Karaoke Forums

This isn't true in the least. If you connect a condensor (or even a dynamic or ribbon mic that requires phantom power) and don't enable phantom power, all that happens is the mic doesn't work. Plugging non-powered dynamic mics and other devices into a line with phantom power enabled doesn't hurt anything either. Most smaller consoles (and even some larger desks) take advantage of this and only offer a global phatom power switch that enables all mic inputs together. There's really nothing that would hurt you from leaving it on without any phantom powered devices attached either.

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DJ Tony
Let It Rip Karaoke

It's rare, but I've hooked up customers mics, guitars, etc at my shows and don't really mind. The people I do this for are usually pretty decent singers and help the overall vibe in the room. I'm not saying I'd like to get into the habit of it but it sometime comes with the territory.
The only thing I will add is that sometimes these folks that bring their own instruments feel as if they have the stage for an extended amout of time. They say they wanna play another song or two while they're "plugged in". Or they go off on a 5 or 7 minute solo guitar riff that kinda steers the show in the wrong direction.
I have learned to ask these folks what there gonna sing, how long it is, and that they only get ONE SONG per turn. Most of the time this works but I've had to mute their channel a few times to get them off stage.

My main oposition is that for most of my shows I do have a long line of singers waiting. To change a mic (and change it back afterwards) may only take 3 minutes along with adjusting in the approprliate volumes and scound check but that is getting pretty close to giving that singer two turns worth of stage time.

The body of the mic is just like phones, door knobs, keyboards......hand to surface to the next hand.....you touch your nose, or eye......and thats the way most germs are spread.....

I'm no doctor, but that's what i'd think, too.

So what if the guy before you was spitting into the mic? Unless you're coming up next and licking it or getting so close your lips are on it, it isn't like the last guys germs are going to magically jump off the mic and onto you.

The body of the mic, on the other hand.. is just as nasty as the knob on the bathroom door, or the flush handle on the mens room crapper.

By that logic you should bring your own doorknobs.

Mics are just one of hundreds of surfaces that we indirectly come in contact with other people. Yes dirty mics can spread disease, but not likely to be much worse than any of the other many things we touch in public.


If you really care that much, use a napkin to hold the mic. Problem solved.

How is it three minutes - the customer unclips your mic, clips in theirs & off they go, if you have a good ear, you can usually eq on the fly when the song starts within a few seconds to make it sound good. You wouldn't necessarily need a full sound check to do so.

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LIKE Lonman on Facebook - Lonman Productions Karaoke & my main site via my profile!

I use my shoe to flush & open the bathroom door with a paper towel, habit I got in year ago for some reason.

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LIKE Lonman on Facebook - Lonman Productions Karaoke & my main site via my profile!

I got a guy who comes in all the time. He requests the SM58 on a cord rather than the cheap wireless I use with all the drunks. If he brought in his own mic It's be no different. At least the singer with their own mic is probably going to know how to use it (I hope) and won't need me jockeying the board around for them so much.

Lets be real you need to manage the mics anyway. Someone using their own mic is certainly less of a hassle then the trio singing "Seven Bridges Road" where you mix the mains and they're swapping mics because the monitors haven't been mixed for the low singing one. All of a sudden the loud guy has the hot mic and the quiet one has the low one.

People are more trouble than they're worth generally but we deal with the average stripe every day.

I actually use disinfectant wipes to handle the mics. I give them a quick wipe between each singer. Whether it actually does much remains to be seen, but I know almost all my singers, new and old, comment on it and like it. It tells them that I care about the cleanliness of my equipment and their health. And I'm like Lon. I use the paper towel for handling public bathroom flush handles and doorknobs.

I'm also failing to see how it is taking you so long. Should take all of 30 seconds if you're really slow. EQ it on the fly like you should be doing with each singer anyway.
Not much more trouble than handing the mic to the next singer.

That is the recommended way to do things, at least the paper towel part. I think it may be the health dept which says:

1. Use facilities.
2. Turn on water.
3. Soap hands, wash and rinse for 20 seconds.
4. Obtain paper towel, and turn off water with it.
5. Dry hands.
6. Open door with paper towel and discard.

