Karaoke Forums

Hello all I want to start by saying this website is awesome and extremely helpful.
I am an upcoming KJ and have a few question I want to run my shows from my laptop using CompuHost and was wander ing would this set up be good for a beginner with the transportation is not an issue mmy concern is quality.
http://www.cheapdjgear.us/Complete_Kara ... jsys-5.htm

I also would like to know what kind of updates for my laptop I will be needing to run a great show. My laptop is a toshiba satellite model M65S9063.

And how do I run it to another monitor.

Thanks

I'd pass! For $1500 you can get a decent 'pro' PA system! The '3000 watt' amp doesn't even have a name that I could see. Only pushes 350 watts per channel in a standard 8 ohm speaker - far from 3000 watts. Even it's bridge more is only 1400 watts at 4 ohms. So the 3000 watts is a PEAK MAX rating - not your average rating.
Gemini & Vocopro are two brands I stay away from regularly as well.
Also dual 15" speakers are terrible for karaoke unless you are using raised stages. You want to get the speakers up & over you crowd - usually about 6' at least. The dual 15" cabs are pretty big & bulky & sit on the floor directing all the sound into the legs & laps of people & not where the people in behind them can hear it.

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

Check io something like this
Speakers
http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/pr ... sku=500290 - self powered 700 watt sub/satellite speaker combo.
Mixer
http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/pr ... sku=630142 - Good quality mixer with built in effects & compresison for vocals.
Mics
http://www.zzounds.com/item--SHUSM58 - 2 Shure SM 58 with cable & stands

All of this brings your total to $1420 & will BLOW the other system away guaranteed!
Only other thing i'd probably add into the mix is maybe a decent dual 31 band eq or BBE Sonic Maximizer or dbx DriveRack PA (preferred).

Also if you are using your laptop, you don't HAVE to have a separate player, but is a good idea for customer discs which is nice to offer the singers that are a little more oriented & know which versions they prefer or have songs you can't really get. Or you just make a flat out rule - no customer discs like some here have.

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

I have no idea about all of the ohm's and channels but I am definately trying to learn and these forums are very helpful.
Could you give me a link of a pro pa system?

Check above.

Ohms is the resistance of a speakers flow in a sense. We'll get you going! Alot of manufacturers will use tactics & PEAK ratings to make their stuff look better than it really is. So they will give the absolute max rating in this case 3000 watts. I have do doubt that it could push that but it's in a complete sense of distortion. The system I outlined above is a 700 watt total system.
The Matrix 2000 is a little bigger & more powerful system which would work better in larger clubs, but it is also about the same as the complete budget of $1500. However if you were going to spend $1500 on a speaker/amp or powered speakers alone, then we could raise the quality bar even further. But for the meantime, that is a good starter system that will work well in smaller clubs.

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

That looks like a great setup I would Probably want 4 mics one being for me but the mixer said it would hold six so that sounds great. One last question what exactly does my llaptop hook into?

Thanks.

It would hold 6 total - only 4 mics would have compression - good thing for karaoke singers, helps control the 'screamers' & 'mic cuppers'. You could use the other 2 for like backup or spares if you get groups & just turn them down a bit while they are singing.

Your laptop will just hook into the stereo channels of the mixer - channel 5-6 or 7-8 or 9-10 or 11-12. However the 5-6 & 7-8 stereo channels offer a little better eq'ing for the music.
You may need some kind of external sound device/interface for the laptop, not all the built in sound cards are very good.

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

yeah I plan to use an external sound card and an external hard drive.
I also wanted to tell you that my toatl budget to start is about 2800.00.

Is that including music purchase as well? If so you should leave the rest of the budget to music.

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

That is not including music I am purchasing an external hard drive from a retired KJ with a few thousand songs on it for 300.00 I actually check it out on his Comp and it seems to be a good selection. I am also oing to try and keep up to date songs the newest hits buy downloading. so the 2500- 2800 is just for equipment I want to maximize whatever I can get as i'm learning in this business quality is money!

Just an FYI unless the 'retired' KJ is giving you all the original cdg's WITH that hard drive, it is not legal & someday COULD come back to bite you in the a$$ with some pretty stiff fines and/or worse! Just be forewarned. Not that enforecement is really happening now, but just letting you know someday it may!

$2500-2800 is a great budget for equipment. I'd use the same mixer & mics, add a dbx driverack PA & step up to a pair of the JBL EON515.
http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/pr ... sku=500918
dbx Driverack
http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/pr ... sku=180248
Yamaha MG124CX mixer
http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/pr ... sku=630142
Shure SM58 (CN) mics - w/stand & cord
http://www.zzounds.com/item--SHUSM58

And a couple of misc cords & you now have a system that will eat most others alive. Later on add a couple powered subs & hear the difference!!!
Main thing will be learning how to use it all - not hard, developing an ear for sound & knowing what to adjust will be the hardest part (for any system big or small).

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

I'm not sure if he has the CGD'S or not I'm assuming not....

I will certainly ask him.

So the 15's are better than 1 15 and two tens? I don't think they come with stands would that be a factor and is CompuHost worth 180.00 dollars I am playing with the demo and I like it but it seem's alot more than the rest a big thing to me is filler music no dead time i want my crowd to have fun.
once again thank you for spending so much time on this forum you are definately appreciated.

Filler music player is standard with CompuHost -- set and forget.

Compuhost is worth every penny, in my opinion. It stands out from the rest, and people will notice the difference with the scrolling singer marquee, history, audio bits, video bits, instant Happy Birthday and other standard songs, etc.

_________________
[color=#ffff55]Mickey J.[/color]
Alas for those who never sing, but die with all their music in them.
-- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

Yeah its a really nice program I just guess I need to download another demo to see the competition, I can't spend 180.00 when there are free versions of other hoster progs out there unless I personally know that CompuHost is better,
If I am gonna make this thing work i'm gonna have to quit being lazy and experiment with these things.
Thanks for the comment.

Yeah you would still need a set of stands. Musicians Friend has a pair with carrying bag for like $90.
Compuhost is good, it has a lot of cool features if you need them. I don't like the rotation feature of it personally otherwise i'd probably be using it as well.

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

Does the Program you use have a demo?
And filler music?

My Laptop has S video is that what i will use to hook into another monitor?

Thousands of songs for $300???? I wonder how many of these hard drives the guy has already sold to future pirate operators? and the nice people here can't help the guy fast enough to put some legal KJ out of the business by being undercut by this new guy with no overhead for buying legal tracks.

So how do we compete against them if we want to do it the right way when it comes to profit?
I'm not sure if this paticular guy is a pirater or not I know he swtiched to digital and is selling his equipment due to lack of gigs.
But it is easy for anyone to download karaoke files. How do you compete?

by buying quality tracks from reputable retailers.

You can't compete with someone that downloads for free. Can't be done. At least not the MUSIC. You can by being a better KJ, advertising all your songs are legal and when a potential venue asks "what about that other kj... he's got 499,999 songs", you can say "AND when he gets busted, so will you for hiring him!"