Karaoke Forums

Wanted: Reliable audio/video switch box that can be rack-mounted.  Must not cost a fortune.

Does anyone know where I get one?

Thanks a bunch!

Are you going to use it for the video only?      Why would you need to hook the audio to it?    

I only switch the video.       My audio goes it to two different channels on the mixer.

I'll give you a million dollar suggestion.

Inside my machine box, right beside my top machine I have a coax A/B switch.   It's velcroed in.     On the back of my machine box, I have an RCA A/B switch box.    For whenever I hook up to the TV with RCA wires.     I have it velcored inside the back of the box.    I can take it out in a second and attach it to the outside of the box beside the coax switch.   It hooks on with velcro.      When I'm done it goes right back in the box.   The wires stay hooked to it, they split off the video out of the machines.    You could do the same thing.     Just bring the coax video A/B switch from the back of your box and stick it to the side.    When you are done rip it off and stick it back in the box, leaving the wires always attached.

Now, that said.   I get my Co-ax A/B switch from Radio Shack.    MCM electronics sells the same stuff cheaper.   Get a spare coax A/B switch.     Have it velcroed and ready to go and keep it with you.    The old ones use to give you a fuzzy signal to let you know it was going bad.   The new Chinese ones give no indication they are going bad.   One click it works fine and the next time you have nothing.    If you shake it you can hear something rattle about the size of the point of a pin.     It's junk if you hear it rattle.     When it goes bad, if you are really good you can change the switch on the fly between songs.     That's another million dollar trick.

Hi BD,

Thank you for sharing your million-dollar trick.  You know, despite some of your antics, you aren't such a bad guy after all.  I have always thought that you bring humor to this board, and that makes the exchange of opinions light-hearted.  Life is too short to be too serious all the time.

I need a rack-mounted A/V switch because I will be hooking up several karaoke players and the laptop, which means that I not only need separate video inputs but also audio inputs.  I would like to simplify my setup so having just one audio input on the mixer will be so much easier for me.

I like your idea of using velcro and will consider it.  I just thought that having a rack-mounted A/V switch would look more professional.

I hope your barn gigs continue to be a success.  If my triangulation technique is correct, I would venture to guess that you are located somewhere in Pennsylvania.

Cheers.

JDrifter,

I may be wrong and Bigdog can correct me if he wants to, but I use something similar to what he does.  It's not rack mount.  But it's "out of sight."  If it's outta sight, it can't look UN-proffessional.  LOL

Kelly

Point well taken.  Thanks!

As others have suggested, I would use the mixer for all your audio switching. I use a professional level S-Video 4x4 switch that is rackmountable. I got it a long time ago and I don't think they make it anymore.

If you don't need to rackmount, something like this would work. There are tons of them out there.

If you want rackmount, you probably need to go to professional system which can cost a bit.  Something like this.

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Seize the day and SING!!!

Watch out from some A/V switche, they are AUTOSENSING, meing that the device and not you decides wich feed to display.

Get one with BUTTONS.....
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index ... Id=2049645

If ya need it rack mounted, take it to a local metal shop and have em build a rack mount face plate for it.  Probably wont cost more than $20.

JD, I would run the audio in to a mixer.   I use a 16 channel mixer.   Each machine goes in to a channel.    Right goes in one and the left goes in to one.    Two channels for each machine.

I'll explain why I use this hook up.     The machines are stereo.   Right and left outputs.    When I use two channels for each machine, I can instantly tell if both cables are good.    Each channel has a signal indicator light, that lights up when signal is flowing.   If I have a bad wire, no light, lets me know that I need to change the wire or make sure it's plugged in tight.

2 machines use 4 channels.   1 announcing mike and 3 customer mikes.     I also run my reverb in to 2 channels, for the same reason and it makes adjusting the reverb easier.    I can instantly look at every slider & light to tell what is going on.

Again, I would only use the switch for the video.      Having the switch on the outside of the box won't look bad.     Having no curtain or something to hide all of the black spaghetti looks way more unprofessional.  :O

One more thing about the audio.   If you are using a switch you can not fade songs together.     It's on or off, no in between.

