Karaoke Forums

I was thinking the other night about the quality of my shows. I receive a lot of compliments and am told repeatedly my show is the best around. I appreciate the sentiments but I am my own worst critic and am not always thrilled with what I'm pumping out to the masses. It'd been awhile since I'd been to any other shows and I recently took in a couple just to perspectulate (I made that up). Many shows advertise theirs as the best to get people to come to their shows, but even if all venues, song selections, sound systems and host personalities were equal something stood out to me that makes me believe my show might have some merit after all.

Tracks vary in quality and volume, singers span the entire specturm (good, bad, loud, soft, etc.). I know some singers that sing at my shows don't sound good - no matter what I do. I know that some of the tracks they request aren't the best quality (just so happens it's the only version available, or the only one I've got). I expect a certain percentage of my singers to fall into this category every night. It makes me cringe and I try my dog-diggedtiest (I made that up too) to get the best mix regardless.

If I take this same logic and apply it to other shows I've been to, I find that a lot more of the songs/singers mixes don't compare to mine. I used to think that the entire show had to sound excellent to be judged as 'being a good show'. Now I'm under the belief that it's all relative. Some shows just suck because of the sound system - whether it be the microphones or the PA system. Some suck because KJs don't care to get a mix (the ol set it and forget it method).

Decent equipment and a KJ that cares about the mix, to me, are the most important elements to a successful show. Personality, selection, lights, bartender service, etc. all lend to the credibility, but when someone says I'm the best, I have to take into account what they're used to (lame equipment, lame mixes) and let go of my perfectionist efforts and just be appreciative that I'm appreciated. I beat myself up sometimes when I don't think a show is up to par. I literally spent $2000 once to solve an $18 problem. I stress if my sound isn't to my standards. Do you think the crowd sees that passion if a KJ possesses it, and in turn appreciates it?

Similar sentiments here... And I still get a slight rush when I stand out in the crowd when a good singer is belting one out and that crystal clear sound is just like birds singing in my ears. (Good birds, not "i'm deaf and can't hear a thing" birds!). I do know what you're talking about - that extra bit of care that some hosts seem to give to the whole show.

Ironically, it isn't something that is really visible if the status quo is less than that - but you've just got to love someone's face when they first hear themselves sing on your system and they turn to you and say, "Man, I've never sounded this good!" That's what's important to me. Anything I can do to make that happen is what I do. That extra little bit of knowledge and personal pride that it takes to do that isn't something that all KJs share...(obviously, as there are some who persist in doing shows with ONE SPEAKER and cords that cause monitors to go off and on...)

The peripherals (bartender, strength of the drinks, food, other audience/crowd) can make a good show even better, but they also can make a very marginal show appear decent to the unsuspecting. It is very much relative.

If it is possible to verbalize what creates this difference, it can maybe be broken down into these categories: "Hey, yup, I do it for the money," and "Oh yah, money is nice, wouldn't do it for free, but I really ENJOY the sound of good music and good singers," and "I really love karaoke and it's a great way to socialize with my friends and drink as much as I want on the house." I think each of those types of shows attracts certain types of singers - because I believe a lot of singers gravitate to a show where there might be a drunk host because they can get up on stage and do stupid things; they go to a show where the person just does it for the money and may have pirated rigs but a gazillion songs, and those singers may find those odd, off-the-wall songs that nobody else has, and the singers don't have to really interact with the host...the host just turns on the tunes for them. And the other category of hosts who LOVE what they're doing and have enough knowledge to bring it all together, attract those people who are really great singers and who appreciate other good singers.

It is relative for us as well as for the singers, I think. I don't tolerate poor equipment, poor sound mixing, over-the-edge KJs, poor selection, or any combination of those things but there are people who DO....

