Karaoke Forums

I am brand new and just found this site. Please bare with me. I have been to too many stores and returned too many things. I use Winamp and have a lot of karaoke music on my computer. I can get it to play on my stereo and via s-cable, get the video to play. I just have to hook up mics. I've read many of the previous posts, but still have some questions.

1. I tried to go from my pc to mixer to stereo and it didn't work. I tried to go from pc to pa amp directly to speakers and it didn't work. Why?

2. My home speakers are five year old tower infinities that were top of the line (for infinity anyways). I would only use the karaoke a few times a month for personal fun. Is this too much for the speakers? If so, is there a pair on nice speakers that could serve a dual role as home and karaoke speakers? I have a small condo and the only other choice would be to get a small set of just karaoke speakers. Is there a good set that isn't too big?

3. From my pc, do I need to go to a mixer and then powered speakers or pc to mixer to amp to regular speakers? I am confused. Will the Mackie DFX12 have all the effects I need to make the singer sound pretty good? What are they and how do I use them (the basics). Are those effects what they call the key controller on karaoke machines? And are they the same as the pacemaker plugin for winamp?

4. What would you do? Assume $800, but would like to make it in around $600. This is for a 1100 sq ft condo and only for my friends and me to have fun singing karaoke once in a while. We all love to sing, even if we aren't that good.

5. Thanks so much and sorry so long. Would like to get a few different opinions. Esp Lonman, you sound very smart here.

_________________
Yo, yo, yo

Honestly Im new to this also but I do have a set up like you have. I run 1/8 from pc to rca into my mixer. Then from the mixer to crossover (because I have a sub on a seperate amp and two powered jbl's). I would think that you could run from pc 1/8 inch into rca on one of your home stereo's rca inputs. What if anything do you have powering your speakers. Are you looking to get something else to power the speakers?

I currently have a harmon kardon receiver powering my infinity tower speakers. I wouldn't mind bypassing the whole stereo and going pc to mixer to powered speakers, but I am limited by room in my loft condo. Only 1100 sq ft. Are there some good small powered speakers that would be fine for home use and also easy to store or hide? Is it better to get powered speakers or a powered mixer or mixer and amp and regular speakers? Is there a really good set of speakers that I could use for both my home system and the karaoke, so that I only have one set of speakers? Pondering, pondering and a little frustrated.

_________________
Yo, yo, yo

you need a speaker that's rated for "live mic". In this forum, there are many good posts where people have spoken which speakers work best, and for good budget as well.

Also, I know I've said this in the past, but I bypass the stereo out of the computer, and go USB.

Soundblaster MP3 is a wonderful device that will have your output as RCA. From that you can hook directly into your mixer. Or Amp, or whatever you wish.

Microphones should go into the mixer.

What do you mean, bypass the stereo? You go usb into a mixer or what? I use my S-video for video and the one to two wire from the headphone jack on the computer for the sound. Can somebody answer some of my other questions above? Thanks.

_________________
Yo, yo, yo

Yes, I'd put Lonman as the resident expert. I've learned much from him and at this point I feel as though I have almost as much knowledge as he has in his little finger.

That aside...

A few basics. There are two types of connections in the music world. Balanced and unbalanced. They don't usually appreciate being directly plugged from one into another. You'll find balanced connections on most commercial/pro equipment (like that Mackie Mixer) and unbalanced on the consumer equipment (like computers, your stereo, etc).

As Lonman will likely reply - don't run karaoke through your home stereo. Home stereos aren't designed for live music and will be damaged by using it in that way.

As for speakers, I'd use a pair of JBL Eon G2's w/ a 10" woofer. If you're doing rap or dance music you'll feel like your bottom end is missing or a little light but your neighbors probably won't be calling the cops either. These are professional speakers designed for PA/Live music use and will do just fine with the Mackie mixer, but you'll need a pair of balanced cables to hook them up. Add a couple folding speaker stands if you don't want to sit them on the floor. The speakers stands will fit under most beds or in the corner of a closet. The JBL's are pretty small and will easily fit in the top of a closet or can be left out on top of an entertainment center or in the corner of a room. I just noticed the price range that you have which will likely put the JBL's on the sideline. If you look for a comparable 8" or 10" powered monitor/spekaer there should be a number in the price range you're looking at ($300-400 per speaker).


The effects on the mixer are delated effects that cause a time 'shift' in the music. You mix the modified signal (or time shifted) with the orignal to create a reverb effect which can enhance the sound of the singer.

This is different than the keychanger on karaoke machines and the pacemaker plugin. These actually change the key of the music so that someone that can't normally sing a song can. I try to sing Johnny Cash and his ghost haunts me and the patrons threaten to kill me. I drop the key 2 levels or up 1 and I do an ok job (depending on the song).

You'll plug the mics directly into the Mackie mixer. Plugging a mic into the computer is possible but not recommended because you won't be able to apply the effects to only the mics (and not the music), adjusting the levels is much more difficult, and you should be using balanced microphones on XLR connections to insure a quality signal. If you don't want to spend a fortune on mics you can go with a $40 Fender P-51 which I got with my PA and seems to take lots of abuse and works well (but requires a little more gain than some others). If you can afford them, the Sennheiser e835 and Shure SM58 are both good mics and go for about $100 each. The Sennheiser can be had for $66 each in quanties of 3 ($200 for 3).


Lonman will likely make some other recommendations and I wish you luck in your search.

by "bypassing the stereo OUT of the computer" I mean, not using the output on the back of the computer... the 1/8" connection that normally goes to a computer speaker.

What I'm talking about is using pure rca jacks into your mixer... jacks that hook up to a mp3 device (soundblaster mp3), as it's meant for pure computer sound, no interferance, no ground noise... only music!