Does Sim Racing Need A YouTube Channel - Focused On Both Sim Audio & Hardware?

[Mr Latte]

Its been an idea for a while but one that I get hot/cold for and to be honest the feedback on your own personal thoughts would be appreciated.
Please can you vote and if you want to, share your own views and thoughts (for/against) comments welcomed.

I am seeking possibly 50-100 votes.

 

[hotak]

I'm always intersted about audio equipment, so i'd welcome something sim-focused about it, but i have to say that we already have lots of good sources for speakers and headphones, a bit less so for dedicated "consumer" audio cards (recently got an ASUS strix soar and while i feel it sounds better than my old D2X no review actually did a serious test confronting them with measurements).

I'd be more interested about how do various configs cope with simvibe effects, wich transducers are better and things like that.

 

[EsxPaul]

@Mr Latte I've popped in and out of your tactile threads on quite a few occasions but quite honestly, a large amount goes straight over my head due to my lack of understanding.

I'm not the best with my attention span when comes to reading and absorb information far better when it has a visual component so a YouTube channel where you could share your vast knowledge of the subject would be fantastic

 

[roylan101]

I would definitely be interested in this, especially when it comes to transducers, especially when it comes to dampening and directing vibrations away from walls and to the user instead, useful for any sim racer that has noise concerns. Also maybe testing some VSS solutions and stuff with simracing.

 

[Ray Peasley]

I think Im like most new people wanting to add the best tactile feedback they can on a starting budget,... knowing that they will most likely need to spend more.... so advice on building a 'starter system' then intermediate... then eventually upgrading to whatever is required to give the best tactile experience.. would be great.

 

[graham123]

Esxpaul could'nt agree more !!

 

[Mr Latte]

I appreciate comments so far...

The problem with the current tactile discussion thread is that it was never intended to expand the way it did.
While it might contain plenty of useful information it is not organised nor does it lets us break down various topics/subjects into individual discussions.

Often discussions revolve around the same things just with different people at different times.

I did chat with the good folks here at RD forums not so long ago about improving and expanding the hardware section. With the idea proposed to have "Audio & Tactile" related sections. Within these, it would be possible to have specific threads dedicated to hardware/software and effects tuning etc. That seems to be possible if/when it is a way to proceed?

Now that would be good, but along with that I have been toying around with doing video content, possibly a YT channel.
I dont know if I would be any good at such, or even comfortable with such but I have been spending some time recently researching it more seriously and even though I have already spent some money on hardware you would need for such.

I am wanting to get other people's views or perspectives on what they would want to see or if such is even a good idea or would get much traction with people. Combining video on a YT channel with more dedicated threads here possibly.

Feedback and advice is needed in how to go about it in the right way if at all?

 

[north]

I would watch with interest to help guide me on my long term upgrade path to improve immersion and fun factor.

 

[GetSome]

I think YouTube videos would be best at composing information into more accessible episodes.
Forums tend to have lots of great information. But as you said it's unorganized. The average person isn't digging more than a few pages back or searching more than a few times. I think the subject is also a bit technical and dense to fit into reasonably sized videos, it's probably best to provide a medium amount of information and then refer to a link that has detail and technical information.
Example:
Episode about Tactile hardware; which amps pros/cons and why, which transducers pros/cons why, layouts and pro/cons (front/back, 4 corners, etc), vibration isolation and materials. Refer to a detailed document with a few recommended amps and their limitations, a few transducer options and their hz ranges, options for isolation, show some layout options that are common, how to configure amps to work with various transducers.
Episode about software; what are the options, benefits of each, show general setup of the best, show basic configuration. Refer to a more detailed discussion of the finer points of setup, examples of software setups for various configurations.

It all depends on your goal I guess. Do you want this to be a gateway for lots of people to understand Tactile? Or more for enthusiasts looking to expand on their already fairly arcane knowledge. I tend to think YouTube is more for the masses. Enthusiast will dig through technical information and wade through forums endlessly. The average sim racers is looking for more immersion and trying to figure out what tactile setup works for them and what's it going to cost in time & money.
Tactile is a complex subject. I know I'd watch videos that make it easier to understand and make better decisions about how to setup & optimize my own rig.

 

[graham123]

I would love to see audio/tactile basics video for us dummy's who do not have a clue!!! maybe like a first onr to start us off, so we can then understand the more complex issues, as I found on the RD thread that so much was above me, I just gave up. whatever you decide to do MR Latte. I thank you for the amount of effort you have put into the forum all ready

 

[Mr Latte]

Thanks for the comments, I want to be able to go into detail about products, how they perform from a sim users perspective with software like Simhub. Nobody is comparing them and creating a testbed that all units are then put through. As you guys say its a deep topic so quite a lot of small videos could be done over time to cover different aspects.


