Which YT "Reviewers" Do You Trust?

Henrik B. Jensen said:

I think @Daniel James responds the way he does, because when people criticise him, it's usually with similar words to these from your initial post:

- don't know what they're doing / haven't bothered to read the manual

- showcase it unfairly in an unflattering light

- [haven’t] spent a reasonable amount of time with the library

- most of the YouTube self-appointed "voices of authority" are far less talented and knowledgeable than some of the lesser known voices out there

So it's not so strange he thought it was about him

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If that’s how some of the audience feels, perhaps better to take it onboard as feedback then. After all, YouTubers post videos to attract an audience (and earn something from them - money or influence that can be exchanged for money). And the audience ultimately will gauge the value.

tressie5 said:

Hi, all. Maybe I'm being paranoid, but it seems that, more and more, I can't trust the product "reviewers" on YouTube because, according to them, every music plugin and hardware they "review" is the best thing since sliced bread. Sometimes I might field test a reverb only to find it is grainy, springy or wobbly, definitely not clear or pristine as was auditioned online. Or a synth, instead of sounding warm, smooth and analogue-y as portrayed was actually rough, brittle and unoriginal. I've also ran across the occasional supposed holy grail of compressors or EQ's that, in the end, was simply snake oil; thus, when a "reviewer" says, "Here is the best this and best that...", I simply ignore them.

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I trust anyone who's not afraid to say if something's crap or not, even if I personally disagree. Daniel James is a great example here. Cory Pelizarri is another one as I feel like he's honest in all of his vids.

There often seems to be a conflict of interest with these reviewers. They are getting free libraries for doing the reviews. If they are too critical, the sample company will cut them off. A lot of them seem to be too flattering in my estimation. I have a great deal of appreciation for @dcoscina who just plays the samples and lets you make up your own mind. I also have a great deal of appreciation for @Daniel James who tells you what he thinks without sugarcoating it. Just because he thinks something doesn't mean I think it, though often I find that I agree with his assessment. I'll take the honesty over the hyperbole any day.

When I fire up YouTube and try to search for a review on a product, more often than not I’m presented with hundreds of thumbnails of a person pulling a shocked face, with a title in huge capitals saying something clickbaity like ‘IS THIS THE BEST STRING LIBRARY EVER?!’.

I get that it’s done to try and get views, but it’s like being shouted at by 100 people, and only one of them has anything worthwhile to say. If you can be bothered to trawl through the crap to find them that is.

I tend to stick to the official videos now, and a couple of reviewers I respect. Even then I just listen to the library itself and try to ignore the marketing speak that comes with it.

The snake oil guy:

It's fun to watch, ditching everything! :D

As always it's not only important what is said but also who said it.

In other words: you have to know the YouTuber you are listening to. Some do only "Epic" and some do only "Hollywood", others jazzy stuff or hybrid, some are live performers and others score writers or piano roll editors, or they are focussed on mixing... whatever. And also important: some are related to companies. They all look at products from a different angle and I trust most of them in the way they do that.

For me it's important that a reviewed sample library is really used in a way I would like to use it. I don't watch library reviews where someone plays single lines only (and especially not without moving the mod wheel). At least some arranged bars or demos in context can convince me that the reviewer is able to evaluate the possibilities and flaws of a library.

Keeping the context in mind I trust most of the reviews. But only a few of them have an influence on my decisions. And some are simply entertaining.

All without much talking and to speak the plugin itself.
And of course when the presenter is able to play the instrument.

Has anyone noticed Spitfire's attempt to counter the YouTube 'First Look'? I'm sure I'm not the first to notice that if you type into YouTube, "Spitfire First Look" the hits are increasingly from Spitfire themselves! I think it's hard to see this as anything other than a deliberate effort to reduce the views on those reviewers who refer to their own reviewers in this way, which may not be so complementary as their own. Developers' videos used to be called 'walkthroughs', but Spitfire is increasingly using the term "First Look". I think I would have to grant the original use of this to @Daniel James, because he was using it to differentiate from a review (I've looked into this product deeply, and I'm going to give you my considered opinion), to a 'first look' (I've specifically not looked into this, and am going to give you my first impressions). If you accept this definition, and you don't have to, it is bizarre that the developer has a 'first look' at their own product, and would seem to be a blatant attempt by Spitfire to undermine and sabotage the views and thereby impact of such reviewers on YouTube. Spitfire never used to call their walkthroughs 'first look', but after a certain 'Hans Zimmer Strings First Look - Live Stream', they clearly realised the need to try to drown out such voices. I love Spitfire's products - they comprise most of my template; but I won't be alone in finding some of their marketing to be ever increasingly annoying over a long period now.

