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[gigaraptor487]

Hello, i started a youtube channel a while ago and started uploading a week ago and i wondered if you could provide some constructive critism of a youtube channel. I can change almost anything save the following:

- my voice, its a bit high but hopefully not particually annoying

- what i am currently doing, i will not discontinue my DF lets play or C tutorials


Other than that go nuts, as long as it is constructive

It would also be useful to see the positives so i can play to them

Some helpful info on the channel:

- It is all unscripted and during the video(save the review)

- some are quite long


Thank you all in advance.


Link: http://www.youtube.com/user/fusiongamesstudios

[gigaraptor487]

Thanks so far, as i say, i cant change my voice and i am aware the content is a bit generic but i have yet to have a good idea for a video series.

Which one did you watch?

Out of interest

[freeformschooler]

I appreciate how you jump right in and don't waste time on 20 second intro footage cropped together from N64 games with 40 more seconds of this is my desktop you're looking at right now subscribe if you like, download, rate, upvote plx.

So that's something

I'll look into it more later.

[Bdthemag]

Not a big fan of your voice, but then again you can't do much about that. You're either lucky enough to have a voice that sounds good for commentary, or you don't. My main criticism is I don't find anything particularly interesting or engaging about your commentary, and it's sort of boring to watch. Not to say you should try to get some kind of gimmick, and at least you don't seem to force shitty jokes to try to get extra views, so that's not bad.

Just find a niche genre you're very knowledgeable about and make plenty of content on a regular basis, unless you're lucky you won't really get a large viewer base, but you can still get a decent sized one if you're just consistent with what you make.

[nenjin]

I don't watch a lot of LPs. Hardly any. Channels? None.

So here's a take from someone like that. I watched the Hotline Miami video.

Your voice doesn't drive me crazy. You're young, you'll grow out of it. You're aware of it, so, you probably have some ideas about what not to do.

The balance between your volume and the game volume is off. You should be slightly louder than the game, and it's the other way around. People that don't like your voice I'm sure will disagree. HLM is a loud game. Other games may differ. In that video, it's hard to follow the thread of what you're saying because you're faint and inaudible over the sound of heads hitting concrete.

I'd take some time to think about what you want to say about a game, before you start recording. You want to be succinct so you get your point and aren't rambling or repeating yourself. Remember, people can see the game. So you have to offer them something more than what they can see. Like, for example, how a game feels. Does it get you pumped? HLM is a game I watched a dozen times and didn't think anything of until I played it, because it's such a visceral experience.

I like how you pretty much cut to the chase too. If you were playing HLM blind, I'd say comment on the dialog. But since you're just demonstrating it, getting through the cut scenes and to the action is good.

[gigaraptor487]

I said in the description that it was terrible for audio and i feel it gets better later on as i begin to spend more time editing. Thanks so far as i wasnt expecting the volume of replies

[Max White]

I'm listening to your Issac video right now...
You need to be confident in the way you speak. You need to learn how to control your breathing, but that comes with confidence. Right now I'm hearing you taking huge breaths in the middle of sentences, and in normal conversation we don't do that. You need to talk in a similar fashion to how you just talk normally. I know it is hard, but it is possible. Imagine your not LPing anything, you are just showing the game to a close friend.
On that note, you might want to cut down on gimmicky phrases that make you sound like a game show host. Watch somebody like NorthernLion who is hopeless about the game, but gets by on his natural charisma. At no point does he sound like he is addressing an audience, instead he is talking to a friend.
Also, it is better to take damage because you were distracted by talking, than have silent spots. Narrate what ever is happening on screen. When you get a chest say that you are going to grab that chest. I should be able to tell exactly what is going on without actually looking at the window. With more popular LPers I can have their video in the background and know exactly what is going on, but right now the only reason I even know you just beat a boss is because of the music. You have to assume I am freaking blind and tell me what I am looking at.

Just playing isn't enough unless you are so fucking pro that the gameplay itself is impressive, and then you don't want any commentary at all. What you say is more important than how you play. It sounds like you are fighting wrath right now because of the bombs going off. I really don't know. TALK TO ME DAMMIT!

On the plus side, as things went on your vocal patterns got more natural. Breathing is getting a lot better. You need to be more casual about the intro I guess, but the thing you really, really need to do is talk to me! A boss just died and I don't know what item you picked up or what it does. Fix that! Your saying 'This may very well kill me', well what may? It might feel silly to narrate the entire game, but you have to!

[nenjin]

Also, pacing. When speaking in public the tendency is to rush both your ideas and your delivery. Don't. Take as much time as you need to sound natural and relaxed. If it makes an episode longer or forces another episode so you can capture it all, so be it. More episodes is better than one awkward, rushed episode.

[gigaraptor487]

Thank you, what episode were you referring to.

[nenjin]

I only watched most of the HLM one. I was struck by how the most descriptive you got was the first guys upstairs. Then you kind of rush through the rest of it with a "yeah I've played this level before so..." I felt like it kind of ended on a rushed note.

[gigaraptor487]

The hotline miami playthrough were the first videos that i did and as a result i was a bit on edge. Thank you all so far

[GlyphGryph]

Thanks so far, as i say, i cant change my voice

You can certainly change the pitch and most anything else about your voice. It just takes effort and a bit of time, but actors and singers and presenters do it all the time.

It's not the highest priority - controlling your breathing and pacing and learning when to speak and what to say are all more important - but developing solid pitch control and a decent cadence is something you should be working on and is something you can certainly accomplish while doing all those other things.

Okay, having watched some videos:
The problem isn't so much that your voice is high pitched, but that it GOES high pitched at seemingly random intervals, and then the pitch drops down lower. This is DEFINITELY something you can fix. You need to work on volume control as well, since it often gets louder and then goes down to a bit whispery. Unsurprisingly (this is true for most people) the louder you get the more high pitched you get.

Also, "This is my opinion so you are free to make your own but i have played this for a while and have made an educated conclusion." - Your description attracts people to watch your videos. Things like that are terrible. Everyone knows it's your opinion. Use capital 'I's. Be confident. Don't bother talking about flaws and saying you're terrible - that's not a useful description! Describe why someone would WANT to view the video, or additional information they would WANT to know after watching it.

The description isn't for you, it's for your audience.

[Moogie]

All the above advice is very good and you should make an effort to at least experiment with it.

But also consider this: you don't HAVE to give audio commentary. Text works just as fine, even in LPs. It takes a longer time to edit together, but some viewers genuinely appreciate silent LPs, and there are lots of LPers who force the commentary and it's just bad. In a choice between bad/boring/annoying commentary, or none at all: I pick none.

Silent LPs are also quite rare, from what I've found. You might find a niche of viewers who are desperate to find silent LPs in a world of terrible commentary. Think about deaf people who must rely on Youtube's comedic transcriptions to understand what's going on!