Karaoke Forums

first post here, I'm in the process of building my karaoke PC and I found most of the answers I'm looking for from reading this board alone. One thing that im confused about is hooking my mics in to the pc soundcard. I have an audigy 2 and i want to be able to hook my mic in to it. I was ready to buy one of those "karaoke mixers" like idolpro or vocopro units until i learned that I can use a regular mixer to connect to my soundcard. Im looking at the Behringer UB802. If i get this mixer and hook it up to my PC would this be a more acceptable/recommendable setup rather than buying a karaoke mixer? Keep in mind that i don't want to spend too much money on this project. There is also a 1220FX that i can get under $100 - FX? would that be able to let me tweak the voice coming out of that mixer. Any suggestions of hardware so that i can progress in to my project will be helpful. TIA

Hi
What I do is use my laptop and hook it up to a 8 channel mixer. Mine is Phonic with built in fx, about to change to Soundcraft. I put all my mics into the desk and control treble/ bass, amount of fx etc. I personally find that even though there are controls to fiddle with, once you are used to it, you end up getting a more professional mix.
This is only my opinion, but it's the way I have been doing it for years now, and everyone who sings or listens say that they like the sound.

Martyn Jacey

Stay away from 'karaoke' mixers, usually they are overpriced & don't sound as good as a small 'pro' mixer.  The 1220FX would be better suited as you can adjust your effects as well.

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FX means it has effects built into it.  There is a knob on the board with FX marked and you can use the effect you want.  Boards can come with up to 99+ effects.  If you do not have effects (either built in or separate unit) your sound will be muddy and flat.

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ok guys i think im gonna go with a regular mixer. maybe with an FX. Is there any recommendations for a mixer less than $100?

** i think ill be purchasing Behringer UB1002FX, anyone got experience on this mixer?

there is also a xenyx 1002FX, about $15-$20 more - i cant tell the difference between the two.

About the only thing a karaoke mixer usually has going for it is the digital key changer. If you are using a PC, Pacemaker or the like can do that. But if you need the function, you will need to provide for it in some fashion.

The Behinger Xenyx line has upgraded mic preamps that are especially suited to studio/podcasts using condenser mics. If you plan on using a condenser mic, which will make your vocals sound much more lifelike, then the extra $15-20 is well worth it. Decent condenser mics will pick up even the smallest nuances of voice and make it sound more detailed and add depth, but you need to make sure you have a suitable environment to use them, as they are going to pick up the nuances of the surrounding room/area as well. Basically, just make sure it is a quiet space!!

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C Mc
KJ, FL

I have the UB1202FX, and i love it, it is nice and small and easy and works.  However, I am not very experienced and don't ask alot from my equipment, so be cautious with my posts.

so does it really matter what sound card i have? The quality of the voice is produced by the mixer correct? so if the mixer is connected to line in on the sound card, is it merely just passing sound? the reason i ask is, I began the project to build a PC from scraps yet with decent hardware. But if I can hardly notice the voice quality using a laptop, i think i rather do it this way. Can someone please shed some light on this? Thanks again.

I don't know as much about PC audio as some on this board, but I do know quite a bit about live audio and studio recording, and I did some research on Podcasting and here's what I deduced:

First of all, if you are going to be using a dynamic microphone as opposed to a condensor microphone, then the mixer is "just passing sound" moreso than the computer's sound card, which acts like a line-level mixer, a pre-amp, AND a format convertor/processor in a computer sound chain.

The mixer is not really adding or taking anything away from the signal at nominal levels, though it gives you the option to boost and cut levels, fade and expand volume, and possibly add FX to the raw sound it is intaking from the mic.

The mic is going to be the main factor in the tonal qualities of the sound at nominal levels. And with a condensor mic, the mixer takes on the additional responsibility of being a power amp for the microphone, which makes it much more of a factor in the overall sound.

The soundcard is mostly responcible for filtering noise and basically "balancing" the sound that it is given, as well as performing the processes of turning a line-level sound into formats the computer can use.

