Is Miserable Telly Dragging You Down?

The relentless negativity of broadcast media

I don’t know if you’ve found this, but in the last few years, broadcast TV is filled with relentless negativity, pessimism, doom and gloom and general misery.

Take channels like the BBC.

I’ve long been a massive fan and advocate of theirs, watching it for as long as I can remember. Things like Not the 9 O’Clock news, The Young Ones, Only Fools and Horses, Parkinson, Question Time… all things I look back on fondly.

In these last few years though I’ve found myself feeling increasingly depressed from its unremitting bleak output. I’ve even switched Radio 4 off, after decades of dedicated listening.

Ok, maybe it’s reflecting the world around us and it really is that miserable out there. But to be reminded of it constantly, without any glimmer of hope or positivity, is bound to drive us all into a negative frame of mind.

It’s the last thing you need if you’re running a business – finish a long day, then watch everything wrong in the world discussed in minute detail. Where is the inspiration?

Okay, so that was a very depressing opening to a blog…

Is Streaming The Solution?

Abandoning broadcast TV, I started to look elsewhere.

Most of the streaming services like Netflix and Disney didn’t really have a lot I would choose to watch. Existing series with ten 30-hour long seasons to catch up on aren’t for me, I like stories to begin and end in a single sitting.

I also like information-packed viewing, which is both entertaining and from which you actually learn something.

Youtube Reviews

For a long time I’ve used YouTube for purchasing decisions, watching geeks around the world, compare the features of:-

cameras.
Gimbals,
microphones
headphones.
Lenses
ActiFry and air fryers
Software for everything
Monitor calibration devices,
sofas
cars.
Memory cards
Flea treatment for cats.

There really is something for everyone out there, I’d recommend watching a couple of reviews before making a purchase – you’ll definitely learn something prior to getting your thing.

These videos are getting slicker and more entertaining, to the point where you can fill a whole evening with “stuff” off youtube – not just reviews either.

Casting to TV

I have a Chromecast, a dongle you pop in to an HDMI socket in the back of the television which allows you to send (cast) anything you have found on my phone to the television. I can watch Youtube (and many other services) on the big screen just like a normal TV, but don’t have to endure the pain of finding content with a television remote control. You just use your mobile phone

I’m sure Apple TV is exactly the same if you’re an iPhone user – and some smart TVs can be cast to without the Chromecast – worth investigating for your platform.

Chromecast “just works” if you are an Andoid phone user

Warning!!

Youtube has an algorithm which finds “more of the same” for you – so if you are into golf, say, it’ll find you lots of golf clips and tips.

It can however also take you down a negative rabbit warren if you start looking at negative stuff – just be careful you don’t get radicalised!

Back to the story…

2 Recent Obsessions

Firstly I’ve become interested in how to edit my Drone footage to make it look interesting and cinematic, and
Secondly, after 30 years of “dipping my toe in”, have decided to up my game with dance music production.

Both of these are massive subjects with daunting learning curves, terms I’ve never heard of, tools I get lost in, concepts I find baffling…I’ve climbed that mountain before learning photo editing, using Photoshop, I know it can be done, but boy… a lot of work!

But what I found On YouTube was a whole world of experts sharing their knowledge – for FREE.

I know some videos are poor – I used to find videos with dreadful “robot voices” instead of people talking, or worse, screen captures with text on the screen instead of them talking! You very quickly turn off

But things are changing fast – seek and you will find people who connect with you, speak your language, are paced just right and really help you understand even the most complex concepts.

Mr Alex Tech – great for video editing

EDM Tips for making house music

Use your “downtime” wisely

When I break for a coffee and pop the TV on, it opens YouTube instead of the broadcast channels.

It will have curated a list of all the latest videos from the channels I subscribe to, and new channels covering topics I like. A quick scroll and you’ll find things you’re into.

If I want to learn something cool about video editing, I’ll type in the magic words “Davinci Resolve 18” (my editor) and up will pop new clips from the usual presenters (and ones I don’t know). In seconds they’ll be teaching me:-

something brand new in the latest release,
or how to make your voice sound better,
or adding colour into the shadows of a drone video,
or 10 essential shortcuts to making your life easier…

Here’s one from Scotland on editing Drone footage – you get the idea.

When you find the right content creators (and YOUTUBE helps suggest the most popular) teaching is done in an engaging way, something you can casually watch and absorb led on your sofa, rather than an open university-style lecture where you need a pen and pad to take notes.

Another example – Music Theory

David Bennett Piano – a young guy who regularly discusses music theory.

