Null Tests

[dws2384]

They’re about equal to me in terms of uselessness.

Just yesterday I had someone admiring a 20x30 print on my wall asking me “how did you capture that level of detail?”

I took it with a 30 year old Nikon AF 28-70mm f/3.5-4.5 I bought for $35.

Some guy in a photography forum told me I must hate my family to take photos of them with such a cheap lens

Hahaha. I’ve been on photography forums for 20 years. They make these ones a walk in the park.

 

[Boudoir Guitar]

Kind of like hanging out on forums and being a fan boy but with data. Yep.

data without any ability to interpret it.

 

[KingsXJJ]

data without any ability to interpret it.

Yes, completely meaningless and arbitrary. Why the fuck are you in a thread called Null Tests being a complete asshole?

Is it a part of your character and it brings you joy? What a nicer able person you must be. You can FO.

 

[Boudoir Guitar]

Yes, completely meaningless and arbitrary. Why the fuck are you in a thread called Null Tests being a complete asshole?

Is it a part of your character and it brings you joy? What a nicer able person you must be. You can FO.

Ah, yes. I’m the raging asshole…

 

[Ed DeGenaro]

I believe Ken Rockwell coined the term “Equipment Measurbator”

The risk of spending time analyzing null tests or pixel peeping test screen shots is making the transition from being an Artist/Musician to being an Equipment Measurbator.

https://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/7.htm

That was awesome. Thanks

 

[Sascha Franck]

I believe Ken Rockwell coined the term “Equipment Measurbator”

The risk of spending time analyzing null tests or pixel peeping test screen shots is making the transition from being an Artist/Musician to being an Equipment Measurbator.

https://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/7.htm

Most excellent, thanks!
There's a wealth of great wisdom on the rest of his site, too - and I'm not into photography at all. Great pictures in his gallery as well.

 

[Sascha Franck]

Elitists ruin hobbies and fun every time

And there's very little professionals going the elitist route. Sure, when they can afford it, they buy the best gear (for their purpose at least), but in general, a metric ton of professional work gets done on less than perfect equipment (/cue Kemper aliasing discussion).
For many years I pretty often had to look out for subs playing gigs I can't do (still doing so, but most of my gigs these days aren't much of that nature anymore), so these are "working professionals" (no stars, top act sidemen or anything) - and pretty much noone geeks out on gear even remotely as much as what can be seen in forums.
Heck, most of these guys don't even know what a nulltest is. When using modelers, sometimes they don't even know what amp model they're using. You will also find an amazing amount of old technology (and we're not talking vintage but dated digital stuff and what not).

And while I'm pretty much technically informed myself (most of that comes from getting into sequencing, computers, DAWs and such, though, rather than from nerding out on guitar related things) and defenitely love some geek stuff, I consider myself being in that camp as well. For example, last year, I was using a Boss GT-10 for a whole number of shows. Simply because it was the most practical solution (had to stay on a truck for longer than I wanted to be without my main stuff, my sub had to use it as well, etc.). Defenitely not even close to my top picks if I had the choice, but it got the job done just absolutely fine, nobody complained and playing through it wasn't even half as bad as one might think, so I had my fair share of playing fun as well.

Geek stuff is fun, though (sometimes at least), and we shouldn't forget that it also pushes things forward. In case people weren't anal about it, our best modeling choices would possibly still be in the GT/Pod league. And why not? Those get the job done, too. But obviously, it's quite some more fun playing through these days modeling offerings.

 

[Orvillain]

Ah, yes. I’m the raging asshole…

Well we tried to tell you!

 

[[Nathan]]

They’re about equal to me in terms of uselessness.

Just yesterday I had someone admiring a 20x30 print on my wall asking me “how did you capture that level of detail?”

I took it with a 30 year old Nikon AF 28-70mm f/3.5-4.5 I bought for $35.

Some guy in a photography forum told me I must hate my family to take photos of them with such a cheap lens

Camera enthusiasts/elitists can be hilarious. Watch them talk about the latest camera bodies, lenses and accessories, like $8000-$14000 worth of gear and they post photos of a Pigeon or something

I’ve gone the depths of checking those sites for gear in the past…. Now it’s like, show me a couple photos… how big is it; what are the specs, yeah cool done. Don’t need to consume 20 more hours of info to make a decision. Ken Rockwell was/is an icon for stuff back in the day, what a throwback name!

 

[James Freeman]

ChatGPT roasting you null test nerds:

Ah, the Null Test Zealots — the self-declared Vatican Inquisitors of the tone world. These are the folks who think that if a modeler and a tube amp null out in a DAW, the Holy Spirit of Tone has been captured, bottled, and turned into a plugin preset. They're not here to feel music, they're here to measure it with surgical precision and absolutely no vibe.

