Update: and a new project!
Added 2021-08-31 21:24:18 +0000 UTCHello everyone,
Usually I like to have a new video for you at the end of the month, and although I had a decent head start on one of those “simple” videos it promptly cascaded into a larger project. I know, you all are utterly shocked at the news.
I’m taking a bit of a break right now. I mentioned in an update at one point that I was planning a cross-country (or I guess just cross-a-majority-of-the-country) train trip because A) I’ve always wanted to do that and B) it would help out my brother if I were with him for a short time. Well it turns out that he didn’t exactly need my help any longer, but I decided to take the train out to see him anyway. And I’m very glad I did! I plan to share some of that experience eventually.
But while I’ve got this downtime, I’ve been working on a project suggested by one of your fellow patrons who is blind. Most of us making videos take the visual part of the medium for granted, and as such we tend to be talking over pieces of gadgetry and whatnot while it’s on-screen. The sounds of the devices I’m showing often seemed to me as adding something to the video but of mainly trivial importance, so I’ve never put much effort into showcasing them as a feature. Well - it’s time to do that!
I’m going through my old projects to see what B-roll I have which can be repurposed into what I’m tentatively calling “Connextras: Sights and Sounds.” I don’t know exactly how I’m going to approach this, but I’d like to make these videos both as a showcase of the sounds as well as a more chill, less-produced experience for the sighted. To make it more accessible I’ll also try my hand at descriptive audio when appropriate. I’ve also found many fun instances where the B-roll shoot went… frustratingly and it might be fun to include some stories like that. I’d like to make this of value to as many people as I can, so I’ll have to play around with what balance to strike. It may be best to simply do sights and sounds separately, but I think I’d rather package them together both to widen appeal and to increase awareness of this kind of accessibility practice.
Another part of what I’m doing is identifying what might benefit from a better audio recording. The videos I made before having a dedicated studio space have much worse camera audio because of ventilation and other general background noise. For certain things I don’t think this is a detriment, but for others it definitely is. One particular example is the general sounds of a Laserdisc player - from motor spin-up, to laser tracking, to chapter-seeking. While I demonstrated all those at one time or another, I never bothered making the audio recording clean. So I may end up re-recording some of this, and with better mics to boot.
For now this is largely going to be a side-project but I think it’s very worthwhile. I’m also going to be making more of an effort to ensure I capture good sound when shooting B-roll. Very very often I’m listening to podcasts through an in-room speaker when I’m shooting, and from now on (or at least when there’s any noise involved) I’ll be sure to not do that.
So anyway, that’s all! Thanks so much for your continued support, and I hope you like the idea! It’s not quite fully-baked, and right now I’m basically only doing prep-work, but I’m excited for it.
-Alec
Comments
Were you making a pun saying things CASCADED into a larger project (which maybe was dishwasher things)?
Michael Brown
2021-11-21 16:46:29 +0000 UTCI think most of the subtitles I read on YouTube (and I watch several daily) are generated by YT's own algorithms. Sometimes making hilarious mistakes, especially completely misunderstanding English speakers with strong accents. But it makes me think that YouTube (or parent company Google) should take even more responsibility for this and not individual YouTube creators. A lot of my favorite YouTubers sometimes produce demonetized videos, which makes the extra work of subtitling even more problematic. I like your sentiment, but "if you have x amount of subscribers" I strongly disagree with. Not when YouTube is a profitable company getting their own from those videos. OTOH Patreon creators can more directly appeal to deaf/hard-or-hearing audience for contributions, which is more equitable, if not ideal.
Chris Daniels
2021-09-20 21:49:15 +0000 UTCAbout accessibility I just want to say THANKYOU so much for subtitling every video you make. One of my mates is completely deaf and it is always such a bummer when I find a good video without adequate subtitles. I am still pretty disappointed that YouTube removed the community captions feature, and that none of the movies I got on YT (the three of them I have anyway) have no subtitles either. Should be a rule that if you have x amount of subscribers you must include subtitles. But unfortunately we don't live in that world yet.