Boy, talk about rambling...too much time on my hands today apparently, but a good subject nonetheless. I think it helps to contemplate philosophy once in a while to remind us why we do this, and why we do it the way we do.

k

CroakDog:

I think you're wrong. I think you're dead wrong, about everything. Karaoke is not about the music, it's not about the equipment and it's certainly not about the mix because in most cases the KJ is not in a physical location where he/she can hear the actual mix. It's all about the party. Are folks having a good time and drinking a lot? Do they come to the bar when there is no karaoke show just because they associate the bar with having a good time? Good karaoke is not about the toys you buy or the knobs you twiddle, it's about the party. Be the party! Then you have good karaoke.

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Okay, who took my pants?

CroakDog Is the party! WoooHooo!

Sure it's about the party, but good singers will party in places that have good equipment & hosts that know how to tweak the sound for the singers to sound their best. Singers that don't care and downright bad singers go to hosts like exweed who don't do anything to the sound but turn it on & call them up...if that's what you are into, then by all means go for it, if that's all I had to choose from personally i'd rent my own hall & invite the people that still like to party & sound good at the same time. But that's just me!!!!

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[shadow=deepskyblue]I'm impressed, I've never met such a small mind inside such a big head before.[/shadow]

As a singer, I have to disagree with you on that, Exweed. If I don't care for the sound of someones show, I won't be back after the second time. I know some will have the off day where nothing will sound good no matter how they try. I got so used to a certain karaoke show, that when he retired out of it, it took me a long time to find something I enjoyed sound wise. I don't care if the crowd is having a great time, if the KJs equipment sucks, then I sound like I suck...and I don't do sucky.

Having a good time and partying is the aim of karaoke. The mean to get there is what the OP just describe.

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I can neither confirm nor deny ever having or knowing anything about nothing.... mrscott

It takes all the above but most off all a host that knows how and what to supply at the appropriate times. It takes work and experience and there are no quick fire solid clad shortcuts. What works in one place might not work in another. What worked last week might not work this week.

Rules and a boring repetitive regimen no longer works.

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Join The Karaokle Singers Social Network. Upload Your Music!!

It takes all the above but most off all a host that knows how and what to supply at the appropriate times. It takes work and experience and there are no quick fire solid clad shortcuts. What works in one place might not work in another. What worked last week might not work this week.

Rules and a boring repetitive regimen no longer works.

_________________
Join The Karaokle Singers Social Network. Upload Your Music!!

As a singer I expect a certain level of quality with the equipment and sound, but I'd say the average singer cares a lot less about the degrees of quality that you KJs do. A crappy sounding system I'm going to notice and probably not return, but a good vs great system isn't going to have much effect on my decision to frequent a place. It's definitely about more than the karaoke equipment, it's the entire atmosphere.

Conversely, if a place has the best sound system that I've ever heard, but the crowd is annoying, I'm gonna find a new place. I'm more concerned about the company I'm keeping than I am about how I sound. If I'm in a bar for 3 hours, only 15 minutes of that is going to be singing, the rest is going to be socializing.

This is a very interesting thread, and I can see "truth" in everyones posts.

Looking forward to hearing more.

I'll try to collect my thoughts on this in some manner that will make sense once typed out!

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Music speaks to the heart in ways words cannot express.

And this is what seperates a good host from a wanna-be "pirate" with his 200,000 songs and uneducated PA assembly...and why if you practice the above you need not worry about the wanna-be!
They will come and go (like a woodtick in spring) but you will persist and survive.

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Music speaks to the heart in ways words cannot express.

I agree with you on this. A good/great Karaoke show is not just about the KJ and the selection and sound system. Prices are also a factor. It's also about the crowd that's there and the type of place it is.

I've been to a show where the KJ had a Kick-A$$ system, and the prices at the place were reasonable (they also served good food there), but the crowd of Singers were not very receptive to outsiders. They were only into R&B, and if you didn't sing that type of music, they didn't even applaud for you (let alone pay any attention to you). Also, they (the clique of Regulars) acted like they were on "AI" or something. They even did 1-upmanship on each other as if it were a contest or something. BIG TURNOFF!!!!!

