Karaoke Forums

I've gone to three shows that used Vocopro wireless mics that sounded very, very good. I have read more disparaging comments about Vocopro equipment than about any other brand of equipment.

I made a comment in my first post that I was surprised by how good my voice sounded using the inexpensive Nady SP-1 and this has become the central bone of contention on this thread. I was pleasantly surprised with the Nady just as I was surprised that the the Samson mic with the Q7 element was very good. Why was I surprised? Because the idea that only certain brands and models are good is constantly promoted. People who use these more expensive products seem to try to intimidate others who don't use them. They use these products as status symbols like some people use fancy cars or expensive jewelry. If you need expensive microphones to feel good about yourself that's pathetic. If you can't sing very well with a cheap mic, you won't sing better with an expensive mic.

My personal experience with other brands and models has proven-at least to myself-that there are lots of good products out there that don't get the recognition that the famous brands and models get. It's marketing and branding. I've never said that an SM58 isn't a good mic. I've taken the time going from show to show to evaluate lots of different microphones in an attempt to try to learn about different products. I never said a Beta 58 or Beta 87 isn't a good mic, to the contrary, I've said the opposite. Some people think that all the other products are junk, that's what's laughable.

I used the SP-1 personally, in my home, out of curiosity. I didn't go out and make other people use it or try to promote it. I shared my personal experience. Read on from there and see the distortions.

Because of certain people here and on other internet forums, lots of people are prevented from participating because they don't want to deal with the know-it-alls, nitpickers, bad attitudes, ME-ME-MEs and the angry people. It's sad. It's a shame that a simple discussion can't be conducted without degenerating into wallowing in crap and all the hogwash that gets spewed.

After one or songs I can adapt to any system if I can hear myself. Of course I come from the days that the best systems then wouldnt even come close to the worst ones now. It took raw talent.

A few good singers can sound better on a good system but I can lead off with a sig song and put up a few of my lead singers and most newbies are totally intimidated and will not even try to sing. I will purposelessly screw up a bit to put the fun back into it and get away from the serious crap. It is not about perfection all of the time, it is about relaxing and having fun. There rare times when even inexperienced singers nail one and the crowd goes nuts and this is very special. I can do this more than most with my system but it is from experience on lesser systems.

Even when I sing in a new place it is not one of my priorities to be perfect on every song. In fact I will often lead off with something I have never done before just for the raw challenge. I have gone for months and never sang the same song twice and it was on all kinds of mics and systems. But when I have lost someone or have an inspiration I put everything I have into it and the crowds appreciates it. This is for special times.

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I have nowhere near your experience but am getting to the point where I can handle most anything pretty well. I just don't like it near as much as being comfortable with the setup.

And I have two personalities -- the host and the singer. As the host singing is not a priority at all. In fact if I am forced to sing the first song -- which I don't usually do -- I kind of like it when I get no response at a new crowd. I can say something like "Let's hear it for ME!" and get people laughing right away.

Also, I am no longer desperately interested in performing well in most situations, which has the side effect of relaxing me and making me perform better.

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[color=#ffff55]Mickey J.[/color]
Alas for those who never sing, but die with all their music in them.
-- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

in your opinion

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"Be who you are and say what you feel... Because those that matter... Don't mind...And those that mind... Don't matter."

MCKYJ, i think you gave off an "elitist equipment vibe" and everyone jumped on THAT.

Sure lots of bad djs and kjs have cheap equipment and only seem to draw in bad singers, but i believe MOST kjs H-E-R-E have either middle-of-the-road quality set ups and FEWER own/have/use high end components for their karaoke shows.

Thanks to you, lonman, londonlive, and a few others here i have been educated on BETTER quality more durable and best bang-for-the-buck professional equipment without sacrificing quality.

Their experience and expertise is WHy i won't have 5 unused setups in my closet taking up space and costing tens of thousands of dollars. I'm SURE a few beginning djs or kjs have NO IDEA where to start, other than price, and don't know where to go, other than GC.

My current set-up is middle of the road like most peoples. I've had many known celebrities and impersonators on my stage who preferred the audio-tecnica wireless mics over the wired sm58, due to sound. -surprised me to say the least.

STOGIE, i agree the voco pro wireless sounds good at low levels, but have noticed that they distort when being pushed.

KARYOKER, I agree with everything you posted and am VERY GLAD to see that you NOW post with your extensive knowledge and know-how, and not so much with your RAW emotions anymore. Love Ya Man! I'm learning a lot of things from you now.

MCKYJ i think that EVERY HOST has a different personality or perspective attending another kjs show and i believe it to be somewhat NEGATIVE, although they won't openly admit it.

It's TOO easy to pick out what's cheap, dirty, and bad sounding, at everyone else's show, or at least what's wrong with the host's approach to the audience, rotation, condition of books, etc... if THAT'S WHAT you're looking for.

