang with it. Ultimately, I'm going to have to try it out.... But the reviews have been helpful in narrowing my choices. 

 

Yes, you see patterns and can narrow your chances, increasing the likelihood that you will actually enjoy the product and it will suit your needs. Hopefully the Keylab works out for you. 

 

I should add that you can generally tell if the reviewer is being methodical and reasonably objective. It's similar to the same skillset in which people are able to determine factual information from something that is poorly-reasoned or unsubstantiated, so everyone should be able to do-, oh, never mind.   

 

I should add that I review stuff occasionally for Photofocus. I typically choose items that I am excited about that look like they would be really great. This increases the likelihood that I will like it and therefore give it a good review. 

 

Just like I wouldn't go to a restaurant that seems like something I would not enjoy, so it is with choosing items that I want to review. And it's that way with the rest of our staff as well. 

[KuruPrionz]

I may not buy much new gear but one source of reviews that I've found to be useful is Tape Op magazine. 

A subscription is free, the interviews are always interesting and the reviews are mostly to the point and discuss the good, the bad and the ugly. 

It's not unusual for a reviewer to state that they liked the item they reviewed so much that they purchased it. About the only thing I can think of offhand that I read a review on Tape Op (and other sources) and purchased was a Shure KSM8, which is a great mic. 

 

So it appears that reviews there may be held to a high standard. On the shortcoming side for musicians, they don't review guitars, amps, keyboards, drums, etc. 

Sound on Sound has reviews that are worth reading as well. YouTube is a mixed bag, mostly their reviews are blather spew but there are some good ones. 

I'm mostly not interested in reviews of musical instruments since I'm a guitar tech and hardly own any electronics (computers put it all in one small box!!!). 

I customize just about any guitar I keep, it's rare that something doesn't get upgraded. Since most people will be using the stock instrument, a review that speaks to me is virtually non-existent. 

 

Add in things like a nearly universal dislike for EMG pickups (even by players who've never really played them properly set up or at all and are just "parroting") and I'm out of the loop. FWIW, I use EMG pickups almost exclusively and if you ignore the advice on their earlier installation sheets and LOWER the pickups, they sound great. Less magnetic drag in general can also mean more sustain and better intonation. I'm a fan, so shoot me. Foof... 😇

 

I did read a review of the new Graph-Tec Ratio locking tuners and it sounded very straightforward so I had a customer who wanted new tuners, we put a set of those on there and they are the best tuners I've ever tried. I've put 3 or 4 more sets on other customer guitars and now I want to get rid of all my Sperzels and switch but funds are not forthcoming for such antics. So it goes.

[NewImprov]

I do read reviews in sources like SOS and TapeOp, and I miss the reviews in Keyboard mag. That said, the last 2 synths I bought new, I pre-ordered before there were any reviews because I knew it would take a while for them to get into stores, and if I waited for reviews, I'd have to wait even longer. Those were the Behringer 2600 and the Sequential Take 5. I feel like I made the right choice, I love both synths, and am glad to have them. Also, I'd used the ARP 2600 and Prophet 5 extensively in the past, so I kind of knew what i was getting.

 

Youtube reviews are hit and miss. I hate seeing the "reviews" that are just unboxing and plugging in the first time. On the other hand, a good YouTube review can actually give you a good representation of what the device can actually sound like. Another pet peeve of mine is that there are relatively few people posting reviews of stompboxes/effects being used on keys.

 

Lately, I've been digging Jorb's channel:

https://www.youtube.com/c/JorbLovesGear

 

[Pete D.]

I’ve been going through as many reviews as I can find of modeling pedals and modeling amps. They revolve mostly round going through the presets. I want to know what the amps being simulated sound like and how they can be tuned and tweaked to coax the right sound out of them. The reviewer loses almost all credibility when they start off by saying “the presets are too this, too that, don’t thump, etc. etc.” My curiosity is “Can I get it to thump, roar, twang or chime realistically“ starting from scratch.  Then, how does that compare with the ease and final sound of other amps or pedals by comparison. Most YouTube reviews are pretty useless. Store reviews are of the “go through the presets” variety. I find user reviews on vendor sites are prone to most of the reviews being written within hours or at most days after the unboxing and the reviewer is still in the honeymoon phase. After a mind numbing amount of YouTube/purchaser reviews/magazine sites I can get a minor sense of what’s possible but it’s a lot of work for what I find to be little payback. I don’t live close to shop(s) where I can compare stuff hands on.  I’ve been very lucky using my experience as a player and the research I can do to successfully buy great equipment in the 30 years since I moved away from NYC/48th Street. Research then was simply a daily stroll down Musicians Row.

[KuruPrionz]

1 hour ago, Pete D. said:

I’ve been going through as many reviews as I can find of modeling pedals and modeling amps. They revolve mostly round going through the presets. I want to know what the amps being simulated sound like and how they can be tuned and tweaked to coax the right sound out of them. The reviewer loses almost all credibility when they start off by saying “the presets are too this, too that, don’t thump, etc. etc.” My curiosity is “Can I get it to thump, roar, twang or chime realistically“ starting from scratch.  Then, how does that compare with the ease and final sound of other amps or pedals by comparison. Most YouTube reviews are pretty useless. Store reviews are of the “go through the presets” variety. I find user reviews on vendor sites are prone to most of the reviews being written within hours or at most days after the unboxing and the reviewer is still in the honeymoon phase. After a mind numbing amount of YouTube/purchaser reviews/magazine sites I can get a minor sense of what’s possible but it’s a lot of work for what I find to be little payback. I don’t live close to shop(s) where I can compare stuff hands on.  I’ve been very lucky using my experience as a player and the research I can do to successfully buy great equipment in the 30 years since I moved away from NYC/48th Street. Research then was simply a daily stroll down Musicians Row.

Quite a while ago I found a used Peavey Vypyr VIP 1 for a great price and bought it. It took a good while for me to understand how everything worked and longer to dial it for what I love to hear. Then I realized that the speaker sucked and cut a new baffle for a Peavey Scorpion 10" speaker. That and learning that "Post Gain" did not mean "After the Gain Stage" but rather "Output Gain" and now it's my favorite guitar amp. It sings, it chimes, very responsive to changes in picking and small, light and loud (if you need it).

I've owned 9 Mesa, quite a few Fenders including vintage Tweed stuff, an Allen, a RedPlate and others and those are all gone now. I don't miss them. 

Select an amp (I've been loving the Classic), use the amp selector as a push button and set it to the green (clean) setting, turn the Post Gain knob WAY up, feather in the Pre Gain, set your EQ and Master Volume to taste and you are good to go. If you push the Effects selector switch in, you can Edit 2 parameters of your chosen effect (there's a buttload of them) and also tweak the reverb and delay settings. The Delay also has a tap tempo button on the front of the amp. Once you get your tone, press and hold one of the preset switches and it will be there for you. 

 

There you are, an honest review from a player who is keeping an amp that I bought with my own $$. 😇

I also like the Boss Katana amps but they really don't "feel" quite as good as the Vypyr. Still, they will get you through a gig well enough.