Karaoke Forums

it is kinda interesting though.
on one hand, you got low end gear, but a great host making one show a success, then a show with good gear, but no host at all being a success.
i guess there's room for all of us somewhere.

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Paradigm Karaoke, The New Standard.......Shift Happens

You know Weed? you actually might be onto something there, who knows? Although without us, there isn't a "show" to be had. So with "that" in mind, yes, we are important. Each of us are an important factor in all the lives we touch. Whether we know how "much" we affect the lives around us, we might never know. But still, we DO have a profound impact, good or bad. It's up to each of us on how we choose to affect others,,,negatively or positively.

I am going to share a story of what happened to me while I was going through my "class" on taking back my life. This class is a 4 day process, and on day 4, Saturday night we are supposed to dress nicely for "graduation". I felt what I had wasn't appropriate, so I went to Wal Mart that morning to purchase some new duds. As I approached the front doors to the store, there were 2 young boys, both in boy scout uniforms. One of them approached me and asked if I would like to buy some popcorn. They were doing a fundraiser. OK, I'm in a great mood knowing now that I can and do affect others, so I responded to this young boy and reached out and touched the bag of popcorn, and told him,,, "Save that bag for me" He probably thought to himself that I wouldn't return, just like so many others have done before. After I made my purchases in the store, I made it a point to go back through the same doors, even though there was a shorter route. One of the boys was gone, but the second was still there. I never even gave the boy a chance to say anything. I just asked him "Did you save me that popcorn?" OK, 2 things happen here,, first of all the boy now KNEW that I didn't lie to him, I DID return and I kept my promise to him. Second thing that happened, you could SEE and FEEL the joy and happiness level in this boy rise!!! Now the boy is happy, he made a sale!! He now goes over to his father who is taking the money, the boys joy level makes the dad's joy level rise!!!! And you could SEE and FEEL it too!!! The Dad is helping another couple with their popcorn purchase,, and the joy and happiness level of the Dad flowed over to the couple,, and you could SEE and FEEL their joy level rise too!!....... And it all started with "me". I created that joy!!! Simply by keeping my word.

That is how we affect others around us. By letting "us" into their hearts, and they in return will be in your hearts as well. I choose to take this approach in my daily life,,,AND my karaoke life too. I feel this is the way I can achieve the level of success I deserve and have desired.

Nothing against all that I have done so far with equipment, professionalism, selection, etc... but I believe and FEEL strongly this new "attitude" will be the answer.

Scott

We try to create a certain atmosphere and opportunity for our singers/dancers/observers but can't discount a lot of other factors. The bar and the staff also create that atmosphere as well as every one who comes in. The bar, the location, the amount of people, who's friends turn up, the willingness of the people to give it extra effort all have an effect. We can make decisions that affect the show but in many ways the show creates itself, depending on who attends.

As a longtime participant in such endeavors, you are doing great. Now the key is to keep practicing this. For as James Barrie said, "Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves."

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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.

Scotty, this time beam me to Australia.
No FLY this time.

Hey Toqer, I'd really like a chance to see more of your show. Could you post the link for the video feed that Diafel mentioned? I'm really curious. I have to agree that what you are doing makes you unique and I have always admired people who think outside the box.

his site have video too: http://www.7bamboo.com/cms/

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

I think it is awesome this works for you. It's even cooler you can work 2 jobs at once and pull in 2 pay checks. Hey if it works - it works!

I'm just comparing it to my situation and the problems I can see that would arise. I can see a lot of advantages, but the one thing that I know I couldn't control with this way of doing things is the people. The random heckler that makes the singer feel like crap, the singer that thinks a speech is in order before he sings, the idiot that thinks the mic is an opportunity to start a fight by yelling at someone in the audience and last but not least the people who have no respect for my equipment. Unfortunately I do have these things happen on occasion and I have to be the karaoke police and escort them off the stage. Aaarg!

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

The "jukebox" doesn't stop for anyone. Once people perceive that it's all on autopilot, behaviors will change. Once folks understand that there's nobody there to restart, or hit pause, they'll break into song quickly.

That's another thing. Things happen so quickly that hecklers usually don't have time for anything. There is one thing that I do step in for though. Mic grabbing. If someone is trying to steal a mic (steal a turn) from someone, I usually go inside and talk to them.

If you're already policing, sounds like you need to get paid for it as well

It's kind of like having no lifeguard on the beach. Yea, you might be able to swim but wouldn't feel better if there was a lifeguard present?

Toqer:

How does the computer know when to start the next song? Timer? Pressure plate?
Sound?

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Okay, who took my pants?

You know how winamp is weed. It's just playlist. No stopping.

