Karaoke Forums

If the op is running the mic into the computer as I advised the sound spike will be limited to the eqivilent of the digital maximum volume output the computer can send. Therefore the computer will effectively be acting as a compressor and clipp off the spikes in mic volume.

Sure it may not be as smootly done as a real compressor, but it will not send super high volume spikes that will damage the system. Sound quality of the spikes may suffer but the safety for ears and equipment is assured. So long as the backing music is set so that the spikes in volume from the music are well within the safe zone for the speakers, the mic volume which is going through the computer as well will also send out spikes which will not exceed the safe zone. So long as the music voume is sent out of the computer at near max volume, and the volume for the room is set with the stero system volume everything is safe. Any excessive spikes in mic volume will be clipped at the computer stage.

This can also be done within the computer as well such that the mic volume is set to near maximum so it clipps out sound spikes internally in the computer, but the final (music + voice) computer volume output is set to a more modest level.

Within the computer there are many points where the volume can be set. So long as one of the stages is set to allow clipping of the mic volume unsafe spikes can be eliminated.

Just think of those spikes in your graphic eq. So long as the computer graqhic eq is occasionally (rarely) spiking to the max from the music, and the speaker system is set so the output voume is appropriate and safe for the speakers and listening enjoyment, then occasional spikes in mic volume that is also going through the computer will be no louder as it is going through the same sound card.

Many home systems can put out enough volume to be plenty loud safely, and they are not driving a room where some people are going to be 30-40 feet away from the speakers like in a club setting.

If you plug a mic directly into a sound system that is not designed to handle the range it can provide of course you can damage the system. But by sending it through the computer first you are limiting the range to a set (and hopefully safe ) maximum.

Sure one may complain about clipping occuring and that may hurt the sound quality, but it is a safety feature for the equipment. In a home setting the viewers are probably only 10-15 feet maximum from the singers so a lot of vocal amplification of the vocals is not needed anyway.

Guess it's all in perception of loudness. What one may find too loud I may find comfortable volume which could be the issue for everyone that i've known & heard about blowing their home speakers with karaoke. Too loud for some may be just right for others. But I have never had a problem with my PA speakers at what I deem comfortable volume levels!

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

I think we lost the opening poster.

I started out with a 99 dollar all in one. From day one, it blew chunks! One mic, junky, not loud enough and the screen was black and white and hard to see. The sound was awful and just couldn't get the vocals loud enough.

Someone buying something like this and seeing future karaoke home parties will see the light and spend more than 200 bucks.

Yes, she said 200 bucks but we don't know her actual budget or financial situation, I think at experienced karaokers we owe it to her to give our honest opinions and mine (and sure many others agree) is to spend at least 400 bucks or so, the quality and choices go up quite a bit as will the fun.

Use the pc, get a cheap mixer, a pair of cheap pas, a pair of mics, buy or get a free software program, find a cheap sweet georgia brown set on ebay or something comparible and that first party will be a huge success!

_________________
KingBing Entertainment C'mon Up! I have a song for you!!! [font=MS Sans Serif][/font]

Loud is as much a factor of distance from the speakes as the power that is driving them. If the normal club setting has the listeners as far as 50 feet away from the speakers and for the home setting it is more like 1/3 as far or 15-16 feet.

With that difference in distance about 1/3 that means the sound as measured in decibels about 10 db less at the speakers when comparing the same volume at the listener.

With 10 db less at the speakers that requires about 1/8th the power to produce that sound.

So a sound system that is rated for 800 watts in a club setting with listeners 50 feet away, would produce the same sound as a 100 watt system for listeners 15 feet away.

For sitting at your computer where you are 5 feet away from the speakers you could get the same loud with only 10 watts of speakers.

You can still be LOUD at home it is just a matter of distance. You can even kill your ears by using the tiny power levels in headphones very close to your ears.

I run my system loud too, and I sometimes get complaints from people about the volume levels who are at the target 50' range. Now I can do that with 2 x Makie 450s. That is not sufficient speakers for a gym or big hall but it is more than enough for the room size. Take it to a living room about 1/4 the size and I could get away with about 1/8 the power or about 100-120 watts and provide the same volume.

100 watts total is not that out of the range for a home stero system.

Now of course this is not the case if you have a huge living room, or you are going to use it outdoors etc.

My home karaoke system consists of 2 Peavey Sp4 (dual 15") cabs (backup system), bi-amped with a Peavey CS1000 & Carvin DCM1000 (approx 1500 watts total). The sound is 'just right'. Room 25'x14'. 100 watts doesn't do it for me and the people that come to our karaoke parties.
When we used the home stereo (100 watts per channel) and home speakers is when speakers were being blown, but the room size was smaller than now & it wasn't turned up as loud back then - just never had compression on mics.

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

Can someone please explain to me how Dr Fred's calculations are going to relate to the home user?
I mean, seriously! Come on! Do you really expect the home user to understand and be able to apply all that?
How about we just tell the OP that home stereos are NOT for karaoke (live vocals) and be done with it? (as it should be!)
Because that's the actual truth as anyone here knows.
Many here have complained that the OP would probably want to keep it simple.
Well you know what? Dr. Fred's scenario is about as complicated to understand as it's going to be. Too many variables in it, and that's assuming the OP actually understands half of what's been said. Lord knows, I have difficulty following it, and I actually understand this stuff!
Sorry, but unless you intend to run your karaoke at nearly inaudible volumes and NEVER EVER sing at variable levels (impossible!), you should not run it through your home system.

