still seeking advice

[jdavia]

Back to the setup type of questions near the beginning.
I use the MTU laptop. The model I have has a built in CDG drive. I have and can also use the external CDG drive.
I am a retired Cabinet maker and made a wheel in cabinet 49W x 24D x 32H with disco lights that reflect on the wall behind me. Speakers, Amplifier and other components are all pre-wired in for a Karaoke and/or DJ show. All I have to do is wheel in my cart, hook up my LCD flat screen moniter, and plug one outlet to 120V. The drawback was I needed a Van or a trailer to haul it.
I decided to use a small trailer. This way I am portable and can do a show from it in the open. Arizona's weather is great for that.
The trailer quadruples for use as a camper, to haul my ATV, the K unit, or all three at the same time, plus for small hauling jobs.
I do expect to create a Website showing all the equipment very soon. I'll let you know.

[Jamie Strait]

My wife and I have been doing karaoke shows for about 10 years, I haven't run a show in about 5 years. I handle equipment, research and problem solving.

Computer wise you are starting off with more than you need today, but will give yourself an advantage for future upgrades(time when you need to). CPU, RAM, sound card all more than needed. Our computer P4 3.06, 1 GB RAM, 80 GB and 2 250 GB hard drives, 1 Plextor CD-R, Sound Blaster Live 5.1, 17" flat panel LED monitor.

7.1 dolby is the newest standard, I like Creative Labs sound cards the best. The quality is the best that you can get for the money.

For the past 5 years we have uses a Mackie 808s power mixer, which gives 600 watts per channel(2). Mackie C300 speakers (non-powered) 2 or 4 depending on the size of the place. We use a monitor for the singer in places that are larger to make it easier for the singer to hear. This is easily done by running the monitor on the second channel which also gives a seperate EQ to adjust for mic feedback.

I'm not sure what mic mixer you are planning to use but you only need one output from the computer to your mixer.

We are using RockIt 2000 Pro for the DJ part of the shows. It is more than adequate for DJing and only cost $40 US.

Good Luck

[Part On!]

just an update, system is running great.....these forums are an awesome resource...thanks to all!

[gotrich]

I have 2cents to put in here. I have never used amps or anything. I have my pc, mackie mixer, 15" flat screen, keyborad, mouse, and I put most of the cables wires and soforth in a duffel bag done it for a full year never had a problem.

I ALSO use Crete powered speakers. I noramlly have access to the outlets needed. I also cary 25 & 50 foot extention cords incase. Even with all this I even set up my own DJ table and all the frills and if I work slow it takes 45 mins if I work at a normal pace 30 mins is I bust butt 20 mins. I have found the sound quality is good from powered speakers and I have the better sounding system in the area.

My sound is different than most karaoke systems since I use a mixer and pc the echo or reverb is not the same. I can add what on my mixer is called delay. It gives it that reverb rich sound but it doesnt make the siger feel they are being overshaddowed by it. I have been told more echo can make a singer sound better but I disagree. I think I sound more like the CD or what you would hear on a CD than A Karaoke bar.

But the speakers I have I love yea they do weigh 60 pounds and go up on stands but I like em of course I have helped friends with amps but dont know dink about em.

[BooBoo]

As for equipment, There is only one option in my mind. Go to Carvin.com I run all Carvin equipment and you can't beat the value. I run both a DC1500 amp with two PM15s for main and a PM15a (powered) for the monitor. I have another name brand 1600 watt amp and the DC1500 seems twice as loud and much more clear (more important than loud).

Just my .02

[Monolith]

I have set myself up over the past several years with all the bits and pieces that I have.

As far as computers go. I found it better to build my own. You can have just about anything in it as long as it has a certified CD/DVD burner (usually Plextor) ample harddrive space and at least 1 GB of memory (I started with less and some of the memory intensive features of Hoster caused my DJ program to have short skips).

While you are at Guitar Center look at some of their rack equipment to keep all of this stuff.

I prefer a separate power amp, mixer, and speakers. Just for the simple sake of upgrades. Which I do all the time.


For amps I swear by Crown. My CE 2000 gets the heck beat out of it every time I use it and it just keeps coming back for more. Tons of power and sounds really clean.

Mixers are pretty much standard in the higher end names like Mackie, Behringer, Yamaha, etc. Usually you will get better features on a 12 channel or better. Just make sure you have a listen to it before you buy it.

Speakers. I swear by Peavey. The SP-5G is what I want but the price tag is a bit high for me at the moment. Their PR-15 and PR-12 speakers sound really good and are very light. The Peavey brand is well built and durable and their sound is as good or better than many of the other brands out there.
I use the Peavey PR-10 speakers for monitors and on occasion when I need to tighten up the bass I will daisy chain them off of my PR-15's so I have the best of both worlds in the bass category.

One thing you want to consider also are microphones. One name should come to mind at this point (in my opinion) Shure SM-58. Others will say that there are better sounding mics out there. but how much better do they really sound and can they stand up to this kind of abuse. My oldest SM-58 (8 years old) sounds just as good as the new one I purchased a few months ago. You can get them with or without wires. There is a clone of this mic which is the SHS OM-500. I've taken both apart they are identical but the SHS is a lot less expensive. A good choice for someone starting out or who doesn't have much money to work with.

Please understand folks that these are my opinions and not stated facts by any means. This is just what works for me.

Jon
Monolith Entertainment

[Part On!]

Hi All,
Just an update, I've been up and running for 10 months now, and my business is growing by the day. I do a lot of dinner cruises on the Cornucopuia Princess, which is just on more reason I'm so glad that I'm totally digital (lots of waves make life hell on the boat for djs still using discs). These forums have been great, and I appreciate all of the advice.
The quality of my karaoke show is awesome. the crowd loves the fact that I come out into the crowd with my wireless mic, giving some people a chance to sing who may be to shy to go up and sing a song. I could never play to the crowd and have such fun if I were searching for discs.

[jdavia]

I promised a while back that I would make a Karaoke web site and list it here. I finally got around to it. http://www.citlink.net/~jdavia/karaoke/