Sorry To Hear Everbody's Problems

[billyo]

i'm sorry to hear everybody's problems ( i shouldn't say anything caused i havent upgraded yet ) but i've been reading the same problem over and over and my thing was ," and this is only a suggestion " i know that most of us have either 1 or 2 ( maybe 3 ) laptops/pc's ,( one for back-up ) why do the upgrades on all of them at the same time? with all the glitches the new version are having. just upgrade one of 'em, so we don't have to worry about if hoster will be working on our gig that night, or losing our gig to other kjs.so that way the people of mtu wont be pressured and also will give them time fixed all these glitches and not to worry about people losing theire gigs..and for those that only have one laptop/pc maybe using your cd's and a player will get you through. i think ive said these before oh well just a reminder

[kedmison]

Originally Posted by billyo

i'm sorry to hear everybody's problems ( i shouldn't say anything caused i havent upgraded yet ) but i've been reading the same problem over and over and my thing was ," and this is only a suggestion " i know that most of us have either 1 or 2 ( maybe 3 ) laptops/pc's ,( one for back-up ) why do the upgrades on all of them at the same time? with all the glitches the new version are having. just upgrade one of 'em, so we don't have to worry about if hoster will be working on our gig that night, or losing our gig to other kjs.so that way the people of mtu wont be pressured and also will give them time fixed all these glitches and not to worry about people losing theire gigs..and for those that only have one laptop/pc maybe using your cd's and a player will get you through. i think ive said these before oh well just a reminder

Have to agree to a point. Last weeks gig was saved only because I hadn't had time to upgrade my backup to 4.02. BUT, I've never feared upgrading any program with MTU. I've been with them a long time. This bump in the road is not a normal occurrence for them. And when they get it fixed I have an idea that it won't happen again.

Kelly

[billyo]

Originally Posted by kedmison

i dont have any problem upgrading too , just have issues with sp3 thats why i havent done it yet, without my issues with sp3 i'll probably would be one of the people in here asking for a solution to all the glitches that's happening now, but still i wont upgrade both of my laptops at the same time, specially upgrading hours before a show..

[johnocolin]

If a reputable software company(as MTU is) tell me that they have new software that has been through several months of Beta testing and it is working and bugs are fixed then i have to believe that when i upgrade.The software is not for free.Money doesn´t grow on trees.And what about those customers that have found MTU for the first time and have bought their first copy of Hoster for a couple of hundred dollars!.What goes through their head when faced with these sort of problems?.What dissapointment.
Sometimes i think as a final BETA test they should give the upgrade to some of us Non IT type people to run on their systems.With all due respect to the BETA testers,sometimes as in all walks of life,if you do something too much or too often or you´re too professional,you tend to overlook the simple things.
I can only back this up after reading that the BETA testers seem not to have had the problems that so many of us have had.But i don´t believe for one minute that we´re all making mistakes and don´t know our a--- from our elbows!.
And what p´s me off the most is when i hear.."why didn´t you close it down and use 3.4" or "all you have to do is close Hoster and restart each time it doesn´t take long!".That´s not on,is that part of the Help manual?.
If i buy 4.xx it´s because of the new features that appeal.The Karaoke music is the same.I think even MTU have realised that If it works don´t fix it!.The old code was tried and tested but a decision was made to try something new and it kinda backfired in my eyes.It has probably cost MTU a little piece of credability too.Hopefully we will be back on track soon.
Don´t take it the wrong way,the reason i´m p´d off is because i´ve been a loyal customer of MTU through the years and have nothing but praise for previous Hoster versions up to 3.16/19 and have even persuaded a couple of friends to buy it.I even waited for 4.02 because i read of all the problems with 4.0 and 4.1 and then when they said the bugs were fixed i dived in.
Anyway i´ll wait for 4.03(have no choice now) and see what gives.

