Plugin and audio gear SHILLING has seriously RUINED YouTube for honest creators
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- Опубликовано: 30 авг 2023
- Should PAID sponsored videos be BANNED from RUclips??
My name is Paul Third and I am a Scottish youtuber / audio engineer / mixing engineer / audio geek. I mostly cover audio engineering related content ranging from audio plugin shootouts / plugin comparisons (acustica audio plugins, universal audio etc etc) to actual analog vs digital / gear vs plugins plugin tests via access analog and mix analog. I even include ddmf plugindoctor tutorials in my plugin reviews so you can be your very own plugin tester and experiment and understand whats actually going on under the hood. I also discuss digital music distribution from time to time and like to give my viewpoint on online music distributors such as onerpm and distrokid.
All of my audio blind tests involving music production software are conducted in avid pro tools 2021 which is my main daw and I also use HOFA blind test 4U as my blind test software. In terms of my audio interface I record and monitor through a universal audio apollo x6 through topping dx7 pro+ dac/amp and use an se dynacaster for all of my voice overs.
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Apologies for the amount of f-bombs in this. It's not intentional, it's just how a lot of Scottish people speak when they are unfiltered which is how I wanted this video to be. I didn't want to heavily script it so 90% of this is straight from the top bin which meant that i was (in the best term) very loosely lipped haha
I know swearing isn't everyone's cup of tea but I just needed to say what I wanted to say and it be as real as possible.
I'm not gonna lie I didn't know it was that bad till I edited it.. There were way more fbombs 😅😅
Ah, fuck it.
Thanks for being honest and the 'heads up at the start. I do have kids in the house and there is the odd time when I've not realised that they're home from school or stood behind me! 😬
Russian speakers are similar the Scots not just in terms of accent.😃
No apologies necessary Paul, it's refreshing to hear honesty in real terms for a change instead of self-indulgent BS..... I also work "too many" hours being part of the audio/media business so I can totally relate to this, I understand the work that goes into creating content only too well and it's 100% appreciated by myself and anyone who works in our industry.....great video thanks!
F-in funny. I worked in the dockyard in Glasgow for 2 years and didn't realise you were f-in.
The tragic angle of all of this is that RUclips is the one screwing the content creators by paying so little. That in turn, makes the creators desperate to earn money that should already be in their pocket via Adsense.
RUclips did something pretty brilliant by making their medium a part of everyone’s daily life, forcing ads on videos (many of which aren’t giving kickbacks to the creators), and building a system where the creators are desperately trying to keep their view count up or be a victim of the algorithm.
You be you Paul. The sincerity and honesty in all of it is the part I appreciate, regardless of whether it is paid content or otherwise.
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Smarter people than me said this scenario would happen when they started placing ads on popular videos that were not in the Partnership Program. I didn't believe them or want to believe them but by golly they were right!
I think youtube does not want to support creators because of the good content they make, they want the creators that have a lot of views and followers and hence create a lot of money for youtube itself. yet, the plattform is free to use for us creators, so little I can say. what really annoys me is that my small channel is not eligible to be in the partner program, yet my videos seem to be enough interesting that they place adds in front of it. let's be honest, I'm not a dreamer that wants to get rich with my channel. I have the wrong topic for it anyway. but there is a lot of effort I put into each video, and I wouldn't mind if it at least pays for a few beers each month.
Great video, I actually get more annoyed by videos that spend over a minute dwelling on the lack of paid sponsorship, then do a full on exclusive promo video on gear and push affiliate link. Of course, I nearly almost always do sponsored videos but If i'm not interested in using the product myself I just won't do a video on it. I'll always make it clear that I get full control on what goes in to the video, and there are no previews to the sponsor. This is a simple and necessary part to making great videos. If there's a product I try that I think sucks, i just give the product back and don't make the video. I have no interest (as a viewer) in watching someone shit all over some gear. 1. gear is honestly super subjective and situation dependent 2. the crowd of people who love watching someone talk shit are not the crowd I want to attract.
P.S. this is the first video recommended to me from your channel. Nice job.
I'm so with you on this. I have no desire to watch a video where the reviews are so bad, I almost believe they're doing it to feel superior somehow. I watch videos to see how features (or lack there of) work. I don't care if it's from someone who is paid to say good things about it. I'm not even paying attention. I'm paying attention to what it does, and how it will serve me, and most importantly how it will inspire me.
To be honest, RUclips is wearing thin in general. My favorite channels are highly educational ones or Standup comedy.
I came to this platform for male grooming and haircut tips and now I’m in plugin debt and I don’t even have a daw!
We’ll done big yin.
Haha 😅
😂😂😂
One that stood out to me was MixBogusTV reviewing a Kazrog plug-in which was a paid promotion however the content creator didn't label it as such until the developer told them to. Dishonest
How sure are you that it was intentional and not a mistake? What makes him bogus?
@@legacyShredder1 because the developer publicly posted that he'd had to tell him to do so. This isn't someone who's making his first video
@@stupidusername38 Major RUclipsr's don't make mistakes all the time with uploads, edits, and a long list of other variables?
Agree.. I confronted mixbogustv about why he always say "we" about himself, when all we see is him. I think the dude bloated ego, and try to look and seem more busy than he actually is..
Paul Wick! I can see the thumb nail already for the next video! Great job!
Couldn't help myself haha
When it comes to hardware, do content creators get the kit to keep?
