Karaoke Forums

What's a torrent?

It's a way people use to hsare files. Somtomes illegally.

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

Short for bit-torrent. It is a method of file sharing that breaks up the file into thousands of small bits. The torrent file itself is more or less a map to find and collect all the bits from many many file sharers.

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Never the same show twice!

Steven,

To answer your origional question, most computer hosting programs can access directly to a customer's thumb drive without much of a problem.

I use Karma and could easily (while playing a song) plug your drive into an open usb port click on media make up a name for your drive "Cueball's karaoke" chose the path to your drive, click update the library. when it came time to load your song all I would have to do is select Cueball's Karaoke from the media file type in and load your song and then go back to my karaoke files to load anyone else's songs. Whole process would take less than two minutes, so it really isn't much of a problem to do. CDG would be a different story on Karma I would have to rip the song name it and put it on my hard drive I simply would not do this.

No for the second part of your question, which some others have already answered, if it was someone I knew well and knew that their songs were legit (and if I did not already have the song they wanted in my library) I would probably do it, for someone I didn't know just walking in off the street wanting me to do it, well it just won't happen.
However knowing the size of your library and you personally I wouldn't have a problem doing it for you.

FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I went to a show this past Thursday evening. Actually, it was a contest being hosted by a local radio station (which I was entered in). I had called up the radio station and asked them to find out some info for me. Could the KJ play my personal discs. They said that they would get back to me. They never did (big surprise there). When I had called back (a week before I was supposed to go to the venue to compete), I asked them again, and they said that it should not be a problem.

I got to the venue, and the people there said that the KJ could play my disc, but the words would not appear on the screen (I don't have my songs committed to memory). I explained that my discs were in CDG format, so they told me to discuss it with the KJ. The KJ said the same thing about the words not appearing on the screen. I then asked him if he could play a flash drive, and he said that he could, but was uncertain whether the words would appear. Since it was still early (and people were just coming in to register), I asked him if he could check. He took my flash drive, and tested it. The KJ verified that the words did appear on the screen.

YAY!!!!

I did something right!!! My Flash Drive works!!!!

For a KJ to not know if zip files on a flash drive will play or not on his laptop is a sure red flag, or should I say a Jolly Roger? There are just so many KJs out there who have purchased a computer loaded up with karaoke software and karaoke music that don't know the first thing about ripping original discs or how to add new songs to their hard drive. Some of these KJs are just hired help who know absolutely nothing about how the laptop works. They have only been shown how to get it to play the songs that are already on the hard drive and that's it. Most of them are too cheap to spend a little money on a software program that will play a karaoke disc from their existing DVD drive. WHAT A SHAME!

Well....

It happened again last night, for only the 4th time in 7+ years.

A gentleman came to me and asked if I could play karaoke discs. I said, only if it is an original mfr's CD+G. He produced a Just Tracks karaoke CD+G that contained all Frank Sinatra songs.

I'm running a win7 laptop with CompuHost and about 4GB of ram. I opened Siglos Karaoke Player and loaded the disc into the playlist. It is not necessary to copy the files from the disc because Siglos can play the disc directly. The built in DVD drive in my laptop had no problem displaying the lyrics and since my laptop is already patched to my mixer, the audio is still on the same channel. I just slid the lyrics screen from Siglos onto my extended desktop, sizing it so that CompuHost's ticker was still visible during the song.

Just to be safe... I used my cell-phone to take a picture of the disc that I inserted into my drive. Then I photographed the laptop screen with Siglos running and playing the song. Then, when the singer finished. I had him watch as I cleared the playlist and ejected his CD+G. I told him thanks and assured him that his disc had been played directly and that I did not make a copy of anything.

He was happy that I was able to play his disc. When he left, he commented that I had "A really interesting karaoke system." I am reasonably sure he was a satisfied "customer".

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Never the same show twice!

Just to be safe from what? I thought you were worry-free.

Bruce,

As already stated a KJ may not have a drive or program that will allow the lyrics portion of a CDG "disc" to display, if I had a CD drive in my computer Karma would not allow for the display of the lyrics (unless I actually ripped the disc to my hard drive). As for being able to display the lyrics from a thumb drive, that would depend entirely on the person who ripped the songs to the drive to begin with. When I was ripping my disc I hired my niece and daughter to help me (big mistake) even though I showed them step by step how to do it I had to go back and re-rip several hundred disc because they did them incorrectly. I am still finding songs (that normally never get played) that I have to re-rip.