SO, most sites that I found stated that a 16-bit soundcard does not adequately filter noise, and anyone interested in PodCasting/computer recording should have at least a 24-bit soundcard. That seems to be the only minimum requirement/suggestion.

Hope that helps!!

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C Mc
KJ, FL

Ahhh makes sense now, very informational, thanks everybody

OK im stumped, i received my behringer 1002fx mixer today and i cannot get the mic to work. The mic is a pioneer dm-21a with a 1/4 plug, i bought a 1/4 to XLR adapter and it still doesnt work. I tested my connection to my PC by plugging in my MP3 player in to the mixer and it works fine. So is it because im not using a XLR mic thats why it doesnt work or what? please help. Thanks

From all your equipment, sound card is one of more important equipment. It's the equipment the has A/D component. What that does is to take an analog sound, like output from your mixer, to digital sound, which are bits of data that computer can understand. Traditionally, the A/D component is what determined the overall quality of the sound in the digital domain. This is not only for computer use but your CD is in digital format. So, ability to capture the original analog sound is the first part of creating the best sound. The ability to recreate using the digital data to analog sound is the next important, such as playing your computer based files through your speaker.

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ok from what i read these past few days, if i must a get a soundcard it should 24bit. correct? which sound card would recommend? better yet which sound card would be considered best bang for the buck?

Oh i borrowed my uncles wireless mic sm58 system and it worked on my mixer, so does this mean if i get a XLR mic it should work right? im looking at the AKG d 9000, they are on sale for $70 BUY 1 GET 1 FREE!!. anyone got hands on experience with these mic?

  Apologies, but I must recommend just the opposite.  Karaoke requires a karaoke mixer,  the quality of which is dependant on the mfr, just like any other.  Computer keychange just isn't there yet, and if you decide to use the laptop in conjunction with a player ( and depending on customer demand, you may), than you will DEFINITELY need a karaoke mixer....

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"No Contests, No Divas, Just A Good Time!"

" Disc based and loving it..."

I am assuming that you are not using a laptop. So, for a desktop or rackmount (which I use) computers, I use Maya 44 soundcard. It's a "professional" soundcard with 4 channel in and 4 channel out. You don't really need that for Karaoke and home use but I also do DJ gigs on the side and it's a must to fade-in/out when mixing. My personal opinion is that it sound much better than Creative Audigy cards.

As for your mic, if you have XLR connector on your mic, it should work fine with your mixer, except if you need the phantom power. Not all mixers provide phantom power.

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I don't know, I would have to agree with Lonman here. It all depends on your requirement but if you want the best sound possible, I would stick to professional musician gear, not karaoke gear. 99% of the time, the karaoke gear is made for features not for best sound. I would rather get a Mackie mixer and throw in a Midiverb 4 for effects for better sound than buy a "karaoke" mixer with effects built in.

I don't understand what you mean by computer keychanger not being there. I use two computer software, MTU Hoster and Doblon Power CD+G Player Pro and both have key changer that works great. If you are using a computer for hosting karaoke, you have more choices and flexibility than you would with a fixed player, in my opinion.

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Seize the day and SING!!!

I haven't seen a karaoke mixer to date that will match the performance of most 'pro' live sound mixers.  Karaoke mixers generally do not have balanced mic inputs, cheesy echo effect, bass & treble for eq, no stage monitor adjustments, most aren't upgradeable/expandable.  Karaoke is partly live sound - which requires a live sound mixer.  You cannot get the best mixing abilities from the majority of karaoke mixers on the market.  Not to mention they are generally overpriced & for the powered models - underpowered!

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

Definitely a real sound board than a karaoke one.  Whether a Mackie, Behinger, Yorkville, or a list of others.  Most manufacturers have boards with built-in effects and most players have key changers.

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You can be strange but not a stranger

Ahhhhh.......WHAT?  :O  :O

Just why does karaoke REQUIRE a "karaoke" mixer?

I guess you can figure IMHO, along with 99.999% of others, that dollar for dollar you are wasting dollars when buying mixers that are labeled "for karaoke".