Karaoke Forums

Now you've left us hanging Joe. Why in the world did you go back to disks?

_________________
Okay, who took my pants?

Prediction:

Joe is going to claim he switched back because his golden ears can tell the difference between a CD and a 256k MP3 over a PA in a noisy bar.

And that might be true. But I can tell you this:
Joe does know the difference between a purchase and a lease...

GAWD get over the lease vs purchase Who cares?!?!? REALLY! Don't want it? Don't get it!!

_________________
LIKE Lonman on Facebook - Lonman Productions Karaoke & my main site via my profile!

YES, I understand! AGAIN, this thread wasn't about the merits of disc based vs the merits of PC based.

It was about whether PC hosts were willing to put up with the current annoyance factor by the mfrs. and change NOW, or would they wait til the dust settles- period. No debate at all.

My question was answered, no one cared about the annoyance factor. That's all I needed. Thanks again to al.

_________________
"No Contests, No Divas, Just A Good Time!"

" Disc based and loving it..."

OK, I really wanted a thread without a debate, but...

First, let me say that I never used the PC in public, for reasons I'll explain in a bit. Only for home parties. I don't think I ever loaded more than about 3500 tracks into it. I used the original PCDJ/KJ Red software, which worked just fine for my purposes. I had absolutely no problems with it, or it's use.

1) Bazza is partially right, though MY "golden ears" have nothing to do with it. Hearing the difference is a matter of WHERE ( in what range) one hears best- not how WELL one hears.

However, if it was JUST ME, it wouldn't matter. 15-20% of the genpop are capable of hearing the difference- most without really knowing what it is. I'm just just told I sound better. Proper mixing can still only enhance what's there.
I want as many of my patrons happy as I can.

A business decision- but it only played a very small part.

2) A major reason is the time entailed for ripping, software work, updates, and other crap. That time can be used much more effectively marketing my services. Time spent playing with the PC when I'm not working equals time ( money) lost. Less rest too, by the way.

3) I have beaten PC hosts in a speed loading contest. Also, I use 2 single tray players. This means not only that the next song is cued, but I have built in redundancy. There is no time advantage for me. Also, since I have been using discs for so long, I just LIKE the tactile contact, the even flow of my professional fingers at work..

4) Carry a PC ( and possibly an external HD) or a player- what's the difference? Discs? I carry three 600 disc binders that total one extra trip from the transport. If carrying them for others is difficult it's not my fault.

5) I don't need a device to keep my rotation for me.

6) I don't need a device to remember my regulars' song history

7) I feel ( and others have agreed) that the layout of my mfrs. discs on the work surface looks much more professional than somebody working with the same PC I have at home.

This is another reason ( besides accessibility and freedom to intermingle) that I work IN FRONT of my equipment- I want folks to know that they don't have what I use at home.

While laptop durability and software dependability have made huge leaps in the last couple of years, I note that on ALL forums, there are literally thousands of posts in regard to hardware and software problems- STILL. When my home party lappy died, I just tossed it. I wasn't about to rip again- with 5 times as many tracks. Heck, I don't even carry all the tracks I own to work.

In short, the benefits don't justify changing with any MONETARY gain vs Cost/Time Loss to the business that I run.

PLEASE NOTE: Before ripping me to shreds, be reminded that the above is the answer to why [i]I[/i] don't change over- MY FEELINGS ONLY!

I have no problem with PC hosts, and understand that it makes hosting easier for many, have nifty add-ons, and require no carrying of discs.

However, running a business is not about making my life easier, it's about making money ( Remember, the net profit is increased by less spending as well) and providing top quality service and product.

I have been at this since cassette and lyric sheet days, and have changed technologies accordingly along the way, to LD, and then to CD+G. Jokes aside, change is not a problem for me. When something markedly better for my business comes along, I will change again.

After all of this time, I'm still the big fish in my small pond- despite being surrounded by PC hosts with huge libraries, whether legit or not.

It ain't broken, and I ain't got nothin' ta fix.

Add to that the current mfr. annoyance.......

Oh yeah- why I never used the PC in public. At that time it still wasn't too late to do the right thing-now it is. This was a few years back, before the huge piracy boom. At that time I was predicting that the use of home equipment ( PCs) ( "Gee, I have a PC at home- I can be a KJ/DJ too!" ) and MP3s ( "Oh heck, I can get those free on line!") in public venues would CAUSE the boom- and it did. I kinda thought this was common sense, but unfortunately it wasn't. That's why I wouldn't use it in public. Of course, the cat's out of the bag now....

OK, let the ripping and rending begin.....but remember that I applied all of the above ONLY TO MYSELF, and it has nothing to do with anyone else.

_________________
"No Contests, No Divas, Just A Good Time!"

" Disc based and loving it..."

I wouldn't use a rotation feature either.
But the singer history does come in handy. Had someone last night look at their list & completely forgot they had me add a song to their list they wanted to try last year & tried it last night.

_________________
LIKE Lonman on Facebook - Lonman Productions Karaoke & my main site via my profile!

Yup. I just want to be clear here. There is absolutely no denying that there are some nifty software features and other benefits to PC use.