As for YouTubers I'd recommend, I agree with some of those already stated, especially Cori Pelizarri, and since they haven't been mentioned yet, I would have to add Guy Michelmore and Kevin Kuschel - completely different styles, but both very entertaining. I also like Alex Moukala's videos, but that's assuming you want to buy Metropolis Ark, and you want FFF!! Ashton Gleckman doesn't review products, but when he makes recommendations, they're to be taken note of.

I usually stick with the official presentation and try to make a judgment based on my needs and preferences. For some products that I'm particularly interested in and will likely purchase, I sometimes watch reviews by Don Bodin and Cory Pelizarri. They tend to be very objective without succumbing to that "hype" factor.

There are reviews and there are what I call presentations that demo a library. There are also composers with a YT channel. Both have their uses. I do NOT typically regard any of the videos as completely objective reviews though, in my humble opinion none of them really are. I consider the videos to be mostly entertainment, like a presentation about a subject I’m interested in. Because of course the presenters put in a lot of time and effort and expect to get something ‘out of it’. That’s completely fine with me, and to be expected.

Some great people on Youtube are:

- Simeon. Lovely guy, fantastic musician. Does a million first looks each year, and I’ve learned a lot from him - just in terms of usually the second video that’s gonna be available other than the vendor’s. Gives an excellent overview of stuff, and mostly is just fun to watch. Bringer of positivity, and that’s how he approaches any new instrument.

- ThomC. That’s right! Composes beautiful folky indierock and has a voice like an angel. And also the best British sounding accent a Belgian bloke has ever developed (but I think he did live in the UK for a while). Unique approach to reviews. I like the fact that Thom is not afraid to occassionally have and express positive opinions on stuff most VI-C members wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole. Do even more singing Thom, I love it.

- Daniel James. Brilliant composer in my eyes. Knows what he’s talking about. Isn’t afraid to express opinions about stuff he dislikes, that most other presenters wouldn’t address or maybe (too) mildly. Maybe that’s what he’s now known for. And although I do get a laugh out of his rants every now and then, it is his music, his approach to composing and his way of rigorous testing that had me mesmerized. Put in some quick runs, see how agile a string library is. Copy and paste this MIDI and let’s compare to Areia or CSS shall we? And his absolute perfect and fast execution of quick tests like that have taught me a LOT. Plus, his noodling - take a pad sound, press down that sustain pedal, load in that native American flute or whatever, and play a bloody brilliant bunch of melodies for the next quarter of an hour. If that’s your thing, you’ll love James. I know I do.

- Dirk Ehlert. Another streamer with skills. Just the other day I was watching his Oceanea II stream (again), for obvious reasons. The man plays Beethoven’s 9th off the top of his head. Nails it. Chuckles and cracks a joke and then goes on to compose some brilliant sounding little cue in an hour, that sounds better than anything I have ever done and will ever do. While chatting and doing give-aways. And planning his next move (literally by the way, the stream gets interrupted when he learns some flight to Spain got canceled). Does he make reviews? Maybe not. Does one get to listen to the use of a new library in context of the very activity one is supposed to undertake with it (composing)? Absolutely. Invaluable. And fun.

And there are many others. Chris Siu. Of course Cory Pelizarri. Blakus.

For plugins: Michael White (mixing with Mike). For synths: Starsky Carr, Alex Ball.

And there are a lot of excellent videos done by fellow forum members. Geniuses like Luke @jononotbono - Nathan @Soundbed - Dave @dcoscina - Nico @Akarin and many others who put in a lot of work to share their experiences and opinions. Edit: not forgetting @Alex Niedt - maker of the best demo in ‘22 so far

Dave Connor said:

Working professionals are generally inured to hype

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This forum is a constant reminder that it’s not true.

