I don't understand the ins and outs of recording music. I only found out what VST meant the other day (it's not Venerial Sexual Transmission, thank god). You say MIDI to me and I hear awful Encarta 98 Encylclopedia song samples.
If I have a strength I can offer people on this forum, it's with words. I love language, be it lyrics, literature, clever advert tag lines, whatever. When I write a review, it is along these lines that I give advise, because I feel comfortable doing so, and that I might actually be helping.
I've got serious respect for the forumites that know this stuff so fluently. If it wasn't for Ramshackles I'd still be trying to make heads or tails of recording kit, what to buy, what I don't need, etc. The guys (and gals) that have a feel for the nuances of post production and mastering really impress me. It's something I aspire to, inbetween working 11-10.
But what seperates songwriting from, say, writing, is that it as marriage of these two things. It's not just what we are saying, it's how it is said as well. Which is more important? Hmm, subject of another thread, I think.
All I can say is you should "review" each song honestly, and to your strengths. If you know production, great! If you appreciate lyrics, go for it! If you're doing a Phd in Composition, bring on the wisdom!
We have alot to offer each other. If we're honest and encouraging, what more can we ask from a review?
Also...
I wouldn't stop writing if some of you lot told me one of my songs was shite
They are shite. We're all just too polite to say anything
Peter