Karaoke Forums

First of all... Don't take me the wrong way.
I think that what is put forward by you may be helpful for at least me.
Ok. Magnatism I dont and will never have.
I cant sing. They would laugh if I did.
I don't speak enough over the mike.
What I do say tends to be funny. I try to be.

I think I am good probably because I have a passion for it.
I am always striving to do better.
Maybe I am delusional.

So far from your recomendations alone I have bought:
Compuhost
Zed 14
DBX 166XL
EMU 0202
Beer (sorry, that was my idea)

What I am trying to say is I am here to learn.

Why do you feel your show is better than others.
Thanks, Jerry

I try to run a show like I would like to see one run. I have seen many shows that I did not care for beit rotation, sound quality, selection quality, etc.
I try to run a fair rotation.
Run a fairly powerful system (about 3000 watts total with subs) compared to almost all in our area that run maybe a 500-750 watt system with 12" speakers no subs. and it gets pushed to band volume at times.
Try to pick up the better quality (IMO) selections & pick up what the singers want to sing, not just something to fill the books - although I do still subscribe to a monthly release.
I do not try to be the entertainer between songs, I get the next singer up as quick as possible. I also will not sing in the rotation as this takes away time from someone that is paying to be there.

These are just some of the things I prefer to see at a show, so that is what I offer & from the crowds response, i'd assume they do to.

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

I hope you are luckier than me.
I have never seen one that really impressed me.

My show is certainly not GREAT, but it does well. Here's what I do --

I makes friends with my patrons. I know them all by name -- no small feat when your crowd in LA can get pretty big. The key here is that you want them to feel special and part of a karaike "family." Now, if you're fake and try to do this out of advertising or obligation, they'll feel it and this approach won't work. You've got to mean it.

I get people to singing ALOT! I have approximately 30 - 40 regular singers a night (with a handfull of newbies filtering in) and I get almost everyone to sing 3 - 4 songs a night (yes, it means I stay somewhat later... until the entire rotation has ended). That means I push them through. I only sing the last song of the night -- if it's not crazy late -- and don't give too much banter between singers.

Yes, you do need a good system, but many systems are adequate. Yes, you do need a good library, but it doesn't have to be crazy big. What you must be is a genuine people person and keep on mind that this is a show for the singers... I'm not the star... the singers are!

You dont know how good that makes me feel.

I'm the host.

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[font=Lucida Console]DangerousKaraoke.com[/font]
[font=Lucida Console]"Sing for the day, sing for the moment, sing for the time of your life!"[/font]

We can provide a successful format for any venue, party or wedding. As situations and crowds change we can adapt instantly and with any format maintain a high energy and fast paced show.

We use 2-4 JBL Eons and distribute sound in the right proportions in certain areas as needed. The result is easy listening music at lower volumes and we dont need to crank to fill a venue with sound.

Our selection karaoke and dance has all the favorites and both have been tailored and pruned by what has been requested. Search our music data base and if we dont have your songs submit a list and we will get them.

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Join The Karaokle Singers Social Network. Upload Your Music!!

Cheap booze & midgets.

FAIR Rotation.
Making sure that the singers are the stars.
Listening to my singers as to what they want to sing
getting the songs they want to sing (if available) by the next week or show.

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The Line Array Experiment is over. Nothing to see here. Move along.

God I feel almost kinda funny responding to this, but in this business I guess you can't always be humble. The things that are important to me that I feel differentiate me from other shows in the area are as follows:

1. A Fair rotation where EVERYONE is treated the same - this is the biggest reason why I started this business
2. Quality audio - The second biggest reason, my education in pro-audio makes this a real strong point IMO
3. Professional appearance - I try to make everything look as quality as possible, matching equipment, no handmade half-baked looking equipment, even my lighting is setup based on direction from a professional lighting director (it looks like a band stage not a bunch of odds and ends DJ lighting slapped on a tree)
4. Personality - I've seen too many shows in our area where the KJ is either a complete a-hole or is so boring you just want to force feed him some speed
5. Updated songs with what's new and hot and finding and adding requested songs

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DJ Tony
Let It Rip Karaoke

Being different from the rest may be better than being better than the rest. Think about it.

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

Me.

My attention to detail, my professionalism.

A new singer just told me he has never heard effects like mine at any other karaoke before. He was totally amazed with my sound.

Just knowing how to mix the effects can make you different. That makes you better.

