Karaoke Forums

Being new to gigging, I want to have the best sound possible from the get-go. From my first couple of gigs, I have noticed that my mics don't have a nice, crystal clear sound. The best way to describe it is they sound "hot." I know there is a plethora of possible answers to this.

To help point out possible solutions here is a basic rundown of my system: AKG WMS 40 dual wireless mics, AKG wired mic, running into ART Studio V3 tube preamps into Behringer Feedback Destroyer into TC Electronic M350 Reverb and Effects Processor into a dj mixer and out to a QSC RMX 1450 Power Amplifier and finally out to JBL JRX125 Speakers.

My first suspect is that I have to have all of my gain levels up a decent amount to get any decent volume out of the mics. Clipping or danger of is an often problem, if not for feedback from turning them up so high. I obviously have to adjust the gain for each singer, which I do at the preamps via the input and output levels and finally at the slider level on the dj mixer.

Also, as far as mixing the lows, middle and highs for each singer, I have been told the general rule of thumb is to turn the lows up and highs down for female signers, and visa-versa for guys (oversimplification if you ask me). However, a sound guy looked at my setup and turned ALL of them down for singers. For more depth to the sound, shouldn't the mids be turned up?

Is there a way for me to get better volume from the mics without them running "hot"? I think I will try bridging my amp to be able to turn my gain levels down if this will help. In the end I may just go with a more powerful amp, but what I have should suffice (at least I hope). I also believe that lower gain levels on the input end and higher gain/volume levels at the main out are the best route. Please correct me if I am mistaken.

Sound quality is very important to me, and I want to do it right from the get-go if I can. I will change equipment as I go if necessary, as this is not the IDEAL karaoke set-up, but it's a start for me at least. For now, if I can get decent sound from my first system, any help or advice is greatly appreciated. Perhaps a better configuration of my current system is in order? Ditch the Feedback Destroyer? (doesn't help much I've found.) Thanks for the input!

Believe it or not, a more efficient speaker could make a difference. JRX is an entry level product and JBLs are known to be power hungry. Sometimes there are things we don't even think of that could be affecting our sound. Consider a more efficient speaker with that amp and even going down in size to a 12". Under powering a speaker can affect the way the mics sound. IMO you're better off with a smaller main and a sub. Or, a better main cabinet if you can't afford a sub or don't want to carry them around. Better speakers will get you better overall sound. Look at Yorkville, Electro Voice, Yamaha, QSC, FBT, RCF or Peavey Impulse.

Once your input gain is set you should not have to change it.

Sounds like you are doing something wrong.

Get rid of all the junk and plug the mic into your mixer directly this will solve the problem. Run your effects on the aux and leave the tube pre-amp and feedback destroyer at home.

The music sounds fine, it's more or less the mic sound. Yes, I know AKG is not the best, but they have a good sound to me for an affordable price in a wireless set-up. I will be adding a corded Sure SM58 soon.

As opposed to smaller speakers (definitely an option, these suckers are heavy!) Why not the more powerful amp? For now, it would be the cheaper solution of the two. When I build a second system I could use the new smaller PA speakers with the QSC 1450 and reserve my current set-up for DJing and larger venues.

As far as PA speakers, I'm a fan of ElectroVoice and Mackies. Also, a note on bridging my set-up - It doesn't look like I can with my current speakers. They are 4ohms and the amp isn't rated to run bridged at 2ohms, which is what would be the case if I run them both on the bridged channel if I am not mistaken? The whole bridging/parallel/series and ohms rating is still a little confusing to me, even thought I have read plenty on it.

As far as the pre-amps go, I would have NO gain to work with without them. I can't get squat for volume if I pull them.

What mixer are you using? You might consider upgrading your mixer and you could cut all of that stuff out. Where are your speakers? Are you out in front of them?

Get your self a pro level mixer.

Behringer is hardly Pro-Level but will due the trick.

I suggest a Mackie or Yamaha for something modesly priced.


You are hooking things together not ment to be hooked in series. If your mixer has no mic gain it is useless.

My mixer has gain for both mic channels and gain for each of the separate channels, and I am running the wireless mics on the center channel. It is still not enough to get any decent volume from the mics without a preamp. I can max out the volume without the preamps, but then I have no headway to adjust for soft singers.

Sounds to me like the problem is mainly your mixer.

I got an Alesis Multimix 8 USB a few months ago and it works GREAT. $100 off ebay in new condition. You hook something like that up to your amp and you won't need any pre amp or anything else. All my mics sound great hooked into that mixer and the vocal effects are very good.

It's not a DJ mixer, it's a studio/band type mixer. I don't hook it directly into my laptop, but you can. It has a built in soundcard that connects to the USB port.

I run a Behringer UCA202 sound card from the laptop into the mixer and I also have a soundblaster Efx external soundcard too. Everything is 1/4" jacks on the mixer-input and output. Very simple to operate and to hook up. No faders, all knobs which I now prefer to faders. I highly recommend this mixer. For the price it's a no brainer. New it's only $150.

