Mixing filler music between singers?
 

After 3 years using hoster, then finding another software to make show better, coming back ....(compu host has glitches during music, and timing of music and words highlighting is not good.) need to find a better way to fade filler music like compu host. Hoster plays karaoke better and tools better. Does anyone know how to fade music instead of wam bam after dead air space. (with Hoster) Have to get creative announcing between songs now. :c

The next version of Hoster (4.10) is supposed to have a Cross fade function that will fade from Audio to Karaoke song or Audio to Audio. This has not been added to the beta tests yet so can't tell you how it will work. This new version is supposed to release early this next year, but nothing specific yet on a date.
As far as right now, the only way I know to do it is using your mixer control and fade the volume down and back up.

Some folks have a second sound card with winamp or something similiar running through it, which is what I used to do without problems. I now run winamp through my backup computer.

A few folks who did this had audio drops while adding a track from a singer-owned-disk. I never had this problem but it's something you'd want to check.

Sam

I use internal sound card for music, and soundblaster card for karaoke.
you can fade using your mixing board, very easy.
i never use filler music between singers, thats a no, no around here.
singers don't like it, by the time i say whos up and whos on deck, the next singer is starting.

I use my backup laptop fed into other channel. Gotta have a backup anyway, right.

Like the others I have a separate program running on a separate sound card fed to the mixer to fade in when I need.

I use VDJ 5.2.1 with Hercules Mk2 controller Video/Audio, Show clips no problems.

Transitions, announcements, birthdays & effects.

Joe...

Ditto

Lon,
Whattya got for an ext. sound card, I got a Lil behringer thing. Once in a while I get a "no sound coming from anywhere" thing; I unplug the usb sound card, plug it back in, and it's okay?

I oughtta look at what you got, perhaps?

Dean Replies w/: Yes have done that, but not as good as my mixer othe large system. Thanks for the info.
Re: "If things don't work today, there's always tomorrow!:e

This question of fill in music in between songs. Myself I have an old creative labs 6 GB music player loaded with mp3 music plugged in to my mixer directly, I just leave it playing, doesn't use any computer resources and just use the cross fader on the mixer when needed. those with more up to date gear could use an Ipod or any of the other available players. I noted in one of the other threads someone is doing the same with video on an Ipod, the only thing I have noticed with this is that video faders are quite expensive. I have recently added a muti format cdg, dvd player to my set up which I now use for singers own disc's and video. I purchased a cheap video switcher from Maplins for less than £15.00 and use that to switch the video source. With this I can show video at full dvd quality and I only carry 4 pre recorded DVD with me for playing in between songs but usually just leave one in the player all night.

i have never used a music filler in any of my shows,lets face it how long does it take for the next singer to get on the stage? i always let the the music play through till the next singer comes on and i just use my boards fader.. and i have several vdj software, hercules mk2, pcdj and mixmeister fo strictly djing..this is my opinion, thats why i bought hoster strictly for karaoke not for djing ,if i wanna dj i use my other programs...this in my opinion will elliminate some prblems...

Try experimenting with Javascript.You can design a simple web page for the intermission to include a mp3 script player with fade in and even have a slideshow to music.I´ve tried it and it works great.Use a random mp3 player script(there are enough freebies out there).Unfortunately can´t help if the Karaoke track ends with a long silence then you have to manually stop track before website loads.Just play around with webpages.If you rename your mp3s to a video format recognizable by media player and play them you can use the media player visualizations for example.Trial and error and some fun along the way.

I use a Lexicon Alpha. It's a great little unit complete with balanced 1/4" outputs.
I get that no sound anywhere on occasion, usually it's when the computer sits idle for too long (not at a show, but at home) & I have to unplug the USB on the unit to wake it up.

Depends on the size of the club. If I got people in the back of the room with a packed house (big club), it can take up to 30 seconds in an extreme max. Usually avg 'long' time is about 15 seconds. If a song has a long outro, I use this as my fill music, if a song has an abrupt end, then the fill gets bumped up while the next singer is making their way.

i have the same , i couldnt get it to work with my laptop caused of the windows media center, but it works fine on my other laptops/pc's.

Is the one with WMC a Vista machine? Not sure why it would cause the problem, works fine on both my Vista machines.

I play smaller venues and on a good night the Karaoke rotation will be 20 folks in a bar of 80 people so I do play some dj request figuring only 25% have come to sing, and 75% are there for whatever. If I get the ladies to dance between each rotation they dance more during the karaoke also. So dj is a win win with me. Far as a method I have been using WMP, but they have failed me a couple of times and recently aquired MediaMonkey this little program is a DJs low budget dream. Process wise it uses way less than the WMP which if I could get rid of from my Vistas I would and not look back. If the new version of Hoster (I am planning on next week) works as well as mediamonkey it will go by the wayside. In my music directory a simple click and drag puts it in play. Or I can choose multiples very easy and place them in the stack. Far as fading, in mediamonkey it is adjustable. Time between songs is adjustable from zero which is my preferred setting. I have all faders in storage. "Dead air space is my enemy"

no its an xp, i didnt know that most of the 3rd party dj/ recording softwares wont work with windows media center, i spoke to a sound eng'r. and some friends that i know,that do a lot of studio recordings and i was told that nothing will work with wmc, itunes and pcdj are the only that works with my back-up dj laptop..

OTSDJ works as well with WMC.