Karaoke Forums

Hi all,

I'm a new member to this forum, and after reading several knowledgeable posts from a number of moderators and posters alike in this forum, I've decided to purchase some equipments for my karaoke/home theater. Here's what I have purchased, in addition to some that I've already owned:

1. BBE Maxcom Sonic Maximizer; Dual Channel Compressor / Limiter / Gate

2. Yamaha MG82CX mixer

3. DVD/CD-G player, and a bunch of karaoke DVDs

4. Denon AVR-1910 Receiver (for both home theater and amplifier)

5. A pair of JBL Studio Series S312 speakers

6. 2 of Shure SM58 Dynamic microphones

Basically, connecting these equipments to sing karaoke at home is all I'm interested in doing for now. I have yet to purchase any connection cables, as I'm not entirely sure what cables I will need and how to connect them together to maximize the potential and capability of these equipments. Please be as specific as possible about the cables and their connections, as I'm relatively new about all of this.

Thank you much for all of your expert opinions and suggestions as I highly appreciate them.

Have a nice day,

-Neil

Is anyone else a little surprised by the number of requests we get like this lately? Neil, at the risk of sounding like a jerk, how did you end up with all this equipment with no cables and no idea how to connect it all into a working rig?

I'm going to take a new approach to this, rather than tell you how to hook it up, I'm going to tell you to start with some self education. Reason being that once you get this all hooked up, you still gotta be able to use it. So you need ot understand not only how to connect everything but WHY it gets connected that way.

So I'm going to suggest you start by browsing this forum for questions similar to yours here. While they may involve different models of hardware, ultimately the concepts are the same and that is what you need to learn. I'm also going to suggest you go to Mackie's site and download the user manual for the CFX series mixers. While it does not apply directly to your mixer, it has some great general information presented in a really simple way that will help you better understand how this stuff should be connected and why. Finally, I'll suggest that you google "Pro Audio Basics" to find a whole slew of articles on this stuff that will further enhance your knowledge.

Again, I'm not doing this to be a pain or avoid answering your question. However, spouting off a list of cables and the jacks to connect them to I believe would be doing you a dis-service. Trust me, you'll be far better off if you learn this information for yourself and setup the rig on your own. Then when it comes time to use it (or troubleshoot problems that arise) you'll be in a much better position to do so. Remember, there was a time in Europe where the use of equipment like you have required a license (and probably should still, even here in the States). Pro Audio gear has the capability to permanently damage people's hearing so it's critical that you understand it's proper use.

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DJ Tony
Let It Rip Karaoke

Thanks letitrip for your explanation. To be honest I've read the manuals for the Yamaha mixer and my Denon receiver and I think I can manage the connection between these two fine on my own. It gets a bit more confused when I try to integrate the BBE Sonic Maximizer/Audio Compressor into the picture. I've done a bit of research online, but I posted my question here to make sure that I get everything done correctly.

Thanks for your response

-Neil

I stopped participating in these threads a few months ago. I am also surprised by the amount of people who want karaoke at home, and I guess they know enough that a cheap Vocopro karaoke machine is not what they want, but they end up buying a bunch of equipment without learning how to use it.

I don't know why such a home user wouldn't just go to a musical instrument store like Guitar Center and ask for everything they need and help labeling it all so it's easy to hook up. Musical instrument stores have people who, while they might not give you the best price or know as much as a savvy forum poster, they are standing right there in the store, have everything you need in-stock, and they will happily label all your cords and devices and show you how to use it all, and usually this does not cost much compared to the hours and hours it can take to figure it out yourself on forums and Google.

So that's why I didn't respond to these threads lately. The home user's needs are typically perfect for a Guitar Center salesman. A professional KJ probably would get burned by them though.

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Jeff Wheeler, moonlight DJ/KJ

Been going to them for years, never been burned. In fact they usually will give me price matches on anything I find cheaper.

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

Well, you are the guy who knows what he wants, and is just going there to purchase it, or perhaps demo some equipment you have not used before you decide what to buy.

A professional KJ going to Guitar Center without knowing what they want would be like an IT guy going to Best Buy to purchase servers and LAN equipment for his job.

I agree, Guitar Center has good prices. I just bought four MRX512M from them, $500 each, because no one else would match that price. The local JBL dealers would not go below $575 each, probably why they are slowly going out of business, no buying power compared to the big chain.

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Jeff Wheeler, moonlight DJ/KJ

Use the insert jacks on your mixer and a pair of insert ("Y") cables to connect each channel of the maximizer to each of the mic channels. I wouldn't bother trying to put it on your main mix like would typically be the case because you're going to need to use the 2TR out rather than the main out on your console anyway.

You're mixing pro audio and consumer level gear which in general is not the best idea. Consumer and pro audio gear have different nominal operating levels and you have to account for this (which is why you need the 2TR or Tape out when connecting to a stereo receiver).

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DJ Tony
Let It Rip Karaoke

Thank you letitrip! I was reading the mixer manual and thought I'd have to use the insert jacks and Y cables, and you confirmed that for me

I understand I'm mixing pro and consumer audio together, and it's not the best idea like you said, but I'm only a student on a budget and am saving some more money to purchase PA speakers and amplifier as my knowledge on this progresses.

Anyhow, thanks for your much-needed advice

No problem, I'd still suggest reading the Mackie manual though. It's a great reference for beginners just because they don't just talk about their mixer but rather cover the basic concepts that you need to know and it's worded much more user friendly than the Yamaha manual. Seriously, it's a free download, check it out.

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DJ Tony
Let It Rip Karaoke