Karaoke Forums

Im getting into PC karaoke. What is the "dongle" thing about associated with Compuhost? The software looks appealing but the website says nothing about this device. Does anyone know what this s about. Or if there is a better one out there. What I really want is one that will fade in background music between singers! Any help on this subject would be helpfun.....thanks....Shawn

The "dongle" thing is simply a USB key. IT looks like a small USB drive. You must have it plugged in order for the software to run.

Hey, thanks for the reply. Do you know if its any good or not?

What the software or the dongle?
It has lots of bells & whistles, i personally do not like the way it forces a rotation. I run mine completely different. I have tried different ways on the demo but it's not very convenient for my needs. If it weren't for that I might have ended up using it over what I currently use.

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

I might have ended up using it over what I currently use.

ok, so what do you use??? share the love....Shawn

I chose Compuhost because it does a rotation the way I do mine anyway and all the bells and whistles. I am getting great enjoyment of not having to type out all the way the names of previous singers as well as songs they have already done. I also prefer the way that Fast TRacks does the books over Hoster's method. The fact that the makers of Compuhost makes Fast Tracks makes it even sweeter as you can export the database from COmpuhost into a CSV file that you can import into Fast Tracks or any other songbook program that can import csv or excel files. Compuhost even has a kamakazi feature and can record your performances if you set it up right. In fact I use Compuhost to record my song submissions to Singer Showcase.
Almost forgot to mention that I originally was opposed to the dongle thing because I was worried that I would forget where the dongle was or lose it permanantly. I have been using Compuhost since February and have yet to lose it.

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

I'm the same as Lonman.
I would use it but for the fact that the rotation is forced and cannot be changed.
I sometimes have to skip a singer or two as they are outside smoking, in the bathroom, or had to leave for a few and are coming back but didn't make it in time for their turn.
Compuhost will not allow me to do that.
Too bad because I really like all the other features.

I use autokdj. It's free and I'm experimenting with their kiosk setup whereby singers can enter and enqueue their own songs using a networked PC.

Not true at all. You can easily move them up and down in the rotation. You can make them active or inactive, play them out of order, whatever you want.


That is a nice feature. I consider AutoKDJ to be too fragile for use by more than one person. If I were the only person to operate the software, it might make sense for me. But I have five people besides myself who operate it, and CompuHost is simple enough for all of them to use.

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[color=#ffff55]Mickey J.[/color]
Alas for those who never sing, but die with all their music in them.
-- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

I and quite a few others here use CompuHost. I was leery of the dongle at first, but have now been operating two copies for over a year with nary a problem.

I own MTU Hoster and Siglos. I have tried Sax & Dotties, AutoKDJ, JustKaraoke, and Winamp with MP3+G database. I believe Compuhost is the best choice. It has many features most of the other lack.

When you use CompuHost, you get the ability to:

-- Have singers be walking to the stage before the previous song is finished, due to the singer announcement marquee
-- Since singers keep an eagle eye on the marquee, promotional messages on the promo trailer feature have real advertising value
-- You can add songs to your library on the fly
-- It takes you three seconds to add a song for a regular from their history
-- You can keep a history so you can see what gets play
-- You can play videos and sound bites
-- You can route your existing CDG player through it
-- Automatic filler music
-- And a lot more

These types of features are things the others struggle with, and they really set your show apart. It has a professional look and feel, and the interface works really well even for relatively new operators.

Three local KJs have bought CompuHost after seeing or hearing about it in operation at my shows.

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[color=#ffff55]Mickey J.[/color]
Alas for those who never sing, but die with all their music in them.
-- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

My god, have you even bothered to try CompuHost before making a ridiculous comment like this???

Compuhost allows the host to fully control their rotation! To the very left of the rotation list you'll find FOUR buttons, Top, up one, down one, bottom. Using these buttons you can move any singer UP, DOWN, to the TOP, to the BOTTOM in the rotation with a single click! As for your example, Compuhost allows you to flag a singer as inactive, meaning they maintain their spot in the rotation, yet are not displayed on the onscreen scroller intil you reactivate them.

You can also EASILY start a singer out of turn by just selecting the singer, regardless of position in the rotation and click the GO button. Compuhost will politely remind you that the singer is not at the top of the list and ask you to confirm you still wish them to sing out of rotation, answer YES and away they go!

