Many years ago I registered a YouTube account named budgetguitarist.com because I thought it’d be a neat way to plug my website when I left comments on videos.  I was surprised that YouTube let me use that as a user name, but they did.  I ended up with a YouTube channel named budgetguitarist.com that I never used.  Actually, technically I did create a playlist on it, I think.

A few years ago I started to explore the idea of making content for my YouTube channel.  I bought a lapel microphone and a few of those silver half-globe cheapie construction lights they sell at Lowes.  I actually recorded a video on how to level frets, and it came out pretty bad, so I put the idea back in the cupboard.  It wasn’t worthy of being on the back burner.

But I always wanted to get into recording videos.  With COVID-19 forcing me to stay home, it seemed like a perfect time to start learning.  So I decided that, as I go through the process of learning how to be a YouTuber, I’d blog some thoughts along the way.

I had an older copy of Final Cut Pro, which I’d learned how to use years ago, so I installed it on my MacBook Pro and wonder of wonders, it works.  My MBP is time-frozen on OS 10.13, like a lot of Mac users, because although 10.14 broke some things, 10.15 broke even more.  Like my MIDI interface.  There’s nothing wrong with freezing a computer in time, as long as you understand there are some things you can’t update.

Here’s a list of what I’ve done so far:

  1. Found my old lapel mic and done some test recordings with it.
  2. Found my old iPhone 5 and got it working again (as just a video camera.  It can do 1080p, which is what I plan to shoot in using my iPhone SE.)
  3. Found my old tripod and smart phone mount.
  4. Did a test recording with my iPhone SE for video and Logic Pro X for sound.  Learned how to match up the video and sound in FCP.
  5. Made a list of possible video topics.

Now I’m going to binge watch YouTube videos about lighting for YouTube.

By doing this running commentary, I hope to force myself to start putting content out there.  I want to do it.  I have some time I can spend on it.  The hardest part, as always, is to actually do it.  Wish me luck!