Karaoke Forums

Re: Singsnap.com And thanks once again for reminding us about that site singsnap.com. Your posts wouldn't be complete if there's no mention of the site.
My share of song gender benders. Last week a guy sang Love Song by Adele. I asked him if he wants the key lowered, he said no that he sings it in his car all the time. Started the song, he looked at me & ask if I changed the key because it’s way too high. Another a female singer sings guy songs, Sinatra, Humperdinck, Buble’ & want to sing these songs in the original key, then complain that it’s too low. Said she sings the same songs at home no problem.

Another regular, we call him Mr. Down Two. ALL the songs he sings must be lowered minus 2. Somehow it works for him every time.

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To be fortunate enough to derive an income from a source as fulfilling as karaoke music has got to be as close to heaven as we can get here on earth!

I enjoy gender bending, both myself and when other singers do it -- but to complain about one's inability to hit notes when gender bending is fruitless. It's just the way the human voice works.

When I do songs by women, I keep them in the original key. For my purposes, they need to be either really high or really low -- anything located in the middle of the average female's vocal range won't really suit my voice well, because I'd end up singing in that terrible-sounding, airy falsetto. It's why I like Heart songs; many of them start in a reasonably low alto before leaping up into soprano range, which works for me, because it's in the range of, say, an Iron Maiden chorus.

The one thing you also have to remember about requesting a Key-Change for a song (at any Karaoke show), is that if there are any background vocals, they will either start sounding like a warped record or the Chipmunks (if you raise or lower the key too far). On that note (pun intended), there are 2 "Babs" songs that I will bring out of mothballs once in a blue moon or so. Both of these songs I request to have taken up 5 on the Key Changer (since there are no background vocals, the rest of the song is not affected), and I then sing the song an octave lower.

Andrew, your above statement applies both ways, so I ask - Are you referring to my singers complaining or about me complaining “about one’s inability to hit notes?” If it’s the latter, I would advise you re-read my post & point to me where I was complaining. On the contrary, I tried to offer my help because I already know what’s going to happen. They were the ones complaining to me why they can’t hit the high notes (or low notes for that matter). Jeeezzz!

We already know that every song has a different key. Majority of male singers are baritones (tenors not quite as common). Females are mostly mezzo-sopranos. For gender bending songs that’s when the key controller or adjustment comes into play – I will never, ever do a key change unless it’s indicated in the request slip. Otherwise, all I can do is to offer a key change to fit their voice.

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To be fortunate enough to derive an income from a source as fulfilling as karaoke music has got to be as close to heaven as we can get here on earth!

Funny, even before karaoke programs for the puter, you can go back and the vast majority & even many cheap karaoke players had a key changer.......guess it was/is/and never will be........intended to change the key of a song.....
I sing many female songs an octave lower without a key change........I just get a little embarrassed when sometimes I forget to change he to she, him to her, and especially when I forget to change my pu$$y to my deeeeek........

...said the man who goes around calling random singers "freaks".Hey,Johnny, the kettle called. It left you a message...

I never!!! I never knew they were interchangeable. If I have both - forget the wife. I will be the happiest man in the whole universe!

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To be fortunate enough to derive an income from a source as fulfilling as karaoke music has got to be as close to heaven as we can get here on earth!

nah, everybody would be telling you to go f@#$ yourself.....& I guess you could....

[quote="SingyThingy:[/quote]

...said the man who goes around calling random singers "freaks".Hey,Johnny, the kettle called. It left you a message... [/quote]

I thought I felt a ringing in my ears.....
First of all......you're no random singer....
Second, I meant it in a good, good way.....
and last but not least.....it's a shame that, I have to go to such extremes.....just to get a little attention... ....sorry, I was born this way.......

and my brudda Daveman says I need anger management sometimes

nah....just the big O....on a regular basis.....

Sorry - I didn't mean to suggest that you were complaining! I was just agreeing with you that it would be sort of ridiculous for them to complain to you about the song's key, especially if they didn't ask for (or turned down) the assist of a key change. Poor wording on my part.

@ Andrew: Cool. Thanks for clearing that up.

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To be fortunate enough to derive an income from a source as fulfilling as karaoke music has got to be as close to heaven as we can get here on earth!

