Review of Stage 4 in November Sound On Sound

[Evans The Song]

It's taken a while but there's a review of the Stage 4 in the latest issue of Sound On Sound magazine. I'm not planning to buy one anytime soon but it's an interesting read

https://www.soundonsound.com/magazine/2023-11

[tsss27]

I was hoping this review would be unlocked (they usually have a few that are available immediately on release) but it looks like that's a no. I will probably own an NS4 by the time that review becomes available to read without paying

[Schorsch]

What I will probably never get is why people, who are paying or considering to pay several thousands of dollars/euros/British pounds for a Nord instrument, are not ready to spend 1 British pound on reading such a review

[catosim]

What I will probably never get is why people who are paying, or considering to pay, several thousands of dollars/euros/British pounds for a Nord instrument are not ready to spend 1 British pound on reading such a review

Maybe because we've spent every dollar on the NS4

[Evans The Song]

I was hoping this review would be unlocked (they usually have a few that are available immediately on release) but it looks like that's a no. I will probably own an NS4 by the time that review becomes available to read without paying

Not sure about the rest of the world, but in the UK it's possible to access the whole magazine for free if you create an account with SOS. It's a pain to read it on a computer, especially a laptop, but it's very generous that they offer this - they started doing it during the first COVID lockdown I think. I do buy the actual magazine occasionally too!

[PScooter63]

The pump rant was great. Not that I agree or disagree with it, it just came out of nowhere

[tsss27]

What I will probably never get is why people, who are paying or considering to pay several thousands of dollars/euros/British pounds for a Nord instrument, are not ready to spend 1 British pound on reading such a review

Because at the end of the day it's simply paying for someone else's opinion. With that logic perhaps this forum should start charging for its usage?

At the end of the day, the SoS reviews are great, well written and cover a lot of ground. But do I think it would change my decision to purchase an NS4 either way? Honestly probably not. I was holding off due to some apparent limitations with the synth, however now I know these are actually not missing (just left out of the manual...) But I'd certainly read it if I could access it for free out of curiosity

[tsss27]

I was hoping this review would be unlocked (they usually have a few that are available immediately on release) but it looks like that's a no. I will probably own an NS4 by the time that review becomes available to read without paying

Not sure about the rest of the world, but in the UK it's possible to access the whole magazine for free if you create an account with SOS. It's a pain to read it on a computer, especially a laptop, but it's very generous that they offer this - they started doing it during the first COVID lockdown I think. I do buy the actual magazine occasionally too!

I have an account with them, but this article seems to still be locked. Sometimes they are unlocked though, for example when they reviewed the Nord Wave 2 it was open on day one if you were logged in. Sometimes I see random reviews that are totally unlocked right away even without an account. I'm not sure how that all works.

[Nordlicht]

I was also able to read it (after creating an account), it's called the "replica edition".

[cotosso]

Because at the end of the day it's simply paying for someone else's opinion. With that logic perhaps this forum should start charging for its usage?

Johannes does not charge anyone but there is a donation option to support the cost of having this platform up and running, because the platform is not provided to him for free. That’s why a number of users who do understand this donate something every year, since this forum is a valuable source of information for all of us and should be supported, not just consumed.

At the end of the day, the SoS reviews are great, well written and cover a lot of ground. But do I think it would change my decision to purchase an NS4 either way? Honestly probably not. I was holding off due to some apparent limitations with the synth, however now I know these are actually not missing (just left out of the manual...) But I'd certainly read it if I could access it for free out of curiosity

And this is similar to what I wrote above - writing serious reviews and other articles requires investment in time, resources, people etc. which is not free of charge to those who create and maintain SoS. It’s just a matter of fairness to pay for this if someone is interested into it, even if it’s just out of curiosity. The mentality of getting things got free which have been produced by others destroys motivation, quality and diversity in the long run and is one of the worst developments in society over the past 40 years. A fee of £1 is, as low as it is, a sign of respect to the work of others. Expecting to get such work for free is disrespectful and selfish.

No offense against you, tsss27, but a general comment and food for thought. Let’s get back to topic now