"Not Worth its own thread" Thread

[CleansingCarnage]

I'd be more forgiving if that were the case, typically.

Most of the channels I see running a second are just the same general content but less editing and less payoff.

As an example, I see that a lot with car YouTube channels that I watch. The main channel will be complete builds usually with significant progress and finished product. The secondary channel will usually be more dry content like installing glass or welding minor repairs.

It just feels like most of those channels go one of two ways. Either the second channel is junk content nobody really wants to watch anyway, or it diverges from the original channel and Waters the main content down.

There's a handful of creators I've seen that pull it off okay but most that I've seen, both channels end up suffering.

A lot of those channels the subject does the editing themselves or they may have one or two dedicated people who do their filming and editing. Most of the channels I watched that have quality content from one creator max out at maybe One update per week, and that usually is enough to get you an episode where they significant payoff as a viewer. Most of the time when they integrate a second channel, I start to notice the videos on the main channel coming out less often, are shorter, or are much lower quality.

And they are usually quick to say, oh, it's not easy doing all this work and filming and having time for yourself when you're putting out two or three videos a week. Okay so don't..?

And I get it, YouTube is a living for people now. But it's a living if you're putting out quality content. If all you're doing is trying to beat the algorithm by volume, you're not making your product with your viewers in mind.

Well, maybe what I stated is an ideal case but for the channels I've been watching that's usually the justification given for a second channel. Which definitely makes sense for some channels because you can see they'll have success in a given direction and then that particular type or format of content will take over the channel because they feel they have to stick with it in order to maintain growth, but they still want to continue doing other stuff or branch off into new directions also.

I hear what you're saying though and I've seen that happen as well where some creators will just use a second channel as an excuse to get lazier and dump lower quality content without damaging the metrics of their main channel.

I think a lot of people have seen the general quality and usefulness of YouTube content going down even as production quality goes up, and I think you really do have to blame the policies and content moderation of YouTube for that. It used to be that you could do whatever you wanted and as long as the content had an audience because it was useful, relatable or just entertaining in some way then people could grow their channels and make some decent money organically. Ever since the adpocalypse though things have gradually been changing for the worse in terms of how the algorithm works and the incentive structures that are created for channels. Now practically all content is heavily commercial in nature or is artificially driven out of an attempt to satisfy the whims of the algorithms and it's a lot harder to just have a solid, independent channel with engaging content and make any kind of money off it without delving into the world of sponsorships and paid content. In the guitar and music space this is pretty apparent to me as I consider the vast majority of guitar related content to be practically useless since almost none of it is people sharing useful information for the sake of it or giving independent opinions on gear they actually purchased and use on a daily basis, and now it's mostly just paid demos that amount to the manufacturer specs accompanied by a few sound samples that no one will be able to recreate anyway.

It's got to be pretty tough these days to balance being a content creator who wants to make videos about stuff they actually care about with making the whole endeavor worthwhile in terms of time and money, and I think unless you're doing it as a business first and foremost then you've pretty much got to expect to do it just for the sake of it, in spite of the fact that you're not going to see the same amount of validation or financial compensation for it. I can definitely understand why few people would be willing to put the time and effort into doing that without seeing much of a payoff themselves, and that makes me appreciate the channels that stand out in that way even more.

That being said, I'll go ahead and shout out a couple of channels that do just that:

This guy has a lot of guitar reviews for gear he purchases and uses completely independently and without any kind of sponsorship or relationship to the companies, with a pretty high amount of production quality and effort (as opposed to being just another channel that demos today's new release because the company sent it to them for free as part of an organized marketing campaign, even though they're just going to sell it or hang it up on their YouTube guitar wall and never touch it again past an unboxing and a sound test):

High Z Productions

Guitarist, amateur music producer, and VGM enthusiast! I post original songs, guitar gear reviews, and covers. I love talking about all things guitar. There are many guitars and guitar brands I like and while I do have a favorite, you can find a little of everything on this channel!

www.youtube.com

And this guy literally just pumps out videos of cool riffs and ideas he comes across in his guitar playing journey because he just cares that much about playing guitar and wants to share it with other people:

https://www.youtube.com/@DUNN..

 

[Randy]

Well, maybe what I stated is an ideal case but for the channels I've been watching that's usually the justification given for a second channel. Which definitely makes sense for some channels because you can see they'll have success in a given direction and then that particular type or format of content will take over the channel because they feel they have to stick with it in order to maintain growth, but they still want to continue doing other stuff or branch off into new directions also.

I hear what you're saying though and I've seen that happen as well where some creators will just use a second channel as an excuse to get lazier and dump lower quality content without damaging the metrics of their main channel.

