KARAOKE

Since you're reading this tutorial I'm assuming that you are thinking of starting a karaoke business. The success of your business will largely depend on the quality of your sound system. Unless you are very knowledgeable about audio electronics and sound design I would highly recommend that you have a professional put your sound system together.
    First you must decide what type of media you will be using. The karaoke CDG disc system is still probably the most widely used system at this time although this is rapidly changing. More and more professionals are switching to a computer based system that utilizes a compressed version of CD+G song tracks (mainly the MP3+G™) that is stored on a hard drive and played with a software "hosting" program from a laptop computer.

Some advantages of a computer based system:

• No discs to store or haul around.
• No discs to load into the player.
• No more dirty or damaged discs that skip during your show.
• Easily find songs with the hosting software's search function.
• Run your singer rotation without having to shuffle request forms.
• Keep a singer history of all your regulars and the songs they request.
• New songs can be purchased individually giving you more control over selection.
• Purchased songs may be downloaded from the internet saving time and shipping costs.

  I will not get into specific models of system components except to say that of all the KJs I know the vast majority prefer Yamaha amps, mixers, and speakers. It may be tempting to opt for cheaper, lesser quality, components, but this will just cost you more in the long run.

The basic karaoke system components.

• Karaoke CDG Player  (if a disc system)
• Laptop Computer and Software  (if computer based)
• Amplifier and Mixer or Powered Mixer
• Speakers
• Speaker Stands
• Wireless Microphones
• RF Converter
• 19" Color TV or Monitor
• Component Rack
• Disc Storage System  (if a disc system)
• Various Cables and Accessories

Laptop Computer and Software  (if computer based)
    Consists of a laptop computer, hosting software, and external hard drive. Read more about this on the Digital Karaoke on a Laptop Computer page.
Karaoke CDG Player  (if a disc system)
    Your player should be a trusted name brand, with a good track record, that has the features that you will need and not a lot of features that you will never use. It should have a digital key control, a single play feature, and quick and easy song number selection. You don't need any special voice effects or built in graphic displays and games. There are "hard drive" type players but I consider them to be closer to a computerized player. A good selection of CDG players can be found here.
Mixer / Amp
    You can opt for either a mixing board and power amp or a powered mixer. I see no advantage of the mixer and amp combo over a powered mixer for a karaoke system. The powered mixer does the same thing and is contained in a single unit. The power rating of the amp should be matched to the power handling capability of your speaker system. Let the audio professional at a your local DJ supply store or online store help you with this. The experts at my favorite electronics store zZounds are very helpful.
Speakers
    Your speakers are the number one factor in creating a good sounding system. You can get by nicely with a pair of 15" woofer 2-way speakers but the best sound will be achieved by adding a pair of 18" sub-woofers. I have rarely found a situation where monitor speakers were necessary.
Speakers Stands
Speaker stands have come a long way since I bought my first set. They were constructed of tubular steel and cast iron. Heavy and a nuisance to set up. Today they are constructed of aluminum, fiberglass, or a combination of the two. Much lighter and very easy to set up. Look for a good brand name or one that is recommended by your speaker's manufacturer.
Cordless Microphones
    These are a must for any professional karaoke system. Not because they have a better sound quality than quality wired mics (they normally don't), but you just can't have the wires strung around. There are many quality brands of wireless mics to choose from. A survey I once ran concluded that the Shure mic with the SM58 head was the overwhelming choice of the KJ's that responded. I have always been a fan of the AKG wireless mics. A good selection of wireless microphones can be found here
RF Converter
Nearly all karaoke players output the graphics as a raw video signal. To display the lyrics on a standard color television screen you need to convert the signal to VHF. An RF converter will do this. You run a single RCA cable from the player to the converter and then run a standard TV cable from the converter to the TV. These converters can be purchased for around 30 dollars from your local Radio Shack. Note: Some newer televisions have a video input provided in which case you would not need the converter.
Color TV
A 19 inch TV seems to be the standard for a mobile karaoke system. A smaller screen makes it difficult to read the lyrics at any distance and a larger one is just to much trouble to haul around set up. Any 19" color TV will do although a flat screen would be much easier to carry and set up.
Component Rack
It's important to make your system as compact and portable as possible. The less time it takes to set it up the better. Having your amp, mixer, and player, mounted in a single road case is ideal.
Disc Storage System
You must have an adequate storage system for your CDG's that allows you to easily find and access your discs. While performing a show you do not want to be fumbling around trying to locate a certain disc. There are basically three types of disc storage used by karaoke KJ's.
CD Rack - By far the fastest system, it is also the most compact. These are becoming increasingly difficult to find.
CD Wallet - The cheapest storage system and also the most harmful to your discs. Removing and replacing the discs in the sleeves causes unavoidable scratches which is the major cause of disc skipping and scrambled graphics. These also take up a considerable amount of space.
Various Cables and Accessories
    You need some type of container for storing your cables and other accessories. A soft sided suit case or even a heavy duty gym bag works well. Here is a minimal list of what you will need.

• 2 - heavy duty 30 foot speaker cables
• 2 - light duty 1/4" cables (mic receivers to amp)
• 1 - double RCA cable (player audio out to amp)
• 1 - single RCA cable (player video out to RF converter)
• 1 - 6 foot standard TV cable (RF converter to TV)
• 1 - 6 outlet surge protector (protects your amp, mics, and player)
• 1 - small clip-on light fixture (many bars and clubs are too dark)
• 1 - cable connection splitter (you may need to connect to another TV)
• 1 - 100 foot standard TV cable