Karaoke Forums

Hi, first time poster.  Thanks in advance for any input on this issue.

For background, I'm a Karaoke newbie.  We've been having a lot of fun at parties using my daughter's Singing Machine line out connected to my home stereo.  I also connect some spare "expendable" speakers for Karaoke to save my nicer Polks.  I recently decided to upgrade to a dedicated Karaoke DVD/CD player, thinking we would get better sound plus the convenience and aesthetics of a permanent player (and our daughter would get her toy back).

Here's the issue.  I've tried 2 Karaoke DVD/CD players (a Sony and a RSQ NEO C320) and their vocal sound quality is worse than the Singing Machine's line out.  They both have vocal distortion, especially with male vocal peaks.  I even tried 4 different mics to determine if there were mic compatibility issues.  The Singing Machine has no distortion, making this surprising and disappointing given that these 2 players cost 2-3 times more.

What's the deal?  Do most Karaoke DVD/CD players have poor vocal quality and why would they be worse than a $60 all-in-one unit?  Makes no sense to me.  My guess is that these 2 players have inadequate mic preamp circuitry and are clipping with male vocal peaks.

I'm willing to spend some more money.  Are there any players with good vocal quality for less than $250?  This is for casual home use, maybe twice a month.  

Any thoughts on the API DV-702 or VocoPro DVX-880?

Also, I do not need DVD capability; CDG and VCD would be fine.

Thanks,
Adam

The mic pre-amp in your player cannot handle the peak of your vox. It clips. What you need is a small mixer.

_________________
I can neither confirm nor deny ever having or knowing anything about nothing.... mrscott

Thanks for the input.  Sounds like a mixer is a better option vs. a more expensive player.  I found this inexpensive, basic mixer.  Think it will do the job and eliminate the vocal distortion?
http://www.acekaraoke.com/acesonic-km-110-dvd-cdg-mp3-mp4-microphone-computer-player-karaoke-mixer.html

How about this

http://www.americanmusical.com/item--i- ... 02FX.html#

The one tk mentioned would yield better sound & effects.

_________________
LIKE Lonman on Facebook - Lonman Productions Karaoke & my main site via my profile!

What kind of microphone do you have? If you are using the one supplied with the typical karaoke player, it will be a high-impedance model that will have a huge output. It would tend to over-drive most things, which might account for your distortion problems.

I would reccommend buying something like the above Behringer 1002FX, along with a better microphone. You can get the Behringer XM8500 for $20, and it will be a lot better than most bad microphones.

Thanks to all for the tip on the Behringer mixer.  I did a little research and found the 8 channel version (802) for $60.  These mixers are a lot more complicated than the Acesonic karaoke mixer, but if the sound quality is better, it’s probably worth the extra complexity.



I tried 4 different mics, with the “best” being a $40 Shure PG48.  The distortion is there will all mics.  Thanks, I’ll check out that Behringer mic.

Again, what doesn’t make sense is that $60 Singing Machine’s line out doesn’t have the distortion and sounds fine to me for occasional/casual karaoke.  I didn’t expect to have to spend $230-260 (player and mixer), just to get to distortion-free vocals.  Is the Singing Machine’s mic preamp that good, or are the karaoke DVD players just notoriously bad?

It isn't that the Singing Machine preamp is that good, in fact it's the opposite, there is no real gain in their preamps so to speak so it may not distort as much.  Yes the inputs built into cdg/dvd players are even worse.
With the Behringer mixer, you'll be able to adjust eq & effects for each mic & music, not just a set effect for everything.

_________________
LIKE Lonman on Facebook - Lonman Productions Karaoke & my main site via my profile!

Bear in mind if you buy that mixer, you will not have any effects. I strongly recommend you get the 1002FX instead.

Ah didn't catch that, mck is right, the 802 model doesn't have any effects built in so your vocals will always sound dry - plain - no vocal enhancement without the aid of a separate external processor (which will jack up the cost quite a bit).  The 1002 have built in effects.
As far as being complex, they aren't.

_________________
LIKE Lonman on Facebook - Lonman Productions Karaoke & my main site via my profile!

Whohoo! Picked up the 1002FX after work from Parts Express.  Been playing with it for an hour or so.  After adjusting the trim and levels, the sound quality is great - no distortion and very little, if any background noise.  Before getting the levels set properly, I could get clipping and distortion.  So, this affirms that the DVD player was most likely clipping the vocals.  My kids and I have also had a blast with the FX on vocals.  This is going to take our Karaoke up several notches.  

Thanks a ton for the input.  I was tempted to cheap-out with the Acesonic, but I'm glad you folks steered me towards the 1002FX.

I noticed that the 802 didn't have FX after I posted.

Parts Express didn't have those Behringer mics, so I'll look elsewhere.  The Shure PG48 sure sounds good though.

What FX do most folks prefer for vocals?  Reverb, delay, modulation?

Thanks again.

Adam

Stick with that for now -- the XM8500 won't be that much of an improvement. (Actually I have two of those I will test soon, and I will try to remember to update this with results compared to the industry-standard Shure SM58, which some people say the XM8500 is as good as.)


I don't know if the 1002FX has the same 99 effects presets my Behringer PMH3000 has, but if it does I like the 10 (second studio) or 3 (plate) effects for vocals. If you have someone with a thin voice, the 25-chorus effect can help them. And 53 for the big echo. You can adjust the FX slider to vary the amount, I think...

Just noticed that those XM8500 mics do not have an on/off switch, which is necessary for our home karaoke.

Any other recos for $40 and under mics with on/off?  If not, I’ll stick with Shure PG48’s, which sound pretty good to me.

Stick with the Shure.

_________________
LIKE Lonman on Facebook - Lonman Productions Karaoke & my main site via my profile!

I don't get what people see in on-off switches. Their main effect in my mind is to serve as vehicles to have to restart the song....

Since we randomly switch between 1 and 2 singers, the on/off allow me to kill a mic without touching with the mixer or unplugging a mic.

We just put the mic in a stand, and it sits there live. No problems that I see. I have good speaker placement, so there is never any feedback.

I am always touching the mixer anyway. Everyone sings at a different level, and I sometimes change effects. I guess I am more anal than the average home karaoke operator though.

I agree: the switch is one of the first thing that fail. I go with a mic that have no switch over one with a switch.

_________________
I can neither confirm nor deny ever having or knowing anything about nothing.... mrscott

This might also satisfy your needs:

http://www.acekaraoke.com/acesonic-km-1 ... mixer.html

Has anyone tried this "mixer"?

I mentioned that Acesonic mixer in an earlier post above.  Folks pushed me towards the Behringer, which I bought and am happy with.