Karaoke Forums

Hi all, new to this place and glad I found it.  I would appreciate some advice.

I'm about to put together a Karaoke collection and I've been researching RSQ NEO and CAVS(read some bad things about CAVS). I don't have a fortune to spend but would like to put together a starter system that will be good enough to get going. Over time I would add more music as money comes in. I saw a Nutech collection of 3700 songs on ebay for about $120(3 Super CDG discs or on CAVS 3 discs) and a SGB collection of 78 discs for under $100 also available on Super CDG.

I know there would be a lot of duplication between the two collections but would I have enough to start hosting somewhere locally? What I need to know is how do I get a basic song collection  together without going broke(am I on the right track with the Nutech and SGB?) and what other multi disc collections should I be looking at?

I would prefer to have legal discs and not have to worry about breaking any laws. I don't have thousands of dollars to get started and I've seen what people want to sing-it's a couple hundred core songs. I already have mics, cable, a mixer, speakers, mic stands etc. I'll be performing a one man Karaoke show singing(about 130 songs) and then hosting on other nights when I'm not performing or DJing for weddings, private parties etc.

Thanks in advance, looking forward to getting to know the folks here and learning from the wealth of knowledge collected here. I'm in the Tampabay area.

I would stay away from any of the SUPER discs with hundreds of songs on them.
If it gets scratched lost or stolen you're out of luck

Start with the Foundation Sets by Soundchoice  1&2 - I think they are like half price nowadays -great core set .  Look for any of the so called start packs but be very aware of duplicates ---It's like throwing money away when you mix and match and wind up with many duplicates.  -- Try some of the online retailers like
karaoke.com
prosing.com
karaokewh.com

good luck

Agree with staying away from the Super cdgs.  NuTech isn't a very good brand & you may find that when people start complaining about the crappy renditions.  I will always recommend the Sound Choice Foundations (1 & 2) & Bricks (1-5) to begin.  This will get you a solid 'core' selection from 40's-about 2000 or so.  Maybe the Pop Hits Monthly Greatest Hits set - there will some duplication but not a ton.  Then IF you can find it the Pop Hits Monthly Millenium sets will bring you up to date from 2000-around 05 or 06.  But these were limited sets & not sure if they still make them so it may take some Googling.  You may be spending a little bit more than you initially had intended, however, you will be alot happier getting something that is decent to begin with than having to get a crap shoot set & spending money to replace versions all the time.

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Well, I checked the SC web site and just the foundation 1 or 2 are $385 EACH plus shipping for only 450 songs each. Add 3 of the bricks at $110 for only 120 songs and I'm over $1100 with only about 1200 songs. Way too much money for way too few songs. So far in about two years I haven't heard any complaints about sweet Georgia Brown or Nutech song versions. I don't have $1100 for a starter collection right now. This is quite a quandary.

Guess it might be a location thing or the people just haven't been introduced to quality versions.  I'd be out of a job if SGB or NuTech were my cores.  Remember it's not how many songs you have - you don't need a ton of music, you need what people want to sing, i'll take quality over quantity anyday - learned this a long time ago.  But I will wish you luck!

BTW you can get the Foundations for $289 & the Bricks @ $90 per new through e-bay all original & new.

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I agree SCDGs aren't good. I have a few and have never used them. The new players like the NEO aren't the greatest either. They are slow to load and break down easier than the old players. My suggestion is to try and find a vintage player off of Ebay. I recommend the RSQ MV-333 Tripe player or a Pioneer PD-V10G. My opinion on the newer players is the manufacturers are trying to incorporate different formats and not producing the same quality of player.

I have a Cavs JB 199, but use all my own CDGs on it. I would not recommend using their songs. After you convert all your CDGs to it, life is a breeze. I also have the DVD 203G USB Cavs player. It is horrible for using CDGs. It has very slow loading time. I use the USB with a hard drive connected to it. That works great, but don't think you can easily switch over to use the CDG tray. You'll have at least a 5 minute wait to reset it.

I have my songs on a Cavs Unit, then use the a RSQ Triple player to play customer's CDGS.

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[shadow=pink][glow=deepskyblue]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

Any business you decide to go into will cost you an investment in order for you to compete with others in your field. Karaoke is no different, What you put in is what you will get out of your investment. Planning is everything in any business, my total investment after the first 8 years when I started was over $9000.00 But I made good money during those days and ended up with 4 units running 12 shows a week.
Where do you see yourself in the first year of operation?? Where do you want to be in the competition in 5 years?? Think about if you want to make Karaoke part of your business venture or if it is just a hobby. The investment in equipment, songs, mics speakers, advertising etc, will either help establish your business as professional,
or a business that wont get off the ground because of poor planning. I wish you the best in your endeavor, but Karaoke as in any musical entertainment, such as a DJ or even a singer with their own backround music, needs to be as professional as possible to be able to make and earn a fair price for a job well done. Good Luck to you.....MV  :wave:  :wave:

