๐ง I bought a new toy: a hydrophone!
This Aquarian Audio H2d Hydrophone (www.aquarianaudio.com/h2d-hydrophone.html?variatioโฆ) will let me record underwater sounds, which opens up so many possibilities! I tested it by placing it in the sink and filling it with water, and even that sounded really cool.
There are a few ponds and lakes near my house and I'm looking forward to chucking it into those and seeing what it picks up. The cord is 50 ft (15 m) long, so I should be able to get it pretty far out there โ assuming my throw is strong and my aim is true, which... ehhh we'll see! ๐
In the meantime, do you have any ideas for what to record with this?
๐ฌ๏ธ My part of Texas just got hit with some really intense (75+ mph) winds and the power's been out at my house for about half an hour.
You know how I moved my live stream servers to a data center a week ago? I'd say that's some pretty good timing. They're all safe and sound there, happily streaming away while I type in the dark.
I've still got all the battery backup systems and whatnot that I put together when I was streaming from home, but they don't last forever and this is exactly the kind of nonsense that could have knocked all my live streams offline. It's so nice to not have to worry about that anymore.
Though, uh... I would appreciate having my power back.
UPDATE 1: Wow, it's worse than I thought. Half a million customers (e.g., households, stores, facilities) had their power knocked out because of this. It's been 12 hours for me, and they can't even predict when I might get mine back. There are downed branches, roof shingles, and all sorts of things out in the streets. I'm having to hop on my phone every few hours to see if there's any news, then shut it back off again. Quite a situation, and I'm on the fortunate side of it all...
UPDATE 2: My house got power back! I was down for 13 hours. There are apparently about 400,000 customers still without power, so once again I consider myself lucky. ๐ค Thanks for the well wishes, everyone!
๐ I'm moving my live stream servers to a data center!
They're growing in popularity, which means I need to do everything I can to prevent them from going down. I live in Texas and there are a lot of warnings floating around that this summer is going to be even worse than the last, so the potential for power outages is high. If my power goes out for too long, my streams will be knocked offline, and that just won't do!
To protect them, I've invested in additional hosting servers and installed them in a data center. There's still a little more work to do before the job is done, but everything is in place, connected, and looking great! โจ
I'm also writing an AI-powered chat bot to hang out in the stream chat rooms and help keep things relaxed. It should be a lot smarter than Nightbot, which you may have noticed is a bit lacking at times.
Have you tried my live streams? I have 27 going right now, with plans for more very soon. Check them out!
youtube.com/@DJGrossman/streams
And of course, more content is on the way. So much to do! ๐
My channel just reached 60,000 subscribers! ๐ฅณ
You know what's weird? It's more than 50,000 but... somehow less exciting? ๐
I think it's because 50,000 marks the halfway point to 100,000, which is a really big deal.
In any case, I'm just grateful you're all here. ๐ Also very important is that the channel has had 46M views now, which is nearly 10M more than when the channel reached 50,000 subscribers. Whew!
Here's what's going on behind the scenes, vaguely in order of priority (which is always subject to change):
๐ด ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐บ๐
I'm preparing to move my live stream server out of my studio closet and into a data center to ensure almost perfect 24/7 uptime. Can't trust the Texas power grid! I'll also be adding even more live streams since I will have increased capacity and reliability. If you haven't seen (well, heard) my live streams yet, check them out at youtube.com/@DJGrossman/streams
๐ค ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ผ๐
I'm experimenting with writing a chat bot for my live streams that can use AI to read messages and react/respond when I'm not there. For example, if someone asks how long the stream will be up, it will let them know that it's up forever! Or if someone says rude things to other viewers, it will ban them from my channel. Bans are permanent, by the way, so don't be a jerk!
โถ๏ธ ๐ฆ๐ต๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐
I've been putting new Shorts up using some techniques I've learned recently, and I think they look much better than the first generation I published. Seriously, compare my old work (youtube.com/shorts/EU6GJvUS_00) with my new work (youtube.com/shorts/tdXQnOu9DPg) to see why I'm so excited!
๐ซง ๐ฉ๐ถ๐๐๐ฎ๐น๐
I'm teaching myself Unity ( www.unity.com/ ) so I can create gorgeous video to go with my audio. I posted a Short of my first results the other day (youtube.com/shorts/zW5KayTQDd8) and am looking forward to producing even more sophisticated works in the future.