If so, are they allowed to sell, if it's not going to fit your workflow?
If it's agreed that the hardware is payment for the video then yes. However, some get paid and have to give the gear back, some get both. Depends on the manufacturer and the product
At the end of the day, if they let you keep it then it's up to you what you do with it
You always keep it real Paul,cheers for that!
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No apologies needed! I enjoy your channel because you are passionate about sharing your knowledge with people like me. I have no budget to waste time or money on useless information and bogus products. Yes I should do my own research and educate myself on the technical aspects of the tools of my chosen craft. I choose to watch your channel ! I gain VALUABLE: information, tips,tricks, and no small amount of humor. I promote your channel to my peers as much as I can. You should get paid for doing ANY advertising, promoting, technical analysis, comparisons and the like by ANY company which would seek you out and request your services. So thank you and all content creators for all the WORK you put in! I really appreciate it !! Cheers! (This was not a paid endorsement)😎
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Brilliant discussion mate, one that needs to be had more on here.
I'm somewhat of an unusual case in that I'm a small channel RUclipsr, a plugin developer and an avid consumer of a lot of RUclips content like yours.
My personal code of ethics for my channel goes something like this. Firstly, no affiliate links, I hate the idea especially in connection with reviews. Secondly, no crap. If I'm showcasing or reviewing an existing plugin be it free or paid, it's because it's something that I actually use and I think deserves more attention than its getting before that video. If I'm reviewing a new release, it's the full story including the good and the bad, whether it has viable competition, etc. Thirdly : no sponsored videos, the closest I'll come to that is accepting NFRs once the day comes.
It's not a perfect solution but I hope it means I can be trusted as my channel continues to grow. I guess that puts me in the "only makes money from adsense" category in your survey (once I hit 1000 subs)
Can I ask a question though. Why are you happy for developers to use you as free advertising? I mean each to their own but I'm talking from the perspective of somebody who has been in your shoes and had the same mindset, for it to be changed the longer I was on the platform.
I realised quickly that youtubers are viewed as numbers and a marketing tool to be used to sell products and in hindsight it baffles me why anyone would choose to spend 8-10 hours producing content for them.. To rely on adsnse to pay you for your time.
I get it if it's a video that you want to make anyway and were gonna make it regardless but if the reason you are making the video is because the developers have asked you to and are dangling an NFR in front of you as a form of payment, then why do that 8-10 hours recording and editing for absolutely free? 🤷♂️
Looking back I can't believe I used to do that and I hate looking back at a lot of my old content but it is what it is.
Im just intrigued on your reasoning behind it
@@PaulThird Sorry for the delayed reply on this, I had a computer crash that I've been dealing with.
I guess my perspective so far is that I'm not getting plugin developers etc coming to me and say "hey can you make a video on my new plugin" and thus having to prioritise my time amongst competing demands. On reflection, I do think I would still avoid paid reviews for certain, because that still creates a conflict of interest for me at least. Sure, it's better than affiliate links because there's no specific incentive to get them to sell as many copies or units as possible. But if I'm doing a paid review of a product, I still have a conflict of interest because being overly critical or negative could make that developer or company reluctant to work with me again, and thus affect future income. I like to think that I'd not hold back, but even subconciously, I'm sure I would.
Things that aren't reviews, so for instance a demo/walkthrough of new plugin release, to my mind I'd be willing to consider. It may seem like splitting hairs, but as soon as I'm putting my opinion out there on whether to buy something or not, it enters into review territory, whereas if I'm purely providing information, it's the responsibility of the audience to make their own choice.
Theres just too much grey areas to worry about. Even the fact that you wouldn't want to be paid for your time to do a review incase they wouldn't want to work with you again proves my point of how they create and abuse "relationships" to use youtubers as free advertising.
Every relationship you build, positive or negative creates bias whether you want it or not.
However I do agree that the middle ground is removing all opinion from a paid video but then you are viewed as a straight up advertising machine.
I think the only advice that I can give you is that no matter what path you turn down, a review will always be compromised or biased because it's a review.
You'll never win on youtube. The only way to be truly independent and unbiased (I thought about this year's ago) would be to compile the new plugins of that week/fortnight/month, number them and then pick a number at random, then demo the plugin from their website, have no contact with them whatsoever, not compare it to anything else, remove any opinion whatsoever, provide only factual information that has been properly tested and also turn off YT monetisation and have no financial gain whatsoever.
At that point you are essentially advertising plugins for no reason and providing you no benefit whatsoever.
It can be done however you may end up reviewing plugins that nobody cares about while others are getting views on what the audience are actually interested in.
So you can either be a robot reviewer or accept that compromised content comes with the territory of being a real human creator on youtube.
Fuck everything else and do what YOU feel is right, and what makes it worth YOUR time. You will get people who like your decision and don't like it but at the early stages you definitely need to have a goal of what you want to achieve by doing youtube because it's amazing how much of a graveyard youtube is of failed audio channels.
I don’t mind RUclipsrs being paid to use their platform as a commercial to sell something. Get that money bro. Only thing we ask is be honest!
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It’s hard tbh when your revenue is dependent on these companies. I understand comercial but things are getting out of hand. Some RUclipsrs won’t shut up about Sweetwater. It’s getting annoying. Throughout the video they mention them and their freaking links under the description. Maybe once in the video but not throughout.
