Karaoke Forums

I already have a great sound system and we are open 2 nights a week.
I would like to add Karaoke to the mix and have been looking at what is available for about a week.

I have come to the conclusion (maybe false) that the best bang for the buck seems to be the CAVS DVD 202 GII for about $200 which I can just plug into a free line on my mixer. Then get a decent UHF wireless mic setup for another couple hundred. Finanlly the player uses Super CDGs so I need to get the tunes.

Is this a valid buy? I don't want to buy garbage as this is a teen club and must hold up to some abuse (although it is non-alcohol so maybe the abuse will be lower?)

_________________
Its fun til something breaks

There are a variety of ways to go on the equipment and the discs. Going with only Super CDG's limits your selection to only one or two manufacturers. Most offer their catalogs only on standard CD+G's, especially the better companies (Sound Choice, Priddis, Top Hits Monthly, etc).

As for the player I can't make a recommendation for or against the player since I don't have any experience with that particular player. The question is do you have someone handling the equipment and the customers only get access to the mics? As for players I generally recommend the JVQ/RSQ products because I've had no problems with mine so far (hauled over 1500 miles in a trailer and used almost constantly) and there are plenty of them in use. FYI - I paid just over $200 for my triple tray player. The main advantage to the mutiple tray players is you can put the next disc in the player and the change overs take about 10 seconds. Usually far less than the amount of time for the next person to get the mic or to the stage.

On the mics go with a good brand that will hold up - even if you have to spend a little more. I'd consider using a wired mic if your venue allows it. They're cheaper and hold up to more abuse as a general rule.

Thanks for the response. I or the DJ/KJ will be the only person handling the equipment except the mics. I have a Pioneer mixer (DJM-500) that already has two lines for mics, but thought I would need wireless for some unknown reason. The reasoning for the SuperDVG was that it costs a huge amount less for music and I would need a lot upfront. (although if it is garbage ...a lot of garbage is no good)

_________________
Its fun til something breaks

Right now the couple companies that produce Super CDG's are NuTech (crap in the biggest sense - they have their occasional diamond in the rough, but genuinely garbage) & Chartbuster which is good for country not so good on the pop/rock.

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

That's the key. A lot of garbage is a lot of garbage. Depending on how much you're wanting to spend - an investment of $1500-$2000 in music will more than pay for itself. For that amount of money you could get:
1. Sound Choice Foundations 1&2 - $500 on eBay
2. Sweet Georgia Brown Disc 1-66 - $125 on eBay
3. Sound Choice Bricks 1-5 - $645 (check the sponsors - $129 each)

At this point you have about 3000 unique tracks and have 80% or more of the 'key' karaoke songs covered. From here take the remaining money and pick up Top Hits Monthly, Sound Choice Teen Pak(s), and other songs that represent the 'latest and greatest' on the current charts that they will be interested in.

Be honest about your budget for music. I started with Foundations 1 & 2, SGB 1-66, and about a dozen discs I picked up at local stores to cover the 'newer' stuff (Total about $750). I got a few requests for stuff I didn't have (I asked for requests) but by the time I add in the bricks and a few dozen other discs I'm ordering I'll have a broad selection of music that will meet with most peoples requests.

BTW, while SGB isn't the 'best' quality - it's a great bang for the buck if you're just starting out and really need to add a number of tracks in a short period of time. The bulk of the complaints I have aren't audible in a noisy venue - only when played in a quiet room or with headphones. The exception being Disc 23 which is mostly garbage.

What I'm wondering is when Top Hits Monthly and a few others will get smart and bundle all discs released in a year as a package? That way I could backfill by ordering the package for the last 3-4 years instead of trying to get each disc seperately.

I have a CAVS202 It's a nice player, it's real nice not to change disc's when I do a show. most of the songs on the disk that came with it are ok (488 songs)
I would not use the built in mic input the sound sucks.and also you need to make sure the echo knob is turned down at all times cause youll here it weather a mic is plugged in or not.
I thought the super GDG's were gonna take off but now my sights are set on MTU Hoster PC program that you can get from an advertiser of this site for $129.00 this week. when I get Hoster Ill sell you my CAVS2002 ....

MrOctober

I'd stick with a regular CD+G player, JVC/RSQ like already mentioned. For music I'd do a lot of research first. I have a 16 year old grandson and twin 12 almost 13 year grandaughters, boy do they have different musical interests. A foundation or supercore type set will get you going, but how many teenagers are going to know a lot of the oldies or classic rock?? Go to the advertisers here and look at the song list for the different sets and go from there. They almost always have stuff on sale, look for some of the newer collections and artists. I'v also had pretty good luck at WallyWorld, they have a lot of newer artists and the disks aren't too bad.(KaraokeBay comes to mind) The only other suggestion about microphones, I like Shure products. Stay away from the 3 for $50 or 2 wireless for $29.95 things you see all the time, quality lasts. You may want to look at another mixer for the Karaoke though, I only see 2 mic inputs on your DJ mixer. 1 for the KJ and 1 for the singer/singerS? A Mackie DFX6(under $200) or one similiar would be a better choice.

I actually have a set of wireless mics that I picked up for $30 on eBay. They work just fine for announcing but they clip and cut off if you are very loud. IOW, don't use 'em for singing. Both mics come back on a single input so you can't balance between them.

If you need a mic for announcing when you might get stuck away from the booth - ie. when you go get a drink or make a stop off at the restroom those are fine, but for singing I'd go with something better.

I heard good things about the UHF VocoPro setup and of course the Shure wireless always gets rave reviews. If they'll be dropped or abused a lot I'd consider getting a spare bottom (they screw on) and/or windscreen.

Thanks everyone. It all helps out.
I still have a little while to get this going so I appreciate all the insight I can get.

_________________
Its fun til something breaks

Curious - Since the Cavs SCDG also plays CDG, wouldn't it be ok to get that and not get the SCDG tunes until there are a more wide range of suppliers of the tunes? That way I can get today's Sound Choice or whatever and maybe expand to SCDG as suppliers add better music?

Just a thought. It also has a Mic input so I could use that for the KJ or announcing and use the current DJM500 mics for the singer(s)?

Comments?

Thanks,
Rob

_________________
Its fun til something breaks

Yes, you can use the CAVS 202G for playing normal CDG's. You'll find that a multi tray unit or two units will make it easier to manage a show and speed the transition from singer to singer.

While that 'might' work it would be better to find another way to add mics to your existing setup. Using the built in mic will mean leaving the player volume up on the board and if you transition to music and cut that fader you'll cut the annoucing mic as well.