These Are My First Steps to YouTube Success
Join me on my journey!
I've been thinking for a long time about starting to upload videos on the youtube platform. My fear of rejection of my content has become my number one fear. I began to fight it by actively using English.
When I decided to step out of my comfort zone entirely and started writing my blog here on Medium, an activity I was also afraid of because whenever I started a blog, I would run into a significant problem, even in my native language, nobody was interested in the blog, and when there was a comment it wasn't relevant, but it was from someone who had nothing better to do than troll people.
Since I've decided to step out of my comfort zone properly, I've started writing a blog in English, which is, after all, a more widespread language than my native tongue, and in the same vein, I'd like to start a youtube channel. But what will I need to do that?
I like things in a perfect/precise state. This was one of the blockers even with the actual writing of the articles. For those, the rule for 20% time invested, getting an 80% result helped me. I will apply the same rule to videos. Since it will be an amateur production.
It is not necessary to buy extra hardware, but that would not be me if I did not make myself happy and start equipping my "studio" with available hardware to complete the work itself fun and the videos I will produce look a bit more like the world. Since I also decided to deliver online courses, webinars, and training, getting some of that hardware was necessary.
So what did I get to start and why?
Since I believe it's not as much about the quality of the video as the sound, I purchased a quality microphone and preamp in the beginning. Specifically, I got a Rode NT-1A condenser microphone, a Rode PSA1 microphone arm, and a small Rode AI-1 box. This input set isn't a wrong choice.
However, given the same situation today, I would choose the Focusrite Scarlett Solo Studio 3rd generation set. If I didn't want a preamp, then the Rode NT-USB microphone would be the obvious choice. Offering great value for money, the set above from Focusrite is also great for its price. I didn't last long with the original microphone amp box.
I don't know if I had terrible luck with the wrong piece or if it's not a quality product. Still, the box started to fail after a while, so I advertised it, and to my surprise, I got a full refund — the cost of sending the box back, so I lost about 25% of the amount I paid.
And then came the need to choose an alternative amp box. I chose the original one because I wanted both windows and macOS support. The reason was simple. I used both systems and didn't want to have hardware tied to only one of the platforms.
I didn't hesitate long and ordered the alternative preamp I had in my sights. Specifically, it was a Focusrite Scarlet 4i4 3rd generation. This great preamp keeps me company every day.
Trouble with microphones
When choosing a microphone, you need to pay attention to its characteristics. The Rode NT-1A is an excellent condenser microphone, but its physical characteristics will sometimes play against you. What specifically are we talking about?
A condenser microphone is so sensitive that it picks up even very subtle noises. In my case, the problem arose after moving into a new apartment with elevator lovers and a busier street compared to our previous apartment.
This was part of the reason I looked for a solution and got another microphone, specifically the Shure SM7B, which is an excellent dynamic microphone whose physical properties ensure that it only picks up sound in front of it. But by acquiring this microphone, I faced another problem: the lack of phantom power, which uses a condenser microphone to affect its sensitivity.
With a dynamic microphone in combination with my preamp, it needed rather scream to get it sufficiently excited. Since I didn't want to disturb the neighbors and preferred normal vocal expressions rather than shouting, I bought a microphone preamplifier.
Specifically, Cloud Microphones Cloudlifter CL-1, this preamplifier works by plugging a microphone into one side, and an amplifier into the other side where you turn on phantom power just like a dynamic microphone gives you gain in the signal, making it sound louder even at lower excitation levels.
What am I going to record the image on?
The next tricky problem was the actual recording of the image. As I figured that sound was more important than the image to start with, I got a Logitech C980 webcam for basic recording.
However, this camera is more sufficient as a supplementary one of the main actions on the screen is something else otherwise, the picture was not much, which was the reason for getting a ring light from Elgato. Thanks to the scene's lighting, a usable webcam image is obtained.
But that wouldn't be me if it wasn't enough anyway, so I started thinking about some basic camera for solo recording, and in this direction, the Sony ZV-1 caught my eye. Still, so far, I resisted and didn't get it. Instead, I decided that the image taken with my phone would be enough to start with.
I will use the iPhone 11 Pro for recording. The reason is simple it will be a hobby. The moment it should turn into a professional job, I would probably look for the Sony Alpha A7 Mark III, but who knows, something like that is far away, and maybe at that time, there will be other more interesting pieces on the market.
Software?
To start the recording, I had to solve the last fundamental question I had to ask myself, how I would process the resulting video. I hadn't thought about it for a long time, and since I have Apple portable devices, it was my obvious choice. I purchased a virtually complete video and audio processing package. An alternative could have been Adobe Premiere Pro.
Since this software is for a monthly subscription, I gave it a pass even though I knew how to use it, unlike FinalCut Pro X. The basic idea behind getting the software was to either pick something that can be used for free and not raise my entry cost to get started or pick something with a fixed price and perpetual license.
I chose the paid software because the folks at Apple are pretty good about it, and Davinci Resolve, which is also free to use, didn't appeal to me because of the controls. There are a plethora of tools that we can use. Since I know I will need to deal with preview images, I bought Affinity tools in this direction, but I have used Adobe tools for many years.
Affinity did not fit me with completely unintuitive control. Sometimes I struggled with it. Sometimes, I pulled out Pixelmator or Adobe Photoshop Elements. Yes, I was weak and succumbed to the "demo" version of Photoshop, which Adobe Premiere Elements is also a usable tool, unlike its little sister.
In terms of cost savings, if you have a Mac, you should use iMovie, accessible, and if you need to edit something in photoshop, there is a browser alternative Photopea. It doesn't have as many features, but I believe it will be enough for your needs.
Budget
When I think about it, you can use your phone in your pocket from the beginning. It will have both a microphone and a picture, video can often be edited directly on the phone, and there will be no lack of basic effects. You only need an internet connection to upload a video to YouTube, which I'm sure you have as you read this.
And in the end, it doesn't cost you a single extra penny. It's your time, the most precious commodity we have in the world. Since I value my time and want a better quality output, I invested in tools that allow me to process documents more efficiently, and I believe that I will save time as a result.
Final thoughts
What happened next? Well, you'll find out next time as this was my last step to getting started, so I'll have another article for you when I release my first video to give you an idea of the problems I encountered at the beginning of my journey.
Thank you for reading this article! If you enjoyed it, please leave me 👏🏻 and follow me for more content like this! 😊👍
