Familiar with the term "Mic stealer"?
Mic's don't get themselves to the next singer, that's the KJ's job.Next....Next....Next....
- Thread starter JoeChartreuse
- Start date
Familiar with the term "Mic stealer"?
Mic's don't get themselves to the next singer, that's the KJ's job.I just wanted to say one more thing to chuck,
You're probably using a computer and don't even realize it. On some level, most DJ equipment these days can be considered a computer by definition.
Most vocal enhancers use a DSP chip. The DSP chip contains a bit of rom to hold the code, a CPU area on the chip to process the code, input, ram to process the input with the code in rom and output.
That being said, even these so called "dedicated" machines break/crash/smoke from time to time. It's a really common misconception that PC based KJ'ing is any less reliable than disk based.
You're a professional like myself, and outside of KJ styles having a show run reliably is probably #1 on our minds. The steps I take to be reliable are...
A hosting system that has a bulletproof crash recovery system.
Backup hardware in case primary hardware fails.
Mirrored Raid array
I can't say i've had 100% uptime, but i've only had 2 occassions where I had a serious hardware failure, and neither hardware failure knocked me out for the night.
Failure 1, Emu1820m took a dive.
This happened a few weeks ago. The EMU1820 is our primary sound card and mixer. Everything is wired through it. When it went kaput, I had another non-pc mixer on standby. I simply rewired everything through that, wired the PC's crappy onboard sound card through it, and the show was up and running.
Failure 2, Power supply failed
This happened a few weeks back. Right in the middle of the show, sold out, fat 40 person playlist, capacity house the power supply failed. It happened right after someone sang "smoke on the water" (irony right?)
All the screens went black, and smoke poured from the back of my PC. Oh noes! What is toqer going to do this time?
Toqer is gonna use his badass mofo skills. He tells the crowd "Technical difficulties, get a drink!" Toqer just grabs a spare power supply he has sitting around and a screwdriver. 10 minutes later the power supply is swapped and the show goes on.
I forgot to plug the CPU fan in. PC did one song, shutdown again. Fixed the problem and there's been no problems since.
I realize not everyone is cut out for PC based hosting. You need a bit of PC skills to do it reliably, but don't knock those of us that put in the time to learn our craft by saying things like "Waiting for the PC to crash". It's a moot argument.
You're probably using a computer and don't even realize it. On some level, most DJ equipment these days can be considered a computer by definition.
Most vocal enhancers use a DSP chip. The DSP chip contains a bit of rom to hold the code, a CPU area on the chip to process the code, input, ram to process the input with the code in rom and output.
That being said, even these so called "dedicated" machines break/crash/smoke from time to time. It's a really common misconception that PC based KJ'ing is any less reliable than disk based.
You're a professional like myself, and outside of KJ styles having a show run reliably is probably #1 on our minds. The steps I take to be reliable are...
A hosting system that has a bulletproof crash recovery system.
Backup hardware in case primary hardware fails.
Mirrored Raid array
I can't say i've had 100% uptime, but i've only had 2 occassions where I had a serious hardware failure, and neither hardware failure knocked me out for the night.
Failure 1, Emu1820m took a dive.
This happened a few weeks ago. The EMU1820 is our primary sound card and mixer. Everything is wired through it. When it went kaput, I had another non-pc mixer on standby. I simply rewired everything through that, wired the PC's crappy onboard sound card through it, and the show was up and running.
Failure 2, Power supply failed
This happened a few weeks back. Right in the middle of the show, sold out, fat 40 person playlist, capacity house the power supply failed. It happened right after someone sang "smoke on the water" (irony right?)
All the screens went black, and smoke poured from the back of my PC. Oh noes! What is toqer going to do this time?
Toqer is gonna use his badass mofo skills. He tells the crowd "Technical difficulties, get a drink!" Toqer just grabs a spare power supply he has sitting around and a screwdriver. 10 minutes later the power supply is swapped and the show goes on.
I forgot to plug the CPU fan in. PC did one song, shutdown again. Fixed the problem and there's been no problems since.
I realize not everyone is cut out for PC based hosting. You need a bit of PC skills to do it reliably, but don't knock those of us that put in the time to learn our craft by saying things like "Waiting for the PC to crash". It's a moot argument.