2021-09-07 07:19:40 +0000 UTCI don't know how much work you want to put into the Sights and Sounds concept (which I love btw!), but have you considered making a small sound dampened space for recording your machine sounds? Just some acoustic foam in an extra closet even would go a long way towards getting clean sounds from all your awesome technology. Heck, if you wanted to go the extra step you could put a cool background at camera level and also use it a controlled space to capture sweet rotating B-Roll shots with the right gimble. Though now this idea has gone from a little extra work to a lot of extra work :D
2021-09-05 17:31:50 +0000 UTCYes! I am sometimes fascinated by the familiar sounds of an old hard drive or CD player.
Ryan Helinski
2021-09-03 03:10:01 +0000 UTCI am functionally low vision, meaning I can see but can only use sight for short periods due to corneal neuropathy… basically if I use my eyes it feels like I’m being stabbed with ice picks. The one easy tip I have is to avoid pronouns. By referring to what your describing on screen by name, rather than “this, it, etc”, the consistent reference to any feature, or object when switching between or comparing them is really helpful and pretty low cost from a writing/scripting standpoint. The ideas behind “universal design” can be a guide in this case. The best example of this concept comes from curb cuts. While curb cuts enable accessibility to wheelchairs, walkers etc on a sidewalk, curb cuts also are an added benefit to cyclists, strollers etc. 99% Invisible podcast, and their book give a plethora of examples. It is especially noticeable in the audiobook version of their book. The writing describes everything that the pictures in the book shows, and therefore is accessible in audio form, and doesn’t detract inherited quality of the book. This approach also makes the audiobook a great experience for anyone that prefers audiobooks over print. I have both printed and audio version and I consider the pictures extra icing on top rather than required for context. I would LOVE to have this minor tweak in your future projects. Thanks so much for the amazing work, and the awareness!
Mlumpkins
2021-09-02 00:24:41 +0000 UTCA clean recording of your Magnavox Laservision having a disc (or is it disk?) put in, closed, spun-up, and played would be super nostalgic for me and my brother. It looks identical to the one my Dad had when we were kids (although this was in the UK so was Philips branded) and we both have very fond memories of playing our favourite TV shows and movies on it. It's long broken now, but I can still hear it when I think about it to this day!
Project A118
2021-09-01 21:44:44 +0000 UTCSounds like a great idea (excuse the pun). I think you unintentionally did it in your on location videos regarding transit. The sounds as well as the visuals convey the whole experience.
AmpSmashed Music
2021-09-01 13:45:02 +0000 UTCNeat.
James Hamilton
2021-09-01 11:57:34 +0000 UTCAlec as another Visually impaired viewer this sounds right up my street. Tip, listen back to your videos, and see how much you can understand without the visuals, if it becomes incomprehensible , this is where you may want to add some audio description. I get that YouTube doesn’t support a separate AD sound track, so don’t overdo it. Happy to comment on “sneak peek” early access videos here, but my timezobe is GMT/BST so potentially not overly helpful. (As the video is usually uploaded to the main YT channel by the time I notice it is here)
2021-09-01 09:35:15 +0000 UTCIt's a great idea. You need downtime like all of us. Hope you enjoyed the train trip. Do we get an inside view of said trains trip (when you have time) I was in media, then tech but now career is trains (railway trains) so it all goes together nicely!
Anton
2021-09-01 09:17:37 +0000 UTCNot visually impaired myself (at least nothing that can't be fixed with glasses), but honestly that sounds kinda awesome. I'm sure you know and appreciate projects like the floppotron by Paweł Zadrożniak and sounds like the ones you're wont to have on videos will definitely be able to trigger some nostalgia in many of your viewers.
2021-09-01 06:58:08 +0000 UTCDid you say trains!? We need to talk, dude! (But you already knew that.)
2021-09-01 03:49:55 +0000 UTCAs both a visually impaired person (sighted but unable to qualify for a drivers license) AND a railfan, this appeals to me on multiple levels. Would enjoy hearing of your train trip -- what route you took, coach or sleeper, thoughts on dining (if there was any). Sadly right now dining car experiences are not what they used to be before covid-19.
Don Eitner
2021-08-31 23:40:19 +0000 UTCThe one thing I've seen, and I could swear it was on Technology Connections, was a pinned comment for add-ons, corrections and other items of that nature. What would be nice is if there were a way to link that specific comment (or one comment per edit) into the video. Another option would be to be able to add an inline pause + audio in the video. For example, at index 12:34, tell YT "Pause the video, play the record scratch sound effect, play this bit mea culpa audio, then resume"
Hugo Dahl
2021-08-31 23:20:10 +0000 UTCIf, or WHEN YT Taste (YouTaste?) becomes a thing, it will be my "shut up and take my money" moment for 2 awesome channels - Guga Foods and Sous-Vide Everything. I get to drooling just seeing what they're preparing!
