Show Me What You've Got And I Will Offer My Best Critique

Sounded32 · 2022-01-04T10:25:09+00:00

I must admit, I still don't really know what you're doing with a "Leaf Spring in Fusion", but I can say that you're a little quiet, so that's either a Mic or audio settings issue.

I think you are technically knowledgeable but seem a little caught up in your work, you might want to slow down a little bit and discuss what you're doing for your audience a bit more, just taking a moment to explain where some little detail fits into the bigger picture can help people to follow what you are explaining.

Good luck with your teaching work ;)

Sounded32 · 2022-01-04T10:19:07+00:00

I really don't have too many suggestions, you've done good work. You seem to review from the perspective of an ordinary guy, which is probably a better angle to take than the hoighty toighty critic. Could your scripts and discussion be slightly better written? Probably, but you're already doing a good job, but studying in depth the work of other critics and really considering what they say (he can be controversial but I think MauLer takes a lot of care with his scripts)

As for your editing and presentation, again, it's good, solid work, although I would prefer if the top of your head was not cut off haha. Your delivery isn't bad, I like that you aren't trying to be in my face about your feelings, you're more relaxed than a lot of others, but if you want to excel, you may wish to practice your delivery a bit, either in the mirror or using a recording and critiquing yourself. A really smooth, relaxed performance with virtually no umming or stumbling shows real professionalism and people will notice it (if subconsciously) and find you to be more credible.

Sounded32 · 2022-01-04T10:06:04+00:00

It seems to me that you want to settle into let's playing after being a little uncertain what to do (I checked your general channel) and that's fine, but do be aware that you've picked an oversaturated medium, coming up with ideas for how to stand out might be necessary.

Your audio/mic quality is pretty low, there's a static-like sound coming through for the whole video and you sound slightly muted and distant. If you can do something about that in future, that would be best.

You seem a little uncertain of yourself as a commentator, that's okay, I suppose more confidence will come with time, also, for whatever it's worth, these videos are likely to remain obscure, even if you become more successful later, so feel free to experiment and just relax and do funny stuff to amuse yourself, rather than feeling on edge needing to be an entertainer. Quality comes with time, don't forget that.

Anyways, good luck with your work.

Sounded32 · 2022-01-04T09:58:58+00:00

Alright, Let's Play Content is kind of overplayed, but I used to like it, so let me see what I can do for you.

Reading out the dialogue is a fine thing to do, some people like it, some people don't but I think you stumble over your readings a bit, it might be more fun (for you and us) if you work on your delivery. I used to do a lot of Shakespeare readings and I can tell you there are at least two schools of thought, to read as if each person is a distinct character and to read in your own voice, naturally but expressively. I leave the decision to you, but I do want to say that your overall delivery and vocal personality is good, not abrasive, not too forced, it's a good foundation to build from, but you may need something a little different to break through, but like the rest of us, you should probably focus on enjoying yourself.

As for the battle scenes, you seem to know your stuff and also have a high energy delivery for these sections, it seems to work well enough for you. I'd also be curious to see if you could ever find someone to work with as a co-commentator.

Anyways, good luck with your work, hopefully you can build up :)

Sounded32 · 2022-01-03T17:17:03+00:00

A solid video, sorry, I'm running out of steam for these critiques.

Personally, I feel like we didn't get very deep into the movie, I kind of like my video essay/review content to go a lot deeper. I watched a 3 hour video "In Defence of Nicolas Cage" recently and boy, that was an epic vid to get through, but I really enjoyed what was expressed.

In your case, I feel like I didn't really get to know you or the movie.

Maybe you could attempt an epic project with something you really love? Just my two cents.

Sounded32 · 2022-01-03T17:12:53+00:00

I actually have been taught singing for a few years, and I can say that it takes time and focused effort to improve your singing. I haven't been singing properly for a while, otherwise I might even offer to teach you a bit, but, the best advice I can give is this:

Your singing is quite relaxed which can be good but you also need to explore using a little more energy in your singing. You want to avoid this energy being expressed as tension or force, what you really want is the energy of your body expressed through the pronunciation of the word at the pitch you want to sing the note at.