Since the playlist is projected on the wall, everyone knows when their turn is. There's a sign next to where the #2 entry on the playlist that says,

"If you're #2, go stand by the stage you're next!"

We also have the playlist displayed on a 1080p TV behind the bar.

I think that "service, professionalism, and fairness of rotation" are all inherently people-oriented themes. You've been running a people business, if you've been paying attention to those things. Don't sell yourself short.

Sure, you may have focused heavily on gear/sound/selection, but then again, that's a badge you can wear proudly, for it shows your dedication to your vocation. Don't think of it as a mistake.



You'd be surprised at the effective EQing that can be done from a software standpoint (vocals aside). Maybe he just hasn't discovered this. As for the monitor and effects? Meh. It's as you say. 99% of your patrons don't know or care about those things. That guy has a low level system, but it's adequately beyond the threshold of "circa 1998 CDG player + boombox hooked up to 15" standard format TV." After you cross that threshold, I suspect the vast majority of people won't know the difference.

Will investing thousands of more dollars to achieve a system beyond the afore described one win back your money? I sincerely doubt it. But it's good to have nice stuff In my opinion, at least.

There is a young (white) who performs that a lot at my shows and it always goes over very well.

To answer the question to the original topic-I'm a singer. I spend a lot of time practicing and on equipment. I also take pride in my singing and try to do it as well as possible. I absolutely refuse to use any equipment that doesn't have a good sound. A cheap mic can ruin the best song just the same as any cheap equipment or fuzzy speakers.
I do party's and other paying gigs and to sound bad in public because of shoddy equipment can cost me money and in reputation.
If you're going to do a job, any job, you need to the best of your ability. If you can't afford good equipment stick to the living room or basement until you can. Not an ego thing, just common sense.

Well, I re-visited the same place I mentioned in my first post. Same thing happened last night, same results. The place was actually busier tho. People couldn't care less about how poor the sound was, or the fact that he had "technical difficulties". They simply were there to have fun, which they did. If I were to put a number to it or a percentage,, I would say that less than 2% of the karaoke singers in my area even care about how the sound is. All the majority of the people want is a place to enjoy good times with good friends. Nothing more, nothing less.

I still think my new-found "attitude" will make the difference in how my shows will become. Putting personal relationships first is my focus.

Allow me to play Devil's advocate. Suppose you have a bad sound system. Some singers won't like it as much, but if the rest of your show is run well, they may not mind (good rotation, good song selection, free rum & cokes, etc ). Now a singer who doesn't have the best voice, may not actually sound as bad on a bad sound system. The bad sound system might take some of the edge off it. So perhaps the bad sound system is the great leveler. It makes a good singer sound worse, but a bad singer more tolerable. The good and the bad get transformed into that generic muddled murkiness of sound. Is that a sound devil's advocate argument, or am I just blowing smoke? Can an argument be made for the bad sound system?

Jian:

Any karaoke jukeboxes where you live? Can you take a picture?

I don't see how. As a KJ who went from using my own gear at my main venue, to using a house system that was tired and abused, and then did not get repaired after being damaged by other entertainers, I can tell you with certainty that virtually all of my regulars not only noticed the difference, but complained about it.

We had four big charity karaoke contests over the summer, put on by a group who had never been to the venue before and were not really karaoke singers or critical listeners. The first time, I had a band at the venue the night before and left my own PA system there for the contest. The second time, I did not, and the contest organizers, who had never sang before, and some of them never even been to a karaoke bar before they started doing these fund-raisers, came right up to me and asked why it didn't sound as good as the first time. I simply pointed out that what they got the first time was quality equipment because it was convenient for me; and what they had that night was the house garbage.

A large part of the reason I quit working there was the junk PA system.

They have a new house KJ/DJ now, and the first time I brought my equipment in for a band and let him DJ the set breaks through my system, he immediately heard the difference and started complaining to the owner about the in-house PA. This is a guy who had only been DJing for a month.

It does matter. It's certainly not the only thing that matters; but having a better sound system (and knowing how to use it) than competing shows is probably just as big an asset as a larger venue, a good drink special, or extra TVs facing the crowd.

IMO it is definitely a bigger asset than the second 5000 songs you buy. If your average song costs $1-$2 and you already have enough that you get through most gigs without getting asked for a song you don't have, your sound system is a better investment than more discs.

Lighting is another good way to separate yourself from a competitor.

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Jeff Wheeler, moonlight DJ/KJ

In big cities like KL, they have, but not in where I live. What is very common is the private room karaoke concept. Each room have a separate system. They are mostly either Chinese/Taiwan made or Japanese system. All are HD based and use remote control to selet songs. We even change the copyright law to accommodate such system.

I have never been to such place, but I have seen the system being used as a home karaoke system. Very expensive.

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