So it isn't always the idiot pirate who wouldn't know if the lyrics would display or not.

Safe from suspicion. My intention was to allow this customer to be secure in the knowledge that, though I use a computer to run my show and play his CD+G, I played the track directly from the disc and did not make a copy of anything.

In addition to that, I would also benefit from documenting my actions if Just Tracks decided to investigate whether I was 1:1 with their product. I would produce the photo of the disc in question and demonstrate my ability to play CD+G discs on my laptop. I would also then offer them the opportunity to certify all 34 Just Tracks songs that I have in my library.

What me worry?

Thanks for your concern. Everyone remain calm. I am.

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Never the same show twice!

So if you're going to photograph and document every disc anyone hands you to play it sounds more like paranoia to me...

Paranoia? I have done this with one disc, handed to me last night, from a total stranger who I was accommodating and re-assuring. Remember, this is only the fourth time in 7+ years that this has happened.

It literally took 2 seconds to photograph the disc with my phone. I mentioned it because I literally thought about this thread when the man came to me with his disc.

Why are you picking on me?

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Never the same show twice!

If I bring songs on a thumb drive; I'm positive that they will play properly if the KJ knows his business

Yes I am sure you know how, but not everyone gets it right as I explained above.

I'm not picking on you at all, just questioning why you would go through the trouble of documenting it all. Sure, it takes 2 seconds to photograph, then a few minutes to download it from your phone or email it to yourself, then find a place to store it and then (for good measure) finish the "documentation" with a note on the place, time or other pertinent facts that will fully explain the photograph. Just in case it was an investigator? So you apparently are not beyond thinking that a manufacturer would send in an investigator with a song that you don't have, you play it and they snap their own photo only to question your ownership at a later date? Interesting.

It just seems like a lot of work for playing a 3-minute song off some strangers disc... Longer to document it than to just play it and be done with it. Playing a customer's discs isn't something new, it's been happening since there were discs. If you've only done it a handful of times in that length of time, consider yourself very lucky.

Thanks c. staley. In some ways, I do consider myself really lucky.

I am also a realist. That is why I deliberately collect unique CD+G's. My collection currently exceeds 5,000 discs. There is not a single one that is unavailable for use during my show.

What has happened only a handful of times is that someone produced a disc that I did not already have.

With regard to the OP, I am a KJ that is strictly PC-run. However; that does not preclude the capability of playing CD+G's.

I will accept a CD+G if it appears to be an original manufacturer's product.

I will also document that event as it happens so rarely, I'd like to make sure that there is no question of impropriety.

C'mon c. staley, you are fully aware of how little time it would take an IT professional to catalog a single digital image. Sharing the image to any number of recipients including my own network is done in a matter of seconds with or without my input. Really, I post thousands of images from my shows... one more isn't going to be a hardship.

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Never the same show twice!

Whether it takes 3 minutes or 3 seconds isn't really the point. It's that you believe there could possibly be real harm to your business at a later date if you don't. Not necessarily expected mind you, but that you recognize it as a possibility.

If you are going to all that extra effort to document using someone else's personal CDG (by taking pictures, etc...), then what difference does it make whether the person brings in an original or a dupe (without showing you the original)? Base on what you posted, you're already presenting proof that the disc was not in your system to begin with.

YEAH!!! what he said!

Again... there isn't "all that extra effort".

I snapped a picture of the disc with my cell. I now have record of the disc and can obtain an original for my collection.

I believe if I played a copy, I would be doing the very thing that is causing this industry so much harm. Proving I didn't have the song in my system is like saying I took a joy-ride, but never parked in my garage. No burns, no "Club" discs, and no one has ever handed me a thumb-drive. If you can download a file from a legit source, so can I.

I showed the man that I didn't copy his CD+G, because, if I were to hand a computer based KJ an original disc that I owned, I'd want assurances that it was not going to be copied. Not that I ever would, but in this case, I was treating him as I would wish to be treated in this situation.

I have an amicable relationship with the manufacturers that I have contacted so far. I haven't spoken with anyone from JT. Were that to occur in the future, I'd be happy to relate my experience with their product and convey my respect for their rights as producers of karaoke tracks.

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Never the same show twice!