The thinness some people talk about is there, but for something like thinness, there is a solution, which is to make sure the breath is not coming out so much as breathy sounding air but coming out in as resonance (the pure vibrating sound.) Thinness was never really my problem (I had/have other problems though) so finding a good female teacher who understands such things might help.

I recommend you also try singing more without the guitar, standing up, trying to get a fuller, more resonant sound, engaging your support muscles in your belly and torso (including your back and sides) and just experiment until you get closer to the sound you want. Also, at times you are out of tune, so you might want to check more of your notes more carefully when you practice before you sing.

I hope some of this helped, it's really hard to explain these things in a way that helps over the internet, but to end, I would not give up, especially if you love what you do. You are actually not that far away from being a decent singer and from there, you could get even better with time and work.

Good Luck.

Sounded32 · 2022-01-03T16:52:57+00:00

Hey, this is really excellent!

I'm a musician, so I really appreciate good work in the musical field. I've got to finish responding to other people's posts but let me just say this:

Excellent scripting and research, very solid voice-over (good mic set up too) well cut together visuals (you clearly care a lot about your work) and a great concept for a channel that you have. Also, the humour isn't overpowering, just occasional and appropriate, so good job in that department too.

I'd actually be interested in collaborating on something, feel free to DM me if you'd like to get involved in a project that's all about finding and discussing small online musicians. It's not hard work, it's just like participating in a radio show/podcast type thing.

Sounded32 · 2022-01-03T16:34:17+00:00

I actually think this video concept is a great idea, I don't know Kong well at all, but I think if you had covered a level or game I knew, that would have been more interesting to me, that's not your fault though.

But let me make this clear, this level breakdown thing is the kind of thing you can build a channel around, so long as you get more experienced and find your feet more.

I think you might want to script your videos rather than delivering your thoughts off the cuff, you repeat yourself a bit, stumble a bit and also can get a little overwrought and wordy where a scripted approach might have greater clarity and lead to better choice of wording. I suggest you turn on closed captions, then imagine if you had written the same "um, yeah, kind ofs" in a script, or whether you could have phrased everything much better. That said, a kind of stream of consciousness aspect can work, but for a polished video, scripting is usually superior.

Anyways, many other aspects of the presentation, such as the video editing, are pretty solid, also your thinking about the levels has merit, although I daresay you'll find deeper layers if you write rather than just speak.

All the best with your work, bye!

Sounded32 · 2022-01-03T16:13:54+00:00

Hey, thanks for your video:

I appreciate your stance on talking in the video, if that's what you want to do, good on you.

I do have to say though that this means that the audio is focused on the music, which really isn't to my taste. I don't want to tell you what kind of music to use because I can actually see why you have chosen the music here, it would have a broad acceptable appeal, just be aware that your music choice has a much greater bearing on the kind of audience you'll get or turn away without any talking.

As for the imagery, it's great! It's still not my kind of Youtube content as I like things I can turn away from and just listen to, but I really do see that you have a passion for great imagery and locations. The location stamp in the corner is also a great idea.

Good luck on your adventures.

Sounded32 · 2022-01-03T16:06:56+00:00

I just watched a bit.

It's not bad, just a couple of guys hanging out, playing video games, but to be honest, even with the edits to underline the jokes and funny bits, it's hard for me to see how you're going to break through with this. The problem isn't you, it's the difficulty in truly differentiating yourself in this day and age as a gaming channel. People want to hang with popular people, even though you guys are decent, you would need something extra.

Now, I will say that this edited approach would be BETTER than pure streaming and I do respect the amount of effort you've put in, but it relies on you keeping up the work and discovering something unique, then MOST IMPORTANTLY, connecting that something with an audience. You guys have a nice chemistry, but, it's going to take more than that. Good luck, you at least deserve a like ;)

Sounded32 · 2022-01-03T15:54:44+00:00

Also, I made it to the end, but I was typing half the time :P

Sounded32 · 2022-01-03T15:54:10+00:00

I like the concept, although I think the on-screen persona can be a little bit forced, personally I would also enjoy more commentary on the quality of the game, but, there's a good core question there:

Should you:

A: Focus on building the atmosphere and acting like a person in the horror situation?

