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#41
Thank YOU for that perspective. As a freelancer... I am never in the office, and luckily have minimal exposure to the "seedy underside" of the publishing biz.... But that is the truth. It is not possible to run a magazine without facing these factors.


Anyway... I try to stay focused on what I do and leave the rest alone.
 
#42
I am totally with you Ed.
It absolutely drives me crazy that people are not willing to trust their ears over machines.
Not everything is measurable. Never has been, never will be.

I enjoy BP. I like ads too. You learn about what's new in the ads.
 
#43
I know and respect Ed's perspective on new (and old) gear, so Ed please keep those bass reviews coming.

I'm a bass-playing photojournalist and am familiar with the death spiral of the publishing business. No it's not perfect.

But ... quite simply, without ads there would be no Bass Player magazine or similar bass-specific publications.

That could lead to less innovation in the long run. Why? Because fewer potential customers would know about, desire, purchase or view new bass products or services.

When online or print publications don't make money, they lay off staff, cut familiar features (would it be as much fun without Woodshed?), and hack freelance budgets to shreds until eventually there wouldn't be ANY reliable reviews.

Think about the bigger picture for a minute.

Let's say a big ball game was headed to town. Wouldn't you want to know how the traffic might affect you, or learn what's going on with the teams, maybe get a behind the scenes view?

Personally, I'd rather have an experienced pro at least give it a once-over and then make my own decision, whether it's bass gear, politics or world events.
 
#45
Epidrake said:
I am totally with you Ed.
It absolutely drives me crazy that people are not willing to trust their ears over machines.
Not everything is measurable. Never has been, never will be.

.
Click to expand...

Anything that you can hear can be measured easily, except for those things your brain manufactures, of which there are many.
Doesn't matter. Whether you hear it or 'hear' it, if you like it it's good.
 
#49
dmusic148 said:
With all due respect, bull.
If you think that your hearing is more accurate and reliable than modern measuring/detecting methods, well, you're mistaken.
Click to expand...

More accurate and reliable? No.

More sensitive? Yes.

The human ear is not a useful scientific tool, because it is attached to the human brain, which is not objective. But to suggest that there aren't sounds that the ear can hear which can't be accurately measured by our current audio tools is incorrect.
 
#50
There really is no point arguing about this. If you are going to ignore the importance of microphones.
I won't even begin to talk about how everyone hears differently at different points of their life or how even the shape of a person's ears effect how and what they hear.

If you don't hear differences, that's fine. It's probably cheaper for you in the long run anyway.
 
#51
Sorry, the link I posted earlier to the double blind power cable test was bad. Here is the proper link
http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_11_4/feature-article-blind-test-power-cords-12-2004.html
The expensive cable was identified in 73 out of 149 tests so audiophile subjects scored 49% accuracy, the same as chance.
No microphones were used.

I agree that if it sounds good to you, even if it's an illusion, go ahead and buy it if you can afford it without depriving your kids of meals or an education. That's how I got my magic underwear. The issue here is that Ed, as a journalist/BP reviewer, presumably has more responsibility than the average bassist. He is not simply buying a product to make himself happy. Instead, he praised tonal improvements generated by a product that engineers assure us cannot affect tone. Psychologists concur, and tell us that it's a clear example of "expectation bias," a common auditory illusion. Moreover, he is not the first BP reviewer to recommend magic power cables. This thread is in the Hot Deals forum, it says that BP is a hot deal because it's free. As long as we know we're not getting bass journalism, that instead we're getting some cool articles and lessons surrounded by ads, and that the product reviews are simply extended ads that are more about moving product than reality, then ok. I guess I shouldn't have expected more, what did I want for free? Sorry for complaining, Jon
 
#52
As a reviewer, I see my responsibilities as this: to explain features, give some background on the product, evaluate its usefulness, and give you a subjective account of my testing.

This is an amp review first of all. Did I represent that product to those standards? I think so. The cable was a passing mention. I did not call from the rooftops that everyone should put their kids education at risk and buy one of these. I gave a subjective account of my experiences testing it. I thought it sounded better. We've hashed through a million times why it SHOULDN'T sound better... So give that a rest.


I won't defend the magazine industry in general, or even BP in general...I can only take responsibility for my own work. And I have, and I will continue to do so.
 
#53
edfriedland said:
All magazines run on advertising, even Bass Gear. They tried to do it without ads... guess what? It didn't work.
Click to expand...

First off, Ed, thanks for the kind words! We still miss you here at Bass Gear Magazine, and I personally enjoy what you are bringing to Bass Player (and FWIW, your stuff is more technical than the other writers, which for me, personally, is something I value).

Regarding your quote, above, for the record, we have never tried to operate Bass Gear Magazine without advertising. The business model from the get go was to offer the mag to as many readers as possible, with minimal (if any) cost to the reader. So, if you aren't getting income to offset expenses from your readers, you have to get it from advertisers. That being said, we don't have many "layers" to our company, and our budget is not outrageous (though it does cost a good bit to print a premium quality mag, and all that testing equipment does not come cheap).

Our theory is that content puts eyeballs on the page, and of course, the more readers you have, the more attractive that you are to advertisers. So, there is always a need to balance content and advertising, and each publication has their own budget, their own business model, and their own ideal balance of content to advertising.

I believe that Bass Player and Bass Gear Magazine are complementary publications, and I am a long-time BP subscriber, myself. We both have to run on advertising, so I hope that no one would begrudge either mag for this fact. If you dig the content in a mag, then enjoy it! If you also get some ads to go along with that content, I say check them out. You might learn about a product that interests you. If not, then flip the page...

Take care, Ed. :cool:
 
#54
And while the challenges of producing a magazine on a regular basis are something BP and BG both experience - at least you don't have to deal with the "suits".

And thanks for the good word. I enjoyed writing for you, it was nice to have that much space! It does let you get more involved with the product, and the people behind it.
 
#58
Wannabass said:
Lots of spam for other mags but still no bass player...would have continued the paid sub if it had been easier to relay feedback. On the plus side I got a years worth of information in this post!
Click to expand...

It'll come! i got my third one just Friday with Billy Sheehan on the cover, since posting the deal. i had put in for other mags on that site, but haven't seen them either :confused:
 

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