"Threadiquette" in the clinic?

X

XLR

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I generally dislike forum rules... the whole nature of over-moderated forum etiquette and the false-front namby-pamby fake politeness of it. Hell, some forums - luckily not this one - have rules about "being nice" that in effect just tend to encourage grandiosity and BS spewage.

Do you think there’s a "code of etiquette" in the mp3 clinic? If so, what?

Not talking about language use - like someone saying fuck or shit in their posts... more about rate of thread creation, repeatedly bumping one's own threads, posting to other threads as well as one's own, critiquing style, etc.

What do you think? What kinds of posts do you think are good? What pisses you off?

Tim
 
Timothy Lawler said:
I generally dislike forum rules... the whole nature of over-moderated forum etiquette and the false-front namby-pamby fake politeness of it. Hell, some forums - luckily not this one - have rules about "being nice" that in effect just tend to encourage grandiosity and BS spewage.

Do you think there’s a "code of etiquette" in the mp3 clinic? If so, what?

Not talking about language use - like someone saying fuck or shit in their posts... more about rate of thread creation, repeatedly bumping one's own threads, posting to other threads as well as one's own, critiquing style, etc.

What do you think? What kinds of posts do you think are good? What pisses you off?

Tim
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The threads that upset me ... or I guess I should say the threads with which I get upset ... are the ones where the link is to myspace or something and I can't download the tune. I'm on dial-up, so I can't stream for crap.

Of course, this is a very selfish reason, as I know I'm among the minority when it comes to dial-up vs. high-speed, but I would post comments much more often if I were able to listen.
 
I think it's good

I think the quality of posts in the MP3 mixing clinic are above average as far as etiquette goes. Most people post here in earnest to have experienced ears give a listen to what they put a lot of time and effort into. Now, that Guitar and Bass forum is something else, how many times can Gibson vs Prs or Fender or whatever be done :P.

I've received much in the way of useful advice from posting, and I learn something new everytime I do post a piece of music. At least the posts aren't like "OMG*#&ZORS YOU ARE TEH NOOB, WHY U REECORD MUZIK?"

I'd sit down and have a beer with just about anyone in the mixing clinic I do believe, nice chaps I say!
 
I generally like how the MP3 clinic runs myself. Once in a while, there are way too many of the first post, here's my shit, listen stuff, that pushes everything off the first page, but whatever. I just find I have to dig every so often to find stuff. I actually have no problem with someone bumping their own stuff, as It can get lost quite easily, and never be seen again. I just found a post this morning, that had no responses, and was from last month. There were so many new posts, it went off page on in hours, and it's by someone who posts stuff and critiques more than others. So I dug it up. In reality, I wish he had, cuz I hated missing it myself. :D

Mu onlu "gripe" would be when someone postes, and then in 20 minutes, is bitching about no responses.....and they never listen to anyone else's stuff. :rolleyes:

But, whatever. I get to hear all teh free music I want in here, so I am generally happy.... :cool:
 
Hey,...

For whatever I've posted in the mp3 "clinic" forum,... I typically don't do a simple, gratuitous bump, but rather I'll post a reply with a response or relevant update. I don't think gratuitous bumps in themselves are good forum etiquette, but it doesn't upset me, either.

As far as form of the poster's replies, I think pretty much anything goes,... short of "aawwww,... you suck!!!"... in which case I'd prefer the poster to reframe his criticism with some specific or constructive points. Still,... if someone says "you suck", I'd surely consider that bad etiquette, but I don't get all bothered about it.

People on this forum are generally cool, and they deal with specifics & constructive criticism, for the most part.

If any or part of this question was aimed at me,... well,... for however many relevant updates I feel I have, is how many updates I post,... when I can find the time. I feel I'm well within reason doing what I'm doing, although YMMV. Yo, anyway, if I'm on page 1 today, in a week I'll be back on page 10, so it's not worth getting bent about it. At least I don't think so. I enjoy listening to other people's stuff as much as I enjoy posting my own. There's more than enough good music to go around. You could be listening off this forum for days!

