Karaoke Forums

I got a call from the County a couple of months ago. They're building a new shopping plaza in my area with an outside stage/amphitheater. To attract people, they want to offer life entertainment (Bands and Karaoke). THey heard about my reputation and wanted me to do the Karaoke part. So after going back and forth with Paperwork and Insurance, I finally start on May 30th and every last Saturday of the month thereafter.

I see that not only as a lot of fun (outside, full setup with Subs, lights, etc), but a good way of advertising my company at the same time.

The stage area itself is covered. I have to go down there tomorrow and take pictures, then I post a couple.

Anyway, I never played outside so I was wondering, if any of you has experience with that and has some tips to share of what I should consider being outside?

Is it outside outside? Meaning, no walls?

If it is, your ideas about EQ and power have to go right out the window compared to an indoor venue. The more power the better. It is a simple inverse square function, so if you want to cover any areas away from the stage you are going to have to think rear fill. Luckily, it's not like a concert where you have paying customers sitting in a fixed position and you *have to* get them sound. Actually, I think you are in good shape with your EV/QSC setup.

I have two main setups with a fair amount of power. One is a pair of Behringer B1520 tops that take 400w, 15" wood cabinets. (I can add a sub, but don't for this outside gig at a state park.) The other is a pair of Peavey PR10 ten-inch tops with a PR-Sub 15" sub. Each of the tops can take 400W, and the sub takes 600W. I drive them with an EP2500 (same as RMX2450), which gives the tops 780w to four ohms daisychained and 400w to 8 ohms for a sub.

Inside, the two are pretty comparable in sound coverage and character. I tried each of them outside, and the two 15" wood mains blow away the plastic 10" top / 15" sub combo.

* Watch your expensive wireless mics on terracotta or concrete floors. Consider wired for this gig.
* Bring a rug for the singing area, to cushion dropped mics.
* At a mall, you are going to have kids. You need a) Hannah Montana, b) Taylor Swift, and c) High School Musical. You can get both Disney Hannah Montana disks for $25.00 at karaoke.com last time I checked ($12.00 apiece).
* Bring a couple of plastic tarps to cover equipment that might take a bath in the rain.
* If your cables run on dirt you might bring a few rags to wipe the cables as you return them to the gig bags or reels.

Finally, if you are at a horse stable like I am, *never* leave your car windows open to cool it down. You will have a million flies inside in no time.

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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.

Outside is really an opportunity to get a feel for your system. You can crank it and not have to worry about room acoustics. I like to flatline the EQ'S and run the procs at 12 oclock and then tune it raw. Then back inside you have a idea what it should sound like and have a starting point. Outside I run more powered speakers and distribute the sound.

One of my freebies is the city park on the 4th. My singers have fun and it the best advertisement. That is a time when I compare my system to good bands and more often than not I give them a different opinion of karaoke. A couple of hot dogs and a few cold ones make for a good afternoon.

You do have a unique opportunity to present karaoke to the non bar types and promote it the way it should be. I have done outside benefits and it is a joy to blow people away that have a negative attitude about karaoke and never have experienced it .

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I can't help you sound wise but I am excited just thinking about what a good opportunity that is for you (a little vicarious enjoyment here). Congratulations.

I know you said the stage was covered but is that the same area as the KJ set up? I never do a outside gig anymore unless I'm covered from the elements. Nothing like getting caught up in an afternoon thunderstorm or melting in summer heat. I bought one of those 10'x10' pop-up tents(w/walls)from Sams and it works great. Even had my company logo put on the roof.

Mojo

Like I said, I need to take some pictures so you get a better idea of the area.

By covered I mean, it has a roof, but is open to the front and the sides. The back wall of the stage has an opening with another covered area of maybe 300 square ft. I definitely plan on setting up on the side of the stage or maybe half way in the back area to be covered in case of rain etc. The stage itself has concrete floor, so the carpet idea is appreciated!

The stage itself is about 4 feet above ground.

My equipment should be adequate for playing outside:

2 x EV Sx500+ (driven by a QSC PLX3602, 775 Watts per Speaker)
2 x Yorkville LS800P powered subs (1500 Watts each)

That brings me to another question: How/where should I set up the speakers and subs?

