Hi All,
New member here. Just wanted to make an unbiased comment. I own a studio, and if I wanted to advertise here in your magazine (I've published extensively and taught journalism at Notre Dame) you would charge me money, which is the function of a for-profit magazine. Very fair. If my claims in that paid ad were false or misleading, that's OK, because I paid to publish. If I said my studio was better than all other studios, that would also be OK, because I paid to play.
I think maybe the problem is that Mr Winer is basically using your forum to sell his products, which, while being useful in a narrow spectrum of applicatons, are obviously not a cure-all, as most products are not. The problem also may be that you're letting him get away with it. Free advertising. I'd love to have free advertising.

Perhaps if there were an ad charge (and connected "Ad Forum") attached to these kinds of promotional messages readers might have a better perspective on the value of the claims. As it stands, people coming into this forum see Mr Winer's thinly disguised ads as "scientific discussion"

Several years ago, while surfing the web in an attempt to augment my understanding of studio design/construction (I've built five studios and helped install another six, including some very successful studios with multiple gold record credits), I found Real Traps all over the net. I wasted valuable time wading through all the claims until I ultimately discarded that option as being of limited use and too expensive. I now have a marvelous new studio designed from scratch, and I would never consider using RealTraps because of the reasons stated above. They're not bad gear, just a waste of money in my opinion.

Imgine if I were less educated in the beginning of my search, and invested all that money in treatments. I would now be upset at being "taken", and would have eventually have had to retrofit my studio. As it stands, I got it right from the first because I was directed to much less expensive, more cost/acoustic-effective ways to treat my room.

I firmly believe that this is at the core of the problem. Free advertising in any medium suggests an exchange of some sort, and your willingness to allow RealTraps to basically advertise for free compromises your stature as an independent magazine.

Thanks for lending an ear.

Stephen Foster
Howler Recording Studio
"The best recording studio in the world... no, really..."

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Howler

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