[Beavis]

if MTU software was like everyone else's, it would be pirated insantly ! everyone isnt a one man show around here !

how hard would it be to steal all your kma's and get a pirate version of hoster ?? if they opened it up, it would be easy !

they take pride in security !

if anyone is to blame here it microsoft !


also, it shouldnt be put an your everyday household computer that has had hundreds of programs installed on it !

THIS IS SERIOUS SOFTWARE !

[billyo]

Originally Posted by johnocolin

If

i'm with you on that, believe me i had my share of dis-appointments, i learned from my mistakes, i had bought all kinds of recording gears, virtual dj softwares etc. spent hundrends maybe even thousands ( not to that extent a little bit over 3 )and most of them are now collecting dust in my garage, i'm like other people if it looks good and have nice features ill buy it, not thinking if its gonna work on my laptops/pc's, read all the reviews, but there is always that 1 hidden clause after dowloading the software "comp. requirements must have or not compatible with" and these are not printed on boxes that the software came with..and you can not return the product once you open that little cd inserts ,unlike mtu, mtu has a money back guarantee if it doesnt work for you return it, wait till all the glitches are fixed ,(and if i'm not mistaken mtu has a noticed that the new version will only work with xp and mtu are still working on vista,and still a lot of vista user are still downloading the new version ) then buy it again..those beta testers are not a paid mtu employees and they are working theire butts of just to help all of us, ( i dont even think they sleep) so the lesson here is it's because the product looks good and have nice features that doesnt mean its gonna work until you meet all the requirements..if you have 2 laptops/pc's upgrade 1 not both of them at the same time..

[ddouglass]

Just to add to what Billyo has said and correct your misconception, the Beta Testers are not all computer wizards. We are a group of people with wide varied experienced, with only a very few who are experienced computer techs. MTU selects a wide group like this for the very reason you stated. Most of us are not having all of these problems because we have tweaked our systems to work with Hoster. That is not to say that none of us also have seen or still have some problems with it.
This is what the few of us who are computer savvy enough try to do for everyone in here who has a problem. And yes Billyo we do sleep (at least once or twice a week ).

[billyo]

Originally Posted by ddouglass

Just to add to what Billyo has said and correct your misconception, the Beta Testers are not all computer wizards. We are a group of people with wide varied experienced, with only a very few who are experienced computer techs. MTU selects a wide group like this for the very reason you stated. Most of us are not having all of these problems because we have tweaked our systems to work with Hoster. That is not to say that none of us also have seen or still have some problems with it.
This is what the few of us who are computer savvy enough try to do for everyone in here who has a problem.

And yes Billyo we do sleep (at least once or twice a week ).

that's too much

[johnocolin]

"Most of us are not having all of these problems because we have tweaked our systems to work with Hoster".

And there we have it!.Along comes MR.Normal Computer Owner who hasn´t got the money for 2 Computers.Installs his Hoster onto the Computer besides his MS Office,Movie Players,Games and the rest and yeah guess what ...problems!!.

What i´m saying is the software should run on a fairly average computer.If i can get a 2GB complex Game or Steinberg Cubase to run then Hoster can do it to,without Tweaking!!.

[billyo]

[quote=johnocolin;79508]"Most of us are not having all of these problems because we have tweaked our systems to work with Hoster".

And there we have it!.Along comes MR.Normal Computer Owner who hasn´t got the money for 2 Computers.Installs his Hoster onto the Computer besides his MS Office,Movie Players,Games and the rest and yeah guess what ...problems!!.

What i´m saying is the software should run on a fairly average computer.If i can get a 2GB complex Game or Steinberg Cubase to run then Hoster can do it to,without Tweaking!!.

i'm with you on that, software "should" run on an average comp. i have a fairly average laptops 250 cloned drive and 1.5gb of mem. nothing fancy, but did you know that ( Lexicon )Steinberg Cubase software or any Steinberg products wont run with windows xp media center ,which i have,and have you tried going into theire site and ask them for support or ask them if they will support windows xp media center in the near future.the answer is "we dont know " believe me i bought a lot of lexicon products, before i found out that they dont support wxpmc, mtu is at least trying or making hoster compatible with xp and vista " and also runs with windows xp media center

[marklwood]

Originally Posted by johnocolin

"Most of us are not having all of these problems because we have tweaked our systems to work with Hoster".