Because hype can also be part of the fun. Anticipation. Speculation. Taking the piss and yet secretly being hyped yourself. The jokes. The disappointment. The drama. All entertaining stuff most forum members (well maybe just a certain demographic -myself included-) seem to enjoy. And still I think most of us can clearly make the distinction between mere hype and actual musically useful stuff.

How much I like and trust plugin and sample-library reviewers is proportional to the amount of developers that really don't like them in turn.

Daniel and Cory are therefore my favorites, of course.

Avin´ a look...,mmmmm......Interesting.

Yeah...Daniel James for me is great, and btw Simeon, is soo different and sooo talented that is far away from others for thousand miles (is out of fashions, like, dislikes, youtubers style...no way). Totally agree with doctoremmet in his description.

Salute!

I read that first line in Daniel’s accent and then went on for the last bit in Simeon’s Kentucky tongue “innah-resting” - lol

Simeon should make t-shirt merch with him portrayed as Bob Ross and “Interesting” on the back.

BigMal said:

Has anyone noticed Spitfire's attempt to counter the YouTube 'First Look'? I'm sure I'm not the first to notice that if you type into YouTube, "Spitfire First Look" the hits are increasingly from Spitfire themselves! I think it's hard to see this as anything other than a deliberate effort to reduce the views on those reviewers who refer to their own reviewers in this way, which may not be so complementary as their own. Developers' videos used to be called 'walkthroughs', but Spitfire is increasingly using the term "First Look". I think I would have to grant the original use of this to @Daniel James

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I think using the words First look is just a natural expression which can be used with or instead of the word Walkthrough.

A search for "First look Spitfire" resulted in these videos (in that order):

1. Daniel James
2. Spitfire
3. Christopher Siu
4. Daniel James
5. Daniel James
6. Ashton Gleckman
7. Spitfire
8. Spitfire (an 8 years (!) old video)
9. Guy Michelmore
10. Spitfire (another 8 years old video which btw. have Walkthrough in the title but use the words "First look at blabla" in the description.



I doubt we should read a whole lot into the use of one of these words or the other

I rarely look at them. My point of view is that the proof of their pudding is in my eating...

If I feel that I might need a library for a given project either it's cheap and then I take a chance, not risking much, or if it's expensive then the library maker should offer me some way (timed demo, missing notes demo, etc) of checking if it fits my need. There's also the playability, the level of control, the little GUI details hidden deep down, etc. These things only I can check for myself.

Open-box type of "reviews" have little or no value to me. Walkthroughs are better but still not very useful to me. Would you buy a real violon after listening to someone playing every note and articulations?

I rarely get to see actual reviews on youtube, only a few people seem to be making them since they’re probably worried about not getting free plugins or they just don’t want to say anything negative about anything. Many won’t review a bad product or mention the not so great things about a product that is otherwise fine. They don’t need to bash the products but even saying ”the x could be a bit better” would help. Most videos labeled as reviews aren’t even reviews, they’re just playing with the plugins for five minutes, often for the first time, not having read the manual or trying all the features. I do appreciate the opinions of the snake oil guy and Daniel James, and I do enjoy, for example, Simeon’s videos but I think it’s hard to find him saying anything but positive things about anything.

doctoremmet said:

Because hype can also be part of the fun. Anticipation. Speculation. Taking the piss and yet secretly being hyped yourself. The jokes. The disappointment. The drama. All entertaining stuff most forum members (well maybe just a certain demographic -myself included-) seem to enjoy. And still I think most of us can clearly make the distinction between mere hype and actual musically useful stuff.

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Hype meet train.

All aboard!

This is a great discussion, and I appreciate the shoutouts. As for me personally, I tend to do videos on products that I think I would enjoy, and therefore my audience would enjoy as well. That being said, no library is perfect, and I try to make sure to mention any niggles or improvements that I think can be made in order to make the developer aware of any issues and also let the viewer know, in case it doesn't come across through the video.

Of course, all third party reviews/first looks are simply alternative voices to the official demos/walkthroughs, so you should definitely take them all with a grain of salt. The beautiful thing is that you can really pick and choose what and who you watch, so there's plenty of choice! In my opinion, the more people that demonstrate products in a way that adds value to the viewer and informs them of what's included and how it functions, the better.