Like was mentioned by lyquiddye, you need to get back to the basics to start with. You have a lot of gear in your signal path, and more isn't always better. First you should get yourself a decent mixer if you really care about your sound. Once you get yourself a mixer you can put the M350 in an FX send as it should be. You will also probably find that your feedback destroyer is doing more than destroying feedback. If you insist on using what you have, I'd start by removing the Feedback destroyer from the signal path. By the way "General Rules" usually are only good for the army. Crap, and I told myself I wasn't going to give any more advise here....hmmmm.

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Quickness of mind will deceive the eye

I have a pair of EV Sx100+ speakers that only need 250 watts at 8 ohms. Something like that would be better matched to your amp than those JBL JRX. Different mixer and different speakers and you would be amazed at the change in the way your microphones sound.

The rig was built to use as a DJ setup and I have added everything for karaoke - by the way I am running a CAVS JB199 Premier. I have found this isn't the best setup for karaoke and will be changing it out piece by piece until I have a whole second setup and this original beast will be used strictly as a DJ rig again for weddings/etc. For now, I need a new mixer. I am looking at the BEHRINGER PRO MIXER DJX 700 to start out with. Then a more powerful amp, then maybe the Electrovoice ZX5s. I will probably build my own rig/table too. Unless I can find a stand that will fit my needs.

I think he needs to get his signal path straightened out and a decent mixer before he needs to be worrying about new speakers. Although not great, those speakers and amp should be adequate for starters.

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Quickness of mind will deceive the eye

If you are doing Karaoke with your rig you need to get something other than a DJ mixer, you need a regular multi channel audio mixer, something with real mic pre amps. The number of mic channels you need will determine a good starting point. IMO hooking up ZX5's to anything that starts with the letter "B" would be rather pointless. Your rig is only as good as the weakest link it contains.

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Quickness of mind will deceive the eye

No did not read any responses.

Drop the DJ mixer, get a good LIVE mixer - DJ mixer ar great for what? DJ'ing NOT LIVE vocals which karaoke is. Run the mics directly to the LIVE mixer. If you WANT to run the pre-amps you can, but these are better in a studio environment & may actually cause the sound to sound worse in a karaoke setting if you do not know what you are doing.
Run the M350 through an EFX/Aux send/return on the LIVE mixer.
Run the Feedback destroyer (not needeed in most situations and can actually cause more harm than good - unless it's a GOOD processor like a Sabine or dbx) via the main insert of the mixer or if the mixer doesn't have a main insert, directly inline from the mixer to the amps.
There is no real way to mix except to adjust for each individual singer. Some people (guys or gals) need to be adjusted with more bass (lows) & more treble (highs). Others need just the opposite. It's your ear that will determine who needs more or less. Yes the avg rule of thumb is most female singers will need slightly more lows & less highs, and male singers will need just the opposite, but I have encountered several that will break that rule & need to be adjusted accordingly. A good LIVE mixer with a sweepable mid on the vocal channels will help tremendously. Learn how to adjust accordingly!
As far as the mds being turned up by the "sound guy", again depends on the mixer being used. Cheaper 'live' boards do not have a sweepable mid & sometimes might need the mid turned up to compensate. A better board will have a swept mid that is adjustable & may not need to be turned up depending on the singer.
When you get a good live board, you'll be able to PFL your levels & get everything where they need to be by the gain structure & adjust accordingly via the faders. The vocals should sound JUST above the music levels. Effects should be barely audible, but noticeable if they weren't there.

Bridging the amp will not help get anything out but amplify the problems you already have. Once you get the problems worked out, then you can bridge the amp for more power.

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

Because all a more powerful amp would do is amplify your problem! Fix the problem first, then you can add a more powerful amp!



No those speakers cannot be connected to a bridged amp as most amps are not bridgeable past 4 ohms & the speakers tied together would be 2 ohms. Doing a series/parallel combo would entail getting 2 more of those speakers & rewiring the speakers completely - not worth it - the dual 15" in karaoke is pretty much almost overkill to begin with as you can't lift them over the crowd as they should be anyway!

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

Then something is not being adjusted correctly. The only time I have ever needed a pre-amp is in the studio. Not once in 20 years of running live sound have I needed a pre-amp on a live mic.

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

We use those mics, the WMS40, quite a bit, for the more inebriated singers. They are decent, but they are not top-quality. I have always preferred the SM58 wireless (or wired before we got the better wireless).

I EQ them pretty normally on my Yamaha MG124CX. I keep the lows down, the mids just a tad over midrange, and the highs pretty much straight up. They sound OK, and while they aren't the greatest in gain before feedback they are much better than some of the cheaper wireless I have seen.

We have the gain out of the receiver set so that the trim on the channel is about 1pm, and we run the mic faders in the -10 to 0 range. We adjust overall volume with the main out, and have music input on a group so we can mix as much with group 1-2 and main as with the mic faders.

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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.

There is another possibility. Perhaps the people using your mics have poor mic technique. They could be holding the mic too far away from their mouth and/or singing softly, which causes you to turn things up and bring them to the feedback threshold.

WTF? It's a computer just like what 90% of kjs are using nowadays! And built more rugged than a lappy, has good onboard soundcard, is windows based, and DOES NOT HAVE SCROLLING PROBLEMS like the old 99's did. geeesh!