Karaoke Forums

Hi,

I'm a newbie here.....I'm planning on buying a good karaoke mixer and mic, but there are too many options out there and since I'm not technical knowledgeable, I don't know which one is good which one is not....I was wondering if you guys can help me with some input.

Note: I also have a DVD player that has a karaoke built-in already, but for some reason, I couldn't hear any echo sound...as if I'm singing without a mic.....if I change the mic only, do you think I will still need to buy a mixer?

thanks in advance
ktv_addict

ktv,

Virtually everybody (the professional karaokers) agrees that you don't want to use the players as a means to hook up the microphones.

They may SAY that they're karaoke compatible, but many times, it's just the basics.

Depending on your needs... there are, as you say, a lot of options.

For home users, and smaller pros, I personally recommend the AKJ7000 mixer/amp (or one of the others that are from that brand, 7050, etc.).

It has three seperate mic controls, echo, key up/down for the player, and the ability to adjust treble/bass on both the music and the microphones.

Make certain your dvd player can play cdgs, if you're going to purchase them. If not, you'll have to look into getting a cdg player!

hi knightshow,

thanks for the info. i'm guessing cdg is to eliminate the audio. correct me if i'm wrong.

Addict, CDG or CD+G are CDs where graphics (the words to the song) are specially added. They will not play on any device that is not compatible. You will be able to tell from the unit itself (will have compact disc graphics on it) or in the owners manual under compatibility.

I can vouch for the AKJ7050 mixer/amp. I use it and have been very pleased. It's an ideal mixer/amp for home and karaoke parties. Obviously it's not a 16 channel mixing board with sliders, multiple effects, XLR inputs, etc ,but who needs that at home?

oh no....my dvd player doesn't have cd-g on its unit itself...and i lost the manual already

if i buy akj7000/7050, what kind of cd-g do i need to buy? is there only one kind? i'm totally clueless...

what's the main difference between akj7000 and 7050?

thanks again for all your input.

Addict, to try to eliminate confusion. There is CDG software, which are discs that contain the karaoke music. There are many manufacturers of music discs and you can read the different threads on peoples opinions on them. There is CDG hardware, the players of the discs. There are fewer manufacturers of players. There are all in one units, more for home use (Vocopro is the major manufacturer of these units) and professional players (Pioneer, JVC, and RSQ are the major players). By going through the threads, you will find opinions on the various units.

Yes it can be a bit confusing but then again so is buying a car. Educate yourself and get what you need for your purpose.

As for your DVD unit go to the manufacturer's website and see if you can get the info there on your player's capability.

Addict:

The difference between the AKJ7050 and the AKJ7000 is a fan. The 7050 includes a fan to keep the unit running cool. Personally, I would opt for the fan, but for home use either should be okay. There are also other home type units from Vocopro as well as Audio2000 that you may want to consider. I can only speak for the 7050 since I own it.

A CD+G disc is nothing more than an audio cd with subchannel data which contains the graphics. A karaoke CDG disc will play in a standard CD player. However, the player will not be able to read the graphics and will just ignore it. As stated before, most cd/dvd players are not CD+G compatible. If the specifications do not explicitly state that the unit is CD+G compliant, it will not display the graphics. Please also note that there are some players that state they are karaoke compatible. Usually, these are DVD players with microphone jacks. They will play DVD karaoke discs and probably VCD discs. If you just intend to buy Karaoke DVDs those players may be okay. However, the biggest selection of music will be found on CDGs. I would recommend a JVC or RSQ CDG player. You can find them at almost any karoke retailer's site. If you want a player that supports both DVD and CD+G media, RSQ and other manufacturers make such a unit.

Good luck to you.

my html page where I drew up definitions of what karaoke software really is:

knightshow.com/misc/define