RABid Posted April 5, 2019 Share Posted April 5, 2019 I've been thinking about starting a Youtube channel in my retirement. Still trying to decide on the focus of my content. Been reading a lot about recording, cameras, marketing, etc... Today it just hit me, the Keyboard Corner is full of tech savey interesting people.So I have to wonder, is anyone here operating a Youtube channel? Any advice, and more importantly, what is your channel. I know how important subscriber numbers are so leave your name and I will subscribe. Quote This post edited for speling. My Sweetwater Gear Exchange Page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mighty Motif Max Posted April 6, 2019 Share Posted April 6, 2019 Yes, I do. Nothing too interesting for the forum I don't think and at this point I'm just getting started (around two years but only occasionally posting) and don't place a huge emphasis on subscribers. I mainly post videos for "examples" of playing for gigs and demos of some of the more uncommon keyboards I have with a few songs here and there. I'll probably let the forum know about it next year. For now it's not a big thing for me and is really just so that certain instruments don't get forgotten as there are often no recordings online of them or if there are any they're bad quality. That said, what I have learned: good audio quality if you're doing music is VERY IMPORTANT. Record miced for things that can't go direct to your interface to your computer. Sync that audio with your camera audio, erase your camera audio, and boom, you have a video with hq audio. A nice camera helps too. If you're like me, dress up a bit for on camera. Make sure you add all relevant tags to your video, it helps it show up in search results. Hope that helps. P.S. Record stereo whenever possible. Sounds way better. Quote Yamaha: Motif XF8, MODX7, YS200, CVP-305, CLP-130, YPG-235, PSR-295, PSS-470 | Roland: Fantom 7, JV-1000 Kurzweil: PC3-76, PC4 (88) | Hammond: SK Pro 73 | Korg: Triton LE 76, N1R, X5DR | Emu: Proteus/1 | Casio: CT-370 | Novation: Launchkey 37 MK3 | Technics: WSA1R Former: Emu Proformance Plus & Mo'Phatt, Korg Krome 61, Roland Fantom XR & JV-1010, Yamaha MX61, Behringer CAT Assorted electric & acoustic guitars and electric basses | Roland TD-17 KVX | Alesis SamplePad Pro | Assorted organs, accordions, other instruments Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midinut Posted April 6, 2019 Share Posted April 6, 2019 Konaboy hosts Woodys Piano Shack and does an awesome job. You might want to pick his brain. lol Quote Hardware: Yamaha: MODX7 | Korg: Kronos 88, Wavestate | ASM: Hydrasynth Deluxe | Roland: Jupiter-Xm, Cloud Pro, TD-9K V-Drums | Alesis: StrikePad Pro| Behringer: Crave, Poly D, XR-18, RX1602 | CPS: SpaceStation SSv2 | Controllers: ROLI RISE 49 | Arturia KeyLab Essentials 88, KeyLab 61, MiniLab | M-Audio KeyStation 88 & 49 | Akai EWI USB | Novation LaunchPad Mini, | Guitars & Such: Line 6 Variax, Helix LT, POD X3 Live, Martin Acoustic, DG Strat Copy, LP Sunburst Copy, Natural Tele Copy| Squier Precision 5-String Bass | Mandolin | Banjo | Ukulele Software: Recording: MacBook Pro | Mac Mini | Logic Pro X | Mainstage | Cubase Pro 12 | Ableton Live 11 | Monitors: M-Audio BX8 | Presonus Eris 3.5BT Monitors | Slate Digital VSX Headphones & ML-1 Mic | Behringer XR-18 & RX1602 Mixers | Beyerdynamics DT-770 & DT-240 Arturia: V-Collection 9 | Native Instruments: Komplete 1 Standard | Spectrasonics: Omnisphere 2, Keyscape, Trilian | Korg: Legacy Collection 4 | Roland: Cloud Pro | GForce: Most all of their plugins | u-he: Diva, Hive 2, Repro, Zebra Legacy | AAS: Most of their VSTs | IK Multimedia: SampleTank 4 Max, Sonik Synth, MODO Drums & Bass | Cherry Audio: Most of their VSTs | Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strays Dave Posted April 6, 2019 Share Posted April 6, 2019 I have a YouTube channel. It's for demonstration purposes, for potential gigs. I play piano and sing, so my videos are simply that. I have a Sony HDR-MV1 which was designed for musicians' music videos. Unfortunately Sony seems to have discontinued production. I don't have many views of my videos, but for a potential gig, they are tangible evidence of one's skills. Quote Dave's YouTube channel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theo Verelst Posted April 6, 2019 Share Posted April 6, 2019 Sure. I thought you might have meant "those who get enough views to make money of it". Then: no, unfortunately that takes an order of magnitude more views than I've gotten, last time I checked. T. