Karaoke Forums

Question- How many of the shows in your area are running subs? I've been to many shows around me and have never seen one in use. Some of these shows even run only one speaker.
I'm currently using 15" JBL Eons and get compliments for the sound, but am thinking about throwing a sub into the mix to really set my shows apart. I won't compete with those shows that offer tons of songs, but I try to do better in every other area.
Thanks for your answers.

At one of my shows, I tie in to their house system which has subs.
My other shows, I don't run them. Too heavy to lug around. I haven't seen (or heard) subs at any of the other shows around here.

I hardly ever see subs or a monitor speaker for the singer's benefit.

I personally use a sub for all my karaoke shows. I run RCF speakers and subs. I love the added "thump thump" I get when playing an upbeat song. It's not always appropriate and I can control it how I want from the board.
Nobody else I know around these parts has a sub for karaoke. I guess its not really needed but I'm just weird.
I also run a monitor speaker. It has really spoiled me too. I went to a show the other night and without the monitor I felt lost trying to sing. Not that I do it that well anyway.

I have never used a sub for karaoke show nor have I ever seen one being used.

I have always run at least 1 sub for all shows. It just rounds out the sound - and gives more of a 'live' feel, gives that added low end that is needed & takes the stress off of the main cabs trying to reproduce the low end.

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I would tend to think that the addition of a sub could only be a GOOD THING.

I use powered Mackies, have a set of 350s and 450s, and in a bigger room I add the sub (15" powered Mackie sub), as I did last summer when running an outside show - but still only needed the 350s for that. Most rooms I've done shows in don't require the sub AND the 450s, though in a HUGE setting I did run the 450s and sub and it was sweet.... I do love the sound of a sub but it can really be overkill if not set up right.

I tried to run a monitor for the singers at both my shows and got too many complaints, if you can believe that! They HATED it and asked for it to be shut off. I quit bringing it and have no complaints. I, too, like the rounded sound a sub gives, but at one of my shows, the owner forces me to mix terrible bass-less sound, so to bring one to that show would be pointless. And again, I find for most places I play in, it's just too much for me to lug around.

I run a sub at all my shows, it adds a fullness the mids and tops leave out. I run monitors always and everyone loves it because they can hear themselves and the music easier. Depending on the singer i can control the amount of vocals or music for them. I have even sung with them kinda like guide vocals if they get lost (only if they ask) running thru the monitors and no one else can hear me on the house speakers. Seems like no other KJ in my area are running monitors, I get compliments because of that.

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That's a great idea - aid vocals only on the monitor. No embarrassment for the singer to hear another voice dragging them along to the melody. I don't use monitor speakers, but if I did, I would definitely do that too.

We run with 2 Yorkville LS 700s paired with our NX520s (early version of the 55s) at 5 of our shows. At the other show we use the house system consisting of 2 Meyer CQ-1 tops and 2 Meyer 700-HP subs.

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You can be strange but not a stranger

I've been running a singer monitor made by Crate for a little while now which was only like $110. Since my speakers literally hang on the walls up high, some of my older singers sometimes had difficulty hearing their voices.

Now with the monitor hooked up, i know they can hear themselves much better, and i no longer worry about blasting the audience when i jack-up a hip hop or hard rock song. -instead the music and vocals are blasting the singers not the crowd.

It DOES take an extra few minutes to set up but it's well worth it for many reasons.

A SUB? For me that might be overkill for my venues, but i'd probably love going to a show that had one or two!

I actually use 2 18" subs,,,i love 'em, and so do my customers. Definitely adds to the sound, I can't imagine not using them.

If subs are available with the venue's house sound, why not?

For shows where I bring in all the gear (either DJ or KJ) I charge more for a "premium sound" upgrade which includes two 15" powered subs. More gear, more weight, more hauling, more money!

Otherwise the two Mackie 450s I use are more than enough sound for crowds up to 200 people.

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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]

I also run subs most times. But real 15" speakers like my Yamaha S115V provide enough thump for most gigs, if they are properly powered.

I think 12" speakers combine well with 18" subs. That's what we have (Yam. S112V and Tapco TH18) at my service club. It handles both the small and the large room with ease given the 1600 real RMS watts (400 to each speaker).

For lightweight mobile, I like my Peavey PR-Sub / PR-10 combo. Given enough power (400W per speaker) it gives great presence for vocals in a small room.

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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.

I don't run subs, but WANT too. I've been to only 1 show with subs, but I LIKED it a lot. The 15" JBLs i run are very warm, but that matching 815 sub JBL sells has my mouth watering

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Good music, good friends, howling good times!

For most of my gigs, I do not run with subs. For mid-sized gigs (i.e. bigger than a club but not so big that I need a larger rig) I do add one or a pair of Mackie SRS-1500's, I'll also add them if I'm doing a DJ gig where I expect to play a lot of hip hop, rap or similar music. For Karaoke though I've found the subs to be more of a pain than they're worth. They take up a lot of extra space, both in the van and on the floor in the venue) and now the height of my full range cabinets is static (rather than adjustable like when they're on the stand).

That said, the only reason I'm comfortable doing this is because of the performance I'm getting out of the rig I've got. The last time I pink noised my rig, once we got it EQ'ed we found that my Mackie S215's are driving all the way down to around 40Hz before the levels fall off extremely fast. Since I'm driving almost 700W a side, I rarely have to push the amp very hard so I'm getting a really clean performance out of them across the spectrum. There are only a few rap tunes where I've noticed any missing sub-low and nothing in my Karaoke library yet has exceed their capabilities.

That said, if I had a different rig that wasn't performing this well, I would probably suck it up and lug around at least one if not both of the subs to my gigs.

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DJ Tony
Let It Rip Karaoke

I have used one sub and I have used two sub at karaoke

I have used a singer's monitor

I have used the sub(s) mostly for outdoor events

I have also used a sub along with a 10" speaker in a very small and crowded environment where I had a small footprint to set up in.

For the most part, I only use the singer's monitor when circumstance make it hard for the singers to hear themselves.

I have had singers complain about the monitor, as Diafel has.

Also, I am prepared to start using the monitor anywhere where the singers will regularly start to tell me to turn this up and turn that down, which hasn't really happened to me yet!

For me, this would be anytime they're singing from behind the PA, which is always unless they take the microphone off stage. So out of curiosity, do you setup with the singers behind the PA and they're happy with what they hear? I ask because for me as a singer that was always frustrating. Not impossible to do but I never liked it. It would be surprising to me if anyone ever complained about the monitor being there. I've had them complain about hearing too much of themselves in which case I just take down the level of their vocals that I'm sending to the monitor mix.

It is fascinating how much singers can differ in their preferences I guess.

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DJ Tony
Let It Rip Karaoke