I’ve been playing the piano since the age of seven, I never had lessons and just learnt what the dots, Italian terms and music-squiggles mean from books so I could learn songs. No “theory” as such – you play the notes, but don’t understand “why” they work – they just work. Not everyone needs to understand grammar to speak English – same thing.

On a weekly basis, David Bennett produces a video talking music, recently there were:-

popular chord sequences – which you can nick and use 😉
different modes of music – never knew what Lydian Mode meant!
interesting time signatures – name some songs in 10:8 time?

All things which I’ve never really thought about, but when presented in an entertaining and simple way, makes me a better musician with new knowledge.

Another example – synthesizers

Always been fascinated with synthesizers. Especially old ones, with lots of knobs.

It’s been a passion of mine since the 80s when watching Top of the Pops. I would always dream of playing a Roland Jupiter 8 or an Emulator 2 or a Yamaha DX7 or a Roland D50, all of which you would see every band using at 7 PM on a Thursday.

There are channels dedicated purely to Synthesizers, like Alex Ball, who regularly explores obscure old technology or the very latest kit.

He brings it into his studio to demonstrates how it works, finds interesting and unique sounds, explains its history and then creates a song with it. It’s all done with lots of great camera work and engaging editing…

Production values are almost up to broadcast media.

Another example – making EDM (House) music

You have many channels showing you how to use Ableton/Logic/Cakewalk/ProTools to create dance music – from the UK and USA mainly, but also South African, Poland, Russia, and Germany – so you get different styles. It’s amazing.

Here is one of my tracks…

Will from EDM Tips will create a piece of music from scratch, often in a niche style – perhaps Eighties Chicago House, or maybe like Daft Punk, or perhaps Fatboy Slim – showing us how to make the sounds, drum beats, chords, bass, melody, vocals…

Others also take you, step by step, through how they made the beat – choosing the right kick drum, snare and high hat for this style.

They’ll describe in detail how they chop up vocal loops and make things pump with Sidechain compression – there’s a LOT going on…

ABLETON TIPS – a group of producers sharing their secrets

Some videos are an hour long, some 5 minutes, all great quality and well explained.

White Sea Studio – Production Plugin Reviews

A real producer trying out everything that gets released and sharing his views with lots of examples, is nerdy but helps me understand whether I’d use or benefit a £50 plugin – I bought Gulfoss (not cheap), it’s great.

These are all things you would never really learn sitting by yourself with all the tools open on your monitor – but as I’m eating my chicken curry, Will from EDM Tips will be talking me through mid 90’s progressive house beats, revealing all those little nuances which made the era special.

A free university course?

https://youtu.be/ysG96dUtGh4

If you find a creator who regularly puts videos out, it’s almost like a university course for free.

You can build a lot of knowledge quickly – like a snowball, layers of knowledge grow quicker than you could imagine, and all in your “downtime”.

The time when you’d usually be wallowing in the misery of Eastenders or lamenting the tragedy of wars and terrorism around the world. Switch the TV off, get some topics you love on Youtube instead.

Can it work for you?

Firstly, I don’t have competition for the TV – it’s just me… if you have a partner or kids then you’ll need a second TV or computer – unless they’re really into the same things. Or you could watch it on your phone with headphones I guess

Second, it needs to be something you want to learn more about – search for your different hobbies and subscribe to the channels you enjoyed. Go back each day and find the new channels YOUTUBE suggests, all this builds the breadth of creators you see daily.

Third, remember you influence what pops up in your stream. Use your LIKE button on anything you enjoyed, use the SUBSCRIBE button if you think you’ll enjoy more of their videos, and set the NOTIFICATION level to ALL if you want all their new videos to pop up.

Be ruthless in culling stuff you didn’t like

Channels need to keep you entertained – if it’s turned out to be dull, unsubscribe!
Channels you can relate to – if you don’t like the presenter… unsubscribe!
Channels to expand your knowledge – some may be too advanced and you get lost, some too simple – unsubscribe!

It’s just tapping your phone, no big chore involved in any of that.

Youtube Premium?

Adverts do my head in

Going premium gets rid of ALL adverts – it’s amazing, no more waiting 5, ot 20 seconds to hit the “SKIP” button.

You also get full Youtube Music, which replaced Spotify for me, so the £10 I saved on that went straight to the Youtube Premium subscription.

ALSO if you have a phone contract, some allow entertainment in the packages – my Vodafone contract gets me PREMIUM for £7/month, so I get Ad Free Youtube and all the Youtube Music stuff for £7.