Karaoke Forums

Hello everyone!
I've sung for about 7 years and have been doing KJ work for about a year now and have just lost my second gig. There are many reasons for this(both are new bars, lack of advertising, not enough time to allow karaoke to grow, etc..etc..etc...)
Anyhoo, I ran into some former regulars and was told that our setup sounded too good, possibly intimidating singers. We are anal about our sound and like the fact that we sound better than the average distorted, loud, and annoying bar setup. But it seems that these are the bars that are packed around here.

Has anyone had their sound too good for business???
Thanks!
JamminJimmy

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Woo-Hoo!!!

well that sounds a little strange to me... I can't imagine anyone NOT wanting to sing with good sound...

the only think that comes to my mind is that maybe during your show you give off an aura of worrying too much about sound instead of lettin' loose and havin' fun?

not sayin you do, or course, just a thought.... cuz that's the only think that I can think of. I for one would LOVE to sing somewhere with exeptional sound.

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That's a new one on me. Never heard anyone tell me they didn't want to sing on a system that sounded TOO good. All the complaints I get are just the contrary.

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I've had that happen... a lot of "okay" singers have told the bartender that they feel a bit intimidated. I've tried to be more "average" myself ... I won't sing my showstoppers there, and it's worked it's way back around...

but I don't have many bad singers at all... everyone comments on how good the sytem sounds!

Yep I agree with Crystal that I'd rather sing with a good setup than an average one.. *shrugs* but that's just me.

Being in the audience, I'd rather hear an average singer on a good setup too if it was available. I'd think it'd make them sound better.. *scratchin head* dunno...

The regular singers are the ones tell you it's the sound. I would bet the not so regular karaokier, like myself, just hears the supah good singers on the supah good system and do not realize that they will sound supah good for them too.

Maybe make a joke about how the system quality makes even the average Joe sound great!

We bowl on Tuesday nights and when they started karaoke in the bar on Tuesdays I got really excited! I sang a few times and was really unhappy with the sound system! It is just so satisfying to feel that you sound the best you can sound! I think I would just feel like I'd died and gone to Heaven if the sound system rocked! I just don't feel motivated to sing there anymore... not only that.. the song book needs to be seriously updated! One night some friends asked me to sing something... and I sat for 15 minutes looking for a song. Now... I know a LOT of songs... but I couldn't find one! The song book seemed to cater to the male gender. Lot's of Elvis, Sinatra, some classic rock. No Shania... not ONE song! I thought 'Honey I'm Home' was like a staple for KJ's ! No Sheryl Crow, no Stevie Nicks, no Faith Hill, no current pop! I finally found 'Johnny Angel'... sad... I ended up singing that... and I've never sung there again. One of the fun things about karaoke is shopping for a pretty song! Now, I have to walk through the bar after we finish bowling and I just give the KJ a wave and he is like hmm.... "stuck up!"

A good sound system and a good song book rule!!!

*wink* I'm totally with you Sheree.. A KJ around here has thousands of songs but all old - which is OK until you've been at the same place a few times and have to sing the same songs all the time..

The new songs are male songs.. No Gretchen, hardly any Faith, hardly any Shania, no new female pop songs, etc.

I also agree that maybe you could make a joke about how good the sound system is that it will make anyone sound like a good singer helps.

I think you have to break karaoke singers into at least (2) categories

1) The Pro: These are the singers that go out just to SING. They may bring their own discs , have machines home, vistit Karaoke scene on a regular basis. ETC. These singers welcome a great sound system and professional show. They appreciate OTHER great singers and enjoy to sit and listen to other "PRO" Karaoke singers entertain. They also appreciate and welcome NON- PROS just out drinking and having a great time who came to the bar not even thinking about KARAOKE (can you imagine)?

2) The NON PRO's : These are the singers who went to the bar not realizing it was karaoke night. They won't even get up to sing unless they are dared to or had enough A L C O H O L ! . These patrons and customers could be intimidated NOT to sing by the presence of GREAT SINGERS AND A PRO SOUND SYSTEM AND SHOW. They could think that they are not GOOD ENOUGH !