AND i think MOST of us are "judging other karaoke shows in our heads" in an attempt to BETTER our own shows. Pessimism works better privately, Optimism obviously works better socially....WHO wants to be PUT DOWN or thier equipment choices belittled?? MOST are embarassed or already know of their system weaknesses and don't like it being pointed out!
... I think that's WHY a few here might be on your case.... I could be wrong. I DO enjoy your posts and agree with your stance on most things.

I've learned to take opinions here as constructive criticism and humbly learn from them., not get bent out of shape. Just here to learn- wish i could contribute MORE but in terms of equipment......i'll leave it to Lonnie. he's demo-ed everything!

I must have good equipment because a lot of my singers fall in the above average crowd or I know how to tune my system to make them sound good despite avrage equipment. I agree with jam in not wanting to hand over a $400 mike over to a drunk which is why my sennheiser is my second mike and not the one used all the time.

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The Line Array Experiment is over. Nothing to see here. Move along.

A couple of weeks ago I took several microphones and hooked them up one by one and sang in them. Nady wireless, Radio Shack wireless, Audio-technica, Shure and a mic that came with a $40.00 karaoke machine. They all sounded good with the exception of hiss from a couple of the really cheap ones. Once the music started you cound not hear the hiss. I have no doubt that the Yamaha MG124cx mixer makes the difference.

I used to host a K show for someone else and they had the Shure mic's. They never did sound as good as our sound now with our mixer and Nady's. Gotta be the mixer.

I do give our Audio-technica wired mic to people whose voice is so low (volume) that I will get feedback if I turn them up as much as is needed with the Nady's unless they are horrible singers and then I forget.

I have heard that the Shure's are "the" mic to get and someday we prpbably will.

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Kevin

Because of all the hoopla and shenanegans I decided to try the Nady SP-1 again yesterday afternoon. Once again it sounded very good. That mic is remarkably clear for a very inexpensive microphone. As mcky57 stated, it does have higher handling noise than my other microphones so it may not be a good choice for the general public. If it's kept in the clip on the stand, there is no problem and if someone like me is aware of the higher handling noise and handles it carefully then there is no problem. The mic itself sounds clean, clear and crisp.

Now that that is out of the way, does anyone care to share some of their microphone experiences?

I thank you very much for your kind assessment, and will try to temper my comments. I do feel strongly about things, but I am not upset or angry with people. I guess that is misunderstood. I presided over a technical community where I was the foremost member (since I wrote the software) for many years, and I probably still act like that at times.

For anyone whom I have offended, it is not personal. When I believe strongly about something -- as I do with ruining a good system with a bad mic -- I will try to nudge rather than bludgeon. My apologies -- my intentions are certainly good. (Yes, I know about that road. )

And thanks to you for your frequent injections of fairness and sanity, like this one.

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[color=#ffff55]Mickey J.[/color]
Alas for those who never sing, but die with all their music in them.
-- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

Like most things in life you do get what you pay for, I would never contend that my $49 dual wireless gem sound or my $80 wireless Nady both VFH are better than a $600 UHF system from Shure or anyone else. But like all other aspects of Karaoke if they work for ME and the singers LIKE them and I have no complaints ... THEN they are acceptable. Of course in a side by side comparison usually the CHEAP stuff won't hold up to the EXPENSIVE stuff. But I believe ( an Lonnie maybe you can add) that a good SOUND GUY can make a $50 microphone sound like a $600 one with a decent mixer and some EQ'ing etc. Will a $50 mic hold up to drops and handling noise etc etc....probably not. Will all mics be suitable for your VOICE without the KJ knowing your voice and TWEAKING the settings ....probably not.
A KJ has to make a decision on what mics to put out that suit their budgets and needs and personal choice. If you are a KJ who wants to put out $600 mics I think that is great, but to suggest to others that anything else is inferior is just wrong.
Or to discount equipment based on NAME and PRICE without ACTUALLY using yourself is also very wrong. On the other hand if you DO USE $600 mics please continue to give feedback and suggestions thats what these forums are all about

(standing off soapbox to applause)

Thank you

Standing Ovation.

Stogie, you seem a bit sensitive to criticism. Just take the positives out of the posts. I certainly hope if you are a host, you are a little more friendly to the patrons and singers of the establishments you are at. People go there to have a good time, drunk or not, they help you make a living.
I probably shouldn't talk as I haven't started up my business yet, but I am a business ad grad and people skills come before technical skills. Good luck with your business, I might try one of those Nady's out.

Since you're new here I'll clue you in. Certain people around here have a high and mighty attitude and think they know it all. You think I'm overly sensitive? Jump in with some of your own observations and ideas and see what happens. Then we'll see how YOU react. Share some of your personal experiences in a spirit of camraderie and see what happens.

