Pre-purchase questions...

[bigdaddylddd]

Hello,
I have a few questions before I purchase Hoster & MicroStudio Suite:

1) I understand Hoster can be installed on 2 computers, one for running a show and the second for backup. In the initial stages of importing all my CD+G's, is it possible to use BOTH COMPUTERS TO IMPORT at the same time AND then MERGE the seperate collections of KMA's together? (of course I'd have to use a portable drive to get them to the Hosting PC)

2) If I purchase right now, will the 3/15/05 upgrade be FREE?

That's it for now, thank you.

Charles

P.S. I previously sent this to sales@mtu.com, just found out that questions should be posted here first. Sorry.

[S. Parks]

Question 1....yes, providing you have the foresite to keep the assigned number straight between the two computers. You don't want to give more than one disc the same number, so really give your numbering convention some thought. If you transfer the files from one of the computers to an external, then can be added to the fiel where the KMA files are stored on the second, then rebuild the songs database and it should work. I've never done this exactly this way but it should work.

Question 2....Yes, according the the news page.

I hope this helps!

[gduns - with the Lord]

s. parks
I have done it this way, and it does work. as to the other question. it is a question for the mtusupport guy. I cant answer for them. However, I think the answer may be yes.

[mindonstrike]

The news page ( http://mtu.com/support/news.htm ) indicates that the answer to Q2 is yes.

Sam

[bigdaddylddd]

WOW you all, such a quick response!

Good deal, I am glad to know I can multi-task. That will speed things up a bit.

I will do some searching on the forum to see the best way to do my numbering (disc ID stuff??). I have a complete set of SGB's and hundreds of Top Hits Monthy discs. I'll probably import one set on one PC and the other set on the other PC.

Thanks again for your help. Looking forward to setting this stuff up and doing a show.

[S. Parks]

You won't be sorry, Hoster is absolutely the BEST!!!

[admin]

Originally Posted by bigdaddylddd

Hello,
I have a few questions before I purchase Hoster & MicroStudio Suite:

1) I understand Hoster can be installed on 2 computers, one for running a show and the second for backup. In the initial stages of importing all my CD+G's, is it possible to use BOTH COMPUTERS TO IMPORT at the same time AND then MERGE the seperate collections of KMA's together? (of course I'd have to use a portable drive to get them to the Hosting PC)

2) If I purchase right now, will the 3/15/05 upgrade be FREE?

That's it for now, thank you.

Charles

P.S. I previously sent this to sales@mtu.com, just found out that questions should be posted here first. Sorry.

I want to thank all our helpers here for standing in the gap whilst I was busy elsewhere!

bigdaddylddd, thanks for asking. I want to make sure you are aware the "number" they are talking about is the BOOKID, not the DiscID, which is from each Brand-DiscID you will be importing. Each Brand-DiscID must be assigned a unique BookID.

The BookID is a forced unique number that prints in your Song Books. It allows your singers to give you one number for their request, and you can quickly type it in and their song is up and ready in the rotation.

In the Import screen as you are importing your discs into KMA files, you can enter in the BookID you want, OR... you can use the NEXT button for Hoster to automatically assign the next lowest available number for you.

When you are importing on two different computers, you want to decide what BookID you will start the second system numbering at (say 100), and start the first system at "1". Then, when you get your first system to 99 (NOT... NOT 100), you want to stop. Then, copy all your KMA files from the second system to the first, and use the Tools menu Build Songs Database command to combine both sets of KMA files into one new Songs Database. Then, click the NEXT button on the first system (with ALL the "currently imported" KMA files now) to get the next lowest BookID. Pick a new higher number to start importing on your second system and repeat the above process.

Just make sure you don't overlap numbers between the two systems.


Now, there is another way that most folks don't know of.

You can run multiple copies of Hoster ON THE SAME COMPUTER AT THE SAME TIME! Thus, if you connect two different CDR drives to one computer, you can select the first in one Hoster that is already running, and fire off a second Hoster copy (yep, just click the Hoster Desktop icon again) and select the second drive. Your computer and hard drive are more than fast enough to handle this, so I doubt you will run any slower than with 2 computers... except you might feel a little more rushed than if 2 people do this on 2 computers.

Since both copies of Hoster are using the same Songs Database to get their next BookID, each Hoster will always get the next BookID, if you always click the NEXT button.

MTU often designs in multiple ways of doing something to allow each person to work in their own "style".

Anyway, we look forward to having you on-board.

QUESTION #2: The good folks here are right. Once we release version 3.100 Anyone having Hoster 3.006 can simply click their download link and it will deliver 3.100 for them.

Our published policy is that anyone buying a prior version within 30 days of a new release, if the new release would carry an upgrade charge, they get it free. We usually extend that when we are late getting a release out. We email those "recent" customers a coupon to buy the upgrade for free.

[prmckay1]

Hi,

Here's what I did.

When I loaded my 365 disks, I used the multiple windows feature to verify song/artist in one window while the other window was 'ripping' (I have 1 burner that will rip CDG's) -- This is important, since the Database is good info, but errors still exist.

I also used my Laptop w/ external USB CDRW Plextor to Rip @ the same time -- using my network I dumped everything @ same time to one folder.

I had previously numbered my CDG Disk (1-365) so I ensured that I typed in the DiskID # and this worked great.

Note of caution -- Be sure and backup the KMA files to a second HD --
Lot's of work you don't want to repeat!

[mikedomi]

admin here is one for you
how about giving hoster the ability to use one song database
(over a in house network)

which we will say is unit 1

now you have 3 hosters
you are using all 3 to import disc

but 2 and 3 are using the song database or getting its bookid from unit 1
after you are done importing your disc then you move all your kma from
unit 2 and 3 over to 1

how does this sound to you and yes running more then one hoster on a unit can
slow done the import time if you are running any thing under 2 gig processor
at least that is what we have found out

its a little late for us but it would be helpful to the new comers

[Beavis]

i import all my cd-g's from my office computer through a network to my karaoke computer that i use for shows. ive never had a problem playing the songs from my office computer throught the network.