Karaoke Forums

I can't answer for why Sax doesn't do it, but for us we need to read pacemakers value everytime a window is refreshed, the playlist ML view is brought up, or when the html playlist page is displayed.

If pacemaker (or that other keychanger) isn't the default DSP plugin, then we just grey out the keychange functions on our UI.

Then good on ya! I will officially now say "using an external application can cause fragility if you don't do checks for their functions like AutoKDJ does".

But that doesn't mean the others do it. Which is my point about the fragility of relying on applications you don't control. I deal with it all the time -- my software relies on dozens of third-party libraries. We have many checks to ensure their functionality, but we are still largely at their mercy. Fortunately mine is server software where we theoretically have pros managing the updates. But things still go wrong.

And though the software works if everything happens to go right on Sax & Dotties, it doesn't if it doesn't. Which is what fragility is, and in my experience that program and one other at least has problems.

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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.

I use Compuhost. Always have, always will. You get what you pay for.

+1. He speaks the truth.

I will never understand why people cheap-out on what is THE most important part of your entire system and the piece you touch constantly, all night long. It's like a roofer buying the cheapest hammer he can find.

Then let me 'splain it to ya. A roofer uses the tool best suited to his/her needs. If he found just the right hammer at a garage sale for a buck, all the better.

Karaoke software plays karaoke files which is a single computer function. No network is required. The last Microsoft OS that was intended for mostly single computer functionality was Windows ME. 7, Vista, XP, all do about a go-zillion things by nature that have nothing whatever to do with a karaoke application. Using one of these OS's for karaoke is like our fabled roofer driving nails with a buick. Don't blame the software when the OS is at fault. One really can't expect for something written for '98 to run on Windows 7 or the other way around. It is up to the user to be informed. I don't think it's a matter of cheaping out but of software choice. Be cheap. Use old computers. They work just fine, better than the new ones. CDG is thirty years old!

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Okay, who took my pants?

You must not know many full-time roofers. Sure, a roofer could use a garage sale hammer. It just drives nails, right?! Go cheap! BUT he does it all day long...day after day, week after week. Suddenly that $500 nail gun makes sense. Faster, easier to use, consistent outcome, reliable and a professional product in the end. But what a waste of money! He could have used a $5 yard sale hammer! Idiot!

The same goes for Karaoke in my humble opinion. Can you do it for free with an old computer and freeware? Of course! I tried it that way when I started. But like the $5 yard sale hammer, I spent more time fixing the mistakes, dealing with the crashes, re-starting, re-booting, etc, instead of doing the show. I couldn't go through an entire show without something screwing up. That's when I went with the gold standard, and now I have zero problems.

I'm just saying that I find it odd that some people balk over a $100+ hosting package which is less than half a nights work for most of us. Heck some people spend more that on a single microphone. The hosting software IS the hammer...it's THE essential tool, without it you have no karaoke. Why go cheap on the ONE thing you rely on the most?

When you don't need it that often.

Why would I spent that kind of money when I do a half dozen charity karaoke events a year? Wouldn't I be better served by using something less expensive?

When I start hosting again, I'll step up... I've used siglos and a couple others, and there are some I don't particularly care for the work flow...


It's like a library - you might start out with Sweet Georgia Brown but it's not long before you upgrade your library with more quality tracks. Starting with something simple might make sense, and if it works for you, great. If not, upgrade. Find something else.

That's the great thing about choices... you don't have to make the same ones I do.

(I'm still considering hoster for my charity stuff... taking a look at my options since I have an event this weekend and another one coming up next month)....

Bazza. You missed the point.

You answered what you thought you read.

The Gold standard ???

Certainly. If it's just a few times a year hobby, I agree. Go cheap. I am talking about those with a legitimate business.





As opposed to replying to something I didn't read?




Yes. IMHO, Compuhost is the gold standard by which all others are measured.

Bazza, a question for you.

You are well aware that CDG graphics are happy to work with VGA.
High quality audio runs at a very low frequency.
They can both run together on a 1 Mhz machine.
This much I read from Weedy's post.

The question is: ( points out of 10 )

1) How fast does a PC need to run to do karaoke.

2) Why?

