youtube effects demo makers

[Rob Fossil]

As someone who has just posted their first pedal demo last week, I tried to adhere to a few of the points above:

1. No Talking. The demo was for a 3 knob chorus pedal (I have already posted the demo in this forum so I am not going to spam you guys. If you want to see it, just search my name on Youtube) so no in-depth explanation was required. The purpose of the video was to show off a just released pedal that I think works well with bass, not for me to become an internet "star".

2. Playing a few different styles of music (Alternative, Stoner, Reagge, even a bit of Classical). I strung together five different vignettes to show the various capabilities of the pedal.

3. Pairing the pedal with other pedals. I attempted to show how the pedal sounds with dirt, octave, and compression added to the mix.

4. Not using the webcam microphone. I recorded direct to the computer's sound card via a USB interface.

I still need to work on my tech skills, I'm no AV wizard by any stretch but overall I'm happy with the end result. I also kept the demo at around four minutes as I'm not a fan of long demos in most cases.

[Gadgetjunky]

It's kind of funny, my interface walk-thru on the Orbital Modulator has the most views so far by 20% and it's all talk. But I agree with everything posted here and I'm really glad this thread was started when it was. I also record direct to get the best recording and avoid coloring the tone with my amp or anything else like a sansamp unless that's part of the demo. TB'ers rule

[fasto]

another important advice: put on your shoes, don´t like to see your dirty white socks with holes in it.

[Adamixoye]

Ha ha, I agree with so many of the tips in this thread. A few tips of my own:

(1) In lieu of talking forever, use some video editing or YouTube's editing to put text describing what you're doing, WHILE music is still playing.

(2) Play something that sounds like a song in the style that the effect is relevant for. It's fine to show some range. But if it's a fuzz or distortion, then I want to know how a metal riff on the E string sounds, not some noodling at the 12th fret.

(3) Try to play with some drums.

[A Strohman]

Agree with many of the complaints posted in this thread. I'll add one of my biggest pet peeves regarding demo videos - players who play insane riffs that do nothing to really demonstrate the pedal. I'm not particularly interested in your bass chops <cough>Aram Bedrosian<cough>, I'm much more interested in hearing simple riffs that allow me to hear what the pedal is capable of. I'm just weird like that....

[Epitaph04]

More than anything I can't stand it when whoever is demo ing it just makes tiny little adjustments each time.

"k that was that, now let me turn the gain knob up about half a micron"

(plays for about 20 seconds)

"now we'll adjust the blend knob about 1/16 of a centimeter"

(plays 15 seconds)

"sounds good huh? now lets bypass the damn thing"

(plays 30 seconds)

k thats my demo!

[topo morto]

Originally Posted by cheezewiz

Not listen to you babble about what the gain knob does.

Especially when to others in the room it sounds like you are watching someone fiddling with a 'gay knob'

[avvie]

Prymaxe Vintage has been very good with their demos. the ones I've seen have two parts:

1- layered recording arrangement made by a skilled player using the pedal while descriptions and accolades scroll beneath. Pedal closeup featured simultaneously to see the settings used with various parts being played by different guitars.

2- ...followed by a knob-turning session.

Here's a perfect example:
http://youtu.be/jFw1b8COJ1A

[ryansalmond]

Originally Posted by fasto

another important advice: put on your shoes, don´t like to see your dirty white socks with holes in it.

+1! No bare feet! The world is watching, put on your Sunday best!

[avvie]

Originally Posted by ryansalmond

+1! No bare feet! The world is watching, put on your Sunday best!

Did you hear that, Will Cady?

[rsmith601]

Originally Posted by avvie

Did you hear that, Will Cady?

I was wondering how deep in the thread it would take for the barefoot bandit to be be unmasked!

[quincy_j_clomo]

always so much hate for Will Cady's feet...

[avvie]

Lolz...not from me! I'm in Hawaii; it's weird if you're wearing shoes here.

[Gadgetjunky]

Too funny. I'm sure it just some good ole' ribbing. Plus everyones a critic.

[Adamixoye]

Not for me, man. I have a foot anti-fetish. I would not purposefully put my bare feet on any of my gear, much less do so in a video I'm sharing with the world.

Originally Posted by Gadgetjunky

Too funny. I'm sure it just some good ole' ribbing. Plus everyones a critic.

[PDGood]

+1 to all of the above.
I wish there was a way to flag bad audio on youtube. It's just pointless to review any instrument or effect if the audio is a crappy camera mic.

[NoxNoctus]

I don't really care about the foot hate. As long as you arent spreading grody toe cheese over everything do what you want with your gear, as long as you're wearing clothes.

I'd take bare feet over bad audio in a review of something where audio is kind of the whole point.

[erigod23]

What I hate is the fancy diddly-diddly playing. I play rock with a pick and I want to hear the effects in that context.

[Gadgetjunky]

Originally Posted by Adamixoye

Not for me, man. I have a foot anti-fetish. I would not purposefully put my bare feet on any of my gear, much less do so in a video I'm sharing with the world.

For me it's the stages I play on. They are usually nasty!! Like they will renovate the whole place and leave the nasty 20 year old stage carpet alone. It's mostly drummers that I see barefoot. Although I can see an advantage of bare feet tweaking knobs and stuff, it's just not for me indeed.

[Gadgetjunky]

Originally Posted by NoxNoctus

I don't really care about the foot hate. As long as you arent spreading grody toe cheese over everything do what you want with your gear, as long as you're wearing clothes.

I'd take bare feet over bad audio in a review of something where audio is kind of the whole point.

YES YES YES - let's not lose focus on the reason we seek these videos....the audio. I say play what ever you want, wear what ever you want, just please get the audio part as best as you can.

I started thinking about making these videos and thought about fancy editing, with PIP and text or multiple camera angles, but all that production was delying me from getting any videos actually made. Please make videos of what you are doing with your stuff, it may really help someone. Don't worry about it being all fancy, just worry about the audio sounding its best.