A Man and His Music
I can see that there is a great deal of passion here. I know sometimes my passion gets the best of me, and I have to catch myself. Then there are times I let it all hang out, and sweep the bodies aside. The trick is trying to maintain a balance. It is not easy, because I am not perfect, and I sometimes fail. I just keep trying, not to be perfect, but to have better balance. I only know you guys from this forum, but have a great deal of respect for all of you, and the things that you do.
发表时间 Sun 02 Jul 06 @ 6:00 am
Steve Lynch
Ditto....
it's all in fun..
-Steve
it's all in fun..
-Steve
发表时间 Sun 02 Jul 06 @ 7:26 am
d rocks
Right......... sometimes finding the balance is hard. It is all just fun
发表时间 Sun 02 Jul 06 @ 4:53 pm
PCGumshoe
Do I have an MP3 of me singing.... well, yes, sort of... maybe you are not familiar with it, but VDJ has a feature to RECORD your show (or portion thereof). I have been in the habit of recording my shows on and off over the past three or four years. I have recordings of broadway singers and on pop singer having sung on my stage.
Could I post an MP3 exclusively of me singing? Yes, I'd have to sort through Gigabytes of mp3's and pick out some of my songs and then edit them together to give you the range of songs that I sing... would you like them? Maybe.... if you liked the style of music I play/sing.
Personally, I don't like a lot of country songs... does that mean that by not posting an MP3 with a country song that I will alienate 60% of the people that would listen to the music I post right off the bat? Probably.
Me posting a clip of me singing won't solve anything, but if you insist, I'll dig around and pick a couple of songs that cover a couple genres and post it.... however illegal that is.
Next, passion, balance, whatever. I'm just sick and tired of BAD KJs... when I go out to other Karaoke shows, and you've got somebody hosting a show whose only qualification is he has the equipment, that does NOT equate to a good show.
As a singer, I understand what singers want when they get on the stage. I understand my equipment and how to deliver for the singer AND the audience. Ever hear of a sound check? When I sing it is part for me, part for the audience, and part for the technology.
Sound changes with humidity, temperature, and of course many other factors. By getting up to sing, I'm check things from all angles.
I will go down to my grave standing tall and proud that I SING IN MY SHOWS.... If you want to hire me to "MC" or "Run Sound" that's fine, and I'll do it... but Karaoke is ALL INCLUSIVE.... you can't exclude anyone... not the tea drinkers, not the water drinkers, not the kids if they are allowed, and most especially not the bad singers... the moment you start excluding anyone, you become the target of criticism.
Never have I had anyone in my audience complain that I sang a song and "took their spot." Everyone respects me for my fairness in running the show and the way I keep things moving along.
I don't go to these shows because of the FREE BOOZE... who pointed out that their $40 tab earned the waitress a $40 tip?! That's a LOT of drinking to do during a show, if you ask me, but maybe you can hold it? or maybe the drinks are a lot more expensive where you perform.
As I pointed out earlier, I am disabled. I do this as a hobby (in other words, I don't commit to doing this every night of the week)... I try to have one or two shows a week, because that's all that I can handle. As long as I make enough money to continue to buy new equipment, new music, and a new computer ever year, I'm happy... Because of this, my audience AND the people I work for are happy.
As far as performing in front of stadiums and the like... My vocal talents are geared more for the stage.... I have a voice that is Theatrical... and borders on Opera.... I hate that. I'd rather have a "pop" voice, but the fact remains that I have a naturally talented voice and have been told so by vocal coaches, thousands of patrons, and it has been written up in local papers from time to time. Not everyone who can sing, seeks to be a singer. Some of us enjoy the background and enjoy helping others make their dreams by providing the best equipment and attention to them as if they are the star for that brief moment they are on stage.
My balance is control over music and voice, treble and bass, highs and lows, fx and not...
Could I post an MP3 exclusively of me singing? Yes, I'd have to sort through Gigabytes of mp3's and pick out some of my songs and then edit them together to give you the range of songs that I sing... would you like them? Maybe.... if you liked the style of music I play/sing.
Personally, I don't like a lot of country songs... does that mean that by not posting an MP3 with a country song that I will alienate 60% of the people that would listen to the music I post right off the bat? Probably.
Me posting a clip of me singing won't solve anything, but if you insist, I'll dig around and pick a couple of songs that cover a couple genres and post it.... however illegal that is.
Next, passion, balance, whatever. I'm just sick and tired of BAD KJs... when I go out to other Karaoke shows, and you've got somebody hosting a show whose only qualification is he has the equipment, that does NOT equate to a good show.
As a singer, I understand what singers want when they get on the stage. I understand my equipment and how to deliver for the singer AND the audience. Ever hear of a sound check? When I sing it is part for me, part for the audience, and part for the technology.
Sound changes with humidity, temperature, and of course many other factors. By getting up to sing, I'm check things from all angles.
I will go down to my grave standing tall and proud that I SING IN MY SHOWS.... If you want to hire me to "MC" or "Run Sound" that's fine, and I'll do it... but Karaoke is ALL INCLUSIVE.... you can't exclude anyone... not the tea drinkers, not the water drinkers, not the kids if they are allowed, and most especially not the bad singers... the moment you start excluding anyone, you become the target of criticism.
Never have I had anyone in my audience complain that I sang a song and "took their spot." Everyone respects me for my fairness in running the show and the way I keep things moving along.
I don't go to these shows because of the FREE BOOZE... who pointed out that their $40 tab earned the waitress a $40 tip?! That's a LOT of drinking to do during a show, if you ask me, but maybe you can hold it? or maybe the drinks are a lot more expensive where you perform.
As I pointed out earlier, I am disabled. I do this as a hobby (in other words, I don't commit to doing this every night of the week)... I try to have one or two shows a week, because that's all that I can handle. As long as I make enough money to continue to buy new equipment, new music, and a new computer ever year, I'm happy... Because of this, my audience AND the people I work for are happy.
As far as performing in front of stadiums and the like... My vocal talents are geared more for the stage.... I have a voice that is Theatrical... and borders on Opera.... I hate that. I'd rather have a "pop" voice, but the fact remains that I have a naturally talented voice and have been told so by vocal coaches, thousands of patrons, and it has been written up in local papers from time to time. Not everyone who can sing, seeks to be a singer. Some of us enjoy the background and enjoy helping others make their dreams by providing the best equipment and attention to them as if they are the star for that brief moment they are on stage.