Understandable, just keep making your thing, great points of view, technical approach, and information in general
RUclips has the Paid-Video attribute as an option, it's ok, as long as the people watching can identify that easily, anyway I avoid the channels that are just doing that, or are talking only positive points, without any improvement areas/features, anyway, thanks for your videos!
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My advice would be to keep doing what you love, no matter what people think or say. I enjoy the content on this channel.
Imo it is natural for people to question which companies are paying you and what services you are providing for them that inspires them to pay you. At the end of the day, we all need to trust that the content's purpose is not to sway us in the direction of a product that you may or may not be paid to promote.
Transparency is the key.
There is nothing wrong with questioning the objectivity of any information we consume.
Yes, transparency is key 🤓🤓
Show this man some fucking respect. His honest, analytical approach to content's worth a thousand videos of the "let's get in bed with the developer" reviewers on this platform.
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Hey Paul, I love your honesty.And I love audio engineering .I honestly don’t understand why people even do video for free about something that they might don’t even like. I see people releasing the same plugin review video as other 20-30 people with same thumbnail and title and content for “free”. I rather put my effort and time into a video I enjoy to make stay original and somehow make it profitable. Piece✌🏼
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The sort of payed and affiliate content I dont like is from RUclipsr like Taetro, who do a video and basically lie. In his Unison Sound Doctor video He says "This plugin has replaced all of My effects plugin, forever" then you never see him use it again EVER, because He only used it for that one payed video. That's the sort of thing I never forget.
Any creator that falls into the "boy that cried wolf" trap will eventually end up with a shit ton of subs but hardly any views. Short term gain in exchange for long term pain
@@PaulThird A bit like Busyworksbeats lol.
I'm not touching any of that drama with a fucking mile long clown pole 🤣
Being paid is an amazing thing, and I think it should be done more often - the issue is, that RUclips has some weird monetization standards, so only once you reach 1k subs and have 4000 hrs of playtime, you get to apply for monetization - that's part of the problem there.
Running a small channel by myself, and this time and place I am just one of many content creators out there, and it's hard to get anything "going for me" - I usually buy plugins or use the trial, try them out, deem them cool and make a video.
At this point in time, it's also hard to call out BS on plugins, because of 1) the channel size - it can be your persona to badmouth some plugins, but then you become quickly a target, and my life-time is too precious for that, but more importantly 2) most plugins deserve a fair chance and being evaluated with a bit of a open mind - if I don't like the plugin, is the issue with me, or is the issue with the plugin really?
Sometimes it's just also refreshing to have a company pay you or give you the plugin for free, and that lights up your day, being totally biased on forming an opinion - but I agree with you, as long as there is transparency at the START of the video, I have no issue with that.
Things that frustrate me:
- Orchestrated RUclips floods - when the NDA date falls, and EVERYBODY has the same video, and even worse, says the same buzzwords - that is awful for me as a viewer, because it then becomes obvious I am not getting the real picture
- You watch a video, 14 minute long. At minute 12, they suddenly say "Oh yeah, by the way, I have been paid for reviewing this product" - it undoes the trust I have set within the video being transparent.
But man, I am losing myself - good video, good talking points!
Its swings and roundabouts. If you are constantly positive then you'll still have trolls calling you out. If you are too negative you'll have developers trying to discredit you.
Just make what you want to make and be as honest as you can. Forget about the rest
Thanks Paul, very good stuff! Have you thought about Patreon?
I have one
I think you do a damn fine job of reviewing products.
Adding this video here IS IMPORTANT to keep this platform clean.
When YOU do this, you turn up the heat on other RUclipsrs to have to be clear about what they’re really doing.
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If you share something that is personally valuable to people, I don't think you should feel bad for taking direct support. This channel is a breath of fresh air. I know you don't kiss the vendors' ass, and I enjoy that you get paid by vendors for giving your honest opinion.
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YES! PAID content that is actually GOOD and proves itself USEFUL should be valued.
TRUST is absolutely the bottom line when it comes to content like this.
TO PRODUCT DEVELOPERS: Paul Third has earned my trust.
If you have any problem with what he says about your product then YOU have to come at him(and by default ME) in an OPEN and honest manner. Be straight forward about your intentions. If you do this, then YOU look better, and we all move forward together.
THAT is a win-win ending.
People need to be able to apply nuance. Everyone does paid work. It's called having a job, and it's fine for content creators to earn money. The issue, as you touch on, is transparency and honesty.
I've seen it go the other way, where people get accused of shilling just because they genuinely like a piece of kit or a plugin.
Yeah. Paid videos on RUclips have been abused by many creators. I think the issue is that hardly any come from a sales background so they don't understand how it all works.
After my audio degree I was in sales for 5 years and I was damn good at it but only because I knew my shit inside out and I sold honestly but unfortunately that isn't the way for most places. As a manager I tried to teach staff the importance of product knowledge and to only sell people what they genuinely need but I found out the hard way that the big guns at the top didn't give a fuck how you sold as long as you hit target and that's where I ended up at my eventual demise.
That's why on youtube I know what paid content to take on.
If Im not intersested and I know my audience won't be interested then it's a no go regardless of cost.
If I'm not interested but my audience will be interested then I see if I can provide factual content without much opinion or any opinion, or alternatively find an angle that interests me but this usually a no go most of the time.
If I'm interested but I dont think my audience will be then I do it anyway cause I'm being paid to review something I genuinely want.
