They No Lie

They Tell Truth. Truth hurt, but still truth. The honest fellows I refer to are Chris Lee from the pal2tech YouTube site and Omar Gonzalez from Omar Gonzalez Photography - also on YouTube. I tune into their broadcasts every week and have benefited greatly. I still don't know how to like and subscribe but I do know how to recognise good presenters. Over the months that I have been reviewing their shows they have repeatedly mentioned one point in respect to video presentations; the audio component is more important than the visual one. The nature of their internet entertainment being what it is, they can directly demonstrate this as you watch and listen. In the case of Chris Lee, he does gear reviews based around his own intimate knowledge of the Fujifilm system, and adds some of the peripherals of video production - the lights, cables and microphones - from time to time. Firms send him gear for review and he buys some of his own stuff, but all his opinions are his own, and he makes no bones about saying that. Recently he tested a microphone from someone that was a lot better than their first model, and he was able to show why. He'd like the first one, but loved the second. And we could hear the good results. Omar has just run a show that explained how he chooses music to go with his video work, and demonstrated convincingly just how much difference an individual choice in soundtrack can make. I was interested also to see how much use of music he used as part of presentation of preliminary and finished work to clients - and not just motion pictures - the sets of still pictures went out with great soundtracks that he assembled from a commercial supply form - he did an link and an advertisement for them. For both of these presenters the audio - both content and quality - made a major component of the show's success - and fortunately both presenters are quick with their minds, skilled with their voices, and cheerful enough with their humour to make the viewing a real pleasure. Turn the screen around. I own many of the same cameras and lenses that they do. I own a great Röde mic that I bought from Camera Electronic, and a good Manfrotto tripod to hold the rig up. I've got a set of Bunningschrom lights for my studio that make the dancers look fabulous - I thought that there was nothing to stop me making a YouTube channel and becoming a star. So I set up the goods and sat down... Frankly, the lights and the camera were the only things I should have turned on. The microphone worked perfectly, as all Röde products do, and recorded the sound of my voice accurately. The computer played it back accurately. Had I turned up the volume of my first recording I could have cleared all the woodworms out of the wainscotting. I could use the word awful, but that would suggest awe. I think horrible would be more accurate. The reason I will never sing at La Scala is that I would have to use my voice to do it. Anyone who has ever heard their own sound back from a tape recorder with know what I mean. Moral? I will keep on typing. I can sing, speak, or swear as I wish, and no one will be injured. I'll keep on watching Chris and Omar and be enormously jealous.