Does an opinion matter without experience?

Steinberg Lounge
#1

Does an opinion really matter without experience?

  • No, an opinion is only in the eye of the beholder, no matter how informed or ill-informed it is.
  • Yes, all opinions matter because they can stimulate debate.

0 voters

Perhaps a philosophical question, but in relation to DAW software, how much does an opinion really matter?

For example I have little experience with “other” DAW softwares bar Cubase but when I speak to people who use different software, I often find they like what they use because they find it easier to work with.

Saying that I guess as Cubase progresses from product cycle to product cycle it can be a steep learning curve for those on older versions but my view on this is that since C7 was first released, on the whole most people in this forum at least appear to be happy bar a few that either:

a) Don’t actually own the software themselves and instead rely on the opinions of others

or

b) Have a workflow for them that is tried and true, yet still want more

If you find yourself harking back to a time when an application worked one way but can’t get used to how it currently works now, maybe you need to try first hand in order to have an informed opinion.

#2

Opinions, like an inviting cavity, everyone has one…

There’s also hearsay, which isn’t a first hand account per say, but passing on what they’ve heard from others with the experience. This could be as valid or invalid as first hand experience. Many people on the forum claim Cubase 7 has been problematic, features have been omitted, “the new mixer sucks” etc.

Hearsay, no matter what the first hand account is, can be powerful… Take your pick of gods for example…no one in the history of man kind has ever really seen one, yet millions live their lives around this superstition. The hearsay of Cubase greatly pales in comparison. I mean, firstly we all know Cubase and other DAW software really exists …some of us use different versions of it (Cubase Cakewalk, Logic,Pro Tools etc). Second, we as humans rely on the things we hear from others, they’re passed down. Someone recommends using Cubase over say, Cakewalk…so we run out and buy Cubase. Unlike your pick of gods, us DAW users don’t generally don’t go around and behead those who believe in and use a different software…though some DAW users can be fanatical. Someone indicates that there are many others who don’t like, or have found issues with the newest version. When Windows Vista came out, how much of a bad rap of hearsay did THAT spread around the PC community?

Yes, most of us are more comfortable in sticking with what we know. Though I tried Cakewalk, I also tried Cubase. I’ve stuck with Cubase ever since. I don’t need to change, it does what I need & want. New versions have many changes along the way, some cry out in protest over them, while others welcome them. Too much change, and especially just for the sake of changing something isn’t always a good thing. I’m sure if I ran out and bought Cubase 7, I wouldn’t know how to use it. For as little time I have to spend on my music hobby, I’d be spending all my time relearning how to do simple tasks, that I could have otherwise got some of my idea’s down.

#3

Opinions matter about as much as polling data.

#4

I tend to agree about the opinions but it seems like polling data is useful when it comes to confirming an issue or the want of a feature request.

Regards :sunglasses:

#5

Aloha guys, just to chime in

Applying this topic to music (not just DAW usage):

Opinion with no experience = ‘Rock and Roll’
and there ain’t nuthin wrong wi dat! :slight_smile: :slight_smile: :slight_smile:

{’-’}

#6

Just don’t be TOO smart :wink:

#7

I think you will find SB don’t take any regard from a Poll in this forum.

The Feature Requests, Issues Forums etc., were set up to cater for the barrage of feedback that would inevitably flow from continual rewrites of the program.

#8

From my old management training… I don’t disagree with everything you’ve said.

Regards :sunglasses:

#9

So does that mean you fully or implicity agree or otherwise tacitly support the general thrust of the “opinion” put forward :wink:

#10

Dirty Harry’s take … http://tinyurl.com/2cy7ujg

#11

So the question becomes, ‘do a…holes matter’, except on the crapper… :stuck_out_tongue: .

#12

I LOVE the sense of the poetic most Aussies seem to posses :smiley:

Back to the OP… in the case of opinions of DAW software personally i think it’s impossible to have a truly ‘valid’, for want of a better word, opinion without personal experience… can’t speak for everyone of course here but in RL i’ve very often found that SOME people very often appear to seem to think that they’re ‘missing out’ on something and feel the need to become defensive in order to satiate their own feelings of inadequacy which seem to manifest in for want of a better expression ‘regular p#ssing contests’’.
A few years back i had someone SERIOUSLY convince themselves and subsequently tried to convince me that an old cracked 32bit copy of a certain DAW and his MOTORBIKE (WTF???)was more ‘powerful and superior’ to C5.5 64bit , they became HIGHLY emotional and animated about it, this was all triggered because i purchased an new audio interface!!! The person was quite clearly upset that someone had DARED to spend money on a better setup than them, felt angry and upset and then tried to ‘transfer’ those negative feelings (of course it was not my intention to upset them) on to me causing me to feel bad lol… a bit of an extreme example i know but a good one of ONE type of person. I DID feel sorry for the guy, not because of any guilt in spending MY money on MY interface but rather that something in his life was obviously so upsetting for this guy that it caused him to carry on the way he does… :frowning: :frowning:

just my 2p’s worth…

#13

There’s a recent thread “Do You Feel EVERYONE Should Buy/Use Cubase 7?” that was also making a point about how we feel about Cubase, quite a good topic that ran it’s course, particularly the part about material significance and software versions.

You are right, there is a certain psychology around computers and software, which is always an interesting topic of conversation.

