Karaoke Forums

First post! Like to sing, never owned a system. I went to a local store last weekend with my mind set on a Vocopro Duet DVD. Owner talked me into a RJTech 4200, said I'd be better off in the long run...even if I had to run it through my stereo for now. I'm getting enough volume on the music, but the vocals are not too good...distortion!

So I'm looking at a Hollinger PA-120 on ebay right now. Anyone have any experience with one? I talked to a person that bought one, and he says it's ok for either music or vocals, but not both at the same time! He says I'll need a mixer for that. OK, I've just bought a Peavey PV8 phantom power(whatever that means!) mixer on ebay today.  So, am I headed for dissapointment? HELP! Any advice folks?

Jim in Alabama

First, don't shop on ebay.  You apparently don't have the background in audio to make informed purchases so you will wind up with an expensive system that sounds terrible.  It is no crime to be ignorant, it is a crime to stay ignorant.  I recently had the same experience when I ran into a math question that was way out of my league.  I got lots of explanations but couldn't find anyone who would explain the explanations.  There was just too much jargon, and that's what you're going to run into with audio.  Phantom power by the way, is a 48V supply to accomadate condencer microphones.  See what I mean about the jargon?

True you are better off in the long run.  BUT, you should also NEVRER EVER NEVER run live vocals through a home stero/surround sound system.  Thoes system are not ment to be used to reproduce LIVE vocals.  You will fry/blow something if you continue to do it, thus the distortion you her on the live vocals.

I havent used or hear that system, but IMHO, you are again getting bad advice.  That system is a PA system, and come with a mixer.  I would assume the person telling you that it is not good for vacals and music at the same time hasn't a clue how to adjust a mixer gain structure properly.  It may not be as good as a "hogher end" PA system, but for home/personal use, it should work fine.  

BTW...I would recomend NOT buying a PA system of Ebay, unless you realy know what you are buying.  You may get the system, hook it up and find you are dissapointed in the sound.  Since it works, you can't return it, and even if you could, it is expensive to return a PA system.  Buy it new from a reputable dealer, it will only probably cost a few bucks more.

So, considering what I already have..RJTech deck, and Peavey Mixer...what shoud be the next thing to buy? Logic tells me I'm gonna have too many knobs if I get the Hollinger PA system! Do I just need a amp and speakers now?

And BTW, thanks for the quick responses!

Jim in Alabama.

The Hollinger PA system is a PA system package.  The mixer and amp built into one unit(aka POWERED MIXER) and it comes with speakers.

For the PV8, you will need to get a amp & speakers OR powered speakers (speakers with amps built into them).

Here's a link to the mixer like I got today on ebay. http://www.peavey.com/products/browse.c ... V%AE+8.cfm

So, sounds like I'd be better off to be patient and possibly find a plain amp and speakers/or amplified speakers/ to go with the mixer and RJtech player, and avoid ending up with 2 mixers.

Jim

It's a decent little mixer.  You should have paid no more than $129 (free shipping at most online stores).  Only other thing you'd want with that mixer is some kind of an effects unit.  There are no built in effects for your vocals such as reverb & echo.  An external unit can be picked up for about $100 that will do the job.
Separate amp/speaker combo will probably run a little cheaper than a couple powered speakers but make sure you know what you are getting before you buy.  Ask questions or for recommendations along with a rough budget - figure at least $500 minimum for an ok amp/speaker combo.

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

[quote="jim_w @ Thu Mar 01, 2007 5:52 pm"]
So, sounds like I'd be better off to be patient and possibly find a plain amp and speakers/or amplified speakers/ to go with the mixer and RJtech player, and avoid ending up with 2 mixers.

Jim[/quote
Yes that is true.

But again, watch who you are taking advice from.  I would sufggest going to a local Pro Audio Shop that speciasalizes in PA equipment (not home stero/surround sound equip), and take your mixer & player, and test out some speakers and amps.

I gave this some serious thought and came up with the simpest answer.  Go down to your local library and thumb a few back issues of Electronic Musicaian Magazine.  It's geared toward the working and aspiring musician so it's not too technical but has a lot of solid information about sound, equipment, micing options, speakers, everything you need to know.  I don't know why I ever let my subscription lapse come to think of it.

Paid 51.50 plus 20.00 shipping for the Peavey mixer. Guy says he has used it maybe 3 hrs total.

Thanks so much to all who responded. I'm learning!  500.00 more! Guess I'll have to cool my heels for a week or two...wife already says I spend too much om my other hobby (RC Planes) to have another hobby.

This is gonna get expensive fast! It's hard to be satisfied with a home system after having the opportunity to sing through a really nice system.

VINCE GILL RULES!

Thanks, Jim.

Speaking from experience as a home user, you could get away with some relatively cheap stuff and have decent sound. My setup was this for about a year:

   2 - MTX-12 DJ speakers    ($79.99 each at Circuit City)

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/MTX-PA-D ... tDetail.do
 
   Sherwood Stereo receiver, 100 wats RMS/channel ($79.99 at Circuit City)

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Sherwood ... tDetail.do

They have gone down 20% since I bought them, too. Heck, if you were near me I would sell you the above for $100 as I have moved up (and spent $1200 in the bargain). But I am too lazy to ship things.

