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[Johnny B]

Maybe it's just me, but I hate products that
use numbers for the product name. I think that is
usu. the engineer/designers idea of a "good" name.

Why do I hate it? Good question but it has to do
with the way my memory works. It's a lot easier
for me to remember words like "Tide, Corvette,"
or "Stratocaster," than it is for me to remember
the model "70201a" or "1172" or "1FrU2."

Having some sort of clever name for a product
also makes it easier to market,
like a good song title is easy to remember.

I think most major advertisers also understand this,
otherwise, the TV screen would be filled with numbers, and
yet, it's not.

YMMV.


 
   

[Greg Lawrence]

My brain works in the exact opposite way... I am very good at remembering numbers and tend to shorter names of gear to just the number. Of course then non-audio friends make fun of how geeky I am .... oh well

[Johnny B]

Well sure, some people have to like using
the numbers instead of real names, otherwise
it would not be around. And it is not
limited only to audio products. Chips,
all kinds of things use numbers. I hate it.

I suppose there could be an argument
made that has to do with tracking revisions,
dates, and whatnot, but serial numbers can do that,
so I still like a real name best.

And a clever memorable name
is best of all.

The heavy duty marketers know that
a memorable name helps them sell more,
they even makeup their own words to
distinguish themselves from
the rest of the herd. The automakers
are good at that one. Making up names.

Color counts too, just ask
Procter and Gamble. They've done
a ton of research on just color.
All those boxes of detergent come
jumping out at you when you walk down
the aisle at the local super market.
They don't use numbers as a rule.

YMMV.  




   

[natpub]

I prefer the numbers too  

[George Massenburg]

Obviously, I like numbers as well.  

Some of us grew up with them.  300 & 351 & MR70 & 440 tape machines.  K241D & LS-10 transformers  (geez, maybe "Iron Maidens"? I dunno...)  ATR 124's  And all of those microphones.  

I don't know how far you're going to get here...

George

[Johnny B]

GM,

I know I will not get far here, it's just
an observation and a little pet peeve of mine.

For me, I do not give a second thought
dealing with inversions or intervals
that all use a number, but for some reason
unless it's been blasted into my head a million
times with incessant advertising, I have a lot
of difficulty remembering products that use
only nukmbers, it's a little better when
some letters are thrown in like ES335 or
I can attach some emotion or experience to
it like BB and Freddie King.    

Even some old classic cars use numbers,
but I just like it better with a name I can
remember easily.

Even BB does not call his an ES335, he merely calls
her "Lucille."

Anyway, cool and imaginative names are fun.
Very little kids can be a good source.
Here's sort of an example I just read about:

Q: "Hey, what's that you got?"

A: "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds"

Blink, Blink, Blink....

Jackpot...Song Idea.

Product names could be just as fun.

YMMV.  

 

[Mike O]

As a consumer, I like numbers and names. Why impose one "code" on everyone? I like the "Slam". I like the GML 8304. I REALLY like that these people think and design (and name) according to their own personality and preferences.

I kind of think of this like music. I can appreciate many different genres and approaches within them. I don't have any desire to have everybody act/play/write/name products according to my expections.

As long as the quality is there, enjoy the differences!

[Geoff Doane]

I suspect one's preference for names or numbers relates to whether you're a "right brain" or "left brain" person.  Left brain people tend to be good with numbers and math, and rather logical.  Right brains are the artistic ones, and don't have time for logic and details, or so the theory goes.

Is Johnny B. left-handed (and therefore "right brain")?

Geoff

[Johnny B]

I'm right-handed, but some people,
a very small number, feel I can be
both logical and creative. It all depends.

I can say I have trouble remebering
phone numbers, addresses, dates, and
things like that, so I have to write
them down. Lost without that little book.

I also like to use handy cheat sheets,
things like the exact freq of
a particular note. Who could remember all those?
Comes in handy sometimes when trying to do a little eq.

I know I will never win this one,
products will continue to have boring
and easy-to-forget numbers for names
because that's the way a lot of people
have always done it.

That's OK.

I can only speak for myself,
but I find it clicks
better in my mind when there is a real name.

I will shut up now.  



   

[barefoot]

How about descriptive names and  numbers?

Like my MiniMain12 ... MiniMain10... etc.,?

You can't say the name is "made up" because it actually describes the product.  But it is a name, and I think it's memorable.

Yeah, I like this approach - memorable descriptive names.  

[Tim Halligan]

I'm getting really confused by the number/name/nickname scenario. Most recently, a number of threads in various forums have appeared about the "Icon", and (silly me) I think that they are referring to a piece of gear from TC.

Cheers,
Tim

[Mike O]

Tim Halligan wrote on Sun, 02 May 2004 16:35

I'm getting really confused by the number/name/nickname scenario. Most recently, a number of threads in various forums have appeared about the "Icon", and (silly me) I think that they are referring to a piece of gear from TC. Cheers, Tim

Very good point. And my guess is that many people on these boards would incorrectly identify what a Digi "Icon" is.

[Tim Halligan]

And another... Manley 'SLAM'...and now...EAW 'SLAM' - yet ANOTHER line-array!
Getting SLAMmed on both sides of my brain now!

How can this be resolved? Whoever gets to patent or market first, keeps the name?
Somebody buy all the manufacturers a thesaurus, then perhaps this stupidity will stop...or not.

Cheers,
Tim

[PP]

[Mac]

I think there is too much of everything. Too many brands, too many models, too many versions, too many options. It just becomes confusing and distracting and exhausting. 10 million mic pres, mics, compressors, DAWs, plugins, updates, I always end up in the land of who cares. Picking out guitar strings takes 3 hours just to make sure I'm just getting normal everyday guitar strings. When there are a thousand chinese mics to pick from, how does one decide? I think you could throw one of each thing in a hat, pick one, and it probably wouldn't make much difference in the end. I'm amazed there are enough people to buy all this gear.

[PP]

[joeq]

the most annoying names are the ones created by market research wonks with their focus groups.    I am told this is because no executive in the company wants to risk his reputation naming a product that tanks so they farm it out to consultants.

this results in annoying names that don't mean anything but somehow give you the impression that something about them is "good" .  Automobile names and drug names are the worst offenders

Impreza
Linspire
Levitra
Prius
Accutane
Accord

I'm drawing blanks here but you know there are hundreds

-Joe Quesada

[punkest]

Yeah, I go all for names that describe the products that also helps you remember it, just thinking about its characteristics.  Take the Vipre, which stands for Variable Impedance Mic Preamp, the only problem is that the name sounds awful, fortunately the only thing that sounds cacophonic of this pre is it's name

[dwoz]

My favorite is how Telson named their speech processor (TSF-0401) the "dialectocon"


That's some cool voodoo...

dwoz

excuse me, that should read "dialecticon".  Sorry, sprained my right hand yesterday...been thick-finering everything...

[Crash]

As I read these I realized that I can remember numbers in audio gear names but can't with street addresses. While I lived in Seattle, a city that is all about numbered streets and avenues as opposed to street names, I was constantly driving around in a daze. Where else on the the planet could you live at the corner of 124th and 124th?! I need names like Broadway, Pan Am Expressway and the like. You start saying things like 1272 or 1073 and I know you are talking Neve pres, 737-Avalon, 1960-Drawmer, etc., man am I sick or what?! ....but I digress.

Crash
(Scott)