I don't think the mp3 forum, or any forum on HRcom for that matter,... is run over with rampant bullshit posts. I've seen some over-the-top nonsense in the cave, but all the other forums are pretty tame. I've also seen the most offensive posts locked down & put into the "Evidence Locker" forum,... which is evidence enough for me that moderation on this board works.

Sincerely,
Dave;)
 
I think in general the MP3 Clinic works fairly well as far as etiquette goes. We don't often get snide comments, and considering this is the internet where people can hide behind a user name, we could get many more.

Like Dogman said, there's the occasional impatient person who never posts feedback on others' material. But they usually go away and are never heard from again or are berated out of existence.

I think that bumping one's posts is fine as long as it doesn't get excessive. It's hard when you put a lot of time in on a piece and get no feedback - good or bad. Sometimes I am tempted to bump others' posts as I feel they deserve more listens and feedback.

As also stated above, lately it seems that a post can disappear off page 1 pretty quick and tends to be lost thereafter. The ever increasing number of posters causes that to happen. On the other hand, there are days when the forum seems stalled with no new entries.

I find the critiques that are posted to be informative, and pretty much right on the money. Sometimes it's hard to post a critique too far down the line as most of the comments get repetitive (lol). The criticism is almost always constructive, and some go so far as to emphasize that point so as not to seem overly critical.

I would encourage more people to post feedback even if they are novices to home recording. Their opinion on "how it sounds" can be just as beneficial as the responses from the more experienced.
 
The MP3 Clinic is what I like most about this whole site. There is an honesty here and it is not (directly, at least) about someone trying to make a buck...I used to have a goal of listening to (and commenting on) a song a day, but life has gotten in the way.

When I am about to post one of my songs I try to make at least two or three serious critiques (not just "That's great") of other members' songs...I feel like this is "paying back" into the system.

When I attempt a critique I try to convey my overall impression, then the things I like about the song (which is usually easy to do), and (close to last) the things about the song that I found to be negative. I try to end my comments with appropriate praise and/or encouragement.

I think it is good that after a day or two (and/or after a few critiques are posted to one's thread) for the original poster (the person who put up the song to start the thread) to post appreciation and acknowledgment to those who commented on their song.

The activiy on this site seems to have tripled in the last two years since I've joined...I guess that means that this site is successful and healthy, but when things get crowded then sometimes each individual is given less attention (I guess that is where the thread bumping comes in...the simple "bumb" message doesn't bother me but I am usually not encouraged to listen to the song by it either).
 
i listen to other peoples' stuff and weigh in as much as time will allow. unfortunately, that's not nearly as much as i'd like it to be. :(

and a lot of times i'll listen but won't have anything to add that hasn't already been said......so i don't post a reply. maybe i should?

i'd hate to be considered one of those who expects people to listen to my stuff but is rarely seen critiquing other people's stuff. but at the same time, i don't really want to "pile on" when 3 other people point out a flaw and it's also noticible to me.

as for bumping.....this particular forum is SO busy, it seems that new posts are moved off the front page inside of 6 hours some days. that's certainly not nearly long enough for people who only visit once a day--let alone people who only visit every couple days. so i have no problem with someone bumping their stuff when it's fallen off the first page as long as they do it in a "nice" manner....b/c honestly, who regularly goes beyond the first page? :D


for the most part, the people (and posts/replies) here are TOP NOTCH compared to the rest of the internet. they're helpful and friendly, and usually provide excellent insight. and there's a LOT of great sounding, creative and interesting music to be found here.

and i think that's a beautiful thing.


cheers,
wade
 
Sometimes, also the newcomes are here because they searched online and ended up here. And to their amazement they see this homerecording.com/bbs. So they figure it's worth a shot to post and see how this works out. It might sound selfish too but I guess if someone got good feedback and a good welcome, they might try to improve and in the process listen to others' stuff and even make some friends and join the community!

I also like everyone giving their opinion, 'coz the recording gurus will listen and see what's wrong and their impression will be based on how they perceive the mixing/mastering job to be. To the newbies or experts some subtle things may not matter and this can help point out whether you should really fix each problem or not. I mean I was listening to Hilary Duff's new song called Fly and the drums are barely audible in places. If this was my mixing job, the drums would probably drown out everything else.

