The Problem with Any Feedback Destroyer

Let me just say that I think that some sort of feedback controller is an indispensable part of any mobile DJ rig.

When you are playing at five or more different venues every week, you'll run yourself ragged trying to adjust your 31 band equalizer by hand with each set up of your karaoke DJ equipment. Even keeping a record of the rung out equalizer won't really help, because humidity and the number of bodies in the room and gees, the phase of the moon all screw with the way sound travels through a given room.

Although ringing out each venue and then taking a photo of the equalizer so you've got a starting point every time you set up is a pretty good idea. (It's what I'd do if I didn't love the DriveRack PA that let's me auto-pink any room.) Especially since you can probably use your cell phone to take the picture and then store it on your DJ laptop, ha.

It's not like the old days where you had to get film developed and carry around a pile of prints. And then someone uses the photos as a coaster and you've got to dig up the negative... Technology is the DJ's friend, I say. Hurrah for digital images!

But the best efforts to ring out your venue and record those settings aren't going to cut it when you are looking to control feedback 100%. You'll want some sort of unit that automatically filters feedback. For karaoke DJs the challenge is even bigger, since you are likely to be dealing with a whole set of wireless microphones. And while those wireless VocoPro mics are terrific, it is getting harder and harder to find a no-interference frequency to get a clean signal. With the new FCC rules about which UHF frequencies you can legally use, that's going to restrict your ability to jump away from a problem microphone range even more.

Plus wireless mics cut your singers free from the cord...we've all seen those gypsy singers that wander around the bar without a care to the location of the speakers and how they are pointing the microphone directly into them. Sigh. Regular old unidirectional wired karaoke microphones are sometimes a blessing.

All this to say, you need a feedback destroyer if you want to run karaoke shows in multiple venues. Whether you like the Behringer Ultragraph, Peavey Feedback Ferret, or the granddaddy of all feedback controllers the dbx DriveRack PA, there is one problem with any feedback control unit: Every time a feedback unit inserts a notch filter into another particular frequency it will alter the sound output of your system.

True, most of these alterations are so minor that you'd have to be the world's biggest audiophile to hear them. (Doesn't that describe every DJ you've ever met, though?) Taken individually, I wonder if there is one ear in a million that could detect the presence of a single notch filter. But since most rooms have 6 or 8 problem feedback frequencies and those frequencies are generally scattered across the lows mids and highs, there can be an audible change in your sound. And if you've got a room that's a feedback misery, the automatic feedback units are going to jam so many notch filters in that your sound could be distorted enough that ANYONE might notice.

So, when you are looking at a feedback unit, make sure the notch filters are as narrow as can be. That's why I like the DriveRack PA - really narrow notch filters. The narrower the angle of the notch filter, the smaller the distortion of your sound is going to be. Plus, I love pointing the calibration microphone around. Makes me feel like Star Trek technology has arrived at last.

Karaoke Media Disc Formats

Have you ever bought a karaoke disc and then found you didn't have the right equipment to play it? That can be frustrating.

There are a whole bunch of different karaoke media formats now. You have CDG, DVD, MP3, NEO+G, WAV and more. Some karaoke DJ equipment promises the ability to remove vocals from your normal CDs, even. Wading through all that can be frustrating when all you really want to do is sing.

In this post, I just want to talk about the four common discs formats for karaoke media. When you order any karaoke media, you should know that the songs are recreations of songs done in the style of the original artist. The original artist gets a percentage of every legitimate disc purchase as a royalty. But the original artist doesn't typically record karaoke discs.

Karaoke CDG, also called karaoke CD+G, is the most common and popular karaoke disc format. You can play these in any standard CD player, but you'll only see the lyrics onscreen if you are using a CD+G karaoke player hooked up to a TV monitor. That's what the "+G" means - the graphics of the song lyrics are embedded on the disc. That's why CD+Gs cost more than regular CDs, or that's why you get so few songs on a CD+G as compared to a regular CD. CDGs will not have lead vocals to guide your singing. CD+Gs have only background vocals and instrumentals.

