The Secret Life of a Product Reviewer

Once upon a time, I edited a magazine called Music & Computers. I've also written reviews for Keyboard, EM, Maximum PC, MacAddict, and more, including a short-lived music magazine put out by Future. These days, I edit the audio section of O'Reilly Digital Media and write occasional reviews for EM.

As an editor, I choose the gear I want to review. In the M&C days, sometimes the ad staff would recommend a product, reasoning that if an advertiser (or potential advertiser) had identified our audience as a good prospect, then the advertiser's product might be something we should explore. And sometimes I'd agree. That didn't affect whatever rating we gave.

As a freelance reviewer, I either send a magazine a list of products I'd like to review or I consider assignments the editors offer me. Because it takes so much time to learn a product well enough to review it meaningfully (for me, anyway), I choose gear that either I'm seriously interested in buying or that's so groundbreaking that I want the chance to explore it thoroughly in my own studio. The Elektron Machinedrum, Roland V-Synth, and Korg Karma were in the latter category.

Most reviewers will also tell you that it's much harder to write a negative review than a positive one, because you really have to justify your complaints. When I gave one product a negative review a few years back, it took me 45 minutes just to compile all the troubleshooting e-mails I'd exchanged with the manufacturer so I could forward them to the editor. The editor and editor-in-chief then spent quite some time discussing the review and background issues with the manufacturer before we all agreed on wording we thought was fair. In the end, the product still got two stars out of five.

So, again, one reason you see so many positive reviews is because experienced reviewers tend to request products they think they'll like. Sometimes we guess wrong, and that's a drag, because then it becomes a job rather than a joy. And there's probably only a handful of guys who can master new gear and write fast enough to make a living off of review fees.

One of the reviewers I learned from had this interesting philosophy: Every product is right for some reader, so part of the review is identifying that person. Given the amount of bellyaching he's done about obscure issues over the years, I don't think he completely believed that, but it is a helpful exercise.

Before starting any review, I send the manufacturer a list of background questions to help ensure that I review the product in the proper context. When I complete the draft, it's sent to the manufacturer for fact-checking. Every music magazine I've worked for does at least the second stage.

I agree that music technology magazines are often bland and predictable, and that's one reason I enjoy visiting Analog Industries. On the other hand, even in the dullest magazines, I'll always find at least one intriguing tidbit, and that keeps me reading.