Karaoke Forums

The latest edition

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The Line Array Experiment is over. Nothing to see here. Move along.

I would like to make a modification to one of the commandments...

Thou shall respect the host and refer to him as "My Lord" or "My Lady" if the host is a female.

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

Commandment #11: Please, for the love of God, sing directly into the microphone. Stop holding it 3 feet away from your face and still expect to sound good. And stop covering the mic with the entire inside of your palm.

Commandment #12: It's 2022. Don't ever ask any more KJs ever to give you more Reverb. (It's nothing against Reverb. This has everything to do with people who go around everywhere and command reverb before every song that they sing. You just can't keep doing this for the rest of your life and the rest of my life. At some point, you've got to just let it go; let the demands for Reverb go. Because asking for reverb everyday, everywhere you go, every time you get on a mic for karaoke is a Godforsaken, thankless, bottomless, abyss. This person will never be satisfied. If tonight, I have your Reverb perfect, just the way you'll like it, you'll be back the next night or the next time requesting, no actually absolutely demanding that it be perfect again. Like all the perfect Reverbs I've given you before that night, in the past, all never ever happened. Because you want it again. And if it's not perfect again, you will complain. HARD. But what about all the perfect Reverbs I've given you in the past? All forgotten. You won't give me a break. So, no Reverb. Get over it. Karaoke isn't a perfect thing. It's not even your song, you don't own it, you didn't create it and I'm in no obligation to give you Reverb at anytime, anyway.)

Confession: I love it when folks ask me for Reverb. I'll nod my head in agreement, show them in dramatic acting fashion that I'm twisting knobs and buttons on my mixer, and they sing. After their song, their face is always absolutely glowing, they have tears in their eyes and they fawn over me, "The reverb was perfect, thank-you, Mr. KJ". Meanwhile, I didn't do a damn thing on my mixer. I didn't change the volume, I touched nothing. I'm not hateful or mean. I've been a KJ for a long time. I've given countless people Reverb. But I just can't give it anymore. I can't do it repeatedly night after night for every request. It has to stop.

Fun Fact: the first song everybody ever sang in their karaoke lives they most likely sang it without reverb. It was their first ever karaoke song. They most likely didn't know what reverb was. Now they do. Get over it. Stop asking for it every song. You survived your first ever song without it. Let it go.

And commandment #13: Stop singing your favorite karaoke song the same friggin way every single time. Switch it up sometimes. Not the song, the way you sing it the same friggin way. With your same little speech before it or the same little dance you do afterwards or in the middle. It's corny. It's silly. Just sing the song, straight sometimes. Give us a break sometimes. You don't have to do your little same shtick every single friggin time. The same gimmick. Let it go, sometimes, just sometimes. Surprise us. Yes, I myself had to teach myself to let it go and not sing my signature songs with the same little speech before hand or little gimmicks. Just sing the song sometimes straight. And that goes for me as a KJ. Now I set up in a different part of the room sometimes, every once in a while out of nowhere and everyone raises their eyebrows. I'm like, I can't just set up the same way everytime, everyday year in and year out. Sometimes just do things differently. I loved that one time I started the show by playing the very first song as "The Cupid Shuffle". Everyone was confused. Nobody danced to it. "You're playing it too early!" They cried. No, it's just a song. I don't have to start the show the same way every time. Sometimes, I start off weird on purpose. Sometimes I end the show weird on purpose. Stop ending every single show with Sha Na Na's "Goodnight Sweetheart". Play something, anything else, every once in a while.

Please forgive me everyone. I had a terrible night hosting karaoke today where it felt like every patron was so obnoxious and selfish. Meanwhile I tried my best to bend over backwards to please everybody. The worst question of the night, someone came up to me and asked if I had a specific remix cut of an iconic song from the 70s. It had to be that one specific remix cut, not just the regular remix--was it, did I have it in karaoke? Oh, I wanted to Will Smith Slap that person so badly. The song was like "Sitting On The Dock of The Bay" or Donna Summer's "Last Dance" or something. Again, not the remix, but a specific remix cut by like DJ Echo or something, did I have that in karaoke? A serious question. That was the type of night I had.

My apologies for venting.

The only thing I agree with you on is #11. For everything else, you sound like a real dick.

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

Why won't you accommodate your customers who ask for reverb? Is it too much trouble to turn a knob or raise a slider? If you simply can't be bothered to accommodate your singers (regardless of what you may think), then get out of the business. Do you also refuse to let people sing what they want because you don't like the song they've chosen?

You, my friend, are a real dick. Apparently, you care more about a sense of power then pleasing your customers. Get off your ego trip.

My advice to you is if you hate people that much, get out of the business. You are a real dick. We call people like you scum karaoke hosts.

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

I would add

#11 Please let the song start playing before you ask me to turn up the backing track or your microphone!

What is wrong with your sound people are asking for more reverb? I have never been asked for more reverb? Louder mic or backing track, which I accomodate because after all, the patrons pay for us... But I have never once been asked for more reverb in more than 15 years in the business!

Sorry Alan the quote was meant for the OP.

I agree, I don't usually get asked either... BUT, if someone asked me for more reverb, or to make them louder or softer, I would gladly do it. I'm not on a power trip. I'm here to make my customers happy and keep them coming back. It's because of them, you have a job. If they don't come, no need for a karaoke host. So, why wouldn't I do all I can to make them happy?

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

If you don't agree with the poster then scroll on. Personal insults and name calling are adolescent at best and provide absolutely nothing to the conversation.

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Sound Choice and Chartbuster Certified

There are times when someone is such a self-centered moron, that "insults and name calling" are appropriate. It's people like these that give karaoke a bad name and need to be called out for it. Sorry if you think my responses are a little harsh or too strong. I'm just calling it like I see it. If you want sugar coating, as you say... scroll on.

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

Kettle, meet pot.