DVD Karaoke discs are another type of karaoke media you'll find. If you want to play DVD karaoke discs, you need a DVD player with a karaoke function. A DVD karaoke disc won't usually play on a standard CD player. And it won't work correctly in a standard DVD player without a karaoke function, either. On the bright side, these discs have a removeable lead vocal - so you can choose to hear the lead singer or not. Also, most DVD karaoke discs have a video type background behind the graphic lyrics that come up on the monitor screen to guide your singing.

Another karaoke media on the market are karaoke VCD. These are video compact discs that work like CD+G, only there will be a video behind the lyrics that will show up on the monitor screen. Like CD+G, VCD don't have a lead singer voice but only backup singers and instruments. Karaoke VCD will not work in a standard CD player.

The fourth common karaoke disc format is CDGM (compact disc graphics multiplex). You need a CDG player with a multiplex balance control to play these. The multiplex balance control will enable you to remove the lead singer vocal track. You can turn the lead vocal track up and down depending on how much help the karaoke performer needs getting through the song. A standard CD player doesn't have multiplex balance control, so a CDGM would play like a regular CD.

Only it would cost a lot more, haha.

So next time you are looking to purchase a karaoke disc, make sure you've got the right player to use it for karaoke. Once you open a karaoke disc, you won't be able to return it so make sure you've got what you need before you crack the plastic.

There are newer karaoke disc formats on the market now, too. NEO+G are for RSQ karaoke machines. Super CD+G (SCDG) are playable in CAVS machine karaoke and in PC Windows with a DVD-ROM drive. (The SCDG disc has the program to load and play the songs on your PC built into it.) Most of the new karaoke media formats hold a lot more tracks than the old formats. So far, they are the preserve of the KJ or avid karaoke enthusiast because a casual buyer would find them prohibitively expensive. But like all technology, the prices come down eventually.

Karaoke Feedback - Prevent the Speaker Howl

When your karaoke DJ equipment is limited by the physical space you have to set up in it is common to experience feedback. Feedback is that howling or shrieking sound that gets everyone clutching their ears. It's caused by your microphones picking up sound coming out of the speakers and then that sound gets amplified and comes back out the speakers and then it gets picked up by the microphone again and again until the loop is broken.

Feedback is an sound loop that every DJ wants to avoid. But when your venue is small, or when your equipment set up is fixed, feedback reduction can be a real thorn in your side. It may help to know the common causes of feedback:

• Someone points a live microphone at an amplified speaker
• The microphone and speaker are too near each other
• Wireless (omni-directional) mic signals are more likely to get picked up as feedback
• Two microphones get pointed together
• Lousy acoustics in the room (reflective surfaces like tile make echos)
• Lots of powered up equipment in a small space
• Turning up the volume on a mic too high

Obviously, rearranging equipment or changing the way people handle equipment is the solution to 95% of feedback. Do your best to make changes like:

• Place speakers in front of microphones and singers
• Point speakers away from microphones - one eighty is best, but any angle helps.
• Train your singers to bring mic close to their mouths when they sing so you can turn the volume down
• Teach your singers not to cup the microphone
• Don't let singers point the microphone at one another
• Turn off or mute unused microphones or speakers, especially wireless microphones
• Go to unidirectional microphones
• Improve the acoustics of the room (add carpet or sound absorbent materials)
• Use your equalizer to identify and dial out the problem frequency where feedback is occurring

If the above recommendations don't solve your karaoke feedback problems, you can always go with adding a feedback controller to your machine karaoke set up. A feedback controller is an affordable little gadget that automatically senses and filters out frequencies where feedback is developing in a live sound show.

If your karaoke feedback can't be mitigated by the rearrangement of your equipment, you can always control it electronically!

20 Duets for Karaoke

Okay, I've taken this list making thing to a whole new level of insanity. I know. I tend to get a little compulsive.

But these lists really ARE fun to write.

If you are looking for a crowd pleasing karaoke duet to belt out through the 'ole VocoPro for the next karaoke night, here's my list of common karaoke songs that are duets.