๐ ๐ฆ๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐
I'm still recording nature, appliances, and other random things that I think my audience will enjoy. My current project is a thunderstorm, and it's taking months because I want as many unique thunderclaps as possible. Hearing stuff detectably loop or repeat is no fun! I have a huge to-do list, so there will always be more sounds going up.
๐ ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐๐
Remember the Audience Interest Poll ( djgrossman.oversubscribe.co/ )? It's still a thing! Thank you to everyone who's participated so far. I'm reviewing the results and giving my next step some serious thought. I may change course and do a product that wasn't part of the original 3 I proposed. I'll discuss that in more detail when I know more.
๐ต ๐ ๐๐๐ถ๐ฐ
I will be writing music again! I used to write all the time as a teenager, but life got in the way (as it does) and I just ran out of time. Now, with this channel taking off, I think it makes sense to get back into composing and start offering new creations to my audience. If you want to hear my old music, check out this channel: โช@ComradeFโฌ.
๐๏ธ ๐ฉ๐ผ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ
It never fails: I post a video that I'm actually in, and many of you request that I publish content featuring my voice. I love it, and I absolutely WILL be doing this, but it takes a lot of effort to record myself reading because I like to make certain I sound great. I think I'll start with some short fairy tales or bedtime stories in the public domain, but I haven't settled on anything specific yet. I'm also interested in recording some panic/anxiety relief audio because I struggle with anxiety and would like to give back to the community.
๐ ๐ ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ต
I haven't gotten started on this yet, but I'm planning to come up with an entirely new line of merch. What I have at store.djgrossman.com/ is fun and all, but it was mostly just an experiment and I think I can offer better things once I put some time and effort into it.
๐ฃ ๐ ๐ถ๐ฑ-๐ฟ๐ผ๐น๐น ๐๐ฑ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ต
I haven't given up on the struggle to stop mid-roll ads from playing during my content. If you're not sure what I'm talking about, I have a great video about it (https://youtu.be/ndeUVgZMh1Y) but the gist is that even when creators disable mid-roll ads (ads that play in the middle of a video) on their content, sometimes they just... play anyway. And that's not cool, especially for a long video that you might want to play while you sleep. I'm still in contact with YouTube Partner Support about this, but fixing it isn't very high on their list of priorities, so I think we'll still be waiting a while for a solution. As always, I'll keep you informed whenever I learn more about it.
Now that I've typed it all out... wow... when do I find the time to sleep, anyway? ๐
I guess I do have pretty big plans. ๐ฌ We're already this far, and it feels like we're just getting started! Onward to 70,000! ๐
๐ My "Rain on a Porch" live stream has been going for 1 year as of today!
youtube.com/live/I16oiHCufUg
And currently, it's the most-watched content on my whole channel. Wow! Kinda came out of nowhere, but I'm glad it's helping so many people. ๐
The reason it's such a big deal for a live stream to be a year old is because of what it takes to keep it up. Through trial and error, I've learned that YouTube closes your live stream if it's down for about 3 hours. That means if you experience a power outage, network outage, or hardware failure, the clock is ticking for you to get the stream back up before you lose all that uptime history in the blink of an eye. ๐
Unfortunately, that's exactly what happened a year ago. Hardware failure. I had bought a really cheap mini-PC to host the streams because they were just an experiment, and after about six months of running nonstop, the poor thing just died in the middle of the night. By the time I noticed, it was too late, and the streams all ended. It was a pretty big setback, but I bought better hardware and started over. I've also written my own software to spin them back up if they go down, and I keep an eye on them with a dedicated monitor in my studio.
I live in Texas, which โ if you don't know โ means I'm at the mercy of an unreliable power grid. That's a whole gnarly political discussion, but the point is if it gets too hot, *click* there goes your power; too cold, *click* there goes your power; drunk cowboy drives his pickup truck into a transformer, *click* there goes your power. People have straight up DIED because of the state of our power grid, so it's actually no laughing matter. As for my streams, I wouldn't be making this post today had I not put battery backups all over the place to keep them going 24/7.
I'm investigating moving my server to a datacenter to eliminate outage risks. Sure, the hardware itself could always blow up again, but at least I won't have to worry about power or network outages anymore. I'll share more on that as it develops. It will definitely be expensive, but I think it's worth it!
Do you have any ideas for live streams you'd like to see in the future? ๐ค
๐งช I'm experimenting with Unity (unity.com/) and am getting so many new ideas!