Hugo Dahl
2021-08-31 23:16:24 +0000 UTCTo make your videos more accessible, render them through BRLTTY, the linux Braille TTY, and then export that to DaVinci or Premiere. Speaking of B roll, one day I'd love to see whatever device you use to get these slow parallel side shots of gadgets (I'm guessing some kind of rail glide gear / dollie skater with a tripod mount). I've never really noticed the sound being lesser in the older videos. OTOH I tend to spend too much time reading the captions to the point sometimes I forget to look at the main talking head... (so much thanks for the effort you put in uploading these captions BTW, greatly appreciated!)
Raphaël
2021-08-31 23:03:03 +0000 UTCAlec, have you watched any of the various YouTube train journey vlogs? I've found them interesting whether they're showcasing Amtrak routes or various European trips. They can be more of a "how to" style of video, so I wonder if the upcoming release of your rail journey will have been influenced by other YouTubers or not and if you have a unique take on rail travel due to your history in hospitality management. Also looking (listening?) forward to your Sights & Sounds material.
Mark Hesse
2021-08-31 22:57:15 +0000 UTCEnjoy your trip! I just took Amtrak from Philadelphia to Tampa in a Roomette and it was a lovely experience. Can’t wait to try more of the Amtrak routes out.
2021-08-31 22:55:35 +0000 UTCThank you for the hard work you put into making your existing media more accessible!
Ariel
2021-08-31 22:52:48 +0000 UTCThis is a super long-winded way of saying you're starting an ASMR channel ^_^ Looking forward to it! Please also try to include sounds of malfunctioning technology; hard drives and floppy disks come immediately to mind. This is not only curious and nostalgic, but can genuinely help people perform some light-touch diagnosis of their doodads.
2021-08-31 22:33:07 +0000 UTCThere you go, being all caring and stuff again! Good job!
2021-08-31 22:22:29 +0000 UTCGosh, this is an aspect I hadn't even considered with all of the historical gadgetry youtube I watch, and it's information that should absolutely be preserved. I'm reminded of one of the testing procedures for modern mechanics, which is dropping it then recording the audio of it in action. Because something suddenly out of alignment or snapped off may be more readily apparent from its sound before taking it apart. Having the sound of a properly functioning may be the key to someone down the road figuring out what's wrong with their own thingy.
Marlo Delfin Gonzales
2021-08-31 21:54:21 +0000 UTCA lot of YouTube videos (not just yours) have a habit of making minor corrections via hard subs added to the video, which usually makes me concerned about misinforming or confusing people only listening to the audio. I don't have a solution , though. =(
2021-08-31 21:47:00 +0000 UTCThat being said, I love to listen to stuff. Now I'm getting older and my hearing isn't as astute as it used to be, but the sounds of things can tell you so much about how things work and what they are doing.
Simon Albinsson
2021-08-31 21:34:51 +0000 UTCI'm just skimming this for time reasons, and i will forget to answer unless i do it now. But I for one really thought that you didn't take the visual part for granted, that is one of the things i really like about your channel. I "watched" the video "The Weird World in RGB" 3 times before I watched it a 4th time and realised that it was the first time i was actually looking at the screen and not just listening, if you can make such a visual topic accessible without any... well visuals.. I applaud you!
Simon Albinsson
2021-08-31 21:32:25 +0000 UTCI can’t wait to see this new project — I’ve had a lot of cafe vlog videos on in the background the past few weeks and a long-form technology sounds video would be a really cool addition to my background playlist. Enjoy your break!
2021-08-31 21:30:46 +0000 UTCSOUNDS excellent!
2021-08-31 21:30:32 +0000 UTCSound is 33% of the experience so looking forward to new and interesting sounds to make me question my sanity while listening. Still waiting for YT taste to become a thing.
GmCity
2021-08-31 21:29:55 +0000 UTCThank you! I'll tell him right now
Technology Connections
2021-08-31 21:29:47 +0000 UTC