It's up to the KJ to identify these WOULD BE SINGERS and make them feel comfortable enough to get up and sing . It's not easy but its part of the job.

No such thing as sound TOO good!! The better the sound.. the better the singer sounds.. good, bad or somewhere in the middle. MORE is ALWAYS better... as long as it enhances the overall quality of the show. IMO

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Can't see how someone might complain that they sounded BETTER than they should!!

Jammin - Are the complainers singers, or non-singers?

My guess is that the complainers are ones that WANT to sing, or are contemplating it... but then hear the "good" singers on the "good" sound system and think "NO WAY am I getting up there!"

I used to be one of the non-singers who would get intimidated by the ones who were singing, but I never thought the sound system was the reason for it. Once I actually tried it for myself, I took notice of the system wherever I happened to go for karaoke.

Now that I have been singing karaoke for over a few years, like Sheraokee, I feel less inclined to sing on a system that doesn't sound as good as what I'm accustomed to. In fact, one place I go to on a regular basis occasionally has the settings different than the way they had them the weekend before. I notice it immediately, and feel a bit leery about singing that night because I'm afraid I won't sound as good. I try not to complain about it unless I can't hear myself on the monitor speaker, because if I can't hear what I am doing, I have no idea what it sounds like to the crowd and I can't modify it any. Even then, I really don't "complain" per se. I lean over to the KJ during a verse break and let him know I can't hear anything out of the monitor and hope it will change.

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I finnally had the opportunity to sing at a gig that wasnt my own ( rained out ) When I got up to sing I noticed that the mic was plugged into the PLAYER!!! I almost lost it. These are the kind of Quacks that are ruining it for everyone. I also am spoiled by my set up. my singers are always telling me how killer my system is, now I know why. But there are KJ's out there who can deliver the goods 4 sure. A microphone in the PLAYER. I bet you a million they were charging 50 bucks and all the beer they could drink.....................sad but true

Sheraoke to bad you didn't live around here I have lot's of female songs in many Genre, lots and lots of Shania, I only have about 2500 differant songs non repeats (but I am adding all the time as I have only been doing Karaoke shows for the last 4 months)and 3800 with repeats, the repeats give you a choice of CDG mfg so I don't mind having repeats in my book.
The only thing with a great sound system that I have noticed is I like to have my monitor to have clean clear vocals with no effect only EQed and plenty loud. Some people have a hard time with this because they hear what others sound like through the mains and think they are sounding awfull because they are hearing themselves with no whistles and bells. I like it that way because if you have effects on the monitor you tend to get lazy and not try as hard to sound good as the effects fatten the voice as well as the compressor levels out the vocals and bring them out in the mix and you might have a tendency to let the compressor control your volume thus overall sound at the mains are not as good as with only EQed vocals in the monitor.
I have had to compromise and add a small amount of effect to the monitor because the average person singing does not understand this and get discouraged with their sound through the monitor vs's everyone else they hear through the mains.
Does this make sense to you all?

Makes perfect sense to me, bowfishn. I'm one of those who likes the monitor loud (read above.) I'm also one who prefers no effects through the monitor but having them in the speakers the crowd hears. Hearing myself "raw" through the monitor allows me to modify it if I don't like what I hear during the first few notes... thus making it sound better out in the open. I've gotten lazy before when the monitor was set up with effects, not realizing it wasn't set up on the OTHER speakers, and of course it didn't sound as good "out there."

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Deb how do you like the monitor set up for you when you sing? You say you have been going to Karaoke shows for a couple years now, so I would be interested in hearing your input as well as others.

, bowfishn - did I answer your question before you asked it?

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Sorry I asked you a question you answered before i posted the question.
I have found even when they have the effects on for the main floor that it isn't as good a performance as having no effects on the monitor. I found this out when I was recording myself and had an effect in my headphones, it made a huge differance over having no effect in the headphones.

You did it again. Do you also have a Crystal Ball?

No crystal ball - but I do have ESPN (LOL)
Does that count?

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