Karaoke Forums

I turn off lights when I leave the room. I close doors behind me. I'm that way.
So, when someone hands you the wireless mic after they finish singing, do you switch if off or do you leave it on?

The place I've filled in a couple of times has wireless mics and people are used to just putting the mic in the stand against the wall in the back behind where they stand when they're done. No one uses a mic stand when they sing. If the mic volume is cranked up there is some noise made when it goes into the clip. I got to the point where I was having them hand me the mic after each song and I would hand it to the next singer. I automatically would shut the switch off after each song.

What do y'all do?

I just hit the "mute" button on the channel the mic is on.

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Quickness of mind will deceive the eye

And maybe tape the switch "on"

Agree with London, mute.

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I agree with taping the switch - I use corded 58s because they have no switch; when I use the cordless 58, inevitably some busy-body singer will turn off the mic (not just mute it) so the next singer comes up, music stars, and they start to sing into a dead mic. Good idea to tape the switch and use the mute on the board.

You can get one with switch.

This is one of the advantage of a cable mic; no switch. Are there any wireless mic without switch?

I mute the mic channel after the singer finish and un-mute when the next song is up.
Many singers turn off the mic (wireless) after singing 'to save the battery'

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

Wish I could afford to use wireless mics...with my crowd, they wouldn't last long. I use wired Beringers now...good enough quality and TOUGH!!

I'm bad though... Beringers for the customers...Shure for me!!

teehee, won't tell - I do the same thing. Cordless 58 for me, corded 58s for singers...with very few exceptions. I just like to move around (well, kind of a good excuse)....I find it much easier to sing with a cordless 58 for some reason.

Cordless helps you flirt with the patrons.

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We train our customers to switch a mic on and off
1. Hand the new customer the mic, show them the switch, switch it on in front of them.
2. On their second song check with them the mic is on
3. On the third song they are on their own.
Obviously their are exceptions, but most people have their own home system, or have sung elsewhere.

. . . BTW It takes three times of singing into a mic that hasn't been switched on for them to learn

At private fuctions we hand the singer the mic, so we turn it on as we do so.

I'm just the opposite, as a host I am doing mostly talking & would use the cheaper mic (if I had one - use SM58's all around). I want the singers to sound as good as possible so they get the Shure mics first (knowing they are pretty much indestructable). Talking mics don't need to be as good. I've used the same 3 mics since I started in 94 - ok I replaced 1 last year due to the barrel wore out and it wouldn't hold the XLR plug anymore without falling out.

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

Nothing would wind me up more than going to karaoke show and watching the host sing/chat on a high qualitly mic, and perhaps lending it to those singers s/he felt were worthy (it's karaoke... i realise as a host you can make a good judgement on talent/skill and soberness but it's karaoke we have no right to say who is good or bad)... whilst the rest of the crowd would sing off a cheap mic.

My mic for karaoke hosting cost £7 (i have more expensive ones, but this one feels right to me, plus I tend to let it roll off the desk a lot ) and when singing, I always use the same mic the customers use... if it's good enough for them it's good enough for me.

I always laugh when people want to use mine, though they are more than welcome.

I've been to several shows where they keep the good mic or the wireless mic for the host and won't let the customer use it. It ticked me off. I've also seen some hosts allow CERTAIN customers to use wireless mics, but when I came up and asked they said they didn't allow anyone to use the wireless or it was broken etc.

Now that there are a few inexpensive and decent wireless mic systems out there I don't understand when people say they can't afford wireless mics or they're still using wired mics. I bet there are more shows using wired mics still to this day than using wireless. The singer not having to deal with the cord seems like it would make using a wireless mic worth it to me.

Decent, inexpensive wireless I've used, USA 2000, Vocopro VHF 3000, Nady DKW DUO, Audio Technica 200 series and there are probably a couple more that I don't remember or haven't tried yet. All $50-under $100 or right around $100.

Someone I know just bought a Nady UHF wireless that seemed quite decent for around $120. Is it better than the other ones I mentioned? Probably about the same, maybe a tad better.

I used to use the Senneiser Freeport (rebadged Trantec) and it had the switch on the bottom of the mic cylinder, which prevented most people from turning it off.

What would be coolest would be a button that would disable the on-off switch while making it appear to operate. That would prevent the people who always search for it to turn it off from doing anything.