Instead of interacting in a pleasant, positive and polite way in the spirit of helping other people, some folks like to put other people down or interject their ideas in an abrasive way because they think they're better or smarter than everyone.

In a short period of time I've used a lot of different gear and I've been to lots of different shows. I have a good amount of equipment myself that I've learned to use too. I've operated sound equipment in front of hundreds of people. I'm no expert, but I know a few things.

Since you've never met me, I doubt you're in a position to judge my personality or think that you know something about my people skills. There can be a huge difference in what you read on a bulletin board and what you experience in person. I have a feeling you're quite young and have a lot to learn about the world. On the other hand I could be wrong . . .

@ stogie:

There are a lot of truth in what mckyj said in his many posts in this thread. His fact are right.

And there are people here who read different meaning to post: 'I have a great voice and it does not matter what mic I use, I still sound great.'

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I can neither confirm nor deny ever having or knowing anything about nothing.... mrscott

You have a right to your opinion Jian. I don't agree with quite a bit of what he says and the things I do agree with I will come out and say so and have done just that.

There are people here-very knowledgeable people-who will express their opinions about gear or other technical topics in a way that is in the spirit of sharing their knowledge with others that isn't condescending, abrasive or rude. Londonlive and Lonman are two examples.

Having used certain pieces of gear over and over with good results, I find it hard to stomache when someone says that it's junk. I hear very well and can tell the difference between good sound and poor sound. If people have lots of money to buy only top of the line gear, believe me I'm happy for them, I'm not jealous at all. When I hear a very good singer, I admire their voice and take pleasure and enjoyment in listening to them, I'm not a hater.

I started my small business on a small budget and have slowly added the best quality gear I could afford along the way. I now have some high quality equipment that puts out a good sound that I can be confident and proud of in public. As I do more shows and bring in more money I'll surely buy one or two higher quality microphones because for me, it makes sense. For the average Karaoke singer it makes no difference what microphone they use. It's not going to improve the way they sound. I hope to submit some songs soon so you and others won't think I'm all talk. As soon as I can figure out a good way to record I'll sub some songs.

Just because you don't like the way he said it doesn't mean that what he said is wrong. It does not make sense having and good pa system and fronting it with that mic. THAT was the message he was trying to tell you. That mic will not make you look good on stage if that is what you prefer to use as a solo performer.

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I can neither confirm nor deny ever having or knowing anything about nothing.... mrscott

I have said it over and over, the mic sounded very good!

Is it a bad microphone because it's not expensive?

Is it bad just because mcky57 says it's bad?

If the sound quality was bad, why would I say it was good?

For what that mic cost me I could easily throw it in the trash if it didn't sound good.

What difference does it make if it's an inexpensive microphone? I really don't understand. Just because my other components are high quality and relatively expensive doesn't mean that this particular mic can't sound good with my system. This whole discussion is ludicrous. My head is starting to hurt thinking about it . . .

There are literally thousands of people who try out for American Idol every year who think they KNOW that they sound great. Those first few weeks of every AI season are the funniest parts of the show. Thousands of horrible singers get told the truth, probably for the first time in their lives,, and they just CAN'T believe what they're hearing from the judges. Those singers really have no idea of what sounds good and what sounds bad. Stogie could be one of those people who just doesn't know the difference between what sounds good and what sounds bad and no one will ever convince him otherwise.

Remember the girl who thought she sounded exactly like Mariah Carey???? She was hysterical.

BruceangrymanFanforlife, I have one question for you: Do you get paid to sing?

I do, so I suppose I don't sound too bad. Don't believe me? It really doesn't matter.

I'm no American Idol and I certainly would never say I'm a great singer, just good and good enough to perform locally. I'll never perform in Las Veras or on a big stage anywhere in front of thousands of people, but I'm a decent small time singer and I'm entertaining. Whenever I perform and wherever I sing I have people come up to me and complement me. If it makes you happy to think that I don't know the difference or can't hear the difference, that's great.

I'd like to hear about what you know about audio gear and microphones or performing solo for money. I'm waiting with baited breath.

I've heard expensive systems before (Mackie everything) and let me tell you that I have heard Radio Shack componants sound better. A real soundman can work with anything and make it sound like they have the best equipment available. Maybe Stogie is one of these. I don't subscibe to the "If it is expensive and name brand then it must be good" theory. And anyone who is snobbish enough to think that my Samson mikes aren't worth singing on then they can not bother coming to my shows. I am switching out my sennheiser for a samson because I don't like handing it to a drunk when I can get the samson for $40 delivered. Besides the sennheiser is no longer made.

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The Line Array Experiment is over. Nothing to see here. Move along.