Karaoke Forums

I know this has been talked about before, but here we are in the cold and flu season again. I haven't wiped or sprayed the mics between singers before, probably should have all along, and am looking for suggestions.

Especially after last Saturday night. People are singing when they are contagious.

Thanks!

Just have Lysol wipes available. Some will use them, others don't care. I would wipe them down at the beginning of each show at minimum while taking the screens off & deep cleaning them once a week.

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I use foam windscreens on my microphones. It protects the microphones and it is very easy to take them off periodically and wash in soapy water. You can pick up a pack of 5 for $10 or less. I am not sure what the inside joke is on these things and why other KJs don't use them. In my opinion they are more sanitary and lengthen the lifespan of your mics.

I have a few singers who HATE them and want to take them off. I tell them that the "foamies" are Karaoke Kondoms.
They are a barrier to all those colds and flus from the previous people.
I also wipe them down with Lysol wipes at the beginning of the night and do the screen dip and wash once a week.
I also have the wipes available during the show, though nones used them.
I am reluctant to wipe after every singer because it would just be too much in wipes and too much work as well.
I don't want to wipe every so often as I don't want the singer who just left to feel that I think they aren't clean.

Yucky Yucky "Foamies"

I suppose it depends on how much yours get used and how your singers sing into them, but I find they get wet and nasty by the end of the night. Now my regular gigs run for about 5 to 6 hours, maybe you do shorter gigs and they don't get as bad.

Don't be fooled that these foam wind screens keep all the germs out. You still need to take the heads off and clean them.

My mics have an inner foam screen that I take out and clean.

Dis infective wipes work wonder for quick cleaning if you have someone sing you know is sick.

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I hate the foam germ collectors. If you had 20 of them and changed them every few songs, they would be OK. But I think they are worse than using just the regular mic.

I use Shure SM58 main mic, and have four balls for it. I change them out every two or three gigs. I take a couple home for cleaning, and bring them back rotating them in and out.

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[color=#ffff55]Mickey J.[/color]
Alas for those who never sing, but die with all their music in them.
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Some gigs I don't bother even bringing them out, as they will just take them off anyways. I don't find they get nasty because most of my singers hold their mics too far away rather than too close. Makes for tough mixing when they do that (feedback).
I too, take out the inner foamy and clean that.

No inside jokes really. The reason most kj's do not use them is simply those external foam screens are worse than just a exposed metal screen on a mic. At least with a standard screen you can at the very least wipe the wetness (spit) off on your pants or something, with one of those foam external screens it just continues to absorb all night like a sponge (which it is) - spit & germs that the next person may accidently hit their lips to it. FEEL one at the end of the night, you may reconsider. I know I won't personally sing at any show if a mic has one on it. Not sanitary at all!! That is not even their intent, they are wind screens for outdoor use so the wind is not picked up by the mic.

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As a singer, I HATE WIND SOCKS! They are germy, wet from the previous user and usually stink like stale beer and cigarettes. If you want an idea on how they really smell, stand under the bar AC outside and breathe in. Yucky! I was actually handed a mic with a booger on it. Bleah.

'Disinfecting' the mic with a wipe or with what ever method, is more cosmetic than functional during flu or cold season. Those virus are airborne. You have more chances to catch the cold or flu siting next to an infected person than singing from the same mic.
I am not saying that it should not be done. Such act is seen as good customer service; it show that the KJ care. Nothing more.

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

'Disinfecting' the mic with a wipe or with what ever method, is more cosmetic than functional during flu or cold season. Those virus are airborne. You have more chances to catch the cold or flu siting next to an infected person than singing from the same mic.
I am not saying that it should not be done. Such act is seen as good customer service; it show that the KJ care. Nothing more.

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

I remember going to a show years ago where a woman brought her own microphone to sing from. Whenever it was her turn, she disconnected the KJ's mic and plugged her own mic onto the mic cable. When her song was over, she reversed the process. At the time I thought it was a bit germaphobic but I guess an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

You can be singing into the cleanest mic in the world, then go back to your table and be drinking out of the pounder glass that just came out of the dishwasher but still has the big lipstick smudge on it from its previous owner, the lady who sang Any Man of Mine an hour earlier. That said, I don't think I've picked up many colds singing karaoke, or the rockin' pneumonia and the boogie woogie flu.

Agreed. I also carry a small Lysol spray and the mics rest under UV disinfecting lights. Sick singers mean less singers. They reduce vocal "pop", and are, IMHO, an addition to sound quality.

I wash or replace windscreens after every show.

I also NEVER lend MY mic out to ANYBODY.

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" Disc based and loving it..."

As a Karaoke Host, I don't want all of that junk sprayed INTO my expensive mic. Also, I must disagree with Jian. Using a spray instead of a wipe (windscreens) WILL help disinfect ( and de-stink), and the UV holders will usually complete the job. Again, that's all on site. Washing or replacing the screens after every show is a must.

It's also a good idea to carry extra windscreens just for such things as the booger incident.

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" Disc based and loving it..."

I use windscreens also. Joe, what are these UV disinfecting lights that you mentioned? Are they expensive, and where can I find them? Thanks.

Rosario

Not all that expensive, but they can be. You can get the lights for around $20-$30, or you can buy mic rests that look like tubes with the lights built in for quite a bit more. These are good because you don't have to turn the mic- the light shines on all sides. These are ultraviolet lights of a spectrum especially used for disinfection. They are also used in everything from the food industry to special disinfecting toothbrush holders. Price usually depends on the length od the bulb, which ranges from about 4" and up. There are some that are built into wand, but they really don't work because handheld lights aren't usually held in place long enough to do any good.

I bought mine at a local karaoke retail outlet (Sing-Sing), but I'm sure they are available on line..

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

" Disc based and loving it..."

I also HATE the coverings....I don't clean my mics near as much as I should, certainly don't wipe them down before each show. I think a good idea would be to have the wipes available for wipe down and give the screens a bath every few weeks or months, depending on the amount of shows that you do...MrD

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[highlight=midnightblue]MrD - KJ/DJ Specialist
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The wipes are a great idea, and will be added to my shows going forward. In the past I would wash the mic cover and inside foam after about 10 shows. Wipes will suppliment that nicely.

I am not a fan of the mic condom / windsock coverings. I think they look silly, and to someone else's point, they absorb rather than deflect. I had them for a short time, and one guy that spits all over the place made the thing look like a snail ran across it. Yuck! I let him take the thing home at the end of the night (the sock, not the mic).

Wipes ONLY get the SURFACE clean on the mics, NOT the INSIDES of the screens and every nook and crannie on the mics, cords, and connections you can't/don't see!

Lysol SPRAY works BEST!!!!! And yes, still clean the innards every once in awhile, as others have suggested here. ...wipes are good for books though...