This has been a very long thread but I just wanted to add one more thing.

hopefully we all agree that setting up with hoster is much easyier, not having to haul around 1000's of disc. I would run a show with discs if I had to but, I hope I never have to again. One of the things that makes it so much better is I let regulars put names in without songs. They tell me what they want when I call them up type it in and just push play. With discs I would have to look it up in a book, or tell them to have the number ready. This is a luxary hoster allows me to offer to my regulars. I added a song called "pick a song" so something shows up on singer name displays

Hoster vs Manual CDGs
 

Yes, this is a long thread...and after reading some a good portion of it, I have to side with Lonnie on this issue.

I am a recent hoster convert. It's been a about a month that we've been doing a computer-based show.

Prior to computerizing, I had run my shows with discs and a 3-tray player...a 6-disc change for bumper music, and I was putting through 16 singers an hour on average. I, like Lonnie, had the entire rotation pulled and sitting ready for the next singer. I used all 3 trays - bumper music on one slide, karaoke music on another. Like Lonnie, as song is ending and applause is hopefully happening, the next singer would be making their way up. Since all discs were pulled and ready to go (and #'s confirmed, and changes as far as manu on my part for better versions), there was NEVER dead air or too much time. I had singers who always chose my show over others because they got to sing MORE!

The issue with players is it takes coordination. My husband is definitely not as quick with the players because he refused to use more than one tray at a time. He also does not type as quickly as I do, and has not entirely mastered search query as far as finding the song - only takes one letter off (e.g. last night "No WOMEN no cry." I went up, typed in "no woman" and presto, there's the song).

I haven't figured out how many singers I am putting through with hoster. I have an advantage as far as searching/entering songs because I type for a living. Takes me a 2-3 seconds to type in search info. I set it to start the next song automaticlly in 8 seconds and find that is plenty of time for singers to get up to the mic (not huge rooms).

I can definitely do a show as quickly with CDGs as with Hoster - nothing wrong with that ... just a matter of mastering the equipment, I think. No dead air, just lots of singers and that's why I'm there.

[quote=Karen K;72858]

I haven't figured out how many singers I am putting through with hoster. I have an advantage as far as searching/entering songs because I type for a living. Takes me a 2-3 seconds to type in search info. I set it to start the next song automaticlly in 8 seconds and find that is plenty of time for singers to get up to the mic (not huge rooms).

quote]

I find I can type one or two words with only two fingers as fast as those that type with all fingers, and because I look I seldom make an error in spelling. A fast typist may type one word off by one letter, get no results, and have to type it in again.

I have ppl, especially newer singers, tell me all the time that I am much much more efficient, faster, have more time to be peronable with the crowd than all of the other DJ's in the area that use disks. These comments also come from those who do not know what I have for a system. They usually say "You have spoiled us". All of the other DJ's in town have been doing it for at least ten years longer than me, and I've only been using Hoster for two years.

I get the same comment - more songs per night ... like to keep those singers happy!

Karen,
Hoster makes it so anybody can run a professional karaoke show. There is a guy here in town I set with a Hoster system and he hires his hosts from his pool of singers because Hoster is so easy to use. You and your husband will be very happy not using discs. Most of the discs I own have never been played at a show. :e (and never will :w ) Like Lonnie, Bryant etc.. Hoster will alow you to remain a top karaoke show in your area. Welcome to the Hoster family. :)

Jim :g

Again this is not the reason I am top in my area (if anyone can claim to be tops anyway). I don't want to argue the point again, but people come in either for a specific host or the club itself or both. If you run a good show, people will come - has nothing to do whether you run discs or computer.

I won't labor that point either. The above statement is very true - I converted to computer mostly for my own convenience, knowing it really doesn't impact the singers. Even though I've told them they needn't give me #s, they still do. We just do a great show all the way around - top equipment and song selection, and great people skills.

Lonnie, I've GOT to get down to your show one of these days....maybe when the SNOW STOPS!