Anyhoo, without making the points too long,....
 
One problem with this clinic is that it doesn't have a clearly defined purpose. There was some discussion about this recently in a new member's post. That person and others got a bit tetchy with each other, but he/she did have a point that it is not clear what this forum really is for. And because it is not clear, there often are big inconsistancies in the way people post and respond.

For example, most people here use this forum to discuss the quality of mixes. But sometimes the OP clearly is more interested in the quality of their songwriting. And they get slammed a bit here for promoting that idea. Fine, you might say: they should post the song in the Songwriting forum instead. But I remember when I first explored this site people were getting slammed in the Songwriting forum for posting MP3s there. "Go post your %$&^ stuff in the MP3 clinic" they were screamed at. "This forum is for discussing songwriing not listening to mixes." Funny because, I believe a song is a song because it has a music. Otherwise it could be a poem. So what is the point of the music-less songwriting forum?

And if this forum is all about mixing not songwriting, what is the point of the music-less Mixing/Recording Techniques forums. (I know there is a lot of stuff on there that doesn't need audio examples, but maybe you see where I'm coming from.)

This whole site could benefit from having two mp3 forums: one for mixing advice; one for songwriting critique. They are separate issues (that's why there are separate jobs for sound engineers and performers). And they are both extremly relevant and useful for the Home Recorder. These two forums would become the "partner" forums for the Mixing/Recording Advice and Songwriting forums respectively.

Until that time, I think inconsistant behaviours will remain. And people will still ask "What really is the purpose of that forum?"

But besides all of that: thank you all for your great music :)

aspiring
 
Is this cause my colab thread's had almost 3000 views and been hogging the top spot for a while? :D


...I guess not.

BentRabbit's came into the frame late on with real drums so, I'm waiting on a second take of them then hopefuly I can get it mixed up and it can die and sink forever ;)

On a serious note....

I like the clinic. Apart from discovering some great tunes and artists it's a great place to get a different view of things when your ears are tired. What I really like about this place is that you don't get too many people in posting "hey, listen to my new tune, it rocks!" with no interest in advice on their mix, telling you what equipment and techniques they used to get the sound, but just looking for a pat on the back....there's a gazillion sites out there to get reviewed on without choking up this board
 
LemonTree said:
Is this cause my colab thread's had almost 3000 views and been hogging the top spot for a while? :D
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I like the colab threads. Some bands and covers, I don't care for but then I simply don't read the thread. Then there's others that I do like and I visit all the time. So there's variety for people. But it fosters that environment where people learn to work with others, learn to express their vision on the music, the direction, and get to make friends, learn new techniques (playing and recording), and in general have fun.
 
I think it goes pretty sooth in here, in general. I know I tend to go in spurts, from being on here all the time to not being around at all. I stil try to pop in and comment even if I'm too busy to really stick around. Of course, I'l post more often if I have a song up, but I'll also take that time to listen and comment on other people's music when I'm around more often too.
I guess, like everyone, I have a few pet peaves, but nothing too annoying. Besides a few mentioned by others in this thread that I agree with.
The thing that bothers me the most is when someone comes in here and TELLS us how great they think their song is and that they're really tripping over the sound and the groove, blah blah blah, and they're baddest mofo's in the history of music, etc.....I always wonder why they post here. This is a place to get opinions on your music...So if you're so great and everything is so perfect, why are you posting your tune here? And then when someone does have a criticism, they'll answer something like "I like that part, it's exactly what I was going for"...Fuck off.
 
My comments are usually about the general feel of the entire song or recording.

Whether it impressed or moved me in some way. I'm not inclined to nitpick details of a mix, although other members do it very well, and I'm not opposed to people getting specific on any of my posts. It's not my main aim,... but it's all fair game.

Which brings up an echo of the above sentiment, that "the purpose of this forum, as people utilize it, is very uneven and non-specific". I'll agree with that. That doesn't stop each user from interpreting, posting, and commenting in his/her own unique way.

An underlying comment, is that there's an abundance of very good music and recordings for e'one,... whether you're into specific mix details, or maybe just wanna be entertained by the masses. I think it all evens up in the end.

