[Karen K]

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.