In that respect Chuck I completely agree.... that the KJ can add to the show... and its part of the atmosphere people have come to expect...
So I to hope that is what he ment... I'm not arrogant enough to think I'm what makes for a good show... but I do believe I contribute to it.
So I to hope that is what he ment... I'm not arrogant enough to think I'm what makes for a good show... but I do believe I contribute to it.
thing is there are all kinds of styles out there and they all seem to work...
Be it the baton stlye or simply saying Next...
It does boil down to more often than not personality...
If you have the personality of a boar in heat... you wont go far...
But if you are enganging and out there for the singers then you are a long way from that kj that just goes Next....
Heck I just figured out how to make my software behave like I'd seen done back in the 90s... pretty cool.... now i'm totally automated as far as rotations are handled... that's one less thing i have to concentrate on durring a show... (wannabe blonde) lol
Be it the baton stlye or simply saying Next...
It does boil down to more often than not personality...
If you have the personality of a boar in heat... you wont go far...
But if you are enganging and out there for the singers then you are a long way from that kj that just goes Next....
Heck I just figured out how to make my software behave like I'd seen done back in the 90s... pretty cool.... now i'm totally automated as far as rotations are handled... that's one less thing i have to concentrate on durring a show... (wannabe blonde) lol
Exactly, what I meant, the Host is the cheerleader, referee, soundmixer, rotation manager, janitor, waiter/waitress, and energy maker for the entire night. Also Chuck, with the new automated list on the screen, of the singers names, the host should still make if fun for them to come up to the stage, but some hosts just wait for them to come up by saying "next" and just start the music when the are on stage. Let us hope that automation doesnt make our industry a nothing job for any of us. The Host, will always make or break any show.
MV
MV
Familiar with the term "Mic stealer"?
Even BATON style???!!!!! JUST TEASING!!
Never, I play music inbetween singers. It keeps the non singers intrested. It is also too busy to do this method in my bars. Most nights it takes an min or so to get to my setup, I can't be walking around a crowd of 100 or people looking for singers.
I'm assuming you're disc based, am I right?
Imagine how many more singers you might be able to get through in a night if you didn't have to play border music between singers, search for and change discs, shuffle request slips around, and constantly make announcements as to who's next.
That's where a computer based system such as AutOKdj comes in handy... when used to it's fullest including the FE or singer enque station... all you have to do is monitor levels and keep the rotation fair. Most of the time the rotation will take care of itself though. There are of course other programs but none that handle rotation nearly as well. Assuming of course none of the singers try to cheat the system, hence you having to play a roll in keeping it fair.
Yah? Try trying to find your next singer in a crowd of 100 in a 30'x30' room. I manage just fine. Here's my trick...
If the frontdoor is too crowded, I go out the back and walk around the building. If it's a guy, I check the guys room, if it's a girl I scream "HEY SO AND SO YOU'RE NEXT!" through the door.
After making that round I come back around front and walk around screaming "DOES ANYONE KNOW SO AND SO?" I do this constantly, all night. At some point folks get that i'm calling out the name of their friends and they'll tell me "So and so is at the bar, or here, or there!" or i'll just find the singer.
Usually this leaves me a minute or two to spare, so I walk out back and chainsmoke till about 20 seconds before the current song ends. I walk up to the stage to usher off the performer and set things up for the new singer. Then it's all around the building again.
I think next week i'll wear the 2.4ghz camera on my body and maybe mix in it's audio a little bit. 100 people? Perfect size for baton.
Not disc based. I have been using a PC for Karoke since 1998.
I don't want more karaoke songs. I am completly comfortable turning 40 to 50 slips in a night. People like that I play current top 40 between singers, it gives the girls something to dance to. I generally take a 3 song dance break once an hour to keep everyone happy also.
My rooms are 30 x 30 too. Or more like 20 x 40.
I have an Entertainment style of karaoke different than anyone in my area. I host the busiest nights in the city. Die hards don't like my style of karaoke my average crowd is 21 to 27. They are happy only singing once in a night.
I will say it's different everywhere as I do have one smaller, slower bar and many times i do run singers back to back a good bit. On average there will be 30 people in the bar and 10 or more are singers.
I don't want more karaoke songs. I am completly comfortable turning 40 to 50 slips in a night. People like that I play current top 40 between singers, it gives the girls something to dance to. I generally take a 3 song dance break once an hour to keep everyone happy also.
