Karaoke Forums

I am about to open an karaoke box/ktv estibilishment where customers rent out a small room to sing. I will have about 25 rooms from 10'X10' to 20'X20' and all the songs are VOD thur computer server. Now I need to decide what equipments to use in each of the room. Keep in mind that I need to purchase 25 equipments for commerical uses, I couldn't afford and probably don't need professional grade equipments since none of my customers are professional singers. I just need reasonable sound, reliable and value equipment.

The equipment I need for each room are:

Mixer-Amp
Speakers
A pair of wirless mic.

All of the local estibilishment used BMB japan, mixer amp and speaker, I just wonder are there any good alternative? Do you guys have experience with Bepro, Better Music Builder, Vocopro?

Thank in advance for all the suggestions.

Well, first of all, with pro audio equipment, you usually get what you pay for. The bargain-priced units will typically end up costing more in headaches and problems than the more expensive units in the long run.

If you have 25 rooms, I would suggest that you do standardized your equipment and also purchase a spare or two of everything to switch out if needed on short notice. If it has the same components, it will be a quick and easy switch out.

Good news is, in rooms this small, you won't need very powerful systems.

I don't know anything about your licensing costs for a Video on Demand system and AV server, but it seems like your karaoke music is going to be the biggest expense, provided you are doing it legally and have a license that allows up to 25 simultaneous users of the same songs.

Cordless microphones are going to be your worst nightmare, unless you get good quality microphones, like Shure SM58 cordless mics. Even then, the battery changes are going to drive you nuts.

Personally, I stick with corded mics to avoid the hassle, but you might not have a choice.

Not enough info or equipment.

Who will be running the equipment, or is it self serve. If self-serve, forget the mixer- it won't be of any use and will probably get broken. A keychanger and echo maybe, if it's not built into your computer system.

For the amp, I can only give you negative answers. Never heard of the first brand, BMB is the same as Nikkodo, and not held in high regard for any purpose. Voco Pro is ok for some home use ( I like their Duet II ), but IMHO, overpriced and not durable enough for amateurs to play with ( assuming each room is self serve).

I WILL tell you that this concept seems to find SOME success ONLY in Asian markets. Those that I've seen in non-Asian markets folded very quickly. Some very few in Asian markets have been successful.

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

" Disc based and loving it..."

The equipments are self-serve, that why I don't really need a pro mixer. The BMB mixer-amp that everyone here used only 've key change, echo but I would like to find somthiing different or better than my competitor.

When you say Nikkodo, do you mean Nissindo?

Do anyone know is Better Music Builder (somtime they called themself BMB US) same as BMB japan?

I know wirless mic will give me the biggest headache, but wirless is the standard in this business nowday. I know Shure is the golden standard, are there other choices? How about Audio Technica, BMB mic?

I would think licensing for the songs would be almost a non-issue if the VOD system has the capability to lock a song while it is being played in one suite so another customer cannot play the same song simultaneously. With sophisticated software that can keep track of when blocking happens you could even license more copies of the most popular songs in reaction to people waiting for them from time to time. You might end up with 3 licenses of "Material Girl" and only 1 of "Long Black Train" but with a VOD system there should be no legal need to have 25 licenses of the songs.

As far as equipment goes, in a self-serve setting, I agree with the comment that a proper mixer is going to cause confusion and might get damaged. A home-oriented system with minimal knobs and buttons is probably going to serve you better. You really want everything to be as simple as possible.

Wireless mics are going to be expensive. 25 suites at 2 mics a piece means you can't use something like Vocopro. You will need professional systems. Since you seem to be budget-conscious, I would go with durable wired microphones. Maybe you can make some extra money by charging guests per-hour for additional things like cordless mics. This would avoid having too many sets in use at once, and probably allow them to pay for themselves quickly. Unfortunately you would have only a limited number of suites with wireless systems; but I think that would be a good compromise.

I would not even buy separate amps. Just go with powered speakers. I ordinarily would never say such a thing for mobile or installed sound, but in your case you have a lot of gear being used by novices who may not care if they damage a speaker. You want to minimize maintenance and trouble-shooting hassle and expense, and maximize the life-time of your equipment. Powered speakers often don't require an output limiter and you don't have to worry about clipping an amp and destroying a driver, as the amps and speakers are pretty well matched to each-other and generally have clip protection (their own output limiter) built in.

If you do decide to buy out-board amps, go with Crown or QSC. You will have failures with such a large number of units. The Crown warranty is excellent, they basically take the unit back and fix or replace it no matter why it broke, for up to three years after the date you buy it. QSC's warranty is less liberal but it extends for six years.

Good luck, I am eagerly awaiting the other interesting opinions that will no doubt appear on this thread.

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Jeff Wheeler, moonlight DJ/KJ

Actually, now that I think about it, this would have been the only ideal use for the Cavs Karaoke "Jukebox". Enough power for the room, and almost impossible for the self-servers to screw up. Unfortunately, the VOD system puts the kabosh on it.


BMB America, is the same as BMB Japan, Which is the same as Nikkodo, which is the same as the company that mfrs. the SAV series karaoke discs.

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

" Disc based and loving it..."