And there we have it!.Along comes MR.Normal Computer Owner who hasn´t got the money for 2 Computers.Installs his Hoster onto the Computer besides his MS Office,Movie Players,Games and the rest and yeah guess what ...problems!!.

What i´m saying is the software should run on a fairly average computer.If i can get a 2GB complex Game or Steinberg Cubase to run then Hoster can do it to,without Tweaking!!.

And there we have it!! This program is targeted at serious professionals. How much do you spend on CDGs? The price of a dedicated computer is small $$ compared to the investment in the music. Would you let the kids/wife/neighbors kids play with your CDGs? Then why would you let other programs take a crap on your bread and butter? If this is only for your home system and enjoyment, might I suggest a nice plug-in for Windows Media Player? As far as an average computer, you don't need the latest and greatest computer to run Hoster. The system that is running at my bar as we speak is a 1.7 ghz single core pentium. The only thing special about it is a 256 meg video card that I paid $50 for. There is, and will never be, ANYTHING but what I absolutely need to run my shows from on that PC. I spent less $$ on that computer than I did for a pair of speakers.

Please reconsider what is really important here. Moving forward with this software to continue to be a market leader in the field of karaoke. I, for one, have gambled my entire financial future on the business of karaoke. I will stand behind MTU because I believe they will always be the market leader in karaoke software and I have a quarter million dollar investment in my bar that is tied to that. If I am willing to risk that, don't you think that I would be the first one to bitch if I thought this was not going to work itself out?

[billyo]

Originally Posted by marklwood

And there we have it!! This program is targeted at serious professionals. How much do you spend on CDGs? The price of a dedicated computer is small $$ compared to the investment in the music. Would you let the kids/wife/neighbors kids play with your CDGs? Then why would you let other programs take a crap on your bread and butter? If this is only for your home system and enjoyment, might I suggest a nice plug-in for Windows Media Player? As far as an average computer, you don't need the latest and greatest computer to run Hoster. The system that is running at my bar as we speak is a 1.7 ghz single core pentium. The only thing special about it is a 256 meg video card that I paid $50 for. There is, and will never be, ANYTHING but what I absolutely need to run my shows from on that PC. I spent less $$ on that computer than I did for a pair of speakers.

Please reconsider what is really important here. Moving forward with this software to continue to be a market leader in the field of karaoke. I, for one, have gambled my entire financial future on the business of karaoke. I will stand behind MTU because I believe they will always be the market leader in karaoke software and I have a quarter million dollar investment in my bar that is tied to that. If I am willing to risk that, don't you think that I would be the first one to bitch if I thought this was not going to work itself out?

another suggestion for home use is to get one of those mic's that has 2,000 or more songs in it for $300, then maybe you wouldnt have any problems, you're just gonna get a sound that it looks like you're singing under a bridge..but if you want to be a professional kj use mtu's product..

[BEECEE]

Originally Posted by johnocolin

"What i´m saying is the software should run on a fairly average computer.If i can get a 2GB complex Game or Steinberg Cubase to run then Hoster can do it to,without Tweaking!!.

I understand and agree with where you’re coming from. Fortunately, I’ve not had many issues with MTU Hoster 4.01 & 4.02. Although I do have a large number of other applications installed on my PC, I routinely ensure that all Microsoft OS updates, hardware drivers, spyware/virus protection etc is kept up to date. That being said, if I was reliant on MTU Hoster for business continuity, based on the experiences of others on this forum, I would only have the essential ‘show’ programs installed on my ‘show’ PC.

Originally Posted by marklwood

And there we have it!! This program is targeted at serious professionals. How much do you spend on CDGs?

