What do I need to be able to do karaoke?

[DJEcho]

As much as I despise karaoke. I have a gig coming up that is a regular gig for me but they have requested karaoke. What do I need. I have wireless mics. I have laptops. I have iPads. I have speakers, amps, subs etc. my music collection is expansive. So what do I need. I currently use serato on my laptop. But don't know what extras are necessary. I would imagine I need a projector or tv screen. But what about the software and how do I get the karaoke lyrics for the monitor or is there a system that will take what I currently have for music and put the words on the screen and filter out the vocals of the songs. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Time to expand the rig a little.

[DJ Boom Bap]

It is very expensive when first starting out. Do you have a Mac or Windows computer? Do you want to go all digital or use CDG's with your computer, or a Karaoke machine? It is not possible to remove vocals from songs (for the most part), and adding lyrics that would do what a Karaoke file does would be the biggest pain in the ass ever.

[DJ Bobcat]

As DJ Boom Bap said, it can be expensive to get started. You can buy CD+G collections that may have enough titles to get you started. There are Karaoke Music sites you can join that have free downloads. Just Google "free Karaoke downloads".

To keep your collection consistent, you may want to decide on a format (MP3+G, wmv+g, .mov, etc.). The file type will depend on how you plan to play them.

The cost is not just in the music. You need a pretty big monitor for the performer to read the lyrics, and it would be facing the performer. If you want the audience to read the lyrics too, you'll need a projector or second monitor. The prices on large TV's is coming down, so at least your cost will be lower than it would have been a year ago.


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[DJ Nada]

I know a guy that runs a karaoke night entirely off youtube...

[DJ Bobcat]

I know a guy that runs a karaoke night entirely off youtube...

Yeh... It can be done, but you're dependent on a good Internet connection, or you have to download the videos to your computer beforehand, which is not exactly legal.

On the positive side, there's a nearly endless supply of songs on YouTube.


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[DJ Boom Bap]

As DJ Boom Bap said, it can be expensive to get started. You can buy CD+G collections that may have enough titles to get you started. There are Karaoke Music sites you can join that have free downloads. Just Google "free Karaoke downloads".

To keep your collection consistent, you may want to decide on a format (MP3+G, wmv+g, .mov, etc.). The file type will depend on how you plan to play them.

The cost is not just in the music. You need a pretty big monitor for the performer to read the lyrics, and it would be facing the performer. If you want the audience to read the lyrics too, you'll need a projector or second monitor. The prices on large TV's is coming down, so at least your cost will be lower than it would have been a year ago.


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I just use a small 15" led t. v. Mounted on a mic stand and it does just fine.

[DJ Boom Bap]

I know a guy that runs a karaoke night entirely off youtube...
I know a guy that DJs entirely off of YouTube... And he's too stupid to open 2 tabs and go back and forth between the two, so there is always a long moment of silence in between songs while the new one loads.

I always wanted to upload a video where the music cuts out part way through the song and it announces that the DJ is using youtube but never have.

[allensmusic]

I would need earplugs....

[b.ill]

By far the cheapest way to start is to Youtube it. Run your computer in extended desktop and external monitors out of your HDMI port. You will need a splitter for a singer's monitor, and to run a screen for the room (any TV in the room will work for that). After cueing scoot the Youtube vid over to the singer's monitor. Up your data plan on your phone and use it as a mobile hotspot. DO NOT use public wifi because you need a solid reliable connection.

For $100-150 a month you can subscribe to a karaoke streaming service. There are several to choose from. They will provide you with a proprietary program to run their service.

You can also purchase the files outright from several sites. They are zipped MP3s + CDG files and must be run on a program designed for karaoke. Serato won't do that. Karafun is free but there are much better ones that you can buy.

I've been running karaoke since 2006 and have well over $10,000 invested in karaoke tracks - both physical CDGs and downloads. This gets very expensive if you go in all the way, but it's really the only way to run a professional show. I make my living as a club DJ on weekends and karaoke host on weeknights, and karaoke is an essential part of my income.

[prof_fate]

a monitor for the singer(s), mics for them (and you), music, software.
A local guy plugs into the bar's TVs so he only needs the one for the singer(s).
He's got a 4 mic wireless setup that sits on the table, mics sit in it to recharge. People (aka drunks) drop mics.
I suspect he uses a service and has a helper.