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam CA Posted April 6, 2019 Share Posted April 6, 2019 RABid, Subscribers don't mean anything, unless they're genuinely interested in your content. There are like thousands of completely dead channels with 100K subs. I was just checking out a "piano tutorial" channel with 70000 subscribers and he was getting like 70 to 150 views per videos. You can get that many views with 100 or less subs. If your audio and lighting is good, you can totally do this with a GoPro (for the video part). It's not going to perform good in low light, night shots...etc. I became interested in video/photography a few years ago. I still don't know what I'm doing and been wanting to take a real course for the longest time. I have a GoPro and 2 DSLR Canon cameras. The footage quality is drastically different between GoPro and a full frame DSLR. I normally just adjust the exposure a bit and render without any color correction. It's fine for what I do, but I'm sure skilled editors could do a way better job with mis-matched videos. For public events such as NAMM, various trade shows...etc....I have a Sennheiser wireless mic that I love. I also have a portable audio recorder but it's not easy to get a direct feed from the house. Quote www.youtube.com/c/InTheMixReviews Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marino Posted April 6, 2019 Share Posted April 6, 2019 How come all those YouTube videos with kittens have millions of views... Here's an idea: You title your video "musical kittens". The video starts with the usual cute feline babies doing cute things, with your music in the background... then the images switch from there to you playing the music in real time, then you alternate between that and more baby cats - or, if the cats are yours, they could (cutely) surround you while you're playing... in this way, you could attract cat lovers as well, who seem to be thousands of times more numerous than music lovers. We could start a series and become rich... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RABid Posted April 6, 2019 Author Share Posted April 6, 2019 I have a cat. Guess I could do a channel about him, but all he does is sleep all day and eat all night. Subscribers does mean something in one context. Until you get 1000 subscribers Youtube does not give you a cut of their advertising profit. They still advertise in your videos, you just don't get anything. They have gotten pretty complex in their system. They also count watch time and a few other statistics. I'm sure part of it comes from content providers who have tried to circumvent the system and artificially inflate their watch numbers. Some musicians have been caught trying to artificially inflate the watch numbers of their music videos. I'm trying to get my great-nephiew started. He wants to be a videographer. I'm afraid he is heading the way of the starving artist, wanting nothing to do with revenue sources. He thinks all he has to do it create two successful films and then he will be in high demand and have it made. I am trying to get him to double major with the second major in accounting. He likes Big Bang Theory and I am telling him that Penny is a good example of life as an artist. Working for years as a waitress trying to just get by while making it as an actress. I almost had him talked into it, then his girlfriend told him that he needs to focus on his craft and not sell out. She is majoring in drama. Boy, that is going to be a real power couple. Starving artist and starving filmographer. Quote This post edited for speling. My Sweetwater Gear Exchange Page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam CA Posted April 6, 2019 Share Posted April 6, 2019 ... Subscribers does mean something in one context. Until you get 1000 subscribers Youtube does not give you a cut of their advertising profit. They still advertise in your videos, you just don't get anything. ... Wrong! This is how it works. You start a new 'cat' channel today and post bunch of videos over time. There will be no ads placed on those videos which means no one makes any money. The only exception is if your Cat videos contain copyrighted material...such as background music or whatever. Then, that material will most likely be claimed by a copyright holder, and depending on the situation either your video will be removed or ads will be placed on that video. In that case, the claimant(s) will receive all the