nitro2k01
Offline
Sweeeeeeden

This forum is for product reviews. Reviews should be of products that are relevant to the chip community.

Keep questions and non-review discussion at a minimum. Do not start threads asking questions.

One thread per product. Additional reviews for a product should be posted as replies to an existing thread for that product. Search before you post. Please try to write insightful reviews.

Feel free to use the template from TylerBarnes' post below. Click quote and copy the contents to the new post and add your review points below the headings. If you're adding an image before a heading, add a line with something like a single period between the image and the heading, otherwise the heading will end up to the right of the image. Sorry about the inconvenience. This is because of how the CSS is written and will be fixed later.

For new users, don't spam/use this forum for product placement. Spammers will be banned within hours of posting. Don't bother.

Discussion about the forum section: http://chipmusic.org/forums/topic/13031 … w-section/

Last edited by nitro2k01 (Dec 25, 2013 11:39 pm)

TylerBarnes
Offline
Dallas, Texas

So is this mostly for commercially available products such as items one could just buy from a users online shop and larger shopping sites, or can it include products like software and/or firmware that are more of a DIY thing? I'm just trying to gauge how broad the term product is when being use in this context.

nitro2k01
Offline
Sweeeeeeden

Well, the idea is to produce a useful resource for the community. Anything that is actually chip-related is a given. Reviews of different performance gear like stage mixers, studio monitors and audio interfaces would probably be appreciated as well.

As for your question of DIY vs non-DIY, sure DIY is ok, as long as it as a product that is actually being produced/sold regularly and not just a one-off. (In other words, if a person has only produced a single or a couple of items, a review might not be that valuable to the greater public.)

Really, though, let's just go with the flow for now and see what works. I think it's a situation of "you know it when you see it".

TylerBarnes
Offline
Dallas, Texas

So I've taken a little time to comprise a list of ways one might categorize a product review. I tried to cover the main points. Just some things you should think about when writing an informative review. Obviously not limited to this format, but should be of some use to those that want an quick and easy template. (In some of these items there's a bit of crossover like 'midi' has more than one facet, so it's in several sections and 'size' could also be a part of 'portability' or 'aesthetics'. Also, I suppose 'Ergonomics' plays a part in the 'Ease of Use')


Ease of Use

How intuitive is the layout, menu system, user manual, workflow, connection configurations, and other things related to ease of use?

Price

Is the product affordable for the average person? Does the price match it's quality?

Availability

Is the product available from more that one distributor? Is it still in production, or only available as a vintage or discontinued product (ebay)

Durability

How rugged are the enclosure, knobs, buttons, connectors? will they survive a drop to the ground, or hard wear and tear from gigging/studio use?

Sound Quality

How does the sound compare to other gear? Any notable issues with resolution, noise floor, or distortion?

Aestetics/ergonomics

Is the design aesthetically pleasing to look at? Are there alternate color options? Is it intuitive and comfortable to control/use the product?

Size

How large or small is it? Can you easily fit it in and around your other gear?

Portability

Does it require a wall socket for power? Is it small enough to easily transport?

Sustainability

(Batteries, Tapes, Etc.)
Will you have to continually buy batteries or other such consumables to use the product?

Sync-ability

(MIDI Clock, DIN Sync, Clock Trigger)
Can you sync the clock with other various types of gear?

Compliency

(USB Device, MIDI Device, OS X/Win, x86/PPC)
Is it a class compliant USB or MIDI device? If not, what Operating System/Architecture will support it?

Integration

(CV Control, MIDI Data)
Are there any options for controlling with your analog gear? Can you control with other midi gear?

Ease of Modification

How easy is it to modify? Can items be purchased such as backlights/buttons/sync kits/etc? Can you potentially create custom mods yourself such as adding functionality to the existing circuit (Korg Monotron, Speak&Spell, Gameboy, etc)

Personal Experiences

This can be about anything you find to be good or bad from the product in your experience owning and using it. Maybe it ruined a gig, or maybe it saved one.

Last edited by TylerBarnes (Dec 26, 2013 12:11 pm)