K

You are more than welcome. After this Spring weather quits acting like a winter wonderland......:r Would love to get up to yours as well!

Type in "no w" and it'll work or "cry" and it'll pull up all songs with that 3-letter combo. If you only click the Title button, it works even better. :w

I hope the flaming has died down now. There are a lot of good ideas, good people and good times. Let's all keep it light and respectful here. :)

Lonnie,
I'm sorry I ruffled your feather with the wording of my statement. My point is that Hoster is going to be a step up from using discs. Karen and her husband will not loose the high rating of their shows or singers by switching from disc to Hoster.

There is no question in my mind that if a host has 2 CDG players, a good mixer and an efficent disc filing system that they can run a show as good as host who uses Hoster. A host can use Hoster and still run an unprofessional show. :e The true quality of a host falls on the host, not the rig. :w

When I weight the the pro's and con's of every aspect of hosting karaoke for a living, using Hoster win's over using discs. (And with 4.0 in development, it's only going to get better! :c) This is only my opinion of course.

Jim :g

Believe me, in the interest of A LOT LESS WORK FOR ME, Hoster wins every time. I can load a rotation in a very few minutes and then just relax. Gotta love that part of it - no putting discs away or misfiling and then not being able to find them! :)

Joe will get faster at it - he already is, actually. Did have to explain to someone the other night, -- "What do you mean you LOADED my song already?" - that we have it only as long as it is being sung and then it disappears. Have made a little insert for the cover of the book so no one thinks for an instant that we have clandestinely pirated their CDG. It was another host, in fact, who got a little hot under the collar at that prospect. Made it real clear to him. Hopefully he understood what I was saying, or it'll probably appear as a backhanded comment in the next edition of our local karaoke guide that we're in the business of stealing people's music. I can just see it now...

k

Karen,
Try this, go to Tools and select Keep song after played. After the person's track you impotered has played, run a non-karaoke song for your audience that will let you close Hoster. Close Hoster and re-open it then show them where it says "UNAVAIL" in front of their track.

The track is placed in the RAM memory, not on the hard drive so there is no way to save it. When the program is closed, any tracks that were imported from CDG's are deleted from the RAM and are not retrievable.

I hope this helps.

Jim :g

I will definitely do that next time - highly doubtful this fellow will ever be at one of our shows (we share a venue, they do a different night) - he just happened to be there and one of our mutual singers sang a song off one of their discs. Excellent idea, though, for anyone who might not understand plain english!

k

Ha HA Ha Ha Ha!

Jim :g

This much I will agree, Hoster is very much superior to using discs as far as ease of use, & that it's nice not having to carry the discs if you don't want to. The statement that got me was you would have a better show because of Hoster, this still all depends on the actual host and if they knew how to run a good show with discs or even computer for that matter to begin with. I have seen first hand some shows run very poorly because they were not fluent enough with the program they were using or were just plain stupid....:r , however admittidly they were not using Hoster as their program!!!

Did I make that staement?

Jim :g

I mighta said that. How can you have a worse show with better materials and a better operating condition in a better environment, especially if you are familiar with the better environment? I assume most computer hosters would not host if they did not know how to use a computer, which of course would be suicide!

Host without Hoster
 

:g :g :g Actually, I think I said that Hosting with Hoster was a much better, and faster overall show, which really opened a can of worms with a few folks. Some how it got off track to what was faster, who was faster, which wasn't the question to begin with. I won't argue the point of speed of individuals, But just about every KJ is switching to Hoster. Must be a reason.
I first used 2.?? something up to the current 3.17, never had a glitch, never been let down, never had a problem that wasn't self produced and easily corrected, knock on wood.
Hoster is a great product, great product support. Most Hoster users don't realize how small the MTU Staff is and the amount of support and production they produce is staggering. Kudos to MTU.

muzicman144:g :g :g :g

Ok not exactly those words, but was insinuating.

Hoster will alow you to remain a top karaoke show in your area.

Main reason for most that I hear that have made the switch (to computer in general) is the convenience factor which I agree with.