I have it built into my mixer (VOCOPRO DA-1000)  if I need an extra audio input I hook it into my third mic input and turn off the echo processing to that input.  Has worked well and it is a 1u rackmountable unit. has two video and audio inputs as well as two video outs.

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

Wow!  Thank you all for your suggestions.  

You guys have convinced me.  The way to go is to use the channels on my mixer.  After all, I hardly use most of the channels.  

BD, you did a a great job of explaining why it is better to route the outputs of each machine directly to the mixer.  You deserve a dog biscuit for your efforts!

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp ... 1826216013

I use this for switching between players and laptop. I rack mounted mine by purchasing rack ears from rackcess and modifying them myself.

As BD mentioned I would run the audio into my mixer. I only use this for video.

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FlipSide Karaoke
Scott

The Radio Shack A/B coax box is only 1 1/4 thick.   A little bigger than a pack of smokes.     The RCA A/B/C/D switch box is twice as big.     I have used both types of them for the last 14 years.     Buy some spares, they wear out.   Like I said, One click it works, the next click it don't.     That's with the coax one.        Get yourself some sticky back velcro.     Stick the fuzz side to the switches and the other side to the place you're sticking them.

Depends on his needs.

The RCA box only takes up 1 rack space and will switch to 4 different sources. It also accepts both RCA and S-Video which comes in very handy when he is running both computer and disc player.

He was asking for a rackmount A/B switch. The RCA unit has both A/B and RF modulator in one compact package and is rackmountable. It also requires less cabling. Also if he is only using 2 channels and one of them goes down there are 2 more to hook into.

One thing I like about this unit is that if I need to hook up a portable device like a video camera or DVD player it has a front panel S-Video and RCA hookups and I can access them from the front of my rack.

I used the simple A/B switches for 5 years and velcroed them to the inside as you do, however when I switched to computer and wanted to keep my player too I needed to have a quick switch between both units. This unit worked perfectly for that applicaton. The way I read one of his posts that is exactly what he needs to do as well.

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FlipSide Karaoke
Scott

You are absolutely correct, Flipper.  This is what I want to do.  I don't know if not being able to fade between channels is a great disadvantage, but I really want to simplify my setup.  The RCA unit, which you have shown, will indeed satisfy my need because it has S-Video and RCA inputs and  outputs.

I can't find rackacess on the web.  Where did you get the rack ears for this unit?  
Thanks!

They sell shelves that rack mount.   You could velrco the unit to the shelve.   And buy or make a face plate.

Flipper, I didn't realise that it has everything all in one.   That does seem to be a nice unit.

How does that work with the RF modulator?   Does a computer video need to be converted like the machines?    I'm guessing it does.     Does the computer and the machine share the RF modulator?      S-video too.  

When I switch over to computer that looks like something I'll be buying.

However, I do see one drawback to the unit that contains all of the components in one box.   If one part of it goes bad you lose everything.   If my switch goes bad I can replace it and I don't have to worry about the RF modulator.    Know what I mean?

I have 2-RF modulators now.  One for each machine.    If one craps out.  I'll use one machine until I change the RF modulator.  If my switch fails I can replace it on the fly.    Unless you have a back up unit, you we be dead in the water if any one of the internal parts goes bad.     With a second unit you could swtich to a new one in a few minutes.    Without one.   You go home with an empty wallet.   Keep a spare unit with you.

"Looking" professional also means being prepared for an emergency.

I hook the laptop by running a S-Video cable from the laptop to Input 1

Then I hook up my player with RCA or S-Video to Input 2

RF Modulator is built in so I run my coax out to a splitter that feeds the TV's

I just switch between the computer and player as needed.

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FlipSide Karaoke
Scott

BD - I always have a backup in my gear box, I can be up and running again in 5 minutes.

I'm into streamlining and simplicity I do not want all those extra cables and wires to mess with.

Guess it all comes down to personal choice.

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FlipSide Karaoke
Scott

Actually, BD, if this unit craps out, you won't be out of commission completely because you can still hook up a machine directly to the TV set and the channel inputs on the mixer.

Here is what I used to mount the unit in the rack

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/closeup/UNS1--Main

I also have a 3rd wireless unit that takes up the other side of this rack space so no fill in pieces are needed.

Hope this helps

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FlipSide Karaoke
Scott