He has no book of songs (many do).

the software should have a singers list - it scrolls on teh OTHER screens, not the singers screen, like a newscroll on tv shows.

I use pcdj for my stuff and it can do karaoke - i don't and haven't tried it, but it can, singers list etc.

[DJ5150]

Yes but the quality off of You Tube is terrible
www.5150entertainment.weebly.com

[DJ Troy]

You also need (or should have) a decent (or better) audio mixer and a couple of decent vocal effects to help out your singers. Most DJ mixers/controllers have only one mic input, and many/most don't have effects, so you really need something that does a better job if you're going to do Karaoke right.

I use a Mackie ProFX16 for this. I'd have preferred the smaller ProFX12, for cost and size, but the 16 is the smallest version that includes compression built-in, and being able to compress vocals is very helpful, especially with amateur, untrained singers. It also has a few other effects built-in that are actually useful (reverb, etc.). In the old days, I'd have had a rack of external effects, but I only do Karaoke on occasion and I wanted to have a light-weight, small, relatively simple setup that was still 90+% effective, and the Mackie does the job great. It has 4 semi-dedicated vocal channels (the ones that have compression available), which is plenty for Karaoke. As I said, I just wish they could have put the compression in the smaller ProFX12.

[DJEcho]

You also need (or should have) a decent (or better) audio mixer and a couple of decent vocal effects to help out your singers. Most DJ mixers/controllers have only one mic input, and many/most don't have effects, so you really need something that does a better job if you're going to do Karaoke right.

I use a Mackie ProFX16 for this. I'd have preferred the smaller ProFX12, for cost and size, but the 16 is the smallest version that includes compression built-in, and being able to compress vocals is very helpful, especially with amateur, untrained singers. It also has a few other effects built-in that are actually useful (reverb, etc.). In the old days, I'd have had a rack of external effects, but I only do Karaoke on occasion and I wanted to have a light-weight, small, relatively simple setup that was still 90+% effective, and the Mackie does the job great. It has 4 semi-dedicated vocal channels (the ones that have compression available), which is plenty for Karaoke. As I said, I just wish they could have put the compression in the smaller ProFX12.
always feed my DJ mixer (Pioneer DDJ-SX) into my main board, which is a 18 channel behringer with effects, then to DBX PA2 then to speakers and subs. all microphones I run out of my Behringer for much more control over each mic.

[DJ Troy]

That's what I do with the Mackie: Traktor Kontrol S4 out to the Mackie, and run mics and any "accessory" inputs (phone, projector, computer) from the Mackie. And I can leave the Mackie at home for basic music-only gigs.

[Drewbdo]

Hi, I'm Drewbdo, and I'm a recovering karaoke jock. :lol:

Bought out a KJ and ran a business for a couple of years, but I got tired of hauling around a crate full of CD+G's. I have thought about doing it again for additional money, but this time, I'd want to go full digital, with the music on a hard drive, like how I DJ. Last time I checked, there were a couple of legal services which offered that, but either charged a monthly fee (~$100, IIRC), or you had to buy the hard drive from them up front, which was ~$5000. Again, this was a while back, so the prices may be off.

In any case, I decided at the time it was not worth the investment for me. The local bars only wanted to pay $75-$100/night for a four hour gig, using all my own gear, plus setup/teardown, and didn't care if you were legal or not. I can make a lot more money as a DJ, without drunky-oke killing my ears. :D

The market may have improved since then though.

I suggest:
- 2-4 mics, plus your own mic.
- 1-2 speakers for audience
- maybe 1 speaker as an audio monitor for the singer, if you have a place that pays well enough to be worth the added investment
- video monitor for lyrics - can buy a used computer monitor for $20-$50
- video signal splitter to run the signal to the singer's video monitor
- audio mixer - I used a Behringer 1204FX, and set it on #80, which is reverb - the singers liked the way it made them sound :)
- computer or CD+G player (especially for the singers who bring their own (sometimes legal) CD+G's
- karaoke software if music is on hard drive - I can't even remember the name of the software I used ???
- music
- filler music for between singers
- books or computer with song list
- cards or paper for singer name, song title, artist - I used post-it notes, and stuck them to my mixer "wings" in order received

Take photos and post them on the bar's Facebook page. Tell the singers to tag themselves and their friends. You can start building a following, especially if your sound quality is good. Your regulars will want to know where else you work, so they can show up. A couple of years later, I got a wedding from one singer, and a rehearsal dinner (with karaoke for the bachelor party) from another singer.