Anyway, that's the way I learned it. And I almost never get sick.*

* Now that I don't host much bar karaoke, anyway! That's a tough one on the immune system when you interact with random people constantly.

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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.

The yes the process only takes 30 seconds to plug it in and take it out, (1 minute). But odds are it will take double that for the singer to get the mic to you when their turn comes up.

As for a mic check on the fly, it should be more than the normal calibration done for every singer, as singers are generally within a narrrow range, and quite often the real loud one is known or predictable. THe range for a new mic must be started much lower and creap up into the usable range, to prevent damage to the system.

My point is that I want to give every singer the same amount of time on the stage. It is not double that for some singers because of their "needs". I generally have a turn around of less than 20 seconds between songs.

I don't see why so many of KJs seem to think this request is "reasonable" when many have expressed their opinion that too many times of asking "when am I up" can be grounds for agrivation. I really don't mind that too much, but as far as I am concerned the guy with their own mic is not incoveniencing me as the KJ as much as they are incovneniencing the other singers waiting their turn by takeing extra time.

Maybe it is just me, but I like to treat people equally, and I don't like it when someone tries to make themselves get special treatment in any way. My show has plenty of people who are glad to be treated equally.

Hmmmm. Never took that long when we had people bring them in, not sure why they would have to get the mic to me?

True, but again, it can be done within a few seconds.

I just don't see any time lost, at least the ones that have brought mics to my show never did. No different than using mine, except they swapped the cord.

I don't mind the 'when am I up' question either, usually will point them to my rotation and show them where they are and aprox how long they will be. But again, bringing in a mic isn't a common occurance. I find nothing wrong with it any more so than someone bringing in their own discs. I am there to help facilitate their pleasure & if they want to bring in their own music or mic, then so be it. It takes not time on my part to swap out or play. And again if it did become a common occurance I would just have an empty mic cord on stage - no big deal, they plug in & sing.

Me too. And if anyone else wanted to bring in their music or mic, i'd be happy to equally deal with them as well.

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I've never brought a mic to a karaoke show but I would think that someone who owns their own mic knows how to disconnect the KJ's mic and connect their mic in under 10 seconds total time. It can probably be done in 5 seconds. If the unused mic cord is just hanging there waiting for someone to connect to it; 2 seconds tops. Some KJ's are just not very accomodating for any reason; be it personal discs or personal mics or even key changes.

I CERTAINLY hope none of my singers brings in their own mic...not only is it a time waster by attaching/disconnecting but EQ-ing IT because most mics are different and need different settings.

Taking the whole concept of DIVADOM to a new level...

What's next..bring your own player and cardboard cutout audience????

I know a person who brought his own cdg player to a show that couldn't play discs on his laptop. KJ had no problem with it. Once again Customer service.

Had a guy do that with a portable DVD player as he had several DVD discs. Only once around 8 or so years ago, plugged into a spare channel on my board - no hassles, no complaints, simple procedure.

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I don't view it as customer service, I find it pandering to one customer at the expense of the others.

I know some of you view it otherwise, but that is my view on the matter. I would rather keep the 99% of the singers happy as opposed to one making unusual requests. Even if the time investment is minimal.

I view a singer bringing their own mic, for sound quality reasons as follows:

1. They don't think that my equipment used at the show is good enough.

2. If singers bring their own mics for sound quality reasons, they might make other singers think my equipment is not good. This could result in a reputation for providing "bad" equipment for the singers, and it does not matter if that reputation is undeserved.

I would much rather have one person think I am not accomidating as opposed to the majority of my singers thinking that I have sub-par equipment.

I know that some view the singer/customer as always being right, but when a customer makes unusual requests far beyond the norm it is a slippery slope.

WOW!!! talk about being insecure. I know some KJs that used to feel the same way about someone bringing in their own discs. Kj felt it made him look like he didn't have a good enough selection. I've never thought a KJ was treating someone better than anyone else by letting them use their own CD or their own microphone. I guess some people aren't threatened by someone else bringing in their own music or mic. No KJ will have every song. I don't see anything wrong with being accomodating in any way.