I have had my speakers blown down rained upon and covered with flying ants. Outside I run 2 JBL Eon G'2's and 2 Jbl first generation and others if I can borrow them. . This is about 1200 watts which I can crank wide open. Also run a JBL Eon10 G2 for a monitor.

I do sound effects like a 747 flyover and have people diving under the tables.. This is fun time and all the rules are basically out the window. It can go until the sun comes up in the morn.

Here is a link to Myspace photos which shows a few of the farm gig' If you find a photo called MY Buddy And Me that is my mug shot'

link

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Point them at the audience.

If the stage is not raised, I would just place the two mains on sticks toward the ends of the stage. The subs might want to be clustered in the center, mono. You'll want a monitor speaker, obviously. Those are 75 degree speakers, I think, so you will probably want to cant them in.

If the stage is raised 3-4 feet, just put the SX500 on the stage and the LS800P on the ground in front of the stage.

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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.

good answers so far. I would just add;

PREPARE for possible inclement weather. A box of garbage bags for rain, cable ties, sandbags or weights for wind and speaker stands, a locking table your rig is on (if you use one)..and of course backup equipment- but you knew that.

I would also make sure you have parking as CLOSE to your setup if possible, and have your own designated electrical line. Be careful of generators that can ruin your equipment.

Oh, and CONGRATS! Hope it goes really well for you!!

Because you're outdoors and have no room acoustics, having a singer monitor or 2 would be a must. People tend to shriek louder when they can't hear themselves...not a great thing for singer or audience. Good luck!

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[font=Lucida Console]DangerousKaraoke.com[/font]
[font=Lucida Console]"Sing for the day, sing for the moment, sing for the time of your life!"[/font]

Put the subs on the ground, not onstage. You won't get any low end out of them if they're raised outside.

Depending on how loud your employers want it, how much monitor you have, and how wide the stage is, you actually might want to separate the mains from the subs and put them onstage and maybe even back a bit so the singers get just a bit of them if everyone wants overall levels low. They aren't nearly as prone to feedback outside as indoors.

Or up on poles connected to the subs in front. If they're in front they will be considerably louder. It's amazing how just a few feet makes a difference outside.

Or on the ground to the sides of the stage if it isn't too wide.

If you put the mains onstage and the subs on the ground, I'm sure that there are purists who will yelp about separating subs from tops that much, but practically speaking out there in the real world any phasing incongruencies are inaudible as long as your subs are crossed over fairly low (at or below around 85 Hz).

I've never done karaoke outside but have played countless gigs with bands on flatbeds and outside stages over the years. Everything from loud dances for 1000 people to low level music where people are supposed to be able to talk without raising their voices. Setup depends on the parameters of the job.

Thank you all very much for your tips and advice! The setup was my main concern. But every advice here is appreciated.

Yes, they do have power lines and wall plugs, thanks God. Four of them on stage and 2 in the back area. So a generator is not an issue.

I will probably go there 2-3hours before I start, just to make sure everything sounds right. I ordered the RTA microphone for my Driverack PA. Never had use before, because a lot of people said, inside it's almost no good to use a RTA mic. But from what I heard, outside it should do the trick. Does anyone have experience with that?

I will take some pictures tonight before my show (It's right around the corner) and post them tomorrow.

To be honest, outside with speakers of that quality you're probably not going to beat just running them flat. I never RTA'ed outside though, and as you said, inside I never liked the results so just EQ by ear.

Congrats on your gig Severin. If it's close to where you live that's even better.

very cool news! im sure that with the equipment you have and your skill you will do well. I recently got a contract to do one of 2 entertainment tents at our county fair this year. I will be there doing karaoke all 5 days for the fair PLUS doing sound for 2 or 3 bands. i will be using my full band pa for karaoke. Im really excited but it looks like i need a larger mixer and a snake. im not quite sure how ill run karaoke from the stage and sound from foh. but ill figure it out.

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the voices arent real, but they have some good ideas