Because it is a false statement that a home system cant be used for karaoke.

If you are in a modest size room a 80-100 watt system is totally ok and can be SAFE to use without damaging it if you run the mic through the computer.

There is no need to spend $1000+.

Who said anything about spending $1000+?

The system I recommended could be had for the budgeted $200 or less (Canadian dollars to boot!). I recommended purchasing used gear which saves even more.
I believe Toquer and Lonman also recommended decent systems at or UNDER budget as well...
Go ahead and use your home stereo if you want to risk it. Your choice.
I wouldn't, though.

Everyone keeps saying home stereo like there are all the same, for more than a couple of years I practiced songs on my home stereo through an RSQ player and never had a problem even at a somewhat loud volume. Home stereo like a karaoke system can range from a 200 dollar all in one system to a mega buck 10 thousand dollar system. My JBL pro series home speakers pushed by a 125 watt stereo amp are definitely not top of the line but their not Wal-Mart bought either. A basic system designed for karaoke without compression can easily blow tweeters out as can a home stereo system also.

But back to the point, $200.00 can maybe be enough if YOU are happy ( I wouldn't be ) with what you get, and down the road you may like so many of us here will probably want to upgrade. Most people start hobbies like that and wish they had spent their initial investment on a more advanced system, but hindsight as they say is..........

Well, of course. You could probably also do Karaoke with an iPod and a boom-box. But how happy would you be?

Just because it can be done, doesn't mean the OP will be happy with it.

Ok, totally off topic now, but back to the original topic...

This is on the new karaoke store page here, just saw it, but have NO idea how well it works or any of that. But, it's right in your price range, has dual mics- echo- key change option- screen already there... might work out for you for a quick $200 system.


http://store.karaokescene.com/product_i ... cb438a0543

_________________
♥ Laugh your heart out, dance in the rain. Cherish the memories, ignore the pain. Love and learn, forget and forgive. Because you only have one life to live. ♥

It is a false statement. Can't is the wrong word. It 'shouldn't' is more appropriate.

Depends on how loud you want it. 100 watts is nothing to me. I have more than that in my car stereo.

Who stated that anyone needed to - I may have missed that post. I know the small PA system I linked to runs about $200 and would sound much better than an all in one unit & be better than using a home stereo, all I was saying originally that the all in one units are pretty much toys. Will they work, for some - sure, for others no. Depends on what you actually expect. Most of them can be hooked up to external amps & PA's, that wasn't the issue, it's more of the durability. I had a few of those units before - 2 of them were for my kids - those didn't last more than a couple weeks - but luckily those only cost me $89 & $150 - they were toys!

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

I just notice the Online Store here. They have a pedestal karaoke system for $199.99. It looks nice. Not sure who makes it but it may do the OP. Anyone have any opinions on it. Phil have you seen it in action?

_________________
You can be strange but not a stranger

You also forgot to add in the $60 license cost for Reaper.

_________________
DJ Tony
Let It Rip Karaoke

[quote="toqer"][quote="letitrip @ Sun Dec 13, 2009 12:25 am"]Did everyone here just decide to ignore the fact that the OP is looking to spend $200 or less? [/quote]

I think we were shooting for less. This is a home system. There's going to be a learning curve no matter what they get, and the OP already owns a PC (or maybe they're posting from a mac, I dunno) As far as using reaper to add effects, I can teach them in 10 minutes or less. In fact, after I type this I'll follow it up with a video showing how.

Mics: Audio Technica ATR20 Cartoid Mic.
[img]http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31V3QlGChVL._SL160_AA160_.jpg[/img]
$20 at best buy. It almost sounds as good the $99 SM58's I use at work.. The only reason I can't use an ATR20 at work is they aren't as sturdy as the SM58. Reviews of the ATR20 around the net speak for themselves. Amazon.com has both the ATR20 and the SM58 rated at 4 stars.

All low end sound cards with a "Mic in" have built in pre-amps.

Speakers: Marathon MA-10P
[img]http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51XEK85LwVL._SL160_AA160_.jpg[/img]
Just a quick google search shows these are retailing for $169.99 at the low end. These are loud enough.

So altogether we have
$169.99
$20.00
_______
$189.99.

No tax if bough online, but the shipping charges would ream the OP. If bought in at Guitar Showcase in California with 8.25% tax the total is going to be $205.66. $5.66 over. Sorry OP, I'm going to push this another $4.44 over so you can get a stereo Y cable for a grand total of $210.

Still though, not a 1/2 bad home system for the price. OK, now for a quick video on adding effects with reaper [/quote]

Hello to a 3 year old thread!!.

So, for what I understand the laptop's headphones output plugs to the Marathon MA-10P via the Y cable, and the mic too, obviously with its own cable, right?.

I'm not familiar with "PA" speakers but, is this ONE speaker give stereo sound or we're just going to listen in mono?.

Thanks