I think many youtubers haven't put thought into this and this is where the "boy that cried wolf" syndrome creeps in and then destroys their channel like a virus.
You're totally right bud
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@looppop comes to mind as the embodiment of everything that I've heard you say in this great video. He's transparent about product acquisition, adds a tremendous amount of value by delivering the best synth reviews and content anywhere, and never compromises on integrity and trust. So, it can be done. On the opposite end, there's Linus Tech Tips :)
You are one of very few RUclipsrs that I trust whether it's paid or not. I hope you understand there is value to your main business from the PR.
Yeah a few people have said that I need to use youtube more for promoting myself to further my audio career rather than reviewing
@@PaulThird Definitely. When you are all set up for Amos, I'm expecting some great videos showing your skills.
Mate.. The atmos room is still giving me nightmares haha I only just managed to get the ceiling speaker mounting sorted and it wasn't an easy solution. The atmos room will be hopefully be finished and fully set up by the end of September but we'll see haha 😅
@@PaulThirdThe only career you'll further with doing RUclips videos is your RUclips career. 12 hours per video doesn't leave much time to do other things.
I wouldn't say that. White sea studio gets most of his clients from his youtube channel. The album I just mixed for a client was because of youtube.
But I agree that if I'm going to do mixing more then youtube would need to be put on the back bench.
That's why I agreed to do the Produce like a pro podcast as it forces to me to mix weekly
But that does mean I'm doing full time job, youtube and a podcast 😅
I absolutely agree with u. Theres nothing wrong with paid sponsorships but there is a lot wrong with biased content creation. To me it doesnt even matter if U personally use that plugin or not, because what fits my arsenal may not fit urs, and vice versa.
Im subscribed because u provide everyone whos watching with useful information and the bare truth. U can differentiate between personal opinion and objective facts and deliver it in a format that is quite entertaining and kinda relatable.
Ur opinions are always stated as such and the facts are on the table, thats why paid sponsorships are simply not a big deal and dont feel invasive or manipulative
My best advice would be to just keep doing u and get the cash flowing
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New drinking game idea:
You need to drink a shot of whisky every time you hear the word F### while watching this video 🤭
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This is indeed a very important topic.
Wow! I thought my ad revenue was the only one going downhill. Yes...YT ads are not what they used to be. I'm probably going to retire my channel at the end of the year because it's just not worth my time to make videos. On my personal channel, I'm making videos about my new drone and without even trying I'm easily getting over 1,000 views in less than a couple days on each one.
Yeah to make youtube worth my time ive realistically gotta be uploading weekly and getting minimum 10k views on every upload which takes a lot of planning and work
@@PaulThird it sucks because you are one of the most trustworthy channels and you pack a lot of great info in each video. You should be surpassing the buttocks kissers of the audio RUclips world but...they call it "access media" for a reason.
Every time I have done a less than positive video on a product, with the exception of sE Electronics, no more early access to products for me! So, I no longer make reviews for NFR licensed software or hardware that is sent, demonstrations and tutorials only.
Hey speaking of good software though, the Silver Bullet plugin. It's strange to me how good it is but barely anyone on YT has reviewed it! I guess because Louder Than Liftoff haven't directly contacted RUclipsrs? Anyway, check it out Paul, it's a ridiculously good plugin that more need to know about/try for themselves.
Matty made the video that needed to be made. He proved that it's really close to his hardware. I purposely commented on that one and I never comment on videos
Want me to give you something even more strange. That's twice I've made videos discussing paid content on youtube and twice its been struggling to get any decent amount of views even though the engagement is high and the watch time is above average.
The click rate is what's killing it which I don't buy as I don't get why the content, title and thumbnail wouldn't attract subscribers or those who love contraversial content. Just strange
@@PaulThird do you have a newsletter?
I didn't start a newsletter until after reaching 20,000 subscribers and it's one of my biggest regrets. It's old school email but it allows you to cut out the RUclips middle man.
Something to consider starting if you haven't already...
I totally agree. As a youtuber with a full-time job, I only have so much time. Weekly uploads means 52 videos in a year, and I don't want to do only reviews. Doing a proper review is a big service to them, and no one should expect that for free. I also would never review something that I'm totally uninterested in, or outside of my channel focus. Honesty and integrity shouldn't be on the table for sale, no matter the price. If a company wants you to do a literal ad read with B-roll for their product, they should pay industry rates for hiring advertising talent, especially with an established audience.
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As with everything in life, I don't take anything for 100% true. If I want to buy plugins, for example, I look at many "reviews" and try to form my opinion. With time, you can easily recognize the channels that are "dishonest". Whenever a plugin is released, there is a "review" on all these channels on that very day. If they say they weren't paid for it and are completely independent, then you often know who you're really dealing with and draw your conclusions.
If you, Paul, tested every one of those plugins I want to buy, you would be one of the very few on YT that I would believe the most out of all on YT - which is not to say that I wouldn't buy a plugin just because you might not like it, but it would give me a more solid basis for making a decision and that's the point. As the saying goes, honesty is the best policy!
I'm glad I discovered your channel and I agree 100% with what you've said here. Hope you keep up the good work and thanks so much!
Best Tom
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Be you brother - stuff everyone else, and stay solid! 💪💪💪
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Word up Mr Third!