For me it was simply a combination of a monetary business decision AND personal choice.

_________________
"No Contests, No Divas, Just A Good Time!"

" Disc based and loving it..."

just like anything else in business, use whatever works best for you. you feel better slinging discs, go for it. i'm with you on the audible difference (hence .WAV on my end) but if that's you style, it makes Joe......Joe! only the ignorant would cut you down for not conforming.

_________________
Paradigm Karaoke, The New Standard.......Shift Happens

I WISH THEY HAD A THANKS BUTTON! Thanks for understanding, Paradigm..

_________________
"No Contests, No Divas, Just A Good Time!"

" Disc based and loving it..."

Exactly, because in the end it makes no difference. I have 6000 songs to use for as long as I like for a great price.

BTW, almost a year now and none of the sinister predictions have come true. No demands for more money. No demands for disc returns. No demands for audits. Nothing but pure GEM goodness.



And you probably do sound better than your competition! But it has very little to do with your CD's and more to do with your expertise, PA quality and knowledge of how to run a good board. As for your 15%-20% stat, you have never shown me a source for this. Remember that 72.3% of all statistics are invented.

But I digress. If running discs is more comfortable for you, more power to you. It is your show after all!

First, this is not a debate thread, and SC GEM lease/purchase crap has no place here. No one brought it up. Why did you?

Second, while I thank you for understanding my position, I would not necessarily place all the credit for sound quality on my mixing skills alone. As stated before, good mixing can only enhance what's THERE. There is simply MORE there using discs than MP3s with their deleted audio information.

Either way, this was a business thread, and again, the MP3 thing was only a very minor part of my decision- almost discountable.

_________________
"No Contests, No Divas, Just A Good Time!"

" Disc based and loving it..."

Actually a comment was made that you knew the difference between a purchase & a lease a few posts up. I agree, it has no bearing here (nor should it matter really anyway).

_________________
LIKE Lonman on Facebook - Lonman Productions Karaoke & my main site via my profile!

Hey, calm down there cowboy. I didn't bring it up, merely responding to the person who did as Lon mentioned. Perhaps you should scroll back and ask Mr. Staley this question?



Agreed. Discountable because your assumptions are still based on 12 year old MP3 technology.

Getting back on track...what will you do in the not to distant future when CD's are no longer available? It is a dead medium. Disc plants are closing worldwide and in less than five years CD's will be those quaint relics of days gone by like LP records and wax cylinders. Will you burn your own, join the masses or just quit?

I remember when my friend who worked at a recording studio called me over to show me his first compact disc (they hadn't hit the market yet). He was so excited about it, and how it was the wave of the future that he gave me a couple other friends his vinyl collection. He waited almost ten years for enough music to become available on cd to fully replace his collection. He was right though. But he was wrong about the lasting popularity of laser discs and beta max in spite of their superior quality at the time (and he demo-ed the newest of those for me too). Back then you could hear a difference - it's much better now.

These days it seems most people listen to their music through cheap ear buds, or combined with road noise in their cars (or the noise of the trunk lid rattling off from their "look at me I'm louder than you subs"), or through crowd noise in a bar, or through crumby computer speakers. I doubt that they could tell the difference between any audio media or even care that there is a difference.

I think the percentage of people who truly appreciate good sound, or even recognize it when they hear it has been on the decline for years.

_________________
KNOW THYSELF

OOPS. Yeah, I missed it the first time around and I thought the reply was directed at me, not Chip.

Bazza, I apologize for the error , and my thanks to Lon for pointing it out.

_________________
"No Contests, No Divas, Just A Good Time!"

" Disc based and loving it..."

While I wouldn't count too much on that 5 year time span ( heck, vinyl is still being produced), I understand your question.

First, until the complete obsoletion of discs happens, I'm good for all current and past releases.

I also own a JFJ professional resurfacing machine, which will fix anything but label side damage.

I also own a QuikDisk stand alone disc duplicator, with which I make all of my backups- and I back up everything- which is perfectly legal, by the way. It also contains firmware that can scan, correct errors, and reproduce a perfect backup from a less than perfect original.

So I'm not worried about losing the use of what discs I can acquire
(though I admit that it HAS happened on occasion, due to a technical problem that I was unaware of at the time).

In answer to your question regarding new releases after a scenario when discs will no longer be available- I will hope for a new medium at that time. Hopefully it will be better than what is available now, and then I would happily switch to that "next big thing". I did so from cassettes to laser discs, and from laser discs to CD+Gs, because each was BETTER than the last. Now I await something that is BETTER than discs and worth switching to FOR ME.

_________________
"No Contests, No Divas, Just A Good Time!"

" Disc based and loving it..."

I know I love mine. I have bought several discs cheap from people that say they are broke/scratched beyond playability. A few had label side damage, can't really fdix those, but most were just surface & some deeper scratches that were easily repaired.

_________________
LIKE Lonman on Facebook - Lonman Productions Karaoke & my main site via my profile!

_________________
"Integrity is choosing your thoughts, words and actions based on your principles and values rather than for your personal gain."
Unknown
"if a man has integrity, nothing else matters, If a man has no integrity, nothing else matters."
Lee McGuffey