My rooms are 30 x 30 too. Or more like 20 x 40.
I have an Entertainment style of karaoke different than anyone in my area. I host the busiest nights in the city. Die hards don't like my style of karaoke my average crowd is 21 to 27. They are happy only singing once in a night.
I will say it's different everywhere as I do have one smaller, slower bar and many times i do run singers back to back a good bit. On average there will be 30 people in the bar and 10 or more are singers.
Ooops....Can't let that slide. If you're experienced at running a disc based show, it moves as fast as any PC based show, sometimes even faster. Or, for that matter- slower. Yes, many of my restaurant/bar patrons prefer a slower paced show. More time for applause, teasing, etc.... Less of an assembly line feel. Of course this is for the smaller venues....I don't play filler, but I do play one "ugly music" (non-karaoke) song between rounds for smokers to go out and light up. I don't "shuffle" slips. I take 'em, and have the disc pulled and ready WAY in advance, laying on a felt covered lit space under my rack. The switch time is as fast as the player loads the song. (dual source- on deck is already in player.) Song Switch? Just as fast as re-entering in PC. A host used to working with his/her organized disc collection KNOWS where the most used discs and songs are, and doesn't even have to look them up.
I use PCDJ/KJ for very small venues ( read "house parties"), but never at a major venue. Just personal choice. If you enjoy working PC, terrific. However, I think that disc-based shows can stumble along right next to ya......
this is slowly slipping into a "which is better" thread and let's not go there.... personal choice, or abilities... I'm terrible with computers and now have even stepped back from my computer for my DJ shows and am back with CD's for dance and laptop for dinner background...
which is better doesn't matter, and how we run our shows is what makes us all different and unique.
I run 40 or 50 songs a night also, and am willing to play a little longer if I have some to get through at the end of the night. I stop at 1 but the bar stays open till 2 so if I want to, I can go a little longer.
which is better doesn't matter, and how we run our shows is what makes us all different and unique.
I run 40 or 50 songs a night also, and am willing to play a little longer if I have some to get through at the end of the night. I stop at 1 but the bar stays open till 2 so if I want to, I can go a little longer.
.... and lets not forget Crazy - Patsy Cline Who hasn't heard that one murdered a few times... eh?
OOOOPS wrong topic.... lol
OOOOPS wrong topic.... lol
Back to Hosting......
With entertainment as a follow-thru for our evening of Karaoke, why shouldnt we incorporate all the needs of our singers, listeners, and the general energy of the room itself?? In the way we present ourselves as the Host, and what we say, which normally has to be made up right out of thin air as we go along, because no one night is ever the same.
It is amazing to me, and I hope some others of us who have been in this industry a long time, the satisfaction at the end of an evening of Karaoke, how much we succeed in making each show, with our sound, our songs available, lighting, the energy, what we say and do, how we dress, and the professionalizm of each show, each night, wherever we may appear.
We are the masters of our own destinies. Any club we may work, each crowd we define with our ability as a host, either makes, or breaks us and our jobs, and how we are treated and what we get paid. If we cant set a standard of work ethic to host Karaoke, and maintain it, then does it really matter who says "Next.." It is up to each and every one of us, as DJ/KJ's to give it the best we have which in the end, makes it better for all of us....Just my 2centavos...MV
With entertainment as a follow-thru for our evening of Karaoke, why shouldnt we incorporate all the needs of our singers, listeners, and the general energy of the room itself?? In the way we present ourselves as the Host, and what we say, which normally has to be made up right out of thin air as we go along, because no one night is ever the same.
It is amazing to me, and I hope some others of us who have been in this industry a long time, the satisfaction at the end of an evening of Karaoke, how much we succeed in making each show, with our sound, our songs available, lighting, the energy, what we say and do, how we dress, and the professionalizm of each show, each night, wherever we may appear.
We are the masters of our own destinies. Any club we may work, each crowd we define with our ability as a host, either makes, or breaks us and our jobs, and how we are treated and what we get paid. If we cant set a standard of work ethic to host Karaoke, and maintain it, then does it really matter who says "Next.." It is up to each and every one of us, as DJ/KJ's to give it the best we have which in the end, makes it better for all of us....Just my 2centavos...MV