Would you work on a karaoke setup and what do you need to do it successfully?

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MIXMASTERMACHOM

DJ Extraordinaire
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Oct 16, 2011
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I was talking things over with a friend yesterday about doing karaoke. If I had a karaoke setup I could have been the DJ this Saturday doing the event I'm attending. We're doing the taping for the event with the speakers.

I have 2 laptops, speakers and controller with a backup controller. My friend I talked to does it sometimes.

For those who do it what else would I need to do it? Is it worth it and how hard is it to get started? My friend uses KaraFun. That's an online service that you pay for monthly and he said it has thousands of songs to choose from. They also update each month I think.

Just looking for some feedback please.
 
Mix,How much money to the bottom line?
Look at it like a biz.
 
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I do it a few times a yr and find it much easier to rent via hiring a KJ operator and his gear (hooked into mine). He/she provides the music, mics, screens, stands, audio equipment, etc. They also run the whole thing. I just monitor the mix into my system.

Way less hassle and I make more money this way.
 
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Karaoke is awesome .. investment is just a few thousand and you get a healthy $100 or so to do it .. I'd be all in ...
 
Really, I thought you wanted to DJ? Interestingly my DJs hate (really hate) Karaoke, of course that’s what I do the most now. But music-wise it all boils down to song selection. It doesn’t manner if you have 20k, 30, or 50k songs with you, you have the songs your clients want to song. I started with karaoke around 1995 with only a couple of hundred hand picked songs on laserdiscs and used a 10ft screen. Our first college Karaoke event went 4 hrs with a 2 hr wait to sing. We hit them with a great song selection, impact of huge screen and got paid really well. So if you do karaoke you have to have some good reasons to get people pay you. In general karaoke doesn’t pay well less unless you have the right gimmicks and clients. I used to do a karaoke/DJ combo package but I found karaoke only works better with at least my clients. For karaoke a minimum is a laptop, mixer,microphones and TV monitor.
 
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Online Karaoke with over 32,000 Songs on KaraFun - (https://www.karafun.com/)

There's your library on a subscription basis. Technically you should be using the pro subscription. Now you just need to buy the mics, screens and stands and learn to be a host
Mics are not an issue. We have plenty of mics I bought a while back from a guy. He was using them for karaoke. They are good enough for that. Just would need a few more mic stands, a stand for the monitor and a monitor. What size screen? I say at least a 32" screen.
 
I usually only use two 32” for the audience. They can be seen even in a large room and still fit in a small area. They are easy to move and both fit in one case. I also use them for my trade show booth and DJ setup. I have other larger projection alternatives but I’ve even use the 32” TVs outdoors and they worked just fine.

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Mics are not an issue. We have plenty of mics I bought a while back from a guy. He was using them for karaoke. They are good enough for that. Just would need a few more mic stands, a stand for the monitor and a monitor. What size screen? I say at least a 32" screen.

For the singer you could probably get away with a 24 or 27 but for the difference in price go 32". Go watch a few GOOD Karaoke shows before you try this so you learn to host it's not the same as DJing. You should also either be able to sing or have a following that can for warm ups while the crowd is getting lubed

And the small floor monitor, and the backup library for times when the internet doesn't comply, and the reverb/effects unit, ...

I thought about the monitor after I signed out last night you beat me to it LOL. As for the backup library the pro subscription allows offline files one of several reasons I suggested that one

While I agree totally about reverb/effects the last half dozen times I've had the misery of watching Karaoke I haven't seen anyone using them. One guy had some software that worked poorly (probably user error) for reverb but no hardware. Mix if you buy those units learn to use them before you give it a shot at a show or you will have a big mess on your hands
 
For the singer you could probably get away with a 24 or 27 but for the difference in price go 32". Go watch a few GOOD Karaoke shows before you try this so you learn to host it's not the same as DJing. You should also either be able to sing or have a following that can for warm ups while the crowd is getting lubed