Note to those looking for software recommendations: Do NOT take the opinion of the misinformed! Take the time to download all of the demos available and try them out for yourselves!

tbreen

For your information, I DID try it and it would NOT let me do it. Don't know why but that's the way it was.
I was too busy to spend hours trying to figure out why.
From my point of view at the time, I didn't want to spend a bunch of cash on a program that didn't do what I wanted it to.
Also, as far as rotation goes, with autokdj you can set it up various ways. You can have new singers take priority, you can have new singers mixed in between every so many singers or you can run a straight rotation.
You can also set it so that your old singers don't wait past a time that you set, say 60 minutes, for example.
The rotation possiblities with AutoKDJ are endless.
You can also set it up as pay to play.
You CAN'T do that with Compuhost.
As for Autokdj, it has all the features mentioned in the post above except the scrolling marquee, and the videos.
Plus, as stated before you can run a kiosk and it's free.
Before YOU going jumping the gun, why don't you ASK me WHY I would say it instead of accusing me?

Not so I have skipped a number of singers using Compuhost because they were outside smoking or in the bathroom. One just has to learn how to use the program to be able to do so. Yes it pops up a question box asking whether you want to go out of rotation, but it will allow you to do so if you say yes to the question. and for those who leave for a few you just inactivate their spot in the rotation, which I do initially. If they haven't come back before I hit the delete setting for the night, I will delete their spot to speed up the show. If I know they aren't coming back I'll inactivate them so their name disappears from the rotation list on the ticker and then delete their name from the list. If anything compuhost's rotation in my opinion is more flexable than either Hoster or AutoKDJ. You must be confusing Compuhost with Sax & Dotty's.

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

Well I don't have the full version, but have worked extensively with the demo & have found the rotation area NOT to my liking or preference. You have to completely rearrange - meaning if you want someone to sing that is 3 songs down, you have to make them top or next singer through another step, I prefer my program that I can just click & hit play without actually changing the rotation at all. Ridiculous as it may seem, this is the part that is keeping me away entirely. If it allowed an option to just leave the rotation alone without actually putting the next song at the top - but rather to play where it is, then I might be using it. Still haven't found a way around that. I like alot of features about it, but that is a major turn off for me!


Maybe it's because I don't necessarily NEED a rotation part, my current program I just click what song I want next & hit play. No need for actually moving anyone.


This is what I don't like, I don't want to have to confirm anything, I know what i'm clicking & just want to go without moving anything in the actual round.


No misimformation here, just prefer what I use just as you do!

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

I use winamp and for video usage, clubdjpro. I just click and queue man!

Lonnie, this is where you are WRONG! With Compuhost, you may launch ANY singer in rotation simply by selecting them and clicking GO! I don't understand your need to first make them the top singer, NOT SO!

tbreen

is there a possibility that the demo version operates differently than the full version?

No, why would they do that? Anyway, just to be sure I just downloaded the evaluation version onto one of my other computers. Operates exactly the same as the regular version, only with a 2 minute limit on playback.

tbreen

I can confirm what tbreen is saying.

One thing I can say is that Compuhost is a bit more complicated to figure out in the beginning. Perhaps that is because I was a MTU Hoster user for 4 years prior to trying their program. It took me about 7-8 gigs to get comfortable with the program and what it can do and how to make it fit my style.

I have no problems whatsoever with a forced rotation as I have complete control over it with Compuhost. I understand what Lonnie is saying and originally I tried to manipulate the rotation the way he is referring to, however there are better ways to go about it and they are quick and easy.

I have a bar I do on thursday that has 2 other bars within a block from there and I have people who come and go and then come back. The A/I button takes them out of the rotation on the marquee and the pecking order, but if I hit the button again they are back in and at the same place they were before. I also use this for folks who go to the restroom just before I call their name. Once they come back I click on their name and I put them up next. I do not have to change their order in the rotaion.

It all comes down to personal preference anyway. For some people they don't need the rotation feature. Others prefer a rotation feature and love the ease of CompuHost.

I love both MTU and CompuHost's programs and they are both excellent programs.

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FlipSide Karaoke
Scott

I use PCDJ REDVRM with the KJ program.
Just as another option out there .

OBVIOUSLY that is the case, as Lonman has experienced EXACTLY what I was talking about.
You can't control rotation, at least in the demo version.
Call me a liar, ridiculous, misinformed, or whatever you want, but THAT IS HOW IT IS!
Glad I'm not the only one to experience this.
As for the rotation issue, Again, I am with Lonman. It's pretty much the only thing keeping me away.


(PS apologies anyone?)