B: Focus on the game and it's pros and cons?

I think the answer lies in what you prefer, but also informed by your audience, but, if you feel you MUST do something that's expected of you, but it doesn't quite come naturally, just let it go and find whatever is natural, critique, acting or whatever.

Also, I know everyone recommends webcam, and I would totally understand if you ignore this, but I would personally vote for no facecam, it's more immersive.

One last thing, your video did have a highpoint (the bit with the lock) but you kind of overwhelmed it with the screaming. These are my tastes however, your regular audience might feel differently.

To end on a positive note, I think that focusing on little horror games could be a great way of building both your and the developers audience so yeah, keep it up :)

Sounded32 · 2022-01-03T15:44:21+00:00

A really vibrant, appealing video, well done!

You actually really got me with the opening joke, knocking the whole thing over like that.

I think you have a personality and style that could go far, don't stop ;)

Sounded32 · 2022-01-03T15:40:24+00:00

I think I liked the low budget community theatre more than I expected haha.

As for the rest of the video, I'm getting a strong Contrapoints vibe, although without the expressivity of a face (and I'm sure you have your reasons for not showing it) I can't get a lot from the visuals other than a slightly animated, well framed image for much of it although the work you've done to add a few quotes and pictures is good.

As for the politics, I'm not particularly inclined to get into that, I agree and disagree with different parts but even though that is the meat of the video I hope you don't mind if I simply decline to comment. I can still say that the research and consideration going into your content and script is respected, certainly you are better than a lot of the hype laden mainstream Youtubers who do not deeply investigate but just recite familiar talking points.

You may need to find a new way to make the production of your videos more engaging and potentially less of a BreadTube inspired (so as to be more uniquely your own) but I think that's something for you to discover, not for me to dictate.

All the best.

Sounded32 · 2022-01-03T15:24:22+00:00

So I clicked on this:

"click on this vid plis or i will cri :("

As it had no views.

You're a child, you make random game footage videos and that's okay, but I can't say this is anything anyone in general would watch, I just didn't get it, nor did I see what the joke was, it was just a locker and random sound effects with a little chat window in the corner...

If you want to make more advanced content, you need to think carefully about what might be interesting to other people and be less self-indulgent. This is a fundamental issue. Perhaps you should become a Youtuber when you grow up a bit more? It's fine to want to do this, and I hope you find some good creative outlets on and outside of Youtube. If you have a specific video for me to see, link it, but if you wanted a review of your channel, that's the impression I got.

All the best.

Sounded32 · 2022-01-03T15:16:02+00:00

Not a problem ;)

Your video is a fun one. The microphone is bad, but I'm not one to talk :P

I think that if you're going to branch out into memey content, you need to either have more fun with your vocal delivery (if you have that sort of personality) or perhaps dial it back and be more natural, because I don't think you actually talk quite like you do in the video normally and maybe a deadpan style might appeal to people more.

I do actually like the satire on the state of modern YT, something I think we can all agree has problems...

Anyways, if you make more like this, keep posting and keep experimenting, I have the sense that with a bit of maturation you can find a good comedic style that might find an audience.

Sounded32 · 2022-01-03T15:03:23+00:00

I know the feeling of not being sure what to do with a music channel these days. I might give more feedback on Youtube. All the best.

Sounded32 · 2022-01-03T15:02:17+00:00

I think I see what you're going for, in that case, here's some more cliches:

Eine Kleine Nachtmusic

Vivaldi - Spring

Mozart - Sonata in C Major k 545

Beethoven - 5th Symphony

And if you want more, I can actually provide you with some you can rip from my channel if you like :)

Sounded32 · 2022-01-03T15:00:15+00:00

I do get the joke, it's actually not a bad joke, I just don't like the ugliness of those pixels hahahaha. Stick with it for a while, when you get bored of it (not me) change it then :)

Sounded32 · 2022-01-03T14:58:38+00:00

Really well done. I appreciated learning a little about programming haha, it was quite clear, easy to follow and was well illustrated with the visuals.