revenue of your cat video. When do you make any money then? You will need 1000 subscribers and 4000 watch hours and only then your YouTube partner Program application will be "reviewed". So even if you meet those requirements, it doesn't mean you can start making money. After your application is reviewed, you may or may not be accepted into that program. Also, if you ever go under 1000 subs/4000 watch hours (for the past 12 months), you'll be removed the program automatically and ads will be disabled. There's a lot more to it. Like I said, subscriber numbers don't mean anything, if they're not genuinely interested in your content. Your videos wont' get viewed and the whole channel won't go anywhere. Without successful and creative content, there's no money to be made. You don't get paid for subs... Quote www.youtube.com/c/InTheMixReviews Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Song80s Posted April 6, 2019 Share Posted April 6, 2019 Yes, I me and is really just so that certain instruments don't get forgotten as there are often no recordings online of them or if there are any they're bad quality. That said, what I have learned: good audio quality if you're doing music is VERY IMPORTANT. Record miced for things that can't go direct to your interface to your computer. Sync that audio with your camera audio, erase your camera audio, and boom, you have a video with hq audio. A nice camera helps too. If you're like me, dress up a bit for on camera. P.S. Record stereo whenever possible. Sounds way better. Recording quality, good mix and instrument quality is a priority for me. I think SoundCloud does a good job at mirroring whatever WAV file is uploaded. For YT, I am not as convinced the audio is 'as good as ' SoundCloud. YT audio seems fine for 1 instrument stuff, or a bare bones mix. YT audio seems to fall short when there is a full band, more complex song mixes. I am not referring to scratchy distant iPhone recordings by fans etc. Or the many 'live ' recordings that are uploaded to YT Let me know if you hear a diff using good audio source, the more complex mix, YT vs SC Thanks Quote Why fit in, when you were born to stand out ? My Soundcloud with many originals: [70's Songwriter] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morizzle Posted April 7, 2019 Share Posted April 7, 2019 Hey RAbid, my setup is pretty similar to Sam CA's. I have one of these tiny GoPros and two Canon DSLRs. The reason I went with Canons is that they can be "hacked" with a third party firmware called Magic Lantern that opens up a lot more video capabilities. Also, there's so much stuff on the used market, I've bought all my camera equipment second hand and found a bunch of great lenses. I rarely use the GoPro nowadays cause the video quality just sucks in comparison to the DSLR look. I use the channel to upload videos of my bands' live performances and sometimes random stuff that I find humorous. I don't have the illusion to earn money with YouTube, I just use it as an advertising platform. Where I live, the only way to get gigs is to have video demos of your projects online, so YouTube has been helpful with that. I'm afraid I have no idea how to build a community or gather subscribers, I'm very allergic to the whole type of "hey guys, it's my weekly vlog again" type of content. Quote It's not a clone, it's a Suzuki. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RABid Posted April 7, 2019 Author Share Posted April 7, 2019 I'm torn between something with interest only or something that make use of reviews and linked to Amazon. That is a good source of income as Amazon will give the source a cut. Quote This post edited for speling. My Sweetwater Gear Exchange Page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
konaboy Posted April 7, 2019 Share Posted April 7, 2019 Konaboy hosts Woodys Piano Shack and does an awesome job. You might want to pick his brain. lol Thank you for that, yes, I've been running my channel for 3 years and has grown to be a respectable size for our niche. Here are some random thoughts. I echo the advice given by others here, but would add, manage your expectations and set realistic goals. it took several months to get a few hundred subscribers and this can be discouraging. Your excellent video that you spend hours making only gets 15 views. Many content creators give up at this stage but you gotta stick at it, churn out videos, up your game with each upload and learn what resonates with the viewers Your early videos