Karaoke Forums

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Electro-Voice Evolve 50... Taking Sound To The Next Level.

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Electro-Voice Evolve 50... Taking Sound To The Next Level.

A permanent ban over a mic drop? I think that might be a little harsh. The drunken idiots who do a mic drop haven't thought through the damage it can do to the microphone and think they are just being funny.

It would be one thing if it was dropped accidentally... after all, accidents do happen. But for someone to intentionally drop it, shows that person has no respect for you and your equipment. I have no tolerance for people like that, so in this case, I agree with mrscott. If it was done on purpose, you're done!

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Electro-Voice Evolve 50... Taking Sound To The Next Level.

Scenario: I'm one of your friends invited to your home karaoke party. Liquor is present, and late at night, I'm one of those extremely drunk. I decided to do a "mic drop" with your wireless Shure Beta58 to be funny.

I say, "oops! Sorry, just being funny. Next time you invite me, I won't do it again (no guarantee if I get drunk again, tho)".

I'm with Mr.Scott & Alan on this one!

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To be fortunate enough to derive an income from a source as fulfilling as karaoke music has got to be as close to heaven as we can get here on earth!

Or how about this Brian. We invite ourselves over to Zekes show, and we bring a hammer and go over to Zekes mixing board. We think it would be funny to see the sparks fly as we smash it with the hammer a few times. But hey, it's all in good fun, right?

Yes a "mic drop" (as opposed to accidentally dropping it) is intentional, and the person thinks they are being funny. They are imitating television and pop culture, and trying to impress their friends.

But they aren't a karaoke host, and they don't know much about the equipment. The people I've seen do this get yelled at by the KJ and look very surprised and embarrassed. I have never seen anyone get permanently banned over it, and while I respect your right to do this, I genuinely believe the people who do this generally aren't acting maliciously and a permanent lifetime ban is an overreaction. The drunken mic dropper thinks they are being funny, and they don't realize the damage it can cause.

This mic dropping must be a generational thing? During the later part of my KJ hosting career I did mainly Golden Oldie Shows, and the BB's were always very careful with the equipment. I don't think I would have the patience to deal with a rowdy type of crowd, but then I have been out of the business for a while now. Every once in a while I would do a private party or charity for a good cause, and I have never had a real problem with patrons, disrespecting my equipment. The one thing I think anyone who has worked in a bar type gig has had a problem with is people wanting to drink and sing. I take care of that real quick, I tell them to put down the drink, then they can sing, most people comply. When they ask why? I tell them that there is so much voltage going through my system, I don't want them to have their straight hair, develop a real permanent wave, they laugh and comply.

It definitely is generational. Mic drops are shown on TV and movies, skits, and although they have been a part of pop culture since the 80s, they apparently have become much more popular in the last couple of decades.

I would liken it to swinging the mic by the cord, or banging on it with your palm to make a percussion sound. Activities that are bad for the equipment that people don't realize when they do it. In a similar vein is cupping the top of the mic, which a lot of rappers do in music videos and so some people try to imitate at karaoke, not knowing it causes the system to feed back.

First rule of Karaoke, always treat the equipment as if it were your own!

Ignorance of the fact they are being stupid is no excuse, and is still being stupid. Yep, lifetime ban is in order.

And on top of that, it is plainly written in the new rules of karaoke for this new era, for all to see and read. These are posted right in front of my booth and on the walls around the bar.

Nice and plain, I just wonder how long it will be observed, once drinks are poured into the picture?

Ya know,, the funny thing about this kid... he DID use hand sanitizer, so I know he read the rules. He actually was fairly polite and was not obviously overly drunk, and waited patiently for his turn on stage. His song choice was one that I had not heard of, but wasn't a bad song either (he did suck at it tho). And most of his friends had already left the bar. Dropping the mic was totally unexpected from where I stood. He wasn't overly dramatic on stage, he just sang his song, raised his hand to shoulder height, and promptly dropped the mic to the stage. It took me exactly 3 seconds to tell him he was now banned from karaoke forever, and he promptly left the bar. So, he had it planned the whole time to do exactly what he did, I am sure of that. I really don't think alcohol was the deciding catalyst in his decision.

So far, I have had nothing but positive reactions from the new rules, everyone is following what I have posted (except for this little turd). As far as the social distancing part, I can keep reminding them of what the bar has been outlined, but it's up to the staff (bartender only in this case) to police that part. It's nearly impossible to enforce something like that, all we can do is our very best to keep things clean. You are correct, when alcohol finally kicks in, becoming "social" is the thing to do. But, I still feel safe, because of where we live. Some of you may feel differently, and I can understand and appreciate your positions,,, I would just like the same in return. But let's keep that for a different thread, OK?

My state is still on lock down until June 19. If and when I go back to karaoke, only 1 singer will be allowed on stage at a time. At least initially. Duets will be a thing of the past. Now, if you think that's a little harsh... here's one reason.

One of my venues, this place gets packed, but the stage area for the singer is very small. There is not enough room for 2 singers to be 6 feet apart. Or even 5 feet apart for that matter. So in this particular case, social distancing cannot be safely practiced, Therefore only 1 singer at a time.

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Electro-Voice Evolve 50... Taking Sound To The Next Level.

That's understandable. I don't have that problem. The stage is big enough for 2, but that's it.

P.S.
I built the stage myself a few years ago, with "karaoke" in mind, not bands.

Is this a permanent stage or portable one that has to be set up each time. I know you're pretty good with building things. You did an awesome job on your DJ booth.

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Electro-Voice Evolve 50... Taking Sound To The Next Level.

It's a permanent stage, although with a lot of manpower, it can be moved. It's a 6'X8' stage, about 8" tall (really just a riser) and it weighs about 500 pounds. I built it to be very solid and heavy. You can see it in the pics on the thread about my booth. Thank you on the booth too.

By the way,, did I miss any signs about this kid doing the mic drop? I would like to be able to stop such actions before they happen.

Thanks for giving me an idea to make a poster, which is new rules for singers to follow.

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To be fortunate enough to derive an income from a source as fulfilling as karaoke music has got to be as close to heaven as we can get here on earth!