Karaoke Forums

Hi all!
I'm a really beginner and I would like to know something about a basic setup ( laptop, mixer, speakers, cases ,etc.) My budget is around 2000€...Anyone so patience to spend some time to replay? Thanks a lot
Leonardo

First thing we will want to know is for what? Home, or gigging out? A lot of the people here are American, but some of our UK folks will talk about what is available there, I am sure.

There are one of three major types of setup:

1. Separate mixer, processors, amp, and passive speakers.
2. Powered mixer with passive speakers.
3. Mixer with powered/active speakers.

There are distinct advantages to all of these.

I like 2) for portability and ease of setup. The 3) approach is good for portability too, and has the advantages of being useful with other equipment as well.

I like the Yamaha equipment myself. For option 2, the EMX512C and S115V speakers are hard to beat for quality and price. Easy setup, with pretty much everything you need for a pro gig. They will cost about $1300 US including cables and speaker stands, which would leave $1700 US for laptop, mics, cables, and a start at music. It can be done.

I recommend getting high-quality wired mics to begin with. Some people will point you to cheap wireless mics -- I strongly disagree. The sound is lousy, and you will have more feedback. You can get good wired mics for a fraction of what a good wireless will cost.

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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.

there is a very cheap english brand (made in china I believe but quality is great)
Wharfedale.
you can get 12 inch or 15 inch passive or powered speakers. I have used their 15 inch powered (active) speakers for 3 years and they are good solid workhorses that sound amazing at full volume yet you can adjust them so as an elderly couple with hearing aids can dine in comfort underneath them.
For a starting point I dont think you could beat them. Invest in a really good mixer. You will have money to invest in the mixer cos you will have saved on your speakers. Go Allen & Heath if you can. Add a foldback speaker (monitor) to your rig if you are doing gigs outside of the home. And some good industry standard mics (shure or sennheiser) and you are ready to rock n roll

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"Be who you are and say what you feel... Because those that matter... Don't mind...And those that mind... Don't matter."

As far as a laptop is concerned...I would avoid vista like the plague. Over here the little travel notebooks with the 8inch screens are still being sold with xp. I just bought one a Toshiba, I got sick of people coming up and saying oohhh good karaoke, when I dont do karaoke...so I wanted a machine small enough to fit on a music stand.
It had its first outting at a gig last saturday and performed brilliantly. with 160gig hd I have no worries bout storage either. My only bugbear with my new little toy is the bloody letters on teh keys are so faint I cant see them in the dark so its a bit hit n miss searching for songs while I am singing.

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"Be who you are and say what you feel... Because those that matter... Don't mind...And those that mind... Don't matter."

actually a footnote to that...the first machine I got was an asus and although it had the same specs as the toshiba and came recommended as THE brand to purchase, the machine skipped whilst playing music and multitasking...so back to the store I went and swapped it out with the toshiba and have had no issues

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"Be who you are and say what you feel... Because those that matter... Don't mind...And those that mind... Don't matter."

Vicky, i use to own a set of Wharfedale speakers 2 columes i thought they were excellent, alotta bottom. they were used in a pawn shop and i listened to then not really wanting to buy them because i had never heard of the name...well i walked out with um. some of the best speakers i have heard...i wish i had um back...