Karaoke Forums

hi , all. i found this site after scouring the net for help so this is a site for sore eyes.

i have my pc connected to my yamaha amp/speakers and use it as a media center/home theatre kinda thing.  im using karafun and while the files work great, i cannot get any live sound to come through my speakers.  when i use the record option and play my song back, my voice comes through perfectly. i thought i cold just plug in the mic and i would hear live sound anytime, not just using karaoke programs. of course, what good is a karaoke party if you cant hear yourself over the speakers when you are actually singing?  

i am using a usb mic, if that makes any difference.  

any ideas?

Hi,

I don't think you can use the mic input or a usb port through the computer as an output to amplifier for live sound. There may be software that will let you do this, but essentially your looking for straight throughput. I've never done this, but I don't think it will work. Computers are designed for taking info in and doing something with it before you send it back out. That's why it works for recording and playing back. It digitized your voice and then saved it. Hope that makes sense. When we use computers for karaoke, they are the storage and playback device. Those of us that use this professionally, have a mixer that the sound from the computer goes through, as well as a video output for the graphics to show on a tv screen. The microphone is plugged into the mixer, which never goes through the computer, its output goes to the amp and speakers directly from the mixer.

Hope that helps. You can get a low cost mixer and do the same on your home system. Or get a mixer amp that has mic plug ins. They have an aux or cd channel that you plug the speaker output from your pc into and you'll get your sound and have a place to plug in mikes.

Cool Edit Pro 2 allows you to hear your voice. When I experimented with it, I couldn't hear the FX... that I added in later. But I could hear my sound come out of my speakers, along with my voice...

I agree though with the above post. I'm FAR happier using the computer to send the signal to a mixer, and the mic INTO the mixer... then back to the computer or an outside recorder.

Knightshow,

Do you get decent vocal sound using Cool Edit Pro 2? I've always found the computer mikes to be lacking, even for recording.

I never used a computer mic. I had an 1/8" to 1/4" adaptor from Rat Shack, and used my normal mic. (XLR to 1/4" cord)

That makes sense.

Still, not the best way to do live tho. With a good quality sound card it would probably work good. The filters and quality of on board sound cards are lacking in my opinion.

Makes some sense if you want to record to the computer, but if your really into it a mixer is still the better choice.

sure it is.

I wasn't speaking for the supreme quality, only that it was possible.

I ALWAYS use a mixer and standard mics in my karaoke set up, even at home.