I think a lot of people have seen the general quality and usefulness of YouTube content going down even as production quality goes up, and I think you really do have to blame the policies and content moderation of YouTube for that. It used to be that you could do whatever you wanted and as long as the content had an audience because it was useful, relatable or just entertaining in some way then people could grow their channels and make some decent money organically. Ever since the adpocalypse though things have gradually been changing for the worse in terms of how the algorithm works and the incentive structures that are created for channels. Now practically all content is heavily commercial in nature or is artificially driven out of an attempt to satisfy the whims of the algorithms and it's a lot harder to just have a solid, independent channel with engaging content and make any kind of money off it without delving into the world of sponsorships and paid content. In the guitar and music space this is pretty apparent to me as I consider the vast majority of guitar related content to be practically useless since almost none of it is people sharing useful information for the sake of it or giving independent opinions on gear they actually purchased and use on a daily basis, and now it's mostly just paid demos that amount to the manufacturer specs accompanied by a few sound samples that no one will be able to recreate anyway.

It's got to be pretty tough these days to balance being a content creator who wants to make videos about stuff they actually care about with making the whole endeavor worthwhile in terms of time and money, and I think unless you're doing it as a business first and foremost then you've pretty much got to expect to do it just for the sake of it, in spite of the fact that you're not going to see the same amount of validation or financial compensation for it. I can definitely understand why few people would be willing to put the time and effort into doing that without seeing much of a payoff themselves, and that makes me appreciate the channels that stand out in that way even more.

That being said, I'll go ahead and shout out a couple of channels that do just that:

This guy has a lot of guitar reviews for gear he purchases and uses completely independently and without any kind of sponsorship or relationship to the companies, with a pretty high amount of production quality and effort (as opposed to being just another channel that demos today's new release because the company sent it to them for free as part of an organized marketing campaign, even though they're just going to sell it or hang it up on their YouTube guitar wall and never touch it again past an unboxing and a sound test):

High Z Productions

Guitarist, amateur music producer, and VGM enthusiast! I post original songs, guitar gear reviews, and covers. I love talking about all things guitar. There are many guitars and guitar brands I like and while I do have a favorite, you can find a little of everything on this channel!

www.youtube.com

And this guy literally just pumps out videos of cool riffs and ideas he comes across in his guitar playing journey because he just cares that much about playing guitar and wants to share it with other people:

https://www.youtube.com/@DUNN..

Agreed in full there.

On the flip side, I can't say I'm very happy with how Bradley Hall's YouTube channel went after he split into two. It used to be meme guitar flex videos with absurd humor sprinkled in. He split it into two distinct things now, where channel 2 is cringey Bernth style jams with feely captions overlaid and channel One became tier list countdowns.

 

[nightsprinter]

@Crungy I got what I felt was a solid price on a d-roc 5 so I made the purchase. I took a step back and thought about the cost and what I actually need vs what I want but don't need, and the d-roc won out for now over the 6 string NG3. Since the NG3 finish I'm interested in isn't even in stock from retailers I like at the moment, if I just HAVE to have that 6th string, I can pick one up in the future which I wouldn't doubt will be the case judging by my history, unless i cave on another MTD kingston which is my go-to. I like to have a 4, 5, and 6 string fretted + a 5 string fretless in the house, but I just did a mass sell-off, so now I'm slowly picking my 5, 6, and fretless to replace the ones I sold. Might be an expensive summer.

Thank you for reading my diary.

 

[CleansingCarnage]

Agreed in full there.

On the flip side, I can't say I'm very happy with how Bradley Hall's YouTube channel went after he split into two. It used to be meme guitar flex videos with absurd humor sprinkled in. He split it into two distinct things now, where channel 2 is cringey Bernth style jams with feely captions overlaid and channel One became tier list countdowns.

Yep, that has to be a good example of someone who felt it's best to play the algorithm game and go with what gets the most play time. I bet even he hates it though. The more creators feed into the algorithm, the more they get stuck doing one thing over and over, the more they end up getting diminishing returns over time and the faster they burn out. That's why there's like a seasonal YouTuber depression every year and you start to get a month or two where every channel is posting a candid video where they clear the air about how down they're feeling about their jobs etc.

 

[Crungy]

@Crungy I got what I felt was a solid price on a d-roc 5 so I made the purchase. I took a step back and thought about the cost and what I actually need vs what I want but don't need, and the d-roc won out for now over the 6 string NG3. Since the NG3 finish I'm interested in isn't even in stock from retailers I like at the moment, if I just HAVE to have that 6th string, I can pick one up in the future which I wouldn't doubt will be the case judging by my history, unless i cave on another MTD kingston which is my go-to. I like to have a 4, 5, and 6 string fretted + a 5 string fretless in the house, but I just did a mass sell-off, so now I'm slowly picking my 5, 6, and fretless to replace the ones I sold. Might be an expensive summer.

Thank you for reading my diary.

Hell yeah! I hope you dig it and your life isn't in danger lol The D Roc's have the better pickup selection wiring from the factory, imo. Though I don't use the all on setting, the other three are worth the price of admission. I've been considering changing my NG3 5 string to that since my Dbird and NG3 4 string were set up that way.

What color D Roc did you get? And what color was the NG3 you were looking at?

 

[nightsprinter]

Hell yeah! I hope you dig it and your life isn't in danger lol The D Roc's have the better pickup selection wiring from the factory, imo. Though I don't use the all on setting, the other three are worth the price of admission. I've been considering changing my NG3 5 string to that since my Dbird and NG3 4 string were set up that way.

