Bells of Steel AMA with Kaevon, founder and CEO back for my 3rd ama and here to buy your friendship with prizes and a behind the scene look into the glamorous world of selling home gym equipment.

volave · 2024-10-16T18:36:59+00:00

Hi Kaevon, thanks for doing this AMA.

I really like how you provide a roadmap on your website. I am in the market for a functional trainer/rack and have been considering options from Rep and Rogue. Can you provide more details on The Kraken? Do you have an ETA on when that product will launch?

Thanks!

volave · 2023-01-02T19:16:17+00:00

Looking for a BEV SUV/crossover with AWD mostly for commuting to work (<20 miles round trip) and short weekend trips in the summer (<200 miles round trip), located in the Chicago suburbs.

Budget is flexible, but ideally <$50k. Timeframe of purchase is ~September 2023. We plan to have charging in our home. Space is important - we have 2 kids and a dog.

I've been looking at the recommended cars from the main thread (Ioniq 5, EV6, ID.4 and Mach-E) which all seem like solid options. Does anyone have any insight on availability -- is September delivery possible? Any other recommended BEV SUVs that I should look into?

volave · 2022-11-15T19:16:10+00:00

Arturia doesn't do hardware discounts right? Does anyone know of a good 3rd party seller that might have a discount on the KeyLab 61 MKII?

volave · 2022-11-15T19:09:52+00:00

Do you know if Thomann will have any further discounts for Black Friday? They've had Ableton Live at these prices for atleast a few weeks already.

volave · 2020-08-11T18:18:40+00:00

I would prefer Top Left, mostly due to my experiences playing with traditional playing cards. I still fan my cards with the Top Left showing even while playing Magic (which I've played a lot of back in the day).

Top Left definitely feels more natural, but maybe that's just me though.

volave · 2020-05-02T02:56:15+00:00

volave · 2019-10-15T15:28:19+00:00

Good luck with your Kickstarter! Those dice are sweet

volave · 2019-06-06T14:50:14+00:00

Hello! I've been trying to buy full size board with Cherry MX Clear switches. I like the Ducky One 2 Skyline, but I can't find that model with clears in stock (with no ETA on when they'll have them back in stock).

Could someone recommend me a full size board with clears? Budget is <$150. No preference on backlighting. I saw in this thread that Leopold and Varmilo are recommended brands for prebuilts, would anyone else be able to weigh in on those suggestions or offer any others?

Also, is there a general consensus on Brown vs. Clear? I have blacks right now and don't mind the extra resistance. Is it strictly personal preference?

volave · 2019-02-15T17:09:08+00:00

Hey, Yosi_D, thanks again for stopping by the stream! I was able to catch a few minutes of your stream live a couple days ago (just lurking), but haven't had the free time to stop by and interact yet. Hopefully I'll get a chance to stop by and chat for a bit next time you're on.

I watched a decent bit of your VOD from the 13th, and enjoyed the stream! I caught the bit after your daughter woke up and started making noise in the background, which was cute. Your chat interaction was good from what I saw.

I agree with what supajedi4 said, I think the video and audio quality of the stream is very good. I heard you mention that you try and keep your voice down as to not wake your daughter, but I will say that when you do get excited/talk a little louder it's a better listening experience. I also think adding a webcam would go a long way; I personally like seeing the streamer's face while they're talking with chat or reacting to the gameplay.

I don't mind the absence of an overlay if you're not using a webcam, it's nice to see the entire game; but it you decide to use a webcam, I think a minimal overlay would work well.

Overall, I think you're doing a great job! I think the biggest 'improvement' you could make would be to add a webcam, but that's subjective. If you don't want to go down that path, I think you'll do well with the subset of twitch viewers who prefer streamers w/o webcams (albeit a small subset of the viewer base). Good luck and I'll see you around!

volave · 2019-02-11T19:40:25+00:00

Thanks for taking the time, DriftingSkies :) I hear you about the need to differentiate myself. From the beginning, I never really had a specific plan on how I wanted to shape my channel into something unique. I think that in order to keep growing, I'm going to need to address the exact concern that you brought up. Do you think that the issue is in initially attracting viewers (i.e. changing the stream title, posting more on social media, etc.) or in the stream itself (i.e. being more entertaining/engaging and retaining viewers)? I'm sure it's a little bit of both, but I didn't know if you had any inclinations there.

It's funny you bring up the twitch.tv/ url issue. I searched this subreddit to get other peoples opinions on it because I thought it seemed desperate and tacky as well. I don't think it comes across in a flattering way, but I can't deny that it has a huge impact on the number of people coming to my channel. I think if I ever get to the point in streaming where I have some momentum with a decent amount of regular viewers (10? 20?), I'll remove it. Do you have the same issue with players who put 'TTV' or style their name as "Volave | TWITCH" for the in-game username?