Some venues have a very unique crowd that likes one style of music and they frown upon anyone daring to enter their home base and trying to sing some other style of music. I know of one place that feels like a Sinatra Fan Club when you walk in the door. Singer after singer sings songs from the glory days of The Rat Pack. Any other type of music seems to be summarily dismissed by the regular crowd. Some places just need to be avoided. It's their place and they can make their own rules. It's not really a rule; but it sure feels like one when you sing something that they don't like, regardless of whether or not you sang it well.

I'm going out on a limb ... I believe MOST singers could care less of the TYPE and QUALITY of equipment you have ...as long as it doesn't sound like they are singing in a tin cup. SOME singers who know and have some AUDIO experiance may appreciate a GOOD set up ...but I truly believe ..As long as the KJ is personable with a GOOD selection and a decent sound and they have FUN ..thats what is important
I've been to shows ...CROWED very popular shows where I KNOW the equipment was and is LOW LOW END ..and people have a BLAST ...go figure

the best shows have a BALANCE ...good sound --good selection - good kj ---not too long a wait ---and bartenders with BIG BOOBS

And here goes another one of my pet peeves on these forums..... Why does one have to state that a "pirate" doesn't know how to put off a good show? I'm not trying to defend them here, but not every pirate has crappy equipment, or doesn't know how to run a show.... they just didn't pay for a legal library. And, they didn't undercut to get the jobs either. I've been to some of these pirate's shows, and some were better than the average KJs in my area....

Passion can translate into good or bad. I knew a host that would visibly cringe when someone sang off-key. His passion for good music translated into facial grimmaces when things went slightly askew. He had a good voice himself, but in karaoke you have to deal with a variety of voices, and when the audience sees the kj cringe, it just doubles any negative effect that is already there. People who might have been ignoring the song, now start focusing on it and start thinking how much their ears have now been insulted. Now they have to cringe too, and it becomes a chain reaction. So good hosting is very important, and to me that means being able to take highs and lows with a fairly even and pleasant disposition, bringing out the best in the worst...

As far as quality of the song track goes, if I were a kj, I'd try and upgrade my library for the best versions of a track, at least on the songs commonly being sung. There are some pretty bad versions of some songs out there. I sang one the other night, and I felt pretty miserable while singing it. The instrumentation sounded to sappy-syrupy and I knew I was in for 3 minutes of singing something that didn't really sound good to start with.

ARGHHHH MATTIE !

RE-invention, ExWeed and others of similar mind come closest to what I have found to be true.

I have debated on this forum about the necessity, or lack thereof, for top quality equipment. I've stated that there are many other factors that go into a show, often more important I believe than equipment, including some undefined "x" factor.

My partner has top quality equipment, I have low-grade equipment. The same people often come to my show as goes to his! I get good enough sound and mix it well so there is no reason for ANYONE to complain about the sound.

On the other hand, if I had to do a Rat Pack show week in and week out as Bruce mentioned, and they do exist around here, I probably wouldn't last after one show, assuming I'd want to go back after one show. And, one of those Rat Pack shows uses a Fender Passport just like I have!

However, I will accept that there are geographic locales where Karaoke may truly be considered "entertainment", because little else exists locally. And in such a locale the audience, even non-singers, just might expect top quality in all respects, including sound and singers! Does this description reflect anybody's home area?

As my signature suggests, I certainly agree with both Weed and Eric. However, that doesn't mean that I don't agree to a large extent with Croaker.

The good times, and friendly party atmosphere are certainly a priority, and as Jian stated, Croaker's statements are a big way of getting there.

However, creating a party, kinda karaoke family feel is more than that. There's something else that's rarely mentioned in these forums. To create a truly GREAT atmosphere, one must try to include ALL those in the venue.

This means knowing how to include the NON-SINGING patrons as well, and keep them "up" and entertained.

While I'm no fan of over-the-top, cheesy, or constantly yapping hosts, just saying "let's give it up for..." and "next up" after every song isn't going to do it.

It's not ALL about the singers, it's about everyone. THAT's what makes truly partying atmosphere! Hey, an unresponsive audience is no fun for the singer either...


NO CONTESTS, NO DIVAS, JUST A GOOD TIME!

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"No Contests, No Divas, Just A Good Time!"

" Disc based and loving it..."