What color D Roc did you get? And what color was the NG3 you were looking at?

I think I'll live for today at least.

I got the blue/purple colorshift droc. The NG3 6 string I want is forest green.

 

[nightsprinter]

Also, holy smokes guys. I found a periphery tune I like! Wax Wings came on some playlist and it was pretty damn good. I've never really listened to them outside of having the bulb demos when they came out so it's been a long time.

 

[Randy]

Also, holy smokes guys. I found a periphery tune I like! Wax Wings came on some playlist and it was pretty damn good. I've never really listened to them outside of having the bulb demos when they came out so it's been a long time.

I still think the fast ones was the best / only periphery song I really liked.

 

[crushingpetal]

Also, holy smokes guys. I found a periphery tune I like! Wax Wings came on some playlist and it was pretty damn good. I've never really listened to them outside of having the bulb demos when they came out so it's been a long time.

I'll try Periphery again and, for a minute or so I'll think, "ok, yeah... I can dig". Then the boy-band singing starts and I'm like "nope".

Also, I'm currently listening to Rivers of Nihil and I'll zone out for a minute or two doing something, then I'll focus on the music and realize I'm listening to a SAXOPHONE SOLO.

 

[Randy]

I'll try Periphery again and, for a minute or so I'll think, "ok, yeah... I can dig". Then the boy-band singing starts and I'm like "nope".

The fact clean singing exists doesn't bother me as much as the over-the-top, almost parody pop diva delivery. Its the vocal equivalent of just noodling all over the fuckin song.

Zero subtlety, which in and of itself isn't a bad thing but there's enough going on with the rhythm section that it actually detracts from something else that's probably more interesting and nuanced.

 

[nightsprinter]

What do you guys think of TesseracT's vocals? I was not into them for a long time but grew to not mind them because I feel they fit the music.

I remember when the popularity of bands like saosin, underøath, the devil wears prada, from autumn to ashes, etc was in full effect and I had friends jam it down my throat for years. I have a pretty high tolerance for nasally whining vocals as a result. Not my cup of tea but if the riffs or melody sounds good I can put up with it.

 

[Crungy]

What do you guys think of TesseracT's vocals? I was not into them for a long time but grew to not mind them because I feel they fit the music.

I remember when the popularity of bands like saosin, underøath, the devil wears prada, from autumn to ashes, etc was in full effect and I had friends jam it down my throat for years. I have a pretty high tolerance for nasally whining vocals as a result. Not my cup of tea but if the riffs or melody sounds good I can put up with it.

I don't mind them but they're a band I need to listen to more to make a good call on liking them or not. I like the riffs but their songs don't always get my attention for some reason. Which seems weird, I like Periphery and other bands like that so I figured I'd be into them.

It's another band that on paper I should like. Like Sleep Token or Shadows Fall... I think that they're similar to bands I like but it's not quite there for me.

 

[AwakenTheSkies]

I actually really like Periphery. It's the only band of it's kind that I like (modern metal). I liked everything up until this last album. I didn't like Periphery V at all..

Juggernaut is one of my favourite albums ever though.

 

[BlackMastodon]

What do you guys think of TesseracT's vocals? I was not into them for a long time but grew to not mind them because I feel they fit the music.

I remember when the popularity of bands like saosin, underøath, the devil wears prada, from autumn to ashes, etc was in full effect and I had friends jam it down my throat for years. I have a pretty high tolerance for nasally whining vocals as a result. Not my cup of tea but if the riffs or melody sounds good I can put up with it.

I really liked One when it came out, but it was pretty unique at that time, and I actually really liked Dan's vocal delivery there. Every subsequent album with different vocalists did nothing for me, though. Now that Dan is back I've given this latest one a few tried with songs popping up on Spotify, but I usually turn them off after 30 seconds of his singing. It just comes off super cringey and pop diva-esque, like Randy said.

 

[SalsaWood]

I can't stand Periphery's vocals or even the guy himself. He comes off as a flashy chode to me. Otherwise I like them a lot. I have a few of their instrumentals that I listen to now and then. The whole sing yer heart out all over a metal song and then limp through some baby screams was tired to me twenty years ago, doubt I'm gonna come around anytime soon. I will say that at least they didn't sell out, it seems like they are just doing what they wanna do.

 

[nightsprinter]

I tend to like clean vocals a lot but much prefer the delivery of the likes of Vola, Katatonia, Type O, etc over the hot-topic phrasing/high register vocal runs.

 

[SalsaWood]

"Spencer" is a dog's name. Change my mind.

 

[crushingpetal]

I actually really dug the last Haunted Shores. I mean, not enough to buy it, but I spun it a few times in the digital realm.

 

[AwakenTheSkies]

I liked everything Periphery / HS until after P IV. I think every band eventually runs out of songs. Happens to me with a lot of bands I like, Alter Bridge, Tremonti, Periphery, KSE, to name a few examples. I like the first 4 albums then I guess they "mature" and I stop liking the new music...

 

[tedtan]

"Spencer" is a dog's name. Change my mind.

I wouldn’t insult a dog like that.