Then you have an effects unit to get, though I don't think anyone told you that your RJtech unit has echo / delay and a mixer function on it -- you could skip the Peavey Mixer and just use it until you get your effects unit.

Now I am not telling you to get those cheap speakers, but they really sound pretty good and that combo will provide plenty of sound for a home setup. If you think you have found something you really want to spend time and money on, then obviously you will want to go with the pro-sound equipment as I now have. But you don't have to right away.

Thanks...that may be the route I'll have to go for now. Look in the "rjtech" folder at http://www.nehp.net/~jimw/ and you can see what I'm trying to use now.(excuse the mess..its my junk shop) I have an old "Technics" 170 watt unit I'm using. Maybe I will just get some speakers similar to the ones you mentioned. I guess my speakers are the main problem with what I'm using now(such as it is). I'll hang on to the mixer for when I can upgrade.

The guy that sold me my player said he had some phantom powered mics that may help with the sound, so I guess when I saw "phantom power" in the description of the mixer I bought on ebay, I thought I was getting a good deal.

The saga continues, Jim.

That Technics receiver should work great if it really has 170 W RMS/channel.  The speakers will make all the difference in the world -- I don't think you can find a better cheap speaker than the MTX.


I don't think he knows what he is talking about Karaoke-wise. You would be better served to get a good microphone (I hear the Nady SP5 dynamic SM-58 clones are pretty good) but you don't need or want a condenser mic that needs phantom power.

  It also has keychange.  However, the reason your dealer switched you was pure profit margin.  These players are available NEW on line for around 50.oo  Your dealer probably gets them for around 22.oo. I'll bet they charged over 100.00 for it.  VocoPro doesn't give the dealer anywhere near that margin.


 That being said, though I'm not a big fan of VP, the duet is an excellent home unit. Also, as you have seen, the RJTech has a strong audio output and weak vocal  audio.  I'm also not conviced of the durability of the RJTech

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

" Disc based and loving it..."

You are correct sir...he charged me 129.00 for the RJTech! You are also correct about the weak vocal audio. I guess I learned a 129.00 lesson. I'm concerned about the durability as well. The CD tray seems VERY weak. You have to be very careful when inserting/removing a CD.

My plan right now is to use it until it breaks, and try to educate myself more on the subject, before buying more equipment.

As I mentioned in a previous post, when talking with the dealer on the phone, after I'd already bought the unit, he said he had some phantom powered mics that may help the weak vocal issue. They were 70.00! I didn't go back and look at them!

Afterwards, I was looking online and ran across the Peavey PV8 mixer (w/phantom power) for 51.50 and thought it was a deal and grabbed it! I'm not even sure if I can use it with my current equipment, or if it would even make a difference if I could.

Would someone be so kind as to tell me if it is possible to hook the PV8 mixer in the loop between my Technics tuner/amp and RJtech player, so as to be able to hook my mics up to the mixer instead of the RJtech player, AND, would this enhance my ability to control the vocal output? I'd be willing to provide pictures of whatever part  is needed if someone has the time to address this issue.

Thank you SOOOO much in advance!!
Jim

The saga continues,
Jim

Left & right audio out from the player to two input chanels on the mixer.  Turn the gain way down on the input chanels to start.  Main out from the mixer in to the AUX in on the amp.  Should be good to go.  The sound won't be very good because this amp was not expecting live sound input.  The power supply probably isn't built for it and this will cause clipping at high volumes.  Clipping kills speakers.  Keep the volume down.

_________________
Okay, who took my pants?

It would be possible, I am sure, by just running the output of the RJ to the RCA jack input of the PV8. But as to whether it enhances your vocals, that is another question. The PV8 has no effects, so you will have no reverb. The RJtech has reverb, at least.

As for the weak vocal output, this may be due to the wrong cable. If you use a balanced mic cable with filtering, it will not work well with the unbalanced input of the RJtech. Get a *worse* microphone cable that is unbalanced, and try it; I know that I had the same problem when I bought a top-of-the line balanced mic cable and ran it into a cheap karaoke mixer.

SO, let's say I have 500.00 to spend on a AMP & SPEAKERS. What would be a good choice for home usage? I realize I still must get an EFFECTS unit, and would greatly appreciate any recommendations on that as well.

edit: I ran across this http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/ ... sku=636503
is it a good deal? SAYS it has built in effects?

IF you can squeze another $100 out of the wife/girlfriend/mother (LOL)  I would get this.....
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/ ... sku=630122

But, for HOME use the one you gave the link to, should work good.

depending on how far you want to go for home use, you can start out simple with a stand alone unit with one speaker, a fairly cheap mic, cdg player (an all in one system)

In order to use your player, you need a mixer amp, such as one that vocopro puts out, or AKJ7050... a fairly cheap one is http://www.acekaraoke.com/ha2kam0701.html ... it won't give you PROFESSINAL results, but a buddy of mine has this, and we managed to get it to work just fine for singing in the living room!

I'd go to our retailers that advertise here (left side of the screen, in black on the bottom of the purple links (karaoke site links)... and look for mixer amps that accept mic inputs.

Once you find the one you are thinking of, do a google search on the make and model in quotes and have review a part of the search parameter!

Best of luck to ya! And welcome to the site Jim!

Matt