[fatcatdj]

As much as I despise karaoke. I have a gig coming up that is a regular gig for me but they have requested karaoke. What do I need. I have wireless mics. I have laptops. I have iPads. I have speakers, amps, subs etc. my music collection is expansive. So what do I need. I currently use serato on my laptop. But don't know what extras are necessary. I would imagine I need a projector or tv screen. But what about the software and how do I get the karaoke lyrics for the monitor or is there a system that will take what I currently have for music and put the words on the screen and filter out the vocals of the songs. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Time to expand the rig a little.

Just go to your dj store and rent a system. Here in Los Angeles, Astro Sound and Lights rents them for like $125-$150 a night. Sure its a pigs f&*$ to haul that crap, but if you're making an extra $200-250, why not just rent? Or invest in a professional ass-kicking system like mine for about $10,000
with everything in ATA road cases including the tv screen.

Seriously if you hate karaoke, rent. I hate karaoke but I invested too much money in it to go back. I hate singers (most of them) that couldn't stay in key if their life depended on it. I am sadistic. I force myself to enjoy what I'm doing, listening to these self-proclaimed singers twisting classic songs into horrid renditions second to a bunch of alley cats howling.

I also bite my lip and sweetly introduce middle-aged women who wear short skirts, low cut necklines and weigh 175lbs or ones that look like they've been in the sun too long with cigarettes dangling in their mouths. Or the men who look 6 months pregnant that completely ruin any song by Bob Seger. Or the group of young girls who come up and mangle any title by Bon Jovi and yet think they did a superb job.

[LiquidFusion]

As another former KJ, I'm SOOO glad I'm not dealing with the crap of a karaoke gig. I started in 2009 as a KJ and until last year it was 100% of my business through another company where I learned the trade. Eventually I got tired of hearing "Don't Stop Believing" every single goddamned day, as well as the politics of finicky bar owners who couldn't pull their way out of a shit storm if their life depended on it let alone run a business. Yes, I'm very cynical yet realistic.

We were doing karaoke gigs for a bar for up to four hours and charging $150 for it, so you spend a LOT now, and get a small bite for every gig. That's the biggest downside, in my opinion. As far as software goes, the company I worked for used a program called "Hoster" and it's been by far my favorite. It keeps a log of which songs have played, as well as the time for each song, as well as a cumulative amount of all songs (less the ones that have already played). It helps considerably when you want to start getting an idea of who the last singer is, and when to say "Sorry, no more signups (unless they bring some greenbacks with them).

We ran everything stereo, and sent everything from a computer out to a mixer via RCA to two 1/4" jacks if I recall correctly. All mics were wireless (we had two since four on the same frequency would probably suck). It was a pain to move some of the systems that my former boss built since it was usually an all in one package which made it up to 100 lbs. The monitor, keyboard, computer, shell, amp, etc was all in one and the speakers were on tripods nearby. It was a simple setup, as well.

[Drewbdo]

... Sure its a pigs f&*$ to haul that crap...

... I hate singers (most of them) that couldn't stay in key if their life depended on it. I am sadistic. I force myself to enjoy what I'm doing, listening to these self-proclaimed singers twisting classic songs into horrid renditions second to a bunch of alley cats howling.

I also bite my lip and sweetly introduce middle-aged women who wear short skirts, low cut necklines and weigh 175lbs or ones that look like they've been in the sun too long with cigarettes dangling in their mouths. Or the men who look 6 months pregnant that completely ruin any song by Bob Seger. Or the group of young girls who come up and mangle any title by Bon Jovi and yet think they did a superb job.

At least you're not bitter or jaded. :whack:

:lol:

[WillieB69]

I almost went into the karaoke game. Had all the stuff purchased but my monitor and mics were stolen before I could start.

Bought a 15" LED TV with USB capabilites which I could control with the remote and a stand to mount it on.
I ran the sound out from the TV to my mixer along with two good quality microphones.
Bought a bunch of CDG's and used two software programs called Power SCDG Ripper & Power CD+G to Video Karaoke Converter to rip them to the computer, reformat them and load them onto a USB drive.

Plug the USB drive into the TV, control it with the remote to pull up and start the songs, run the sound into your DJ rig and Bob's your uncle.