may not be very good, since there's a huge amount to learn technically and it takes a lot of time to become comfortable on camera. Don't do it for the money, you will likely be disappointed. Do it to share your passion or as a fun hobby, or in my case, an interesting challenge. You don't say what your goal is for your channel, that's very important. Don't underestimate the amount of time it takes to make videos. The bar is set very high these days with very well produced videos, putting at least 8 hours into a 15 minute video is not unusual. But again, depends on your ambition. Go for it, like playing piano, it's never too late to start. Best of luck. Quote hang out with me at woody piano shack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RudyS Posted April 8, 2019 Share Posted April 8, 2019 Try to avoid topics which are copyrighted. Ive seen a lot of YouTubers (Rick Beato, Paul Davids, Adam Neely) complaining about it lately.... Quote Rudy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Music Bird Posted April 8, 2019 Share Posted April 8, 2019 Im on YouTube. I have posted some videos, mainly of my songs and a few other videos (I took some videos in DC of a taiko drumming thing). My first video is basic and 10 seconds. Quote Yamaha MX49, Casio SK1/WK-7600, Korg Minilogue, Alesis SR-16, Casio CT-X3000, FL Studio, many VSTs, percussion, woodwinds, strings, and sound effects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Clark Posted April 8, 2019 Share Posted April 8, 2019 Konaboy hosts Woodys Piano Shack and does an awesome job. You might want to pick his brain. lol Thank you for that, yes, I've been running my channel for 3 years and has grown to be a respectable size for our niche. Here are some random thoughts. I echo the advice given by others here, but would add, manage your expectations and set realistic goals. it took several months to get a few hundred subscribers and this can be discouraging. Your excellent video that you spend hours making only gets 15 views. Many content creators give up at this stage but you gotta stick at it, churn out videos, up your game with each upload and learn what resonates with the viewers Your early videos may not be very good, since there's a huge amount to learn technically and it takes a lot of time to become comfortable on camera. Don't do it for the money, you will likely be disappointed. Do it to share your passion or as a fun hobby, or in my case, an interesting challenge. You don't say what your goal is for your channel, that's very important. Don't underestimate the amount of time it takes to make videos. The bar is set very high these days with very well produced videos, putting at least 8 hours into a 15 minute video is not unusual. But again, depends on your ambition. Go for it, like playing piano, it's never too late to start. Best of luck. Dude, you have a fan here. Your Roland FA videos have been enlightening. Quote Soul, R&B, Pop from Los Angeles http://philipclark.com Cannonball Gerald Albright Signature Alto, Yamaha YC73, Fender Rhodes, Roland Juno-106, Yamaha MX61, Roland VR-09, MicroKorg XL, Maschine Mikro, Yamaha Reface CP, Roland MKS-50 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
konaboy Posted May 11, 2019 Share Posted May 11, 2019 thank you Dreamchilde, those FA vids were a long time ago, got my channel started. very cringe to watch these days. talking of which, the topic inspired me to put together a short video where I share some tips and advice to those of you considering, or already starting, your own music tech channels. [video:youtube] Quote hang out with me at woody piano shack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theo Verelst Posted May 11, 2019 Share Posted May 11, 2019 I've done a serious semi-pro video making course back in the 90s, that's been very beneficial for making good quality videos, but hard, and takes a lot of work. There's the technical part: how to make quality picture and sound, also hard, unless you go for some wrongly populist unsubtle style of putting things in people sight and asking for attention with single dimensionally catchy sound. There are good tools, but neither making a pro video quality from a phone/pad, nor getting acceptable viewer experience from a YR are easy. Neutral tools like Cinelerra, Rosegarden, lots of Free and Open Source tools (some of them also popular outside of Linux) like ffmpeg, sox, gimp/krita can deliver quality, but honestly, to make pro quality on 1080/96k YT that I consider