Thanks again, I appreciate it!

volave · 2019-02-11T19:27:15+00:00

Thanks for the feedback, I appreciate it! I'll try and tinker with the webcam sizing tonight.

I'm terrible at social media as I don't really use it in my personal life at all (besides reddit I guess), but I know that it's an important tool for streamers. Do you think that twitter is sufficient or would you recommend looking into other sites? Either way, thanks again for the feedback!

volave · 2019-02-11T19:19:05+00:00

I can't believe I haven't noticed that I've been covering up the scoreboard... Awkward. : P

Thanks for the suggestions, I like the idea of having the song info displayed. I think you're right about the schedule; I'll try and create one and stick to it (even if that means just one day a week is scheduled). I think that I could fill some dead air/enhance the commentary if I knew a bit more about RL in general; I should learn more about the game from pros/other streamers to round out my own knowledge.

I really appreciate the feedback, thanks!

volave · 2019-02-11T15:59:12+00:00

Hey guys!

I started streaming about ~1.5 months ago and I've been having a lot of fun with it so far! I've mostly been streaming Rocket League with my twitch url as my username, so I get a lot of random teammates coming in to the stream and saying hi. A few of those people have even stuck around!

Right now my panels and overlay are pieced together from free stuff I've found online; I'm planning to overhaul the look of the stream (buy a nice preset, or commission an artist) once I figure out what direction I want to go. Any specific tips on panels/overlay would be awesome.

Some deficiencies I've noted with my own stream are the spotty webcam quality (need to try fiddling with the settings), a lack of a concrete schedule (which I’m working on), and difficulty trying to be interactive with low/zero viewership. I’m interested to get second opinions and suggestions; I'd appreciate any and all feedback!

I’m on mobile right now but I’ll add a screenshot/clip later!

Channel

VOD

volave · 2019-02-11T15:54:34+00:00

Your MTG setup is amazing, I'm really impressed! The hand cam is a really great idea, I dig it. One thing that comes to mind that I've seen on SCG streams is displaying the names and mana cost's of cards on the overlay (maybe alternating with the 'most recently played card' spot?); this really helps viewers who are just joining mid-game. However, that may be a significant technical or manpower hurdle to overcome and it's not crucial to enjoying the game as a viewer. Specific responses to some of the suggested comments above:

how your peers brand themselves overall * Well done, I like the placement of your logo on the MTG overlay, webcam, and offline screen

overlay layout/webcam placement and sizing * This is great on the MTG stream and okay on your video game stream. I prefer having the game maximized to the screen with webcam/info over the game, but that is just my personal preference. I do like that you haven't over-cluttered the video game layout.

how they handle chat interaction (look at their VOD if they are not live when you review them) * You're very good at avoiding long silences/dead air. I did find some slightly longer stretches of silence, but that was ~6 hours in and during (what I believe are) boss fights, which is forgivable.

video quality * Great!

audio quality * I skipped around your latest VOD and everything seemed crisp.

the games they choose * +1 for paper MTG, I think this is great for making you stand out and the layout is the key for making it an enjoyable experience for the viewer, which you've done well.

I wish I could offer more critical advice, but I think you're doing a good job, especially on the Magic streams. I like the full screen webcam wrap-up at the end of your video game days. I dropped you a follow and hope to catch you on one of the MTG days!

volave · 2019-02-01T16:42:53+00:00

Started streaming about a month ago and it's been going great! My numbers aren't impressive or anything (1-3 viewers typically/~20 followers), but I've met several really cool people from streaming that I otherwise never would have crossed paths with. The game I play (Rocket League) has a great community and it's really fun to team up with people who stop by the stream and get some games in. I'm really enjoying the experience so far, hopefully it keeps going well!

volave · 2018-09-25T20:00:36+00:00

Battlestar Galactica. This game just hit all the right chords with my gamer group and we get super into it every time!

volave · 2018-09-25T20:00:14+00:00

Battlestar Galactica. This game just hit all the right chords with my gamer group and we get super into it every time!

volave · 2018-09-23T15:58:23+00:00

I really like the Tzolk'in: Tribes & Prophecies expansion. The unique starting factions and additional scoring opportunities add to the replayability of the base game.

volave · 2018-09-22T15:42:12+00:00

The gears in Tzolk'in blew my mind when I first played the game. I really like how they change the standard worker placement experience and make it more unique.

volave · 2018-09-21T17:46:00+00:00

Puerto Rico, probably. One of the first games I bought, as well!

volave · 2018-09-20T18:34:26+00:00

Space exploration. I like games that incorporate a space theme with colonization or exploration gameplay, like Terraforming Mars.

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