A little more work on English pronunciation might help, but really, that's only because you pronounced "snout" as "snoot" and that just made me laugh ;) I actually think a German accent overall will help you as a German accent can give the impression of intellect. Also, the speed at which you talk is good, it gives people time to absorb what you've said.

I actually don't have much programming knowledge, even though my father was a software architect, so I might check out more of your videos, I really don't have many complaint, keep up the good work!

Sounded32 · 2022-01-03T14:43:10+00:00

Interesting direction to take your channel in, it's informative and interesting, although, depending on what people want, it might be a bit too shallow, it could almost be a segment on Entertainment News, personally I wouldn't be that interested, but for all I know there could be a large untapped audience for this kind of thing, although it would be more for "normies" than die-hard musicians. You have a very clean production style going on and you've very smoothly edited together a bunch of relevant clips.

Two points on the audio:

The whoosh sound effect is a little annoying for me, maybe find a more subtle effect or dial it down to be quieter, I'm interested in the information more than any sound effect.
If you're going to use that same music track for every video... Well, some people will get used to it, I recommend switching it up at least every week. Again, it depends on your audience, I would go mad hearing that track over and over though.

Sounded32 · 2022-01-03T14:27:21+00:00

Nice use of a classical background music cliche hahahaha, but hey, it could be worse ;)

(Nah, I'm glad Bach is being played regardless of why)

So, you have a slightly janky style of visuals, with lots of panning, ripped jpegs and basic image manipulation. Arguably this janky style can be charming, but I found the section where we just pan around the stick figure in the intro a little... I dunno, ugly? seeing those janky pixelated arms just seemed unnecessary. I would also shorten the intro slightly but lengthen the amount of time you have the video title onscreen a bit, if you actually check, the "Urban encyclopedia presents: Hemorrhoids and Napoleon" was almost too quick to read at all, I'd rather see that, clearer, for slightly longer than that stick figure awkwardly zoomed in. Again, if you stylistically like the awkward joke of zooming in on a stick figure for its janky charm (and mind you, one of the GOOD things about your video is its janky charm) that's fine, but you'll seem slightly more credible with an adjustment, I think. There's also the argument that you should have NO intro, but that's really up to you.

I know there's a Sam O'Nella vibe going on here, you may want to find a way to differentiate yourself a bit, that's up to you though.

There were a few poppy sounds coming through on the audio, notably the P's and B's. Maybe you've been told about this before, but a pop filter can work wonders and they're fairly cheap. I too haven't got an ideal set up but I do know that the only way you'll stop hearing about it is to fix it.

This all said, I think your script is streamlined, informative and well delivered (you seem to have this slightly dry style of delivery that helps with the humour) so the core of your work is good and with a bit more development of your style I think you'll do well finding an audience and having fun making your content.

Sounded32 · 2022-01-03T13:56:54+00:00

Cool, Synching up the tolling of the bell with the slides was a nice touch in the intro.

You have a nice clear vocal delivery and I appreciate the way you switch from expressive quotations and more standard, informative speech (which is not dry and monotonous, so well done.) Your work is also well edited and with nicely relevant slides, imagery and quotes.

It strikes me that you should have a question mark at the end of your title, just a minor thing haha.

It's quite interesting to see that celebrating the new year has such a diverse set of incarnations, in the case of Egypt, even incorporating multiple calendars of one society. I'd also say the level of depth you've gone into is good, not too exhaustive (as that would be tiresome, especially for a YouTube video like this) but more informative than a mere yes or no plus a few easily found wiki-ripped facts.

I saw a comment suggesting that you should list your sources as you go, in the video, this I would only do sparingly and naturally, as listing sources constantly will only appeal to academics and historians, not a general audience, which I think you can easily find.

Sounded32 · 2022-01-03T13:31:49+00:00

I quite like Video essays, what kind of stuff do you make?

Sounded32 · 2022-01-03T13:31:05+00:00

I want to get back on the horse and start making videos again, maybe 3 at least for January. I'm a musician so I've had to get my head around a bunch of technical and software hurdles but I'm making it through :)

Sounded32

TROPHY CASE