I have a pro amp with reverb and low-hi frequency gains,
a pro mic, a TV with audio/video, etc., etc. I just need the CD player to play
CDGs. What should I buy?
Any of our CDG players will work for you..Just plug
the Left and Right Audio outputs into your pro amp ( or mixer ) Then, plug the
video output of the CDG player into the video input on your TV
or VCR. Sometimes it's a bit of work to figure out how to make the TV's
or VCR Video Input active.
If you have your TV or VCR's Owners Manual, it should tell you how to make the
TV or VCR "look" for the video input line or how to "switch" to the video
input .On VCR's, you might have a button on the VCR or VCR remote control
that says "TV/VCR" trying pressing this to get the video.
Will the players plug into a home stereo system and
TV?
Yes, all our CDG players, can plug into a home stereo
or TV. You must have audio input jacks (called phono plugs- a little
larger than a pencil eraser) on the TV or stereo that says "audio input"
on it, or in the case of the home stereo, the input jacks might say something
like CD input, tape input or auxiliary input.
Keep in mind that your TV or VCR needs to have a video input jack on
it..most TV's have this now...but if your TV DOES NOT have a video
input and you have a VCR, see if the VCR has a "video" input, if
not and there are NO video inputs on your TV or VCR, you will need to
get an RF Modulator ($28.95) that will make the video (the words) appear on
Channel 3 or 4 of the TV.
I just received my player today, and I'm having a problem
hooking it up to the TV. I have the video cord hooked up to the video line,
but I still have no blue screen, or words to view. Do I need a different monitor?
Probably not. It's just a matter of telling the TV to
"get" the video input line and NOT the Channel selector. Some TV's like channel
91 for "video input", some of them automatically "find" the video input when
you power on the TV...each set is a little different.....Sometimes there is
a button on the remote control that says A/V input..pressing this should cause
the TV to pick-up the video signal (words on the screen).
I am just starting out in Karaoke. Finding out all I
can. I was told I need an amp to get the sound to my speakers. Is there any
special kind that I will need for shows?
Yes, you will need an amp, unless you have a player/amp
combination like the VocoPro Twister, which has all the amplification, player,
amp. and speakers built in to it...more on that in a minute...... The simplest
way to go for a show sound system is a mixer/amp combination. The amp. and the
"mixer" which mixes the vocal singing and karaoke music together in one unit
and then sends the sound to the speakers. It handles about most any sound environment
and is easy to set up, and it's what we still use after several years of trying
other ways. It does most venues real well...( we just did a high school reunion
in a school gym, and I could I hear the music in my ears for days )... At every
job, we have to plug the player, mikes and speaker wires into the amp/mixer.
Takes a little longer, but does fine...it is easier for 1 person to carry the
parts of the system when moving the system, but of course, you gotta make more
trips to your car or whatever. This basic amp/mixer should have 6 channels (minimum.-
these are inputs for mics. and player(s) ) and a decent reverb OR echo for vocal
effects. Some KJ's prefer, or don't run any reverb or echo - this is fine too..it
depends on how you like your sound . We like a touch of reverb ourselves.
Get 2 speakers, suggested minimum size- 12" .. The ladies out there would probably
like speakers with the lightest weight cabinets possible. - just ask my wife....
they want great sound too..that can be done...
You'll probably want 2 video monitors - 1 for the singer (and you) to see, and
1 for the audience folks, unless the place already has TV monitors that you
can use. Buy 2 decent corded mics.--and 2 mic. stands..A wireless mic is nice
too, but not necessary.,you may also want a mic. stand or holder for yourself
and you may want a separate mic. for yourself -maybe..so add a mic. if you want
one for yourself....to round out your equipment, you may want to get an RF modulator
( less than $30), in case you run into a situation where you DO NOT have a video
input on your TV set.
OK, you folks that have rack systems and self contained systems like the VoCo
Pro Twister and VoCo Pro Duet can quit seething now..These folks have it made
-ALMOST..Their systems generally have the individual components like the player,
amp, mixer, reverb, key changer, AC power cord strip and sometimes even a wireless
mic.receiver -ALL nicely mounted in a sturdy case or rack - They just roll or
carry it in..( This is what I mean by ALMOST have it made -these are heavier
than component systems like the mixer/amp above)...They take a cover off, plug
it into the AC, plug in speaker cords, video line and mics, and they are ready
to rock.. Not bad...and very fast setup time..
..and folks, if you need help lifting or moving a rack system - well..., get
some help !. It ain't worth-it, for any amount of money to hurt your back or
something else ..I must confess I am guilty of overdoing it sometimes....and..
sometimes not -just ask my wife....now.. where were we...?
Oh yea... Those of you that have a VoCo Pro Twister , VoCo Pro Duet or our RX3000
( best for 1 room or a small party) fully self contained units have it the easiest..
Their speakers and amp. are built - in...they just plug-in video line and mics,
and they are ready to sing.
Home singers have it even better..they can run their sound thru their home stereo
system if they want, and it usually sounds very good, depending on your stereo
system...the best part is that you can leave everything all hooked-up --just
turn it on , whenever you want to sing...and you don't have to move it either...
There's many variations of sound and show equipment ..this just relays some
of the basics. I didn't say much here about video monitors or TV's, but we pretty
well cover those items in the other FAQ.
Here's another for you. I have seen that the players
have microphone plugs. Also, I noticed that the amp has mic plugs. Do I use
the mic. plugs on the player or the amp?