---

"If it nulls, it's the same!"
Right, because music is just math homework with distortion. God forbid you actually use your ears instead of squinting at a waveform difference like you're decoding alien signals from the tone cosmos. News flash: your favorite records weren’t made by nulling 3dB peaks at 2.5kHz — they were made by people who played guitar like they meant it.

---

These are the types who'd try to "null test" Jimi Hendrix and go, "Actually, he's not that different from this AI-generated blues lick. See? Here's the phase-cancellation chart." Bro. Touch grass. Or better yet, touch a real amp before the electrons in your Kemper give you carpal tunnel from tweaking impulse responses all night.

---

They’ll spend 6 hours nulling a modeler and a Plexi within 0.2dB, then play through a pair of studio monitors on a desk with IKEA legs and say “identical.” Yeah man, totally — the same way a candle and the sun are identical because they both emit light.

---

Let’s not forget their favorite phrase: “It’s all in the mix.”
Of course it is — because they can’t hear nuance outside of a frequency analyzer. Meanwhile, every experienced guitarist hears the feel difference the moment they palm mute or dig in. But sure, trust the guys who think a waveform overlay is more trustworthy than 30 years of playing experience.

---

Bottom line? If null testing is your religion, that’s fine — but don’t come for the rest of us like you’ve cracked the code of the universe. Tone isn’t a science fair project. It’s art. And art doesn’t null.

I laughed.
AI is getting good.

 

[Lysander]

Camera enthusiasts/elitists can be hilarious. Watch them talk about the latest camera bodies, lenses and accessories, like $8000-$14000 worth of gear and they post photos of a Pigeon or something

Yeah, totally unlike gear nerds!

 

[[Nathan]]

Yeah, totally unlike gear nerds!

Haha, it’s honestly a different vibe. Maybe elitist guitar collectors who can barely play have the same energy. You dorks are alright.

 

[Sascha Franck]

Camera enthusiasts/elitists can be hilarious. Watch them talk about the latest camera bodies, lenses and accessories, like $8000-$14000 worth of gear and they post photos of a Pigeon or something

Guitar gear enthusiasts/elitists can be hilarious. Watch them talk about the latest tube amps, pedals and FX, like $8000-$14000 worth of gear and they post a YT video of someone else or something.

IOW, at least these camera guys post a photo.

 

[ian_dissonance]

Guitar gear enthusiasts/elitists can be hilarious. Watch them talk about the latest tube amps, pedals and FX, like $8000-$14000 worth of gear and they post a YT video of someone else or something.

IOW, at least these camera guys post a photo.

I bet they have their share of “well my photos used to be published and I polish lenses for some big names so I’m not on the habit of sharing my photography” people.

 

[Mikael Dez]

Yes, completely meaningless and arbitrary. Why the fuck are you in a thread called Null Tests being a complete asshole?

Is it a part of your character and it brings you joy? What a nicer able person you must be. You can FO.

 

[metropolis_4]

Hahaha. I’ve been on photography forums for 20 years. They make these ones a walk in the park.

Haha, it’s honestly a different vibe. Maybe elitist guitar collectors who can barely play have the same energy. You dorks are alright.

It is a totally different vibe. Guitarists may obsess over analyzing data, but I’ve had photographers accuse me of child abuse for taking photos of my kids with an APS-C sensor camera

The more you spend on equipment the more you care

I left photography forums quickly and never looked back

 

[Chocol8]

Hmm that sounds pretty toxic!

 

[Orvillain]

What annoys me about photo+video types is the same thing that annoys me about muso's. Sure, talk gear till the cows come home, and pontificate about the supremacy of one thing over another... don't mind that. I like a good slagfest as much as the next guy.

But crikey, can you actually do something GOOD with all that power??? Cozzzz fuuucccckkk man!! I'm so sick of hearing the same old tripe!

I joined a few occult pages on Facebook for research, hoping to see some cool imagery and thought provoking things. Nope. It's just losers arguing about the best way to be a hippy.

 

[metropolis_4]

What annoys me about photo+video types is the same thing that annoys me about muso's. Sure, talk gear till the cows come home, and pontificate about the supremacy of one thing over another... don't mind that. I like a good slagfest as much as the next guy.

But crikey, can you actually do something GOOD with all that power??? Cozzzz fuuucccckkk man!! I'm so sick of hearing the same old tripe!

I joined a few occult pages on Facebook for research, hoping to see some cool imagery and thought provoking things. Nope. It's just losers arguing about the best way to be a hippy.

Years of research, pouring over review after review, analyzing data, debating with other photographers… to spend $20,000 on the objectively BEST equipment known to mankind… to finally get the PERFECT picture of that pigeon on the back porch

 

[AlbertA]

Years of research, pouring over review after review, analyzing data, debating with other photographers… to spend $20,000 on the objectively BEST equipment known to mankind… to finally get the PERFECT picture of that pigeon on the back porch

Is this the equivalent of a 0-3-5 riff?