For example, I'm currently rendering a 12-hour version of this scene in 1920x1080 because I think it's gorgeous. ๐
I can't decide what (if any) audio to pair it with! What do you think?
โญ I'm going to be making a product, and you can invest in its success! Read on to see what I mean.
My channel has been growing steadily for several years now, and I've decided that the time is right for me to begin exploring how to design, manufacture, and market original products.
Brainstorming sessions and market research have led me to 3 initial ideas:
1. Task trackers: can be mounted to a wall or fridge and customized with special symbol sets; you'll be able to check things off with a slider or clicker or something
2. Sensory blankets: textured, heating, cooling, weighted, and so forth (not sure which one yet)
3. Bluetooth headphone headbands: comfortable throughout the night so you can rest undisturbed
I'm purposefully staying light on the details right now. ๐
I have very high standards for what I'd want to buy, and the same can be said for what I'd want to sell. I've determined that I won't be able to achieve those standards without help from people who do this for a living, which means I'll be investing a lot to hire seasoned professionals.
There are plenty of ways to get the funds together for that, but there's one in particular that I'd really like to try. A company called OverSubscribe (www.oversubscribe.co/) lets fans invest in creators and get a specified amount of revenue in return if things go as planned. What I like about this approach is that it's an investment, not a donation. I thought it'd be cool to offer this to my viewers before I explore other options.
โ ๏ธ Like any investment, this would involve risk, meaning you could lose your money if things don't go well. We need to be very clear on that.
Before we open this up endeavor up for investors, we need to see if there's even enough interest in the plan. We're conducting an Audience Interest Poll to see how many of my viewers might consider investing, and what product(s) I should focus on. The poll is purely for us to gauge interest and ascertain if this is a viable path forward, and your voting in it doesn't mean you're obligated to invest. If we decide to go this route, we'll be providing everyone with enough details to make an informed decision when the time comes, and at that point you could decide whether or not you're still in. No hard feelings if it's not right for you anymore.
๐ Here's the Audience Interest Poll: djgrossman.oversubscribe.co/
I go into more detail about this whole thing in the video, so you might want to give that a watch, too!
Your feedback is welcome โ let me know if I can answer any questions. ๐
๐ฑ I can't believe I'm saying this, but: I bought an iPhone.
Yeah, it's weird... I've always been a Windows and Android kind of guy.
Thing is, the vast majority of viewers who report getting mid-roll ads in my videos in the dead of night are using the YouTube app on an iPhone.
This has been going on for well over a year, so a few days ago I decided to hop on eBay and buy an old iPhone 5s so I can run my own tests. I'm taking one for the team! Don't worry, I'm not REALLY switching โ I just needed the thing for this test! ๐
I've got it all hooked up to my PC and am recording as one of my videos plays overnight. I plan to do this pretty much every night until I catch one of these unwelcome "exceptional" ads.
We're going to get to the bottom of this! ๐ค
๐ฅ UPDATE: Well, that sure didn't take long. Got a Kroger ad my first night. There will be a video about this shortly.
๐จโ๐ป I just rewrote the software I use to orchestrate my live streams.
The original code was in PowerShell, which is awesome and all, but sometimes it would just... stop. No idea why. It happened more than once, and that's not cool, so I decided it would be best to use the language with which I am most comfortable: C#.
So now, instead of a PowerShell script I have to keep tabs on, I've got a .NET 8 console app / Windows Service hybrid that bounces back from pretty much anything. I can't help it if the network is choppy or if the power goes out long enough to drain my battery backups, but I do have contingency plans for those situations, as well.
Coding is fun! ๐
โญ The best relaxing noise videos and streams on YouTube โ over 50 million served!
๐ I've covered the entire noise "color spectrum" and have also added recordings of real-life sounds like fans, rain, and more, so hopefully you can find something that meets your needs.
๐ฎ I love Let's Plays and decided to make a few of my own. I mostly do games I enjoyed when I was younger, and my style is very methodical, detailed, and relaxed. They may put you to sleep better than the noise videos do!
โ ๏ธ The views and opinions expressed on this channel are solely my own and do not reflect the official policies or positions of any platform or organization, including YouTube or the American Tinnitus Association. All content on this channel is the property of DJ Grossman, LLC, ยฉ 2016-2024, All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction, distribution, or use of this content (including video, audio, title, description, and thumbnail) in any form is strictly prohibited.