Personally I would prefer the ability to have full control over reviews, so the favored route is to actually buy own/products that are to be tested/compared. This way, there is no need to feel (required) to say something about the product to please anyone or to keep a potential supply chain for future products in place.

I have most of the more expensive transducers models anyways but would be keen to buy all the primary budget units that are popular choices.
Find a way that can make videos on them interesting, easier to grasp and at least to some extent entertaining too.

Cheers

 

[cteters]

I can't think of a better man for the job. This is clearly yours for the taking.

 

[Kieran527]

I think you could quite easily sell on the units you ‘buy to test’ as well. Providing theyre not garbage and you don’t slate them too hard

saying that though, everything can do a job of sorts, so long as you provide advice on how to get the best out of the units, you’ll sell them and make most of your money back

 

[Emery]

I can't think of a better man for the job. This is clearly yours for the taking.

+1, as long as you're not a terrible speaker and can cope with the heat that YT channels sometimes get.

 

[graham123]

go for it Mr latte

 

[ScreaminBejesus]

I just missed the poll, but would have voted an enthusiastic YES! I have learned so much from your posts and individual guidance. This would be a great resource for the community.

 

[Explosivefibers]

As a newbie in Tactile I really do miss information on YouTube. It stunned me to see so little information there. A good set of videos can be made, ranging from basic, moderate and pro level in setup, connecting and adjustments etc. When looking at Sim Racing Garage channel, people seem to really appreciate the work the man puts into it. But he "only" has 57K subscribers. So I won't count on a lot of viewers in total. Or you have to do some crazy **** with tactile (like strapping a LFE on your head). Crazy **** is always a hit on YouTube. But I'm sure you're more on the serious side haha

 

[asteroulis]

I've stopped following the thread long ago , it's so chaotic for the limited time I have.
But I would love , love to have quality info gathered in one place that will let me make the most out of my expensive gear I gathered all those years.
Go for it , please . I beg you to do it!

 

[leotkowns]

Also missed the poll but fully support this idea. I can’t remember the last thing I stumbled into and found a resource that was so willing to share, educate, and learn from. Your enthusiasm for tactile is contagious and if this comes across in a video format it could reach many more people. It seems there is an opportunity to change sim racing norms here with what you claim to be experiencing with your research and testing.

 

[Mr Latte]

I have been looking into hardware and stuff needed if seeking to do videos.
My room is small, which limits me, kinda a mess too at the moment with boxes of stuff for my own ongoing rig build.

Quite a lot of things I would have to learn for creating videos, have done some initial research.
Support in numbers for the poll was low even if the percentages were encouraging

I have a dilemma, in that if continue to buy into hardware for this and proceed with it, (some already has been bought) how do I then try to recoup that back and possibly grow a channel. YT takes time and with the proposed idea very little money would be generated from views/adsense etc. I have registered a web domain, the name is decided and YT channel has been created. Some forum members have been helping and are keen to help with artwork/website/logos etc.

iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPad Pro would be the main hardware for video recording and editing.
This is the direction I was thinking...

Does anyone else here do much of this or can help?

Other hardware purchases so far:
GS4 Gimble
Rode NTG4 Shotgun Mic

Lighting / Tripod other things still needed but I am at a crossroads if I proceed or not...

Personally I am not fond on the Patreon idea neither and again I think that would be limited in the numbers of people that would contribute even small amounts. I had been leaning towards doing content on YT but then offering in-depth guides/tutorials by video courses via SkillShare and become like an (Authorized Vendor) here on the forums. From that offer 1-1 services in configuring and tuning tactile for people and for those that watched the SkillShare content they would be given high-quality effects to suit their tactile.

In all honesty, I have had mixed feedback on how to proceed with it but I see SkillShare as a better solution than Patreon or Donations as people can get much more from that as a platform for very little money than just my own material/content. Yet because nobody else is covering this topic and in-depth then if the quality and content done in such SkillShare video classes were good enough I suppose people would watch most of them. These can be kept short/concise to specific topics. So the thinking is, the number of people viewing may not be that high but they would be likely to watch a high percentage of the content that was shared as its quite a deep topic to cover and appeal to beginners as well as advanced users. Viewed minutes would help recoup or help towards making it viable for the investment in hardware/materials/time needed.

YT can be done to help promote products or cover comparisons/reviews and be more entertainment-focused but keep the SkillShare more for in-depth guides and tutorials. Also doing what can be done in alignment with rules/regulations and expectations here on the forums. I want to keep RD as the sole forums and as exclusive place I post on and further improve expand the tactile thread here.

Certainly open to advice help on this and I need the encouragement at this time.