But only if you are a good different. Being bad different only gets you fired.

What do you mean by effects?

Reverb, delay. Vocal effects you can hear on almost every singer in every professional recording.

Adapting my show to the venue and customers/singers attending that night.

Besides a decent sound system, fair rotation and friendly KJ that is what make my show succeed. It may not PLEASE the KARAOKE purists who attend my show but that's how I roll . If I have a huge rotation ...I'll play back to back karaoke ..if not --I'll mix things up entertaining all other customers. DJ music / DANCE music / KARAOKE SONGS etc. --Paying attention to the CROWD and adapting on the fly ....

All the above ^

The only thing I may do different that I find keeps regulars coming back is I keep track of all the songs they sing and put them in rotation as soon as they walk in the door without having to ask me. I'm sure I'm not the only person that does this everywhere, but in my area I don't know of another KJ that does it.

I keep index cards for the regulars and simply pull their card when they come in. I have people who get addicted to this. They won't go somewhere else because I make it so easy for them. A lot of these regulars even have me pick their songs for them. All they have to do is show up and have a good time. They don't have to look through the books everytime, fill out slips, or even think about what their going to sing.

People like the sense of belonging or being known. If you create a friendly atmosphere by encouraging everyone to mingle and clap for each other it makes it more inviting for people to come in. They don't need a friend to come in with them because they know they'll know others there. I always try to introduce new people to the crowd especially if they are alone. I don't want anyone to feel left out. I dislike karaoke places where it's clicky. People that only clap for their friends and ignore all the other singers. I have regulars that are so different, but all mingle. The college twenty somethings can be seen sitting with the fifty somethings and the Harley dude with the eighties rocker. The one thing they all have in common is a love for karaoke.

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[shadow=pink][glow=deepskyblue]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

Like Lonman says, I try to run a show that I would actually want to go to. I've seen a lot of crappy shows so I don't do that. I've seen some great shows and I try to emulate that.

Unlike some here I AM an entertainer so I try to be "entertaining" but NOT the "entertainment." A subtle but important distinction. I try to keep my energy level high. This can be as subtle as bobing my head behind the mixer when someone is really rockin' out, putting my arm up with a "rock and roll" sign, or as audacious as getting out there with a plastic guitar to do "rock moves" with the singer or hitting the dance floor and dancing with some of the gals (young, old, it doesn't matter). Not EVERY time, but only "when it feels right", and that's not something I can give you.

Keep the rotation as fair as possible, and keep the show moving. Don't be afraid to skip a singer who takes too much time coming up (starting the song as they are schmoozing on their way up usually puts some pep in their step. )

I do sing, so if the rotation is short I will break it up with something upbeat and fun. This includes grabbing one of my regs and doing a kick butt duet. Once again... moderation is key... done when the show needs it. Frequently, the singer's song choices are influenced by this and they follow suit with their selections, making for a fun show to just watch.

Some may disagree with this, but I consistantly have folks coming up to me after or during the show saying this is the best show they've seen and for me not to change a thing. Or, "I don't normally like karaoke, but your show is great!" Recently, the local paper held their annual reader poll of bars in the area, and my show was voted "Best Karaoke."

Thus, the conclusion is that the HOST my be having FUN too. Smile! Smile bigger! Compliment the singers! Thank Them for coming in and invite them back. Smile some more!

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Good music, good friends, howling good times!

As has been stated in many recent threads, as well as this one, the patron is paramount. In my case I am very fortunate that I have a partner who is also vice president in charge of customer service ; my lovely wife Michele. In other words she handles all face-to-face communication leaving me to deal solely with the technical end of the show. I know many, if not most, others here don’t enjoy this benefit and I find those to be even more talented having the ability to handle people as the well as the sound. While I have done this alone in the past, I’d rather not.

Speaking of the technical end of the show,



I'm curious. While I know increased available wattage results in clearer sound quality (which we all strive for), how much of that 3kw do you actually have to use?

Is/are the area(s) of the venue(s) that large? How large is your average audience?

The largest place I play maybe 750 sq ft., with an average 50 people and with no sound absorption but the ceiling tiles. I recently down sized because the 1400w (available) I was using was an over kill. Now I'm running 600w (available) total with about 50% head room to spare.

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EveningStar Entertainment & Events
JR & Michele LaPorte
Peoria, AZ

Thanks for the input guys.
It seems that my inability to sing will not let me down too much.
And yes. I must remember to use my effects.