I don't use wireless when I run the show for several reasons, and this is one of them. At the one venue where I didn't set policy, we have a pair of AKG WMS40 we use. Most people know to turn it on, but we do occasionally start a song over.

In the rare occasion I doo use wireless in a show I am running, perhaps due to stage configuration, I have the person return the mic to me after singing. When I hand it to the next singer, I tell them "It's on".

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

I've picked up more $400 cordless 58s off the floor because a singer couldn't figure out how to place it back in the stand. I've had to send one back to Shure for repair. I've picked up the $100 corded 58s any number of times and just replaced the grill on them.

The main reason I use the cordless is it allows me freedom to move around the board area if I have to while speaking and I don't have to worry about getting tangled in a cord. Obviously if I was giving the singers a substandard mic, I'd feel a bit odd about keeping the 58 beside me. Singers are happy to sing on a corded 58. It just isn't an issue for most singers. Now if they were singing through a $25 karaoke special mic, that'd be different.

I don't appreciate going to a show where that occurs, either - the only difference between what I use and what the singers use is the cord and most singers stand glued to the floor in front of the monitor anyway.

Now that there are plenty of decent, entry level wireless mics available for around $100 down to as low as $50, there is no reason to hand a customer a $400 Shure mic and there is no reason to NOT have wireless mics at a Karaoke show.

I've used lots of different inexpensive wireless mics that are just fine for Karaoke. I regularly use my $50 Nady DKW DUO dual handset mics in front of audiences where I'm getting paid and with great results. It's a surprisingly good product at a ridiculously low price.

Audio Technica makes an inexpensive, decent VHF wireless, Vocopro(gasp) makes a decent dual VHF wireless for under $100, Samson, Gemini, USA2000 and several others are available in the sub $100 or near $100 price range.

No reason at this point not to have a wireless mic at any Karaoke show other than the KJ hasn't used one of the inexpensive, decent mics yet or they just haven't looked into it.

I would be very surprised if someone used the Nady DKW DUO with the identity of the mic hidden and said "this is a piece of junk".

Is it a Sennheiser or Shure? No, but you can buy 8-10 of them for the price of one Shure or Sennheiser. At $50, you could buy a new one every year.

No reason not to put a bad mic in a customer's hands? I have lots of reasons not to do that, personally. If you want to force your customers to use bad microphones, that is your call. But I won't do it. There *is* a difference.

And my challenge still holds -- submit a song to Singers Showcase sung through a cheap wireless mic. Or a Nady wired. Just make it handheld.

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

You keep trying to tell me that the mics I use regularly are garbage. I can't comprehend that. If I've used these mics over and over and over with good results, then how can you tell me they're junk?

I just got a Flip Ultra video camera and I WILL be recording some songs. Most likely you'll be able to view them on Youtube to satisfy your curiosity about me and to find out more about these cheap, crappy mics I keep talking about.

My Samson Stage 5 mic has very good sound. I'm not crazy about how it uses 9 volt batteries up so fast, but it's a decent sounding mic that I got off ebay in pristine, new unused condition for $30. Since all of my wireless mics use 9 volt batteries, I've decided to get rechargeable 9 volts. So that won't be an issue.

I'll record some songs, one or two with each of my cheap crappy mics, the Audio Technica, Nady and the Samson and with the cheapo Nady SP-1 wired. Then you can decide for yourself. But it really doesn't matter at all. I've found some products that work great for me. If you or others don't think they are good enough or don't meet your standards, that's just fine. It doesn't affect me at all.

I've learned a lot from this forum and from other boards and I try to help other people and share what I've learned. We all have different ideas, standards, budgets, audiences and abilities that dictate our choices and our satisfaction with various products. My budget currently dictates that I don't have the budget to buy $400 and $500 microphones. I would feel no guilt handing someone my Nady DKW DUO and have done so without a single complaint.

I have trained my customers to turn the mics on and off. I have 4 identical wireless mics. You have to fade the mics off, or turn them off when not in use. If I leave unused mics on, they are so sensitive, they will pick up the ambient noise, and will cause feedback. There is no right way, fade off, or turn off, I have just found it easier for me to train the customers. That way no matter which of the 3 mics available for customers is used, I don't have to remember to fade it back on.

Felix the KJ