If you had Nothing Sound Choice I would probably leave also. I prefer SC But, understand it's expensive to legit and 5000 bucks to purchase the whole Gem series is alot of money. I carry my own personal Sound Choice Discs with me when I travel or go places that I think may not have my songs. I would have suggested that he purchase his own disc. Not to be rude. But it is not reasonable to expect a karaoke host to have every song in karaoke ever produced. As far as Chartbuster being just as good. I believe they would still be in business had they had better attention to detail in their production of cdg's. Music fading out 6 lines before the song is over. Half a line already played and the words still haven't come up on the screen. With New songs (years ago) I loved Chartbuster because many of the songs I sang I would memorize for a contest. Thus the Words not keeping up with the music in Chartbuster helped to assure no one else would be singing that song in the contest. Oh and those songs I also own the discs too. So my personal library and my hosting library are different. It's always best to offer a selection. But sometimes ya just plain can't. And if someone is that adamant about sound choice. You could always purchase the disc yourself or suggest they do the same. But if you live where I do where 90% of the Karaoke hosts don't know how to use their own programs to play customers discs. I just get frustrated with Hosts that have been doing it for years and don't know how to use their own equipment and programs. I recently got into a Contest in Detroit that was affiliated with Talent Quest. The owner was accommodating but his host (his right hand man/woman) was belligerent that they didn't have the song and couldn't play my disk. They were using Sax and Dotties. And yes it is a little extra work to play the disc. But you can play the disc. And since they were part of the Talent quest Contest it is required that they are able to play Disc. Of which I showed him in the rules. He listened, followed my quick step by step directions and was playing my disc in less than 45 seconds. Which sadly is still faster than most of the hosts around transition between singers. Even Flint largest and 355 day a year Karaoke bar can't seem to figure out how to transition singers less than a minute.

How do you play a disc with Sax & Dotty? Don't you need to purchase a separate plug in to play a disc?

I don't use it anymore. I'd have to go over to a friends and check it out again on their system. Since it is a original file on the Karaoke disk If I remember correctly you just tell S&D to import the songs on that drive. But because the names of the songs do not import. You will need to know the number of the song when you import it and delete it later for the Database. I believe you can also tell windows to recognize the CDG file and auto open with S&D. But it seems to me if I remember correctly when it opens it opens a new instance of S&D and you'll loose the screen you where using with the rotation. So the Import is the easiest way.

Just an insight, no offense intended towards anyone. If I’m a starting kj I would gladly pay $5k for a complete gem series. Kj’s here with 20+ yrs under their belts can identify with this. In its heyday sc disc were selling @ $30 a pop for spotlights (15 tracks) & $22 for p/picks (8 tracks multiplex). I have 1,250 sc collections, so a very conservative estimate $ value would be around - $30k maybe?

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To be fortunate enough to derive an income from a source as fulfilling as karaoke music has got to be as close to heaven as we can get here on earth!

Brian A You are right. It's not a bad deal to purchase the Gem series. It's just a bummer they don't offer everything in the Gem Series. To be able to purchase all of their songs. I'm bummed they don't make discs anymore. There are a few I prefer to use Chartbuster or JV. But on the whole. SC is about the best overall. IMHO

Even starting a second system (or more) which I am planning here shortly, is going to be a great deal rather than spending a bunch on stuff on crappier quality that i'll end up replacing anyway - i'm saving up for the better quality off hand that I know the people that go to my shows now expect.

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In this day and age, if I were advising a KJ just starting out, or was just starting out myself, my preference would be buying music on-the-fly from any and all of the available download sites.

A KJ today could start with zero music, purchased on-the-fly, and still be profitable within just a few shows. Considering the average number of songs that can be sung in a single show ( five hour show = 80 songs) multiplied by an average of $2 per song = $160 music cost for the first show. At least half of those songs are likely to be sung again on the next show cutting the new music cost down to $80. The third show would then cost $40 in new music and so on and so on.

Every show would cost less than the last show in new music expense. In just a handful of shows the new music expense would be equal to that of a seasoned veteran KJ. We are living in a time when KJs no longer have to lug around a crate of karaoke discs, and they also no longer have to purchase a crate of karaoke discs to be viable.

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