Back onto the subject, if opinions are like a@'s and everyone has one, then who’s opinion is more valid, e.g. women, man or mere sentience :smiling_imp:

#14

Though personal experience gives better insight true, but knowing certain ‘facts’ via other means, whether having read it, or been told from ‘others personal experience’ and passing on what they know can be just as valid…or invalid as the case may be, because people who have actual experience can be wrong about something.

As for your take on your friend, perhaps you could have misinterpreted what was going on in his mind, or maybe he just felt you were a boasting braggart :wink:

Women/s opinions matter MORE because they have TWO holes :laughing:

Yes, there’s definitely a psychology around this and most anything for that matter… and part of the point for the above mentioned thread was actually about that psychology & mind-sets, addressing materialist views & superiority complex behaviors. As with anything in life… there is a definite superiority complex among some with their own specific Cubase versions to those that who are still using a legacy version. Same with those who use a ‘lesser’ capable computer, a Mac, a PC etc, etc. Same thing with some with feelings of ‘inferiority complexes’ … though in either instance, these superiority/inferiority complexes may be misinterpreted as such :bulb:

I’m better MOST people who are using Cubase 7, did so ‘just because’ rather than any real need…a ‘grass is greener’ frame of mind. Not that there’s anything wrong with having a new interface, a new version of Cubase, a new computer etc, etc…but there always a ‘flip side’ to everything, and everyone is entitled to having their ‘own’ opinion :bulb:

#15

Some excellent points there, i whole heartedly agree with pretty much everything you put, perspective/expectation/cultural bias/political bias/negative ‘life events’ etc…even hormonal switches, if you happen to be one of those people who gets a bit narky when they get hungry… all these things can affect one’s ‘affect’ which in turn can lead to lack of judgement/cognition etc. We’re all not as in control as we would like to think!..and at the end of the day, personally all i could give a flying fig about is still being able to make music… i personally really don’t care what colour other people’s grass is, i’m just happy that i HAVE grass… some pretty heavy life type crap can seriously change a person’s viewpoint and expectations…

…A sentient hole… that’s food for thought… :smiley:

#16

^ lol :mrgreen: Good points as well :bulb: … our particular mood, how our morning went that day, what happened the night before, and even blood sugar levels, they all affect us in many ways with a level of unpredictability. Some people are just the ‘reactionary’ types & some are just ‘animated’ in nature, some just like to defy others on every point.

I personally like to push people buttons, by making them stop & think…a constant social experimentation. It produces very interesting reactions from people. Tradditionally, I’ll make a post, or a comment in another thread, and just sit back & watch for emotionally charged reactions :ugeek:

Ain’t I a stinker? :smiley:

#17

Not at all.

I would only ever wish to make the point that there is a reason for wanting to upgrade a program, which is to obtain increased stability and functionality.

For example, C7 introduced greater stability to the VST/ASIO “subsystem” which in turn requires greater system resources. I opted for this and went and bought a new system specifically for this purpose but also because I was on a smaller version 5 which did not have Batch Export.

Other “must have” features for me at least were Chord Editing and an overall improved function of the project page and VST output configuration.

In my view (as opposed to opinion) this is a natural progression and why I had no qualms about upgrading.

#18

Well that makes perfect sense sycophant…when you really need certain functionality, you must simply have it, and that’s fine, no disagreement there… or…one just really really wants it, and that want becomes desire, then turns into a ‘must have’. Though for some, especially hobby guys who don’t require any more than what we have, wanting more is just eye candy. There’s a few features that sound really cool as I’ve said before…this ‘chord’ thing, but really…I’ve been playing music for years, I can experiment, figure out, discover chords the old fashion way…discovery by poking around. I mean daem, sometimes I forget I actually play instruments with all the technology. After talking with a friend about what we’ve each been doing musically recently, I told him that I’ve become quite a technician on the computer… Also, I once said “midi has made me a better musician” :wink:

Take an old guy, he likes his old gym shorts, his old recliner chair that his rear end has made a formation in, and his old truck that get’s him from A to B…they still work for him. Take a young buck, he wants fancy speedo’s because he thinks chicks dig it, wants the latest Lazy Boy chair with a built in cup holder, electric stabilizing tilt mechanism, and buys a new car every year with automatic parking. Sure, the new bells & whistles are designed to make it so that you’re supposed to do less so you can get on with things. The old stuff still does what it does…and often lasts longer. I’ve been watching a lot of very old movies and have been observing the back round items on the sets…you know, there are really so many things that are the same as today as far as home furnishing & design go, but when they pick up the telephone OMG! :open_mouth:

There are two societies of mind sets, the throw away for the next cool thing society, and the make stuff last until it can’t be used society…and of course the various shades of inbetween-ness :ugeek:

#19

Right but as you yourself know all too well, with the VST System link it is really a non-issue.

I happen to have an old PowerCore Firewire that I’d like to spark up one day, but it is impossible on Windows 8, which means I have to find an old (or new) copy of Cubase.

For me I have no aversion to purchasing multiple copies of the same software; version notwithstanding, which you yourself must have done at some stage but as a music “programmer” one workstation normally suffices for general writing and composition work (I have since moved to SonicCore but still own 3x Layla 3G).

I could probably get another copy of Cubase with an EDU discount but as I tend to use what works in the now, having multiple keyboards, KVM Switches, power supplies and system boxes it sometimes is too much to bear.

#20

The only polling data of any value whatsoever, is that of those Gondoliers in Venice and fishing charter captains on the flats near Destin Florida. All that political poll propaganda (polite word for lies) garbage ain’t fit to line a bird cage with.