Karaoke Forums

I have a 1000 square foot bar that I would like to put a good karaoke system. Could one of your experts tell me what is the best system? I would like tips on the whole system including the music.


Thank you

Szamboti

Well, there is no "best". It's all dependent on your budget & what you PLAN on spending. $5K is a good starting point if you have nothing. You can go up or down from there, but you get what you pay for.

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'Best' is a very subjective term.

Asking for the 'Best' is likely to get you recommended $50,000 worth of equipment (or more) that would take a PhD and 20 years in sound engineering to run when a 'good' system that is easy to use would likely cost you less than $10,000-$15,000 (installed w/ music).

Do you have a budget in mind? How many songs are you looking to have? Your existing clientle - what is the demographic and preferred music choice (country, rock, alternative, classics, rat pack, etc). It's also difficult to make recommendations without seeing the space. What works for one 1000 sq ft space won't work for another. Can you tell us what part of the country you're in and perhaps one of us is close enough to take a look at the space? In most cases you'll come out better working with a local person to help design the system and arrange for installation.

But as with all karaoke systems you'll need:

1. Microphones (Shure SM58, Sennheiser e825, or similar - and at least one high quality UHF wireless)

2. Mixer - at least 4 microphone inputs, and 2 stereo inputs (Mackie DFX-12, CFX-12, Onyx 1620, or similar products from Behringer, Soundcraft, etc).

3. Karaoke Player - you'll want 3, 2 for regular use and a backup (because 1 WILL break one day). The CAVS 202G, RSQ/JVC 333 (triple tray change), JVC/RSQ 222 (single tray player), or similar.

4. Amps/Speakers - lots of ways to go but I usually recommend powered speakers because they're easier to set up, and if you loose one you replace it. Heat and other issues common to amplifiers are a non issue with powered speakers. Look at JBL Eon G2 15's, Mackie SRM 450's or similar. I'd use standard wall post mounts for the speakers.

5. Monitors - I'd recommend at least a single monitor for the singer(s) since this is a 'permanent' installation. Something akin to the JBL Eon G2 10 or 12 should work nicely.

6. Music storage - There are wall mount, flip out cd holders that I'd recommend for your club. I'd avoid using cd 'books' and many other storage mechanisms for storing the media.

7. Video - for switching between the two players use a standard video switch and chances are you'll need an RF convertor (get both at your local Radio Shack/Walmart/etc). The TV/projection system can be anything from a 13" TV on a stand to TV's throughout the club. I'd typically use a 13"TV on a stand for the singer if you don't have other TV's throughout the club that can be easily seen by the singer.

8. Music - Ahhhh... the all important music. If your club is mostly country western it won't do you any good to get a bunch of alternative music. There are a number of songs that you should have that are 'standards' and should be in nearly every karaoke portfolio. I'd start with the Sound Choice Foundations 1 &2, add on the 5 Bricks as a base to build from. These are all top quality and cover 80-90% of the standards (and then some). From there you can add as necessary to meet your clubs needs. I would put out a list of 'requests' for the first couple weeks/months and work towards getting the songs your patrons are asking for (within reason). I'd shoot for 3500-5000 songs in your books within a few weeks of opening and build from there with a couple discs a month.

9. Talent - you need someone to run the show that's energetic and able to keep the rotation going fairly and quickly.

10. There's more I'm sure I'm missing so just chalk all that stuff up under here! Others feel free to chime in on what I've missed.

There are plenty of other things to consider as well, especially lighting. Do you want to use a small spot to light up the singer or rely on the normal lighting in the venue? Lots of more questions along these lines will be sure to come up.

Again, the above is general information regarding most of the basics of what you need to get started. It's NOT meant as a shopping list! Talk with a knowledgeable person in your area (or fly me in if you're in Hawaii!) on how best to move forward. BTW, I prefer to buy from a local smaller shop instead of major retailers because of the personalized attention and the fact they will go out of their way (usually) to keep you happy and provide support. Most are even negotiable on prices enough to meet or beat the online prices (w/ shipping).

Hope this information is helpful and gives you some ideas towards meeting your goals. Again, it's best to have someone look at the place and have a budget in mind before just buying or making recommendations.

Good Luck!

and if you have people running it for you, they're not going to be as concerned with the upkeep of the discs as you as the owner would. I'd recommend going computerized, and installing that into your house system.