I thought about the monitor after I signed out last night you beat me to it LOL. As for the backup library the pro subscription allows offline files one of several reasons I suggested that one

While I agree totally about reverb/effects the last half dozen times I've had the misery of watching Karaoke I haven't seen anyone using them. One guy had some software that worked poorly (probably user error) for reverb but no hardware. Mix if you buy those units learn to use them before you give it a shot at a show or you will have a big mess on your hands
I think most non-professionals are helped with a smidge of reverb. As for the Karafun backup, you'd need the pro license to sync the whole library, otherwise you get up to 1K I believe. I have some 12-15,000 karaoke tracks I bought. I would use the Karafun for private parties as a filler for newer material. The floor monitor helps .. I need to replace the little Behringer since it sounds so wonky.
 
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I think most non-professionals are helped with a smidge of reverb. As for the Karafun backup, you'd need the pro license to sync the whole library, otherwise you get up to 1K I believe. I have some 12-15,000 karaoke tracks I bought. I would use the Karafun for private parties as a filler for newer material. The floor monitor helps .. I need to replace the little Behringer since it sounds so wonky.

Oh I agree reverb helps immensely and so does a limiter for the screamers. It was the pro subscription I suggested to mix but I'll wager.....
 
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A karaoke gig is NOT the same as a DJ gig.
You can't just sit there and play music for people who sing.
You need to play the songs that THEY want to sing.
You need to be a very vocal, outgoing personality. (kinda like a game show host)
You need to speak a lot, to encourage people to sign up...and to introduce them, etc.
And, if no one wants to be first, you need to be prepared to sing yourself.

Does that sound like you?

And to answer your question, NO!
I would not be a karaoke jock.
Although I can handle hosting the event, I would NOT be willing to sing.
Besides, I have no interest in buying a bunch of new gear...
to accommodate a request I have only gotten ONCE in 30 years.
Also, I think karaoke has already hit it's peak in popularity.
 
Also, I think karaoke has already hit it's peak in popularity.
Maybe "bar" karaoke, but it seems to be on the rebound at colleges.

I donated my older Vocopro CDG player to my niece (along with an ADJ party light pack) and she does it at school with friends.
 
Every Karaoke host i met in the 90s were definitely ready to sing at the drop of a hat... they were normally trying to peddle some cd they had pressed and had dreams of going to nashville or branson...lol

Theyd even sing when there was a line of people waiting....lol

cc
 
I sing OK, not great, so I don't sing complete songs when I host lest I lose patrons, but I have helped some singers with background vocals at times.
 
Every Karaoke host i met in the 90s were definitely ready to sing at the drop of a hat... they were normally trying to peddle some cd they had pressed and had dreams of going to nashville or branson...lol

Theyd even sing when there was a line of people waiting....lol

cc

I was a fairly good host but I came to the realization that I suck as a singer...Made the decision not to do it real easy LOL
 
Karaoke has increased in popularity for me but I am in the college market. They are actually increasing the number of Karaoke events they are having. One school has me back for the third time since January. Usually it is one per semester. Now I’m been brought up to New Hampshire and Massachusetts. But it’s a whole different set of people who Karaoke is somewhat new to them or they never used to consider karaoke. Besides the regular typical stuff usually considered karaoke I play a lot more genres now which I never used too as my audience is now very diverse. I haven’t had to sing at an event in about 20 years but I am always prepared to do a song or two if I have to. Usually, the right host encouragement and/or playing the right song will start things up fast. What I really don’t understand is why a host would sing if there are people waiting.
 
...what do you need to do it successfully...

DRAMACHO,

In my answer, I am considering the "it" in your inquiry, to be all encompassing and not only for karaoke.

Here is a quick list from which to start:

1) Ethics, personal and professional.
2) A scintilla of business acumen.
3) Minimal grasp on reality.
4) Capacity to honestly and somewhat intelligently interact with other human beings.

Please contact us when you have acquired ALL of the above...talk to you never.
 
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