good requires a lot of skills most will not easily develop. CLicking on a good cam phone and live streaming to YT is exciting, nevertheless! Making a viewable video with acceptable sound for everyday use is possible with modern tech, but escaping from the mire of sameness is quite hard, for hard reasons, but possible. Theo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GovernorSilver Posted May 11, 2019 Share Posted May 11, 2019 I'm also looking into this but for a different reason. I'm a regular participant in "post your take" jam track threads (eg. Mr. PC, "fast country", Cissy Strut, "soul jazz", etc.) and have been running out of space on Soundcloud. Several of the other regulars submit videos instead of Soundcloud tracks to the threads. These guys (no gals yet) just use their iPhones and record the audio in the room, coming out of computer speakers (for the jam track) and out of the instrument amp. A few record simultaneously to iPhone (video) and to audio interface (audio) then use iMovie or LumaFusion to sync video and audio. I asked for Youtube vid making advice elsewhere and got the same kind of responses I see on music gear forums - like get an expensive pro camera and the like, lol. Roland Go Mixer Pro can work as an audio mixer and also allow simultaneous video and audio recording to iPhone. Another option that looks interesting is the Zoom Q2n-4K, which is more of a live gig recording video cam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midinut Posted May 12, 2019 Share Posted May 12, 2019 The wife and and I have been wishing and thinking about doing the RV thing when we retire. I've found a ton of YouTubers out there that make some pretty cool videos (none as good as yours Woody! - lol) but wife and I also talked about how it would suck up your time editing videos that you could spend enjoying nature and maybe an adult beverage. I'll let others do the vlogging thank you very much. There are some good music tech YouTube sites out there. I'd again just rather spend my time relaxing and MAKING the music. Quote Hardware: Yamaha: MODX7 | Korg: Kronos 88, Wavestate | ASM: Hydrasynth Deluxe | Roland: Jupiter-Xm, Cloud Pro, TD-9K V-Drums | Alesis: StrikePad Pro| Behringer: Crave, Poly D, XR-18, RX1602 | CPS: SpaceStation SSv2 | Controllers: ROLI RISE 49 | Arturia KeyLab Essentials 88, KeyLab 61, MiniLab | M-Audio KeyStation 88 & 49 | Akai EWI USB | Novation LaunchPad Mini, | Guitars & Such: Line 6 Variax, Helix LT, POD X3 Live, Martin Acoustic, DG Strat Copy, LP Sunburst Copy, Natural Tele Copy| Squier Precision 5-String Bass | Mandolin | Banjo | Ukulele Software: Recording: MacBook Pro | Mac Mini | Logic Pro X | Mainstage | Cubase Pro 12 | Ableton Live 11 | Monitors: M-Audio BX8 | Presonus Eris 3.5BT Monitors | Slate Digital VSX Headphones & ML-1 Mic | Behringer XR-18 & RX1602 Mixers | Beyerdynamics DT-770 & DT-240 Arturia: V-Collection 9 | Native Instruments: Komplete 1 Standard | Spectrasonics: Omnisphere 2, Keyscape, Trilian | Korg: Legacy Collection 4 | Roland: Cloud Pro | GForce: Most all of their plugins | u-he: Diva, Hive 2, Repro, Zebra Legacy | AAS: Most of their VSTs | IK Multimedia: SampleTank 4 Max, Sonik Synth, MODO Drums & Bass | Cherry Audio: Most of their VSTs | Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
montunoman Posted May 15, 2019 Share Posted May 15, 2019 I have two YouTube channels. One is for my Latin project , search elgrupocache dallas I just have a couple dozen subscribers and not many views... But YT, has served as a good platform to upload videos for perspective clients. My other channel ispaulblood music Right now its mostly videos of solo gigs. I would actually like to start making videos for jazz nerds like myself. My favorite ii V I licks, applications of horn solo transcriptions to the piano, montuno patterns , and other stuff like that. The only thing is my video and editing skills are so rudimentary! Im not sure if I really want to spend 8+ hours editing a video when I could spend that time practicing.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KenElevenShadows Posted April 20, 2022 Share Posted April 20, 2022 We have this now!! Quote Ken Lee Photography - photos and books Eleven Shadows ambient music The Mercury Seven-cool spacey music Linktree to various sites Instagram Nightaxians Video Podcast Eleven Shadows website Ken Lee Photography Pinterest Page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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