
Just came across this thread after searching for my name and wanted to clear this up and give you some perspective.
Nobody has given me any money to buy an MPCX, I sold my MPC Live to help fund the X.
I'm still the man - I probably gave away too much too soon and have exhausted most of the interesting, non standard things to know about the Live and X.
When Akai releases an update with new features worth making videos for, you'll see how I exploit them and share them once again.
I find it laughable how people waste their time and energy even noticing how I'm supposedly no longer 'the man' and have gone down in their estimation just because my videos aren't as regular as they were. It was only last week I did a live video on a workaround for one of the most requested features (multi-timbral midi).
I have a life - anything could have happened, but because a lot of people want something for free and have no idea how much effort a lot of this takes, you just attribute it to me getting what I want and giving up - it's pathetic.
It is this kind of shit that may very well make me want to stop doing it. But that is not going to happen.
To date, I have received around $200 from very kind followers/subscribers who appreciate the amount of effort, time and money I have put into my channel to make it what it is.
I previously asked for people to become patrons on my Patreon account, but this model really didn't work for me and again, I've received around $80 dollars from that in total.
And whilst I'm very grateful for it, the YouTube ad revenue from my videos amounts to around $300.00 since starting my channel around 11 months ago.
So in total that's $580 - my monthly household expenditure far exceeds that as I have a family to think about.
I haven't been on holiday for nearly 3 years, albeit a short 4 day break in the UK last year where we stayed at a friends house. I went to Superbooth in Berlin this year but that was for work, I got free entry in exchange for helping an exhibitor, and paid for my own flight and accommodation. When I returned I spent 4 days editing all the footage and recordings of synths etc and once more gave my viewers free content to watch.
So if anyone thinks I'm sitting here in a massive pile of cash surrounded by thousands of pounds worth of equipment with my finger up my ass, you're very much mistaken.
So basically I've spent a hell of a lot more than I've earned. Additionally, people regularly leave questions asking me to make specific videos, and whilst I'm not always able to do this, many of my videos have been made for that reason - yet I'm met with this kind of lack of gratitude and resentment for merely asking for a small donation here and there.
Just so you know, I'm happy whatever, because my mindset is correct - say what you will.
You'll notice I'm very rarely, if at all negative in my videos and it is this alone that has contributed the most to me having a successful channel in a very short time, and it also has allowed me to progress with the MPC.
This post is the most negative I've been in a long while, and I'm disappointed in myself for even bothering to respond, but I need to get it off my chest.
I refuse to get caught up in energy wasting moaning and groaning. I'm a 44 year old with a different perspective on life than a 20 something wannabee producer whose issues extend to not having enough RAM.
I gave up a full time job two years ago to pursue my own business and control my own destiny. I live a simple life and any money donated to my channel has gone back in to it and living day to day- food, utility bills etc - plus I have a family to look after.
The reason I've accumulated nearly 4000 subscribers in less than a year is because I work my ass off and provide some of the best information available for the new generation of MPCs, plus tech support that even Akai themselves often can't provide.
Any gear you see in my videos has been donated to me by manufacturers in return for exposing their products to my subscribers for educational purposes.
Again, this is not easy to come by and required me to write emails upon emails and get on the phone time and time again and establish relationships with marketing departments and prove I can help them, just so I can experience products I otherwise would not be able to afford.
Regarding the MPC5000, I sold that back in early 2017 to fund the MPC Live, as far as I can remember any videos featuring the 5K were made or uploaded prior to me owning the X and possibly the Live.
I shouldn't have to justify any of this to you or anyone else, but it baffles me that people have an issue when YouTubers providing a lot of free content that takes time, effort and their own money/resources, get criticised for asking for a small amount of cash to support what they are doing.
I've given away some real secrets and great tips to help users get the most out of their MPCs and other gear.
And you'll notice in my videos when I do ask for a donation, I state very clearly it can be any amount of their choice, or nothing at all.
A word of advice - if you resent giving money to people who are essentially giving you something for free, you yourself will find it hard to come by financial success. It's an energetic exchange. The more negative relationship you have with money, the less you'll have, and this is a prime example of it. If you don't want to donate, just move on, don't resent being asked.
Last edited by Tubedigga on Wed Aug 08, 2018 11:21 am, edited 3 times in total.