Originally Posted by billyo

another suggestion for home use is to get one of those mic's that has 2,000 or more songs in it for $300, then maybe you wouldnt have any problems, you're just gonna get a sound that it looks like you're singing under a bridge..but if you want to be a professional kj use mtu's product..

Hoster is not only the realm of so-called Karaoke Pros – so don’t assume that a number of Home Users have not invested a considerable amount of time and money into their Karaoke systems. In my view, the ‘suggestions’ that home users purchase one of those ‘sing-along’ karaoke mikes and/or get a ‘nice plug-in for Windows media player’ are condescending.

Over the past 10 years I’ve purchased (brand new for home use only) over 500 CDGs (incl SC Foundation 1, 2 & the 5 Bricks) , a number of Karaoke Video CDs, two JVC triple tray players, Peavey PA gear incl SP5G speakers, Shure SM58s (corded and wireless), Sennheiser E835s etc. Over that time I’ve made some mistakes in terms of ‘brand’ selection and have learned from those mistakes.

Two years ago, after considerable research, I purchased the entire suite of MTU products (Hoster, Microstudio, Songverter, Vogone and KHPro) and have continued to upgrade to all of the current MTU versions during that time.

My point is that all MTU customers (both Home User & KJ/Pro customers) pay the same purchase price and share the same expectations in terms of product performance and reliability.

The key difference between Home User and KJ/Pro is the fact that for the Home User it’s a hobby and for the KJ/Pro it’s a living. However MTU products appeal to and are used by a broad customer base.

MTU has a history of improving and innovating their great products and, along with this forum, provides great support. I'll continue to support them.

[billyo]

i am not assuming anything, i myself invested a lot of money for home used, i bought 4 mackie boards ( 2 dfx6, 1 cfx 12 and 1 dfx 12 ) 2 mackie active srm 450 speakers 4 active krk studio monitors ( 2 rokit 6 limited editon, 2 rp-8 and a 10" sub.) 4 mic's ( 2 audix and 2 audio technica wireless ) cd/vcd player, a dell pc with lcd monitor ( i use microstudio for home ) 1/2 of them is in my garage ( converted into a small studio ) the other 1/2 is in my family room, all i'm saying was for people that wanted to used hoster for home, get something simple, " hoster is a serious" software and mtu is working theire butts of trying to give most of us asked /wanted....and by the way i have 4 3 way jbls and 4 1-18" sub. for sale if anybody's interested

[marklwood]

Originally Posted by BEECEE

That being said, if I was reliant on MTU Hoster for business continuity, based on the experiences of others on this forum, I would only have the essential ‘show’ programs installed on my ‘show’ PC.

Hoster is not only the realm of so-called Karaoke Pros – so don’t assume that a number of Home Users have not invested a considerable amount of time and money into their Karaoke systems.

Over the past 10 years I’ve purchased (brand new for home use only) over 500 CDGs (incl SC Foundation 1, 2 & the 5 Bricks) , a number of Karaoke Video CDs, two JVC triple tray players, Peavey PA gear incl SP5G speakers, Shure SM58s (corded and wireless), Sennheiser E835s etc. Over that time I’ve made some mistakes in terms of ‘brand’ selection and have learned from those mistakes.

Alhough I was a little heated when I replied, my point was exactly this. If anyone is willing to fork over the $$ for all those CDGs, PA equipment & the price of the software, Pro or Home user, isn't it worth it to spend a few more dollars on a used PC to tie it all together?

I have typically just use the PC I retired at the house to run Hoster on (originally a 700mhz Duron processor with 128 megs of ram). After a clean minimum install of XP, I go online, update Windows and install Hoster. It takes a LOT less resources than Photoshop, or Video editing software that you would typically have on a home PC, making that old computer a perfect candidate for use as a dedicated karaoke machine. The PC I am using currently, I picked up at an office sale for $50. I put another $75 in a video card and a stick of ram and BINGO, I have a rock solid karaoke system to protect all my CDGs. I would expect to pay more than that for cases just to cart the CDGs around in.