Last comment, is that many user's mp3 posts are so excellent, that they seldom need any criticism at all, (RAMI), but they're surely great for entertainment purposes!!

I might get flamed for admitting my main interest and focus is classic rock covers, and not homespun original tunes. Covers is what like to play, and is what I seek out to listen to in the mp3 "community". So sue me. ;)

... & bring'em on!!
 
When I see a ton of views and no responses, I always assumed it just kicked ass and needed no criticism :) That, or it just wasn't a style of music people were interested in. Usually, something bad brings out the critic in everyone. I notice this board has gotten a lot nicer since last time I was here, though. Some of the older, more harshly critical people don't seem to be here now. Maybe they are just hiding.
 
If I see a thread close to the bottom of page one with no response, I'll listen and comment. But it sometimes happens that it's so busy in here that some bad timing can sink your thread before anyone's had time to ignore it.
 
As far as the "What's this forum supposed to be?" question, I've always thought that since this is a home recording bbs that the songs posted are either yourself or your friend's band. Therefor, I comment on both, usually.

I'd say this forum has some of the best etiquette on this whole bbs. The Mixing/Mastering forum always has a couple "Why isn't my song as loud as commercial albums?" threads ON THE FIRST PAGE. But that's a separate topic.

I think the reason there is a whole lot of constructive criticism is because everyone here has been a noob and we all know what it's like to not have a good mix or know what to do.

Actually, this whole bbs (save for the cave) is one of the most mature sites I've visited. I applaud you all for that.
 
johndowis said:
When I see a ton of views and no responses, I always assumed it just kicked ass and needed no criticism :) That, or it just wasn't a style of music people were interested in. Usually, something bad brings out the critic in everyone. I notice this board has gotten a lot nicer since last time I was here, though. Some of the older, more harshly critical people don't seem to be here now. Maybe they are just hiding.
Click to expand...
It is a lot nicer, because they are all afraid of the SHED!! :eek: :D

Hey, I like that we can also be lighthearted and silly in here...Remember the MONKEY thread? One of my favorites!!! :) :cool:

I feel this clinic is very helpful to everyone who comes here...whether posting an mp3 or listening. I for one, do not always hear the things some of you guys do on a mix. I try to be as honest as possible, without rudeness or the intent to destroy someones desire to keep on trying. I like to be as positive as possible. What I say, I mean...even if someone else didn't like something, I thought to sound right. We're not all meant to have the ears of the Masterer...we still need the ears of a listener. NOt all of the songs that are #1 material is because they were recorded or mastered perfect...or even performed perfect. NO matter how good you do all three, if there ain't no magic...it ain't gona work....not for long anyway. I listen for that magic, over all the recording or performance flaws. I want to make sure, they understand just what they possess. I myself, am one to prefer a not so perfect live, one take performance with heart and magic, over a done and redone, cut and paste, punch in, punch out performance that has lost its shimmer. That also adds to dissappointment when you go to hear them live and wonder where all that perfection has gone...

Maybe I am here to comment on that magic, while another on the panning, another picking up sibilence, and another the micing issues. Everyone hears something with a predominance over the rest of it. Togather, we make a good team of listeners. To have just one set of ears trained to listen in just one way, is a very rigid form of critic...but receive the critic from a variety of listeners with different listening skills, and you have a good thing.

I am hoping to learn more by listening. This is the only place I listen more than talk...don't you guys be commenting on that statement either!!!! :p

I guess I have got off subject....what I am wanting to say is....I like the clinic and think we should just keep it loose the way it has been. There will always be someone very unhappy, no matter what you do....but MORE people will be helped and appreciative of the advice given. Nuff said eurt!!!
TRUE :)
 
I love it in this clinic!
I myself post tunes here every now and then and it is very beneficial to have outsiders review your music, who often will hear something you have over looked or just aren't hearing.

I have not got any gripes at all with this clinic, even tunes getting bumped doesn't worry me at all, quite often as Dogman said you can miss a tune from the front page if you don't visit often enough!

I just wish I had more time to spend in here listening to more of the music posted here!

I am a happy customer! :)

Gorty
 
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