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basically same comment I wrote under some Linus Tech drama video:
RUclips is a content delivery platform not paying creators, imagine working for a TV not getting paid, it's a terrible business model and it has to fundamentally change
Especially considering the amount of money YT make every year, and the amount of content being uploaded every day
No worries about the profanity. If I'm talking to a fellow musician and I don't hear and F-bomb in the first 30 seconds I'm thinking something's wrong! And, like you, it's just the way I talk. I believe that Profanity is in the ear of the beholder and if people can't see past the language and find the value in your videos, they are the ones who are missing out.
Having said that, this is a great video no matter what language you use. The meaning and intent is clear and you make your point very well.
Just keep up the great work!
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I think you need to" up the heat" by dissecting plugins to the point where plugin developers pay you not to make a video! 😁 F-bombs are also known as Scottish commas! 👍
Now that's an easy payday 🤣🤣
Sometimes people dont have stores nearby and will have to pay for the send and return postage of an item. That adds up, more so for some. Utilising reviews to mitigate the chance of needing to do this is smart economically. You can probably glean why some people take issue of corrupted reviewers - which they are, no matter the spin a person might like to rationalise to themselves and/or other.
I do understand why it pisses people off, that's why we need to ensure that ALL content is honest, not just paid
@@PaulThird proof of that isn't easy. Trusting someone's word these days is almost childishly naive unfortunately. Like buying a secondhand car without taking it to a mechanic to get it checked. As you said though, the responsibility is ultimately with the consumer - despite marketing.
This is the problem with creating income from being a public persona that requires support from companies or industry to maintain revenue. I think a lot more people will eventually get fed up with the lack of transparency and double speak, as it's becomes the dominant means of communication. It's really the most fertile ground for corrupt marketing practice. Like, how can it be controlled? Especially when reviewers/influencers are either fully manipulating their audience (dodgy salesmen) or deluding themselves in to thinking they're helping their audience, the consumer by telling them how great it is (for the price or some rubbish). It will be 10 years before I can afford a decent sized neve or ssl (or whatever)desk and acoustics, but at least then I'll be done with all this cyclical marketing and algorithms entrenching itself in my psyche like a fucking worm🤪. I've found your channel very helpful though thank you Paul
Proof is the issue and there isn't anything we have in this world other than somebody's word which unfortunately is only as stable as the paper it's written on.
I think the tough pill for many to swallow is realising that even though it's not paid, it doesn't mean that the content can be trusted more.
RUclipsrs are following an algorithm and an audience which makes the content compromised from the start. People in their nature have their own biases and opinions which compromise their content regardless if it's free or not.
The truth is most youtubers get plugins for free which again compromises the content.
Even if they don't get it for free it may be compromised because they don't want to make themselves want to buy the product so they are intentionally biased against liking the product.
Opposite goes for people who have purchased stuff themselves. They battle with confirmation bias, especially the more expensive it is.
Human beings are too phychologically flawed to be 100% trusted. That's why you've always got to make your own decision and realise that for audio, youtube is an ongoing market place that feeds into your need to buy your success.
Its all flawed regardless if it's paid or unpaid
@@PaulThird my success will never likely be monetised to the point it's my living wage. Not because it isnt and won't be of value, but because there's no foreseeable market for the work I like to do. I want good tools because I can trust them to do the job I paid for them to do. I have no interest in coding or trusting the word of salespeople. Or electronic engineering haha
I'm one of the least compromising people I know when it comes to creative output. Which gets me in trouble and doesn't help with networking or maintaining them.
I'm drawn innately to uncompromising musicians and artists. I love the ethos of not biting and being true to a culture and maintaining it. Acknowledging the influences and paying respect to them while moving forward. Not being a cretinous sycophant which is a primary characteristic of most "successful" people.
Yeah I agree. Free shit and an audience with its streaming revenue seems to be enough for some people. Things will hopefully shift out of this though
I think it’s a two edged sword… just today I saw a video from a RUclips guitar reviewer complaining that the company paying him for a review was insisting he do a positive review of the product. I think if you already felt the product was good it would be easy to review it positively, but if it’s a product you don’t value and you had to do a positive review for the money you might find yourself in a bind
That's why i try and find paid videos that I'm genuinely interested in or I like the product already
I have a very simple take on this. Being paid is absolutely fine as long as you (or whoever) say that up front in the video. Sometimes, but not always, RUclips puts a “paid promotion” tag on the video but that seems very inconsistent. I expect any RUclipsr to say up front that the video is sponsored and I’ve unsubscribed from a few channels where that wasn’t made clear.
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People never see the real cost of what you create ... People should be thankful for every piece of info people get fro free... I have been in the music industry 35 years and you never get anything for nothing until youtube and other internet sites. People are so lucky know ... its pretty much so easy to find info for nothing... Back in the day you had to pay for this info... so people should get a grip on fucking reality you should get paid 10x what you get paid. thank you for the content :)
I agree. I think people constantly forget that the content is free for everyone but always costs the content creator to make it.
It also baffles me how many plugin developers expect to be paid for their creations but don't expect the content creator to be given the same treatment, especially considering that their creation makes them money and advertises their product.
Its complete upside down thinking.
