Freesound Forums

Hello,

I really like this site and want to suggest something that maybe has already been suggested, but here goes.

I think it should be made more clear on how to rate a sound. It is my opinion that the sound ratings should have guidelines that ensure practical and objective assessments of quality rather than subjective. For example, maybe there is a sound of a hair dryer, with great recording quality, but someone who listens to it finds it "boring" (a subjective assessment) and gives it 2 stars, where they should give it a higher rating based on the fact that it is a nicely recorded sound. Maybe having a reminder next to the ratings panel would help people understand the difference. The rating system should be a way to let someone sift through the rubbish recordings, not find the most subjectively popular sounds.

Thanks

I think sounds are always kind of emotional, so the recording quality ain't the first thing which make me rate samples. For example one of my favourite samples on freesound I've listened so far is a bad recorded rain atmosphere (regarding the signal/noise ratio and missing high frequencies). But it generates such a beautiful atmosphere that I gave it a 10 on the rating scale.
Judging somethingis always subjective, none of use can do an objective judgement (since we are all subjectives), therefore I think people should rate the samples according to their own guidelines.

Greetings,
I think both superliminal and m_O_m have raised good points and expressed them thoughtfully. Would it be too cumbersome to have a system that consisted of two ratings, one for an objective assessment of the recording on more technical grounds, and another for the subjective, emotional quality?

Cheers from Cambridge.

Good points. I'm not trying to start a philosophical debate here and I do agree that you cant step outside of your own ears and your own subjectivity (rip john cage!). I just want the rating system to maintain some useable functionality that says something about the technical quality of the sound.

My concern is just that it could turn into something useless like the Youtube rating system, since there is always some troll who rates something negatively (or positively) without cause.