This is like asking "How fast does a car need be to be to get you to the office every morning?" A: "As fast as necessary"

I never said you couldn't do Karaoke with your old 386, freeware, PC speakers and a $9.99 mic from Radio shack. A roofer can also use a yard sale hammer. Your dentist could use antique dental tools from his grandfathers practice.

I just don't understand why you would WANT to!

Depends on what you want to do. If all you're doing is living room karaoke, a pentium 200mhz is just fine. On the other hand, if you're going to be using software mixing and effects, the requirements can go through the roof.

I like trying to do as much as I can with the pc. I like mine fast.

I had a 500Mhz lappy running xp that gave enormous latency sometimes when I used karafun.
Winamp was alright.
Just seems that things that require such little CPU power are draining CPU power.

But its not the MP3 & CDG thats draining it.
DirectX which now has to be running is using it all.
With some it's .net framework.

I can see where Weedy is coming from on this.
Being a programmer he see's OS's where far too much unnecessary stuff is going on.
The first windows load I did with 95 used 14 floppys.
Ok windows then needed repairing with updates.
Oh... That bit never changed.
In all fairness it is mainly security... that I don't need
because by gig lappy never goes online.

Running a show I get Pop ups.
Automatic update is turned off.
There are unused items on your desktop.
You have no AntiVirus.

Now with Vista
You have started this process. Do you want to proceed.
Won't use Vista or 7.
Not the same file manipulation

I run Compuhost.
I does not do all I want.
After costing me nearly 200GBP I am going to use it.
Until I lose the dongle.

I am more break fix than software (except virus removal)
If there are any MSCE's out there that could maybe streamline xp with nlite.
I would buy them many beers.

Rant over.

FYI: With the latest version you can go "dongleless" if you desire.

I lopped off my dongle just the other day. I'm keeping it on ice just in case i find the need to reattach. So far, I'm enjoying the freedom!!

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C Mc
KJ, FL

I have a VERY legitimate business. It's just that my business focus isn't karaoke. It's primarily weddings, mitzvahs and the like.

With karaoke is only done maybe a half dozen times a year any more - and most of those are charity events - I'm struggling with the idea that I should drop a small fortune on the software. I have siglos, but it's $99 PER YEAR. I'm dabbling with a few other offerings, including some Winamp based products - but after using Siglos for a year, and finding I didn't particularly care for the work flow, I'm a little gun shy before I drop $$$ on a product again.

Keep in mind, I quit the bar scene... and have no interest in going back any time soon on a regular basis (though I wouldn't mind 'covering' an event once a month or so). With that in mind, it's just hard to justify dropping $200+ on an application I might use 6 times a year for events I do for free.

In all honesty, I'm half tempted to avoid PC based karaoke for the handful of events I do and just stick to discs.

This is exactly what I am talking about. I don't view $179 as being a "small fortune" at all. It's a drop in the bucket...less than one night's work, especially for such a vital piece of my rig.

While I don't care for Siglos I see nowhere on their site that it costs $99 a year.

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

It IS a small fortune when you do maybe a half dozen CHARITY karaoke events a year. I've done 2 paying karaoke events this year and both were supplemental private parties to other work I was already doing. In the course of a year, I 'might' play 3-6

Keep in mind, it wouldn't be an issue if it was for my other business. $1500 for a Blisslight BL-50? No problem. $5000 for a Bose L1 PA system? No problem? How about $900+ for an Audio Technica 4000 series with a T6100 Artist Elite hypercardiod microphone? Sure. $600 for an 8x8x8 sound card? Excellent. $600 for a mixer with a 10x10 firewire interface? Sounds good to me. $150 to upgrade the InterFX software for that mixer? Why not? Pro Tools M-Powered? Sure - let's do it.

I'm not opposed to spending money. I'm opposed to spending money when there is little to no return on the investment. That's particularly true in my current situation with the amount of karaoke I do.

When it was my bread and butter I wouldn't blink twice at spending the money - I'm the guy who bought a Mackie Onyx 1620 mixer for karaoke when they were over $900 (shipped to Alaska). But now? It's just hard to make that leap...

Meh, just use autokdj. I think the biggest problem folks have with it is the "auto" part. Some people prefer to be hands on running a show, while others (like myself) would rather drop their robot KJ off at a venue and let it run things while they shmooze the crowd (or in my case, sit outside all night getting paid to be doorman on top of KJ)