[MackieRocks]

God bless the Beta testers, and God bless 3.4X!

[mindonstrike]

Originally Posted by billyo

...all i'm saying was for people that wanted to used hoster for home, get something simple...

This market is exactly what Hoster Lite was created for. The trend these days in all kinds of activities is to adapt and use professional tools for home use. Do-it-youselfers are getting more savy everyday. They are the reason Home Depot exists.They want professional style tools for home repair and auto repair etc, why should karaoke be any different. Hoster Lite is a professional style tool designed for the non professional. Yeah you could jury-rig a usable setup from free stuff on the net but then that wouldn't be very professional.

IMHO
Sam

[billyo]

Originally Posted by mindonstrike

This market is exactly what Hoster Lite was created for. The trend these days in all kinds of activities is to adapt and use professional tools for home use. Do-it-youselfers are getting more savy everyday. They are the reason Home Depot exists.They want professional style tools for home repair and auto repair etc, why should karaoke be any different. Hoster Lite is a professional style tool designed for the non professional. Yeah you could jury-rig a usable setup from free stuff on the net but then that wouldn't be very professional.

IMHO
Sam

oh yeah , i forgot about hoster lite..sorry

[gd123]

I have not upgraded as my 1st clue was bundling 3.4 with 4.0.

My 2nd clue was the 2 years it took to get 4.0 and seeing the list of improvements that had nothing to do with making it any easier to get a song into the playlist. 2 years...and all that was accomplished was to change the format of the SND (which is the ONLY improvement that the SINGERS see)? 2 years...and I add a BookID and a Singer's name to the Playlist in the EXACT same way prior to 4.0 (Am I STILL typing the SAME Singer's Name into the Playlist OVER AND OVER again)? 2 years...and the Playlist looks EXACTLY the same? 2 years...and there is NO DRAG AND DROP?

My 3rd clue was the "reduced" upgrade price for "loyal" customers.

As stated perfectly in another Post, the customers are not Beta testers and, I will add, not guinea pigs.

MTU has missed the mark and I will wait patiently until they do hit the mark.

[ddouglass]

Originally Posted by gd123

I have not upgraded as my 1st clue was bundling 3.4 with 4.0.

My 2nd clue was the 2 years it took to get 4.0 and seeing the list of improvements that had nothing to do with making it any easier to get a song into the playlist. 2 years...and all that was accomplished was to change the format of the SND (which is the ONLY improvement that the SINGERS see)? 2 years...and I add a BookID and a Singer's name to the Playlist in the EXACT same way prior to 4.0 (Am I STILL typing the SAME Singer's Name into the Playlist OVER AND OVER again)? 2 years...and the Playlist looks EXACTLY the same? 2 years...and there is NO DRAG AND DROP?

My 3rd clue was the "reduced" upgrade price for "loyal" customers.

As stated perfectly in another Post, the customers are not Beta testers and, I will add, not guinea pigs.

MTU has missed the mark and I will wait patiently until they do hit the mark.

Your first clue was at the request of users, not MTU's idea and was because of the added features that they wanted it so they would have time to learn how to use all the new features before having to use it in their shows.
Your second clue you are missing. The development time you are listing is the time to gather all of the user requested features and determine how to integrate them into an already excellent program.
What the singers see is a much improved and more professional looking display including a marquee, an intermision screen, full size videos without having to struggle getting it to fit, a background for normal music play and the SND improvement.
The additional new features are to help the host be able to do their show much easier. Obviously you have not checked out the Singers Database where you can build a list of the songs a singer does regularly. Or noticed the dropdown list of Singers names that shows up the minute you type the first letter and saves you many keystrokes.
The playlist has changed with the addition of the the file type and the BookID. I am not sure what you want to drag-n-drop? If you are referring to being able to move a song up or down in the playlist this is still there and working.
Your third clue baffles me because this is the highest price (if I am not mistaken) they have had for an upgrade to Hoster.