Duets for Karaoke

1. A Whole New World - From "Aladdin" Brad Kane/Lea Salonga (movie voices)
2. Islands in the Stream - Kenny Rogers/ Dolly Parton
3. I've Had the Time of My Life - Bill Medley/Jennifer Warner
4. Doctor Jones - Aqua
5. Proud Mary - Ike & Tina Turner
6. Paradise by the Dashboard Light - Meatloaf
7. I Got You Babe - Cher & Sonny
8. Summer Nights - from "Grease," John Travolta/Olivia Newton John
9. Picture - Kid Rock/ Cheryl Crow
10. Cruisin' - from "Duets," Gwenyth Paltrow/Huey Lewis
11. I Don't Know Much - Linda Ronstadt/Aaron Neville
12. From This Moment - Shania Twain/Bryan White
13. Whiskey Lullaby - Brad Paisley/Alison Krauss
14. You're the One that I Want - from "Grease" Olivia Newton-John/John Travolta
15. Stop Draggin My Heart Around - Stevie Nicks/Tom Petty
16. Don't Go Breakin My Heart - Elton John/Kiki Dee
17. Ain’t No Mountain High Enough – Marvin Gaye/Tammy Terrell
18. Too Much, Too Little, Too Late - Nat Kipner/John McIntyre Vallins
19. Umbrella - Rihanna/Chris Brown
20. Give It To Me - Nelly Furtado/Justin Timberlake

So if you are looking to steal the spotlight with a partner, crank up the machine karaoke and get down to these karaoke duets. Enjoy!

The Best Karaoke Songs for Women

These lists are fun to write.

In the process of writing this post, it occurred to me: Karaoke songs women want to sing are very different than the songs men want to sing. Just look down this list of popular karaoke songs for women and you'll see emerging themes - litmus tests for true love, broken hearts, survival anthems, vengeance, and how great it is to be a woman.

That makes this list sort of a summary for women all over the country, I'd say. Here are the top 15 in no particular order. Everyone who owns karaoke DJ equipment ought to have these songs in their songbook!

Best Karaoke Songs for Women

1. I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor
2. I Love Rock’n’Roll! - Joan Jett
3. Goodbye Earl - The Dixie Chicks
4. 9 to 5 - Dolly Parton
5. Man, I Feel Like a Woman - Shania Twain
6. Like A Prayer - Madonna
7. It’s In His Kiss - Cher
8. What’s Love Got To Do With It - Tina Turner
9. Torn - Natalie Imbruglia
10. Complicated - Avril Lavigne
11. Think Before he Cheats - Carrie Underwood
12. Dancing Queen - Abba
13. Unwritten - Natasha Bedingfield
14. Hollaback Girl - Gwen Stefani
15. Can't Fight the Moonlight - Lee Ann Rimes

Looking at the list, I know there are a few songs that aren't really going to be karaoke standards ten years from now. But I wanted to include songs for different types of voices and voice ranges. Plus I hope there's some variety of musical genre to appeal to different singers.

Let me know if you tried a song from the list and how it went at your karaoke night. These songs sound good over a machine karaoke and are generally crowd pleasers. Just leave a comment!

Best Karaoke Songs for Men

Top Karaoke Songs for Men

Looking for a track to sing at the next karaoke night? Here are some of the great karaoke songs for men. Most of them aren't too hard to sing. And all of them are crowd pleasing karaoke songs.

When you are looking for the right song, remember that you should pick something that naturally fits your voice. Some of these songs are for low bass voices and some are for tenors, so choose your tune according to your own range! Remember, many KJs have the karaoke DJ equipment that will let them cheat a song up or down in key to match your voice. Almost all the VocoPro mixers can do that.

I tried to pick a diverse set - you'll see country, heavy metal, rock, pop, etc. Hopefully you'll find your new signature karaoke song here on my list.

