Karaoke Forums

Hi,
I recently got a karaoke mixer/amp combo. I just need some advice on how to setup the microphone settings with the echo as well. I'm not exactly sure what its called but there are a few knobs for the microphone on one row and then another set of knobs on another row for the echo.
The mic row has Vol, echo, low, mid, high and the echo row has vol, low, high, repeat, dlay. I've been playing around with it all weekend and can't seem to get it to show all that great, maybe its my voice...
So far i've found that if i put the low up all the way and the mid about 3/4 and the high about 1/2, its sounds ok but i'm sure it can be better. Also was told that I've got the echo up too much.

Any advice would be good. I know that everyones voice will be different so might not sound good at one setting, but any help would be good.

Thanks

One more thing that can affect the sound is the microphone itself. I've tried lots of different mics and some can make you sound better, others can make you sound bad. It's an important part of the vocal chain. Finding the mix of bass, mid, treble and echo just takes some practice to get the settings that sounds pleasing to the ear. A little echo can make you sound richer and fuller, too much just sounds artificial. In time you'll get it adjusted right.

OK, not sure what unit we're talking about here, but I'm guessing an all in one player from like Vocopro or something. Here's what I'd suggest based on what you described. On the Mic EQ (The Low, Mid, High knobs) find the middle for each one. Then take the Low knob down so it's up only 1/4 of the way. Turn the mid down just a little bit, less than a 1/4 of the knob's full travel, and leave the high right at center.

Now echo is a wierd animal because it's not really a specific term. Usually when talking about effects we talk in terms of reverb and delay (in addition to many other possibilities). Sometimes Echo is actually nothing more than reverb, sometimes it's a combination of verb and delay and for some manufacturers it's just delay. Since I don't know in your case here's what I'd suggest. Turn the echo control on the mic strip up to the mid-way point. Then go to the echo strip and turn up the volume until you can hear the echo very clearly (like way more than you'd actually want in your final mix, this will make it easier to setup). Put the Low and High controls at the mid-way point. Now for the repeat and delay knobs you're going to have to use your ears. Turn the delay up all the way, this should give you long slow echos. Now set the repeat so that you get about 4 echoes before it fades off. Now turn the delay knob down to the point where the echoes come about a 1/4 of a second apart (meaning the 4 echoes take 1 second to complete). Now turn the echo strip volume down to the point where you can only slightly detect the presence of the echo when you talk in the mic and you should be ready to rock.

Hope that helps.

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DJ Tony
Let It Rip Karaoke

Great advice Tony. I would add one thing and that is that the speed of the song can determine how much reverb is needed. The amount of reverb that you use should be enough to sustain the vocal from one note to another. For ballads, the melody notes have longer gaps so I give a bit more for those. Songs like "One Week" by Barenaked Ladies, with very fast lyrics, the reverb comes down.

Unless of course someone is rockin "Purple Rain" then its crank the repeat and delay and go to town.

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"Don't worry. It will feel better when it quits hurtin."

Cool thanks for you help. I'll try it out and see how i go. The amp/mixer that i have is the one in the picture below (Arirang - PA203XG)

I generally try to add warmth and depth to the vocals with the reverb, and quite honestly, it's about the only effect I use. My board doesn't allow for more then one effect at once, so I have stuck with an effect that has the most utility.

I add more or less depending on the vocalist and the song and the room. In most cases, in a bar setting, without an effect vocals will be flat preventing even the best singers from sounding as good as they could. I generally try to replicate that "bathroom sound" ...

Reverb is NOT echo (although some manus label it this... argh!). An echo effect actually repeats notes, which can sound goofy in many cases. Reverb actually carries the note for a brief time after the singer stops, with it trailing gradually off. This delay can vary with a variety of effects... giving you a "hall" sound, or even that "bathroom" sound.

Which you use will depend on the room, the song, and the vocalist. Some rooms have a "natural" reverb and you may get by with little or no effect. Most bars weren't designed with acoustics in mind, so you will need to do something.

Furthermore, the level of the effect can be increased or decreased as well. I even add a slight reverb effect to the music... just a notch. When used correctly, effects will subtly enhance a performance, allow the vocalist more flexibility with their voice but without being overbearing.

No one can tell you what settings to use as each room is different. You're just going to have to play with it.

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