Karaoke Forums

I'm currently getting ready to switch to a laptop from my cd+g format.
A top KJ/DJ in Chicago recommended using justKaraoke software with virtual DJ.
Any thoughts?

I've not installed it, but I'm not that happy with what I've seen from JustKaraoke.

My personal favorite is clubdjpro's software. The dual deck feature to ME works great. Personally, I don't need all the bells and whistles of Hoster or other player programs.

I also just use winamp for regular karaoke (non dvd type video)

so take what I say with a grain of salt!

I own JustKaraoke, and would not use it for gigging.

I recommend CompuHost. Costs more but is well worth it. Well worth it.

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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.

well, it DEPENDS, mckyj57.

The level of your software needs is what needs to be taken into account for what they WANT. Since my level is far less, Compuhost or other HOSTER type of programs is merely a huge waste of money!

Huge? I don't consider the $155.00 difference huge at all. Amortized over a year of 3 gigs a week, it is one dollar a gig and you are paid off. For your main tool!

When you use CompuHost, you get the ability to:

-- Have singers be walking to the stage before the previous song is finished, due to the singer announcement marquee
-- Since singers keep an eagle eye on the marquee, promotional messages on the promo trailer feature have real advertising value
-- You can add songs to your library on the fly
-- It takes you three seconds to add a song for a regular from their history
-- You can keep a history so you can see what gets play
-- You can play videos and sound bites
-- Automatic filler music
-- And a lot more

These types of features are things the others struggle with, and they really set your show apart. It has a professional look and feel, and the interface works really well even for relatively new operators.

I consider that it pays for itself in the first month or two just in advertising value. Or in general fit-and-finish of your show, which people *do* notice.

It was the smartest $180.00 I ever spent. Huge? No, a pittance.

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

HAving used JustKAraoke in a professional setting I can tell you that JustKaraoke does not play well with others. I had it crash on me several times due to switching to it from winamp. It does not save your songs in que so if you experience a crash better make sure you remember what was in the que for each singer. It was the most expensive mistake I ever made. I agree with MCky on Compuhost being the best investment I have ever made aside from using PowerKaraoke's ripper for ripping discs.
If you're wondering I am running Vista as my operating system.

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

I played around with roxbox and compuhost via the trial versions. In the end I picked compuhost hands down. Very user friendly plus the bells and whistles. I thought over the long haul the bells and whistles would make my job easy and help me run the show more efficiently without lapses and I can concentrate more on meeting people. I've watched a kj use roxbox, he was able to change songs quickly if someone came up and asked to switch jobs so it's a good program too and a lot cheaper but I think the extra $100 or so is worth it. I plan on using the promo trailer for advertising and some humorous scrolls.

I use Compuhost too and I'm very happy with it.

Ok sounds like most like Compuhost. Now what about virtual DJ Pro at $300?

If you're going to use Compuhost you don't need that $300 DJ program. Most Karaoke programs will play mp3 songs just fine, butf you really want a separate DJ program try DJmixpro. It's really simple and powerful and it's only $20. You can download the demo and try it before you buy. Spider player and Quitessential player are also very good programs to play music and they are both free. JustKaraoke by the way is only $25 so it can be a way to get started without spending tons of money. I saw it in use at a local show and the KJ was very happy with it. The sound was very good. It looked like a very easy program to learn and to use, song lookups were fast and simple too.

JustKaraoke has a major defect if you want to gig -- it's key changer is terrible. Very bad, very poor sounding. I would have used it for a backup rig if it had worked properly -- instead I wasted $25.

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

Will I be able to import my itunes music files with compuhost?

If they don't use the protected format, yes.

I'd been putting off upgrading Compuhost until tonight. I decided to use compuhost to record for SS so I installed it onto my home computer and decided for ha has to install the upgrade as well. Man I didn't know what I was missing. No more having to just type out the singer's name if they have been there before because it has a drop down list of everyone who has performed at any show.

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

For what it's worth, I like using a seperate DJ software (ClubDJ I like for that a lot) and a seperate KJ software. Seems Compuhost gets very high marks on this forum.

Download the trail and mess about with it.

I've been using Rock Boxx and it's pretty clunky, works but not "fun" to use....

I guess each has their own preference. I like have a software that can do both because the controls are at hand if I have to stop or pause the music.

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

Ok. I have a lot of respect for Compuhost. But then again, I have NEVER had any problems with Just Karaoke 1.0. It has been very, very good to me since I have owned it (over 7 months) and in my opinion is well worth $25. It may not have all the bells and whistles, but is a very good deal if you just want a basic karaoke software.

I don't know why everyone is complaining about it crashing. Maybe they didn't have enough RAM or a fast enough processor. Who knows?

All in all, it's $25 people. Come on.

Just my .02

DJ Bodi

Bobi,

The program I use (When I got it) was total shareware.

I didn't pay anything for it.

Winamp with the plugins.

Works just fine, and I used it pro shows for many years!

I only bought clubdjpro a while back. Played around with the demo and really loved it. Use it for a dual deck, and it's awesome for fade ins, graphics and all!

I am relatively new to KJing, but I chose Siglos Karaoke Professional (www.powerkaraoke.com) and I have been very pleased.

It has most of the features of Compuhost, and it doesn't require a USB dongle to prevent unauthorized use like Compuhost does.

In my experience, Siglos is rock solid and hard to beat. I also like Siglos because you can play customer's own discs, which you cannot with CompuHost.

Have you figured out a good methodology for putting in new songs? I have a lot of trouble with a few things on Siglos:

1. If you make a key change, it "sticks" so that the next song has that key applied by default.
2. Double-clicking keeps the choose song window open, you still have to "close".
3. Can't seem to re-size the screens and make them stay that way. They reset to (poorly proportioned) defaults every time you restart the program.
4. Difficult to see the context you are in with regard to "global filter" or "history".

I finally decided to stop struggling with it and purchase a second CompuHost.

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