PS To all out there in Karaoke Land, this will be my final post here on Karaoke Scene, I want to wish all of you the Best of Holiday Seasons, and I hope that You have the best Of Karaoke Xmas's and New Years. It has been my pleasure getting to know all of you. Good bye everyone and take care....MV  :wave:  :wave:

"Remember it's not how many songs you have - you don't need a ton of music, you need what people want to sing"

This is the big paradox of Karaoke music that's available. Tons of songs that most people don't want to sing or hear with a few songs that most people like, want to sing and enjoy hearing. Then there are songs that lots of people like, but they are either hard or impossible to find on a Karaoke disk. I'm beginning to get frustrated. I just want to sing, entertain people, have fun and make an honest dollar. I'm not looking to get rich. Seems like anything I want to do is full of obstacles, stumbling blocks and barriers.

Yeah it's a big decision, buy lots of crap for real cheap or a few key quality songs for more $$.  If no one in your area complains about the SGB, then go for it.  
Once you get your core, then you can buy like custom discs with just the songs that are requested to fill in holes.

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

One suggestion is to try and find a KJ who is going out of the business and buy his gear and discs. That could bite you though as to scratched discs and such, but worth a consideration. I like the RSQ players, good equipment for the money. I have seen the exact same models sold under the JVC name. In fact, when your RSQ will display the JVC "singing dog with mic" graphic on the monitor.

That only stands to reason, JVC made the RSQ player - only the single & triple tray.  They are no longer affiliated with RSQ in any way.

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

I agree this is a good idea. This is a great way to get started with less expense. A lot of people get into the business not realizing it is a job. It isn't all fun and games. Then they are looking to sell to get their money back after a couple of years.

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[shadow=pink][glow=deepskyblue]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

Well I got a hold of a few discs and I listened with headphones to the recordings. It was very educational. Music Maestro I didn't care for overall, Legends Series sounds pretty good overall, Nutech some tracks sound decent and some are bad. Next I'll try All Hits, SGB, SC and a few others, whatever I can get my hands on. Sitting quietly alone without the distractions of being in a bar, drinking, people, noise etc. I was able to really pay more attention to the music and each recording. Found several more songs that I can sing too

Original Foundations 1 and 2 for 400.00 best deal being legal.

"Original Foundations 1 and 2 for 400.00 best deal being legal."

Is this Sound Choice? Is that $400 for both or $400 for each? Is there an original and a newer Foundations 1 and 2? Sorry to be so dumb, but I'm new to all of this.

My primary thing is going to be singing to the tracks as an entertainer at Elks Clubs, VFWs, American Legions, bars, private parties etc. Hosting may not be a huge part of what I do. I'd like to host a couple nights a week, but until I get my music collection together I won't know what gigs I will get. I won't stat going out promoting myself until I'm really sure that I have all my ducks in a row-all my music tracks that I sing, books printed etc. There is plenty of work here, lots of places to perform or host at and I've met a bunch of people here in my area who have been really nice and willing to help me get started in the business, introduce me around, help me get gigs etc.

Right now the most important thing to me is to get my music collection and to get familiar with it. The rest is already in motion. I'm looking for the best deal I can get for a core collection and then add to it over time.

Both of them. Usually only Ebay at that price....


Then the highest-quality tracks are definitely what I would go for. Don't sing Nutech at a show like that!

You can get a custom disk with 15 SoundChoice songs for $45, I think. Four carefully chosen sets would only cost you $180.00.  If you have a large repertoire -- literally 8 hours of material -- that would only cost you $400.00 or so. That is cheap for high-quality backings.

(Just in case you do any country I think you will find some of the Chartbuster tracks are better for that, so I would build a custom Chartbuster disk as well.)

What I'm going through here is sticker shock. Just like buying a new car or if you haven't shopped for a new roof or kitchen in a long time. I'm trying to digest all of this.

I had a hard time understanding why EV, Yamaha and JBL speakers cost so much until I went and heard them and compared them to cheaper speakers. There is a big difference. I'm trying not to make a mistake with my limited funds, that's why I'm asking and not rushing into anything. I appreciate the suggestions.

I would be interested in a used disc collection except for the problem of scratched discs. I've seen lots of scratched and malfunctioning discs and I'd rather buy new ones even for more money.

I paid 500 a piece for them  400 for both is my gift to an up and coming kj. Merry christmas to all tis the season. Ah screw it 450.00.

$400 for both? How do I get that? I looked on ebay and no such deal for Sound Choice Foundations. Lots of listings for Chartbusters, All Hits, and Sweet Georgia Brown. Very few listings for SC and they are almost $300 each and up.

OK 600.00 for both but thats my final offer.