Opinions please...

Brad

I'm toying with the idea of entering the murky world of YouTube videos. It was bit of a rush job so the playing is a bit ropey. I know visually it's not all that (iphone 4s camera, sync issues) but at this stage I'm mostly interested in the audio quality, so maybe listen with your eyes closed...   Let me know any thoughts good or bad!

The tune is Help The Poor by Robben Ford.

stratman3142

Sounds great to me. Lovely tone and phrasing.

The clip had disappeared when I looked again, so you may need to reinsert it. Ah it's back again now.

EricTheWeary

Sounds okay on my iPad ( and nice playing) which isn't exactly hi fi but is how I'd generally hear YouTube clips. 

Brad

@stratman3142  and @EricTheWeary ;

Thanks for taking the time to listen and for the kind words, it's appreciated! All the notes are Robben's of course  

I'm new to this home recording stuff, but I want to do it properly and get it sounding as good as I can. Guess it'll be a steep and hopefully not too expensive learning curve. 

EricTheWeary

If you did want something on the visuals please can we see your head? I know the headless thing is common but it looks amateurish.  You also need less clutter - headphone wire and that red box on the sofa were grabbing my attention. If you look at something like Marty Music or PGS the background is very plain, if there's anything it's very obvious like a guitar amp. 

Brad

EricTheWeary said:

If you did want something on the visuals please can we see your head? I know the headless thing is common but it looks amateurish.  You also need less clutter - headphone wire and that red box on the sofa were grabbing my attention. If you look at something like Marty Music or PGS the background is very plain, if there's anything it's very obvious like a guitar amp. 

You sure you want to see my ugly mush?

Points duly noted, totally get what you're saying. The visuals will get worked on once I'm happy with how I get things sounding first. Thanks for the feedback. 

Wazmeister

Nice chops, licks and playing mate 

spark240

Very nice ...

Brad

Thanks @Wazmeister and @spark240 ;

Well it was recorded with my amp mic'd with SM57 into an interface. Anyone try/recommend any other types of microphones?  

Speaker simulators look quite appealing too (especially for late night recording), negating the need for an amp and microphones. The Two Notes CAB and Neunaber Iconoclast look pretty interesting. The Two Notes CAB seems a lot more versatile whereas the Iconoclast looks a bit more grab and go...

Anyone have experience with either the Two Notes CAB or Neunaber Iconoclast (or any other speaker sim for that matter) and how do they compare to conventional recording with a mic etc?  

goldtop

Great stuff, lovely playing. A big question to start: why are you making videos for Youtube?

Lots of reasons, of course, all valid, but if you start with a clear idea of 'why', then it'll lead you to the right decisions on audio gear, video setup, framing, narration, editing, etc.

Modulus_Amps

Sound is great, that's the part I struggle with, getting the video quality up requires better camera and maybe a lighting kit off ebay, if you are giving lessons/demos it is nice to see who you are too.

John_A

Agree - The audio, the guitar sound, and the playing are great but for YouTube the video is very important too, and stick your face on there and say a few lines as an intro, people like to know a bit about who they're watching.

Stuckfast

The audio seems fine to me. I was wondering whether it was perfectly in sync with the video though. I had the uncomfortable feeling that the video was lagging a tiny amount.

Brad

goldtop said:

Great stuff, lovely playing. A big question to start: why are you making videos for Youtube?

Lots of reasons, of course, all valid, but if you start with a clear idea of 'why', then it'll lead you to the right decisions on audio gear, video setup, framing, narration, editing, etc.

Hmmm that's a good question that I'm not entirely sure how to answer to be honest! I guess anything will be a drop in the ocean these days, there is so much stuff out there and good stuff too, so it's hard to know where to fit in. Which is probably why I've been reluctant to do it so far...

So it might just be a case of whatever takes my interest at any given time. A shiny new bit of gear, or perhaps documenting a playing concept I've been working on, I'll have a think and get the drawing board.  

Modulus_Amps said:

Sound is great, that's the part I struggle with, getting the video quality up requires better camera and maybe a lighting kit off ebay, if you are giving lessons/demos it is nice to see who you are too.

Yeah I'm most concerned with the sound first and foremost as I'm often left quite frustrated with the sound quality, particularly regarding gear demos. As above, I guess I need to think about an angle for what I'd be doing but higher quality video is really important even if it's just a vid of the playing. It's starting to bug me already! 

John_A said:

Agree - The audio, the guitar sound, and the playing are great but for YouTube the video is very important too, and stick your face on there and say a few lines as an intro, people like to know a bit about who they're watching.

Yep I hear what you're saying, although I do quite like the Mike Hermans approach. Gives an air of mystique  But I guess that only works in certain settings (gear demos?) and that is kinda his thing now...  

Stuckfast said:

The audio seems fine to me. I was wondering whether it was perfectly in sync with the video though. I had the uncomfortable feeling that the video was lagging a tiny amount.

Yeah there are sync issues that need addressing. It is jarring, so I'll have to get some editing chops together!

Appreciate you all taking the time to watch and for the comments, it's reassuring that the sound quality is of an acceptable standard. I'll probably try a couple other recording approaches see how I can refine that and then get on to the visuals  
        

spark240

Check out Orto Pilot on you tube, he has a cool look to his clips I think...

craggle_rock

Great playing and great tone! I recently started a YouTube channel so going through some of the same decisions and problems with sound and video and reasoning in a saturated format etc.  I've started it as just a way of documenting my own playing to begin with, and a reason to get involved with more recording/editing side of music. It's a rabbit hole that just doesn't end in terms of gear and money to spend though.  And then you see some 15 year olds with all the video recording gear in existence, crane cams, pyrotechnics, drone footage (maybe exaggerating here) but you get the point.  Just do it for fun at first! And YouTube deserves more players with chops like that.

Brad

craggle_rock said:

Great playing and great tone! I recently started a YouTube channel so going through some of the same decisions and problems with sound and video and reasoning in a saturated format etc.  I've started it as just a way of documenting my own playing to begin with, and a reason to get involved with more recording/editing side of music. It's a rabbit hole that just doesn't end in terms of gear and money to spend though.  And then you see some 15 year olds with all the video recording gear in existence, crane cams, pyrotechnics, drone footage (maybe exaggerating here) but you get the point.  Just do it for fun at first! And YouTube deserves more players with chops like that.

Sorry, I've only just clocked this. Thank you very much for the kind words and the same is true for you fella  

Yeah you're absolutely right, I think I'll do it to document my playing/concepts/practise and for a bit of fun. It's only YouTube after all