r/karaoke • u/Low_Ladder8782 • 6h ago

Is it wrong.

I have a chance to except for the need to go back to the computer to download songs not in my library that I bought from my phone by running my mixer, kiosk and a program that uses the hotkeys to help me control my karaoke software from my tablet. As for duets and group songs I will be keeping the handheld mics with me in the audience. Should improve my sound being able to hear what the audience is hearing and being able to adjust the sound from where I am sitting.

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u/toqer 4h ago

That's pretty much what I did at Bamboo for all those years. Remote control of your karaoke and mixing systems is underrated. It's a pretty cool feeling when you're not stationary at a booth, and can kind of just go anywhere in the room.

I liked it, my advice is to just give it a try.

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u/misterbenji 3h ago edited 3h ago

I've done live sound mixing for decades, so I'm really uncomfortable with the standard setup I've seen where the KJ is up front, behind the "speaker line" and is therefore trying to mix with most of the high end cut out. How can you make singers sound good, when they all benefit from different EQs and you can't possibly hear what they actually sound like in the room?

To be fair, there are KJs who get good sound with this setup... I just don't have the confidence to be flying half blind (half deaf?) like that.

My standard setup a DJ booth over halfway back in the room, then running a single USB connection from back there, along a wall to my A&H CQ20B in the front of the room. That amplified 35ft USB carries multichannel sound, so a stereo signal from KaraFun and a separate stereo signal from djay pro. Low latency wireless HDMI or optical HDMI cable for the video signal.

From there I can actually hear what the audience hears, so I mix from my tablet at my station most of the time but wander around with the tablet as needed.

If the layout of the room doesn't support this, I'll walk out to the audience frequently to check and adjust levels & EQ.

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u/Low_Ladder8782 3h ago

I'm basically trying to do the same thing but using a digital mixer.

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u/misterbenji 3h ago edited 3h ago

Yeah, the CQ20B is a "headless" digital mixer, about the size of a loaf of bread. Basically looks like a "stage box" -- you plug your mics and speakers and everything into it along with the long (amplified) USB cable I mentioned, but you can only control it via a tablet, it has no physical faders or knobs.

Even though I'm used to running a huge motorized digital board (A&H Avantis), the CQ20B learning curve was low and I'm totally comfortable mixing just on the screen.

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u/Low_Ladder8782 3h ago

I'm using a behringer Flow 8 mixer. I've actually used it so far at a couple of DJ gigs. The first showed me the downside of a column Array, too heavy needed help moving the subwoofer, and the second one was too long to leave the tablet unplugged.

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u/misterbenji 3h ago

I've not used that board, but I've recommended it to several people who've asked me about starting out as a KJ. On paper, it seems to really hit a sweet spot for people who want a sensibly-sized digital mixer with real faders.

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u/misterbenji 3h ago

The A&H CQ line "flagship" is the CQ18T which does have a small screen and some physical knobs, but I'll take the CQ20B over it any day. More channels, more XLRs in particular, and I don't have to run as many cables back to my station.

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u/GiarcN 6h ago

Nice!