You MAY have a situation where you use the 1/4" mic.
plugs on the amp. OR the mic, plugs on the player itself...let's cover the mic.
plugs on the player first...
If you have mic. plugs on your amp., there is one situation where you would
want to use the mic. plugs on the PLAYER instead. That situation is when your
CDG player has "vocal reducer" or "vocal mask" on it, and the ONLY time you
would use this, is when someone gives you a regular, NON-KARAOKE CD by the original
artist and band that recorded the song, and they want to "sing along" with the
original CD, and they want the volume of the original artist's main vocal to
be "reduced" or "masked" when they sing.
The resulting effect is that your singer sings the main vocal part of the original
song.. ( remember there are NO graphics (words) that appear on the TV screen
of a NON-karaoke CD) and when your singer sings along with this original CD,
the main vocal part is reduced in volume and you hear your singer (hopefully)
singing the main vocal part of the song, instead of the original artist..When
your singer DOES NOT sing the main vocal part of the song, you hear the original
artist singing the main vocal part..In summary if your singer sings loud enough,
he will "cover-up" or "mask" the main vocal part, so it sounds like your singer
is singing the main vocal part along with the original band..If your singer
stops singing the main vocal part, you will hear the original artist singing
the main vocal part. How good does this work? Ehhh, it's OK.....but this feature
is more commonly used for a singer to LEARN the main vocal part of a song..we
rarely use this feature during our shows. Home singers like using the mic. plugs
on the player because they don't have to buy a mixer to add vocals to a karaoke
CD, and for home use, this works pretty good.
Otherwise, you would normally want to plug your mic(s) into your amp or mixer
for the best sound.
I know you can plug your player into your VCR. If the
disk I have in the player does not have a video but graphic's (words) can I
play a video in my VCR at the same time that my graphic's are playing?
If I'm understanding your question correctly, I would
say no, you can't do both at the same time, as long as you are using your VCR,
instead of an RF Modulator.. I think the VCR would do one function OR the other,
but not at the same time.
I had a question regarding equipment. I am a professional
D.J. and was interested in adding karaoke to my business. What karaoke equipment
do I need to purchase to add to my existing D.J. equipment?
It is pretty easy for a DJ to add karaoke to their show.
All you need is a CDG player, some disks, and one or two video monitors or a
TV set with a VIDEO INPUT on them and some song books . The best player deal
is our JVC 222 - Single drawer player with 360 Songs..a good start. Or our JVC
303 3 drawer player that also comes with 360 songs..These songs are a good assortment
of all types of songs..
The Chartbuster 450 is a good 450 song starter set at 299.00...many KJs, DJ's
and Clubs start with just the 360 song pak that comes with the above players,
and go from there.
Then to further confuse the issue, you could add our Party Pak 1 and Party Pak
2 set for only $249 for 479 songs..If you bought one of these above players
( which, with the disks are a SUPER deal) AND say for example, Party Pak 1 and
2 , you would have some duplicate songs between the songs( 360) that come with
the player and the Party Pak 1 and 2 (479 songs) ...When you buy sets, there
is no way to avoid some duplication of songs, but the savings on buying paks,
which substantially lowers your "cost per song" ( verses single disks) is so
great, that you can live with some duplications..
(What hurts is when you get established ,and one of your best singers asks you
to get a certain song and the only way you can get it is on a $30 Sound Choice
disk and you already have ALL, or almost ALL the other songs on that disk, now
that's painful to buy a $30 disk for one song for one singer..but many of us
have done it for a good singer/regular customer who supports us week after week).
OK, Now, you should get a few current disks..like Pop Hits Monthly ( you'll
probably know the most popular songs from your DJ work, and some Country Hits
Monthly..get 3 or so of each of these and you will be up to date on your current
songs and will look good to your singers/customers) Then you might want a few
specialty disks..like Britany Spears, Christine Agauliera, Alan Jackson, Garth
Brooks or whatever..we highly recommend Chartbuster's 60060 Bluegrass songs
-wakes up ANY crowd when you need it.
So now, your talking about 8 or 9 hundred songs and that's a pretty decent start.
You need to make up some song books..you can "do it yourself" by typing ALL
the SONGS and ARTISTS into a word processing program or a data base program
( absolutely NO FUN at all !!)...OR you can buy song book software like our
KJ Pro for $89 and be done with your song list in a couple of hours or so..6
to 12 song books is pretty standard. You can arrange the song list by Song Title
or Artist or both.
Make up some songs slips with the singers name, song title and song number..(
doesn't hurt to add a line at the bottom of your song slip giving you name and
phone number and saying you do parties or whatever).
The only other thing I can think of to add about the TV monitors is this..If
you are playing somewhere where there is NOT an extra TV that YOU CAN USE, consider
getting 2 monitors - 1 for the singers to see and one for the crowd to see..the
"karaoke effect" on the crowd is much greater, when they can see and follow
along with the words.
I should add here if you come across a TV and the TV DOES NOT have a VIDEO INPUT,
then you would need a RF Modulator, which converts the video line output from
the player to a Channel 3 signal that ANY TV can use.. Only $28 for a RF modulator,
and there may come a day when you are glad you have it.
I assume ( a dangerous word) that as a DJ, you probably have some extra microphones
and stands..2 mics. for the singers is nice and one for yourself to call up
the singers..but you can get by on one to start.
That will get you going since you already have the sound system part.
I haven't yet talked to a DJ that got into karaoke that said he was unhappy
with his/her decision to try karaoke. Hey, Go For It!