A Book I will never read or take seriously

hahaha!

not to mention that this book on GETTING [i]GREAT[/I] SOUNDS has a woman on the cover singing into the SIDE OF THE MICROPHONE!!

Interesting, a very strange way to market a book about microphone technique. At first glimpse it looks more like a cheap detective novel more than a solid treatise on microphones. The crowning glory being that, as Chris pointed out, the microphone is being sung into form the side. This cover is not very academic looking d difficult take it seriously. Freud would have a field day with this. Or maybe sometimes "a microphone is just a microphone". Nothing short of a total marketing faut pas. Even though I was taught never to judge a book by its cover it would seem almost impossible not to do so in the case of this book.

Getting Great Sounds: ADR For Porno Films

Thanks for taking a stand on that Larry. At least the publisher went with blatant sex and not veiled sexism which I find to be more insidious. I was beat up a bit on a popular forum recently for taking a stand against the 'Spouse Friendly' pitch by a company making a new product announcement. I too found the dismissal of half the population offensive. That company is an advertiser here and I hope they change the tone of their sales pitch soon, so that I can have 100% warm and fuzzy feelings about TapeOp ;)

Silly publishers. They even screwed up the phallic suggestiveness, because those are end-address too!

That is one of the silliest things I've ever seen. But lets not write off gear porno all together. Firstly, girls like porn too, even if that scares you. Secondly, I find it hard to believe that everyone who has commented about this book never looked at porn. The problem isn't that its "offensive." I wasn't offended. The problem is that you can't take it seriously. I highly doubt that book has any good advice in it, and if it does, then my reaction is perfect proof why that cover is ill conceived, because that advice will go unnoticed. Instead of trying to trick people into buying a gear book with a seductive photo on the front, the publishers should have just gone all out and made the worlds first gear porno book. You could have porn stars draped in analog gear and I won't lie, I'd drool. A little levity please.

I have the same reaction when a recording equipment manufacturer uses suggestive female imagery in their ads. I won't take it seriously. I can't lie, I think women are beautiful, but that's a whole separate world from making records and encouraging everyone and anyone to do the same.

The real problem is not sexism. (for starters, I take issue with the suggestion that there is anything sexy about a closeup shot of somebody's molars). This cover represents a total failure by the publisher to understand the target audience for the book. Why would they using sexuality as a marketing device when there is such a thing as "gear porn"? If this cover featured a selection of rare vintage microphones with Germanic names, the book would be under Larry's pillow right now.

Sorry... I am having trouble finding the sexism in this photo. Lame photo, no question about that. But sexist? Is it offensive to women because the picture is of a woman? Or because the woman is singing with emotion, and maybe that looks sexual? Or is it because she is wearing makeup? Or because she has exposed shoulders? (horror - call the Taliban). Seems to me that some unimaginative book cover designer thought a picture of someone singing into a microphone might be appropriate for a book about microphones. If they picked a model at random off the street, there is a 50% chance it would be a woman... sexism!

You can't judge an apple by looking at a tree
You can't judge honey by looking at the bee
You can't judge a daughter by looking at the mother
You can't judge a book by looking at the cover
I look like a farmer, but I'm a lover
You can't judge a book by looking at the cover!

You got your radio turned down too low
Turn it up!

You can't judge a fish by lookin' in the pond
You can't judge right from looking at the wrong
You can't judge one by looking at the other
You can't judge a book by looking at the cover

Oh can't you see, oh you misjudge me
I look like a farmer, but I'm a lover
You can't judge a book by looking at the cover!

-- Bo Diddley

Wow, The levels of cheesiness that people drop to never cease to amuse me. Go them. Bottom line for me - a document called 'getting great sounds' with a photo depicting the most horrible mic technique is an instant writeoff. Getting back to the porn topic, I think it is fitting, in true porn style that they aren't using a pop filter ! ( always a turn-off to the viewer, but in practice, kind of a life saver... - hmmm )