@@PaulThird 100% I am working closely with the guys at ginger audio and sphere they have been fantastic to work with.But not everyone in the plugin arena are the same :( Another great company i work with is Audio brewers :) fab .. Paul keep up the great working never let the small minds get to you
Honesty is not going to solve the problem with bias though, it just alerts the viewer about it. (Assuming they are actually paying attention)
You'll never solve bias. That's natural human nature, we all have an in built bias in some way shape or form, even if we think we don't
Reviews are just entertaining for me … I once bought a pair of earbuds cause a reviewer said they sounded great 😂learned my lesson
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Another great vid Paul. Anyone who wants other people to do work for nothing, especially after you buy whatever they've sold you, is a parasite. Everything I buy or look at wants a review and it's always for free. I wouldn't give a review of anything I've bought because, why should my time be worth nothing after I pay them for their time and effort?
It's that assumption that you should give your time and effort for free to help them, but you paid for their goods or services that makes me think "F*** O**". It's never really helping anyone decide anything, because you can't trust 100% that the reviews are not influenced or biased. It is, as you say, free advertising.
All reviews on youtube are compromised in some way. That's why I always advise to demo products yourself and see the reviews as advertising. I never make a purchasing decision unless I can try it myself or at least hand it back. I listen to those I trust but it's always me that makes the final decision
All very true. Appreciate all your hard work!
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Elektron has a lot of these tech groupies who have channels. Its clever advertising. Sycophantic types haha
I'm glad I'm not into the world of drum machines and synths haha
@@PaulThird haha yeah another minefield. Luckily there I have a much better idea of what I want. Plus the digital technology advances are identified as creating subjective aesthetics rather than just being plain bad quality audio. I haven't developed an ear for what you do, to your standard
Thank you for doing what you do. 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
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This is getting out of hand. Videos used to have comerciales. Now they are commercials with content. Especially the ones being sponsored by Sweetwater. It’s too much.
It's definitely an American thing. I don't know what the deal is the sweetwater sponsorships as they are pretty much every video for some US creators. Dunno if it's a rolling thing where sweetwater supply them with gear for videos as long as they mention them in every video.. I genuinely have no idea 🤷♂️
@@PaulThird Sweetwater started sponsoring my vids about 2.5 years ago. They're a retailer like Thomann, so as a content creator it is an incredible relationship as they don't care what products I mention/review. They were a fan of the studio tours - and literally give me free rain to make any content, however I choose. (which is incredibly rare) The sponsored videos are paid, so if you're a music or pro audio creator and you bust your ass to make great videos (typical brand sponsorship wants you to say all sorts of talking points and not say certain things, they'll also want to approve the video) sweetwater literally tells me "say whatever you think." So when you find a company that supports your work doesn't mind what the topic or product is.. That's a good sponsor. If you have a problem with that than don't click the free video I suppose. I always try to put the viewers first when I structure the video but I do this literally on my own so it's a huge learning process.
Also I've literally done hundreds of videos with sweetwater ads, and have maybe had 10-15 comments like this in 2.5 years.
Tbh man I think it's all about the context. I've never known how the sweetwater sponsorship works and I think the vagueness behind it is leaving the door open for many to create their own narratives which is making things worse. The fact that it's needed you to tell me how it works is kinda showing me how there is a bit of extra context needed on average.
Just me personally, I think how you described it could be condensed into a few sentences and mentioned in any sweetwater sponsored video from any creator to give the viewer proper context.
I'm not saying creators shouldnt take sweetwater sponsorships but I do think for a lot I've seen they could maybe be a bit less vague to what is actually being sponsored so the viewer has a better understanding.
I think cause sweetwater will sponsor so many vids, some creators just get into the swing of just saying "thanks to sweetwater for sponsoring this video" and that's it.
I'm just trying to look at it from how many parts of the audio community is beginning to view sweetwater sponsorships, and I think it's possibly due to a lack of understanding from the audience side and lack of context from some of the creator side
Just my 2 cents
@@PaulThird haha I get it, and that makes sense to some degree. The irony is the people who complain about a sponsorship or ad read at all, need to hear a longer ad read with context. Again it’s a tiny fringe group, and generally I’ve seen more complaints from people who are making content, than I have from viewers. I get that it’s a kind of an interesting topic to get attention and position oneself as pure and not needing money to do work. (Obviously that’s not what you’re saying or doing in this video)
I can only speak for myself, but I just want the video to speak for itself and if someone wants to check out some gear to point to the sponsor who supports the videos. I make them how I want to see them as the viewer. I think others should do the same. Respect for the video and speaking your mind.
Yeah I think that's why it's good to have open discussions about it. Maybe I do spend too much time on youtube keeping an eye on whats going on so I see a lot of comments regarding viewpoints on sponsored content and in all honesty I need to stop looking at what everybody else is doing and saying and keep doing what I believe in.
I think where the struggle is just now, is trying not to be influenced or distracted by what others are doing and saying. I still get quite shocked when I speak to other youtubers and they tell me actually how little they watch other audio youtubers, and tbf it makes a lot of sense as I'm starting to see ripples of "youtube beef" and I'm just like... Come on.. Really!?
One thing I like about the US RUclipsrs is how a lot of you collaborate where the UK lot hardly speak which is a bit mental. I dunno why 🤷♂️.. Or again it's probably cause I'm autistic and hardly ever reach out to people.. So yeah, take that with a pinch of salt 🤣
I don't mind paid sponser. Disclosing it is fine with me.
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But negative reviews of sponsorships only have downsides for content creators.