Best Karaoke Songs For Men:

1. "Born in the USA" - Bruce Springsteen
2. "Livin' on a Prayer" - Bon Jovi
3. "Sweet Home Alabama" - Lynyrd Skynyrd
4. "Friends in Low Places" - Garth Brooks
5. "Pretty Woman" - Roy Orbison
6. "Bad to the Bone" - George Thorogood
7. "Jailhouse Rock" - Elvis Presley
8. "More Than Words" - Extreme
9. "All I Need Is A Miracle" - Mike and the Mechanics
10. "Keep On Loving You" - REO Speedwagon
11. "I Wear My Sunglasses at Night" - Corey Hart
12. "You Were Always On My Mind" - Willie Nelson
13. "Open Arms" - Journey
14. "Build me up buttercup" - The Foundations
15. "Shook me all Night Long" - AC/DC
16. "I’m Too Sexy" - Right Said Fred
17. "She’s a Lady" - Tom Jones

Now you are wondering...why only seventeen? Why not either 15 or 20? Well, I wanted to make a list of ten. And I started with a list of thirty two. Somehow I ended up with seventeen. Don't ask me why. Blogging isn't an exact science.

Worst Karaoke Manners Ever

If you adore karaoke, you’ll be horrified that this post even exists. But recently I’ve seen some unacceptable behavior at karaoke venues. And I’m not throwing a fit about a one time occurrence with drunken sorority girls, either. And I'm not even talking about the crazies choking and beating each other outside the venue.

I’m talking about karaoke regulars breaking the unwritten rules. I wondered if I was likely to witness a cat fight between 2 church ladies last month over “You Can’t Take That Away From Me.” Sinatra would have blushed for them.

Just to avoid a false step at the next karaoke event, I’m going to lay down some simple rules of etiquette for karaoke. Unfortunately, I anticipate that the exact people who should have this set of rules in their hot little hands will be the absolute last to ever read it.

Give me the fantasy that thousands of KJs across the country printing it out and hanging it on their karaoke DJ equipment.

These are the “I Can't Believe I've Got to Write This Down” rules for karaoke. I hope you’ll agree with me without reservation. Or I may cry.

If you see me as unnecessarily strict, then you’re likely to be making me miserable at the karaoke night, as we speak.

(Writing this post is making me sound old: “When I was young, we lugged our machine karaoke through the sleet and hail, up a hill each way AND we were polite, about it too…”) Regardless, here's 8 rules to follow if you want to avoid some of the worst karaoke behavior ever.

1. You shouldn’t boo or hassle the performer ever.



2. Never fail to applaud at the end of a tune. Even if they tripped and knocked themselves unconscious for a few seconds, forgot how to read, and displayed the musical ability of a dead fish. Nothing oils the squeaking wheel of a failed performance like a little ovation. You ought to be kind since you may deliver a sub-par performance someday yourself.



3. Upstaging someone else by joining them onstage or wrestling at the mic uninvited is bad behavior. Respect the rights of others to own their solo moment, unless they issue an invitation.



4. Never throw a diva tantrum on karaoke DJ. If your track hasn’t come up in the rotation, don't yell or whine. Assume the KJ deserves the benefit of the doubt – he or she likely has a plan for ordering the tracks in a given manner. Your performance might better suit the rotation after a contrasting song or it might disrupt a homogeneous set of songs coming soon in the venue. Assume the best and bide your time. Ask politely when you worry that your request was misplaced.



5. Handle the songbook and the karaoke mic carefully. You are usually using the personal property of the karaoke DJ. KJs are usually compensated with peanuts and water, so messing up the VocoPro system is just a cruddy thing to do.



6. Never put in a request slip in someone else’s name. I can’t imagine of a situation where a real friend could do that.



7. Cursing over a karaoke mic is ridiculously rude. Profanity doesn’t need to be cranked up through a 350 watt speaker.



8. Singing while you are drunk is only fun for you. (Though I bet you will wake up the next morning without that happy memory of your time on stage the night before.) Taking a shot before you sing in order to build up a little karaoke bravery is an honored part of the process, but if you can barely stand up to perform then you probably ought to stay seated. As a general rule, If you’re going to drink till you fall down don't sing karaoke!

And there is the summary of core karaoke courtesy. I pray that you see the strictures of good karaoke manners carried out at each show you visit. But if you see patrons acting up on every side, copy these eight guidelines for karaoke etiquette and hang them high. Spread knowledge of karaoke good manners around the country!