If a sponsor pays for your plugin, isn't it sorta expected to write a positive review, given the sheer amount of positive reviews on RUclips? Like if you just start out making videos about sponsored plugins and you browse around to look for examples and rolemodels, what's the likelihood of you writing a bad review then?
You can make honest content even if it's paid, but it's simply not profiting.
Most paid sponsorships don't even really test the software, they just make some music with it or put it on a track in a session and say that it's great, which is obviously not the same as testing.
You are like part of a handful of people where you can feel that integrity and honesty are highly valued while watching their videos, you're part of the minority.
Well that's change that then 🤓
Tbh Worral also does paid content and it's properly tested so there's more than me. There are quite a few out there who make great paid objective content, and there's others that overhype and never use it ever again. However there are also a ton of non paid reviews that overhype plugins that probably will never see the light of day in their sessions.
Its really a widespread thing
Let me start with a "beatmakers" perspective on RUclips. RUclips, just like Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, even Facebook and Pinterest are primarily marketing and community tools. These are promotion tools! They allow us to raise awareness for our brand, to network and to create a following in order to get people to go to our beatstores. So for a beatmaker RUclips is never meant to directly make money, it is meant to generate interest and clickthroughs. What we do on social media takes up a lot of work, but we see it as marketing (I hate doing it). We're giving freebies over here! You don't get paid to market yourself - you PAY to market yourself. Now whether you pay with time or money is another question. Our product is our music, not our social media content. Our videos, reels, stories, tweets, pins are just an ad - even if they are high value, educational, time-consuming, entertaining, etc.. Do you feel me? We advertise ourselves and we are our brand!
The issue with paid, sponsored, supported or whatever content is that it affects your image or can even hurt your credibility. It doesn't just compromise the video, it compromises you. RUclips is about You. That means if "You" are someone who does videos for money, that's what people will associate you with. You'll be a paid reviewer - and that's fine, if that's what you want to be. But what I think you want to do, is to actually be all about being a nerdy mixing engineer, right? Plugins, mixing, the music industry, building a studio - all of this are things that happen in the life of a real (nonyoutuber) mixing engineer and thus are authentic promotion of a mixing engineer, but getting paid for a review isn't. Now, if you wanted to use RUclips as selfpromotion, I believe it would be best to simply be You and thus not get paid for it (exceptions would be to give paid feedback on mixes, showing how you mix behind a paywall, etc.). My advice is to talk about what interests you and make it a point to be paid for your actual craft (mixing).
There is Utopia and there is reality. Ideally you want people to reward objectivity and high quality. But in reality people want You and they want it uncensored. They do care whether the content is paid or not - no matter whether they should or not: They do! Yes, everyone is compromised, but some more obviously so. Just like every girl wears make-up, but with some many can't tell - and they are perceived as natural beauties.
Having said that - I don't care what RUclipsrs do! I don't think using affilliate links is any better or worse than getting paid for the video. It really depends on how this affects your content and the perception of you. Influencing content does not start at what you say in the video btw, it starts at what video you choose to make in the first place. Am I reaching home base? It's obvious that you will not call a worm a bird, no matter what someone pays you. But what is not obvious and can not be known is whether you'd make a video about a worm, if you wouldn't be paid to do it. Just thinking that there is the possibility that you are not doing it out of love, but for the money is a turn off for your customers. Everyone in marketing knows that and that's why companies aim specifically to create the impression that it's genuine and non-influenced advertisement, because that's the best performing advertisement.
RUclipsrs are not the best sales-people on the planet, Paul. And RUclipsrs don't have the biggest reach neither. RUclipsrs are goldmines, because of their authenticity and thus trust they gathered from their followers. Once one is a big player and needn't worry about promoting oneself, because one is well known, one can always choose to cash in like Warren does. You will not have to ask companies to pay you then, because at that point your credibility is so well established, that a sponsorship can't touch it. But that takes time and accomplishment in your _craft_. First become the LeBron James of mixing - then you can pick and choose who you LET pay you for associating with your name. As always, all of this is just my perspective and advice, you go and do whatever the "!$§ you wanna do!
Tbh the reality is that if I don't make enough from RUclips then I don't do it and find something that can justify my time. As a family man in this current climate I don't really have a choice so I make content that I'm interested in and that can do well with my audience as well as leaving the door open for paid videos that feed into my audio nerdary.
I don't think too much about it. if I'm not interested in a product or a concept then I don't make it.
I do way less reviews on my channel and tbh any sponsored video I do in the future will be more studio based as that's where my interest is.
RUclips for me is a balance between making me and the algorithm happy. I personally don't see myself doing it long term. As soon as I'm busy enough with the studio I'll most likely walk away.
For me, the future will be what the future will be
@@PaulThird I believe that it could be beneficial for you to start viewing RUclips more as a self-promotion platform, where you showcase Paul Third the audio engineer. I believe that at the end of the day that would be the financially superior move and make you happier, because then you're getting paid for mixing. I do see you doing this long term, I just believe your perspective on what it is will change. But I don't know, obviously you know better. Just thought I'd share my perspective up in this! Que sera sera!
Tbh that is the plan, it's just that I'm in a transition period trying to get the studio finished so videos I've got planned are needing put on the back burner.
@@PaulThird Beautiful! Wishing you all the best as always, Paul! I enjoy witnessing your development.
If youtubers stand behind a product and actually would use it their selves, fair enough.
The industry will always find ways to promote their products anyway.
Definitely youtubers could get payed by that branche of industry for commercialising their products, why not.
Just be fair about it, somebody makes good content and if that content sells, money is made. so what?
I would love to make content about my gear and mixing proces one day, just for the fun of it.
If some company I like ask me for a payed video and let me keep the gear, I'm all inn for a 1176
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Nice job Paul.
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Remember to check out my autism channel if you want to learn more about my life 🤓🤓
The Absolute Audacity of RUclipsrs to be paid for their efforts on the video! How dare they get compensated!!
Haha
People receiving gear doesn't bother me at all. They obviously wanted the gear so their opinion is probably pretty close to genuine.
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Good on you brother!
Mate, most of us don't mind sponsorships. As long as you don't sell us bullocks, we don't mind. The others, well, they need something to fuss about..
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I feel seen 🙃
Does anyone like waves anymore? Lol. Haven't they been consistently outclassed in audiosoftware in the past like 15 years
Yeah I'd say so haha
Looks like someone got lost from the Enterprise.
I have no idea what that means
Good for you that you make money on RUclips videos how ever much it is (or isn't). .
Personally I came to your channel because of your brutal honesty about plugins (and manufacturers), and not the paid content. As I have stated before, you don't at all come across of being unbiased at all to me anymore. I still watch some of your content, like what you did on the headphones recently but when you go off with the of the produce like a pro gang and you all come with the same product and conclusions, I'm gone.
Every action has a reaction, and I'm sure you both lost and gained views on going "commercial". It's of course your choice but when looking for unbiased reviews on what ever product, I steer clear of your channel and the rest of the produce like a pro gang, for that matter.
I will how ever like to thank you for all the great material you but out in the "old days" and the informative stuff you seem to put out as well.
Tbh nothing much changed content wise from my perspective but your perception is your perception.
Personally, I was quite a naive lad in the early days who needed to learn to be more objective. That's the honest truth. Ive not became any less honest, I've just grown up a bit
Live and let die.
I envy you. You’re doing great with 2500£ 😂.
Could be a lot better though if I was to ensure that I had a video out every week. RUclips is pretty uncompromising
I'm so tired of seeing people yell "SHILL!" You're so right. Let the companies pay you for your videos since you're advertising for them. I know you'll be honest and everyone wins.
I also totally agree with the results of your poll. I'd like to know if you like the product and/or I just want factual information about it to be informed. You getting paid for that doesn't change anything,
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But you have merch for sale. Isn’t that asking the audience to buy your stuff 😅😅😅🤦🏾♂️
It's not asking if you don't physically ask your audience to go check them out. Some creators mention it in every video. I don't. I just leave that shit on the merch shelf and forget about it.
Not any different to what you do on your channel wearing a custom hoody and linking to it in your description 🤷♂️
Yep. Banned. : )
I know not to ask you for a pint then haha
I'd buy you a pint anytime Paul. : ) For me this issue isn't about the size of the cheque, it's about what lies behind it.
It's not just the cheque though. It can also be argued in many cases it's what's behind the NFR, the free gear, the mixing course, the controversial opinion, the rant.. As I said mostly everything on youtube is compromised in some shape or form
Ehh, just get on with it like reviewers from other sectors/genres of RUclips.
I am, but I'm very aware that cancel culture is starting to seep it's way into the audio community and it's important that we don't let the puppet masters have too much control over that
yeah it's a tough one. personally if the videos were not free to watch then i wouldnt watch them.. but when i do watch them i take everything with a massive pinch of salt because i know folks reviewing stuff are taking back-handers from the plugin companies - so it's all a bit pointless. the solution of course is for everyone to go do something else.
What do you mean by back handers?
Basically RUclips is so full of biassed, paid and straight up obvious propaganda (so I said, hey, I don't use midi chord packs..) that the platform simply isn't credible. It's so watered down with pish and arse that honest and transparent content is indistinguishable from the rest. I've followed your channel since day 1 and I feel that you do honestly have some decency, but if I were passing through and was not aware of your journey then I'd assume it was just like the rest.
Tbh I would agree to take everything with a pinch of salt. I think what my journey has shown me is that reviews are what kills youtube, good or bad.
That's why I've decided to move my content more into mixing and studio based stuff instead of reviewing as reviewing is a fucked up world. I felt in many cases I had to lean super aggressive and negative just to combat the over riding wave of positivity which in itself massively compromised my channel and gave off the impression of somebody that was constantly negative which is something that it I work on daily not to be.
So I think in reality youtube itself isn't pointless, but reviews are. Reviews are the most compromised content on this platform but it is something that done every so often can help a youtuber afford to make the less compromise stuff that they actually wanna make.
That's where balance and understanding has to come from both sides. Content creators need to ensure that their reviews are honest and transparent and not making up the majority of their content, and the audience need to understand that to get the free educational value and wealth of knowledge they have to endure the odd paid review and support that.
Its a 2 way street as it genuinely feels like a slap in the face where I'll get a comment telling me that they are not interested in giving a second to a paid review or sponsored content I've made but will then tell me in a subsequent video how much they appreciate me sharing knowledge and information that's really helped them improve their current situation.
For me personally in my situation there has to be a bit of give and take, not constantly take take take
I just assumed that these content creators were in it for the free stuff. I dont care, as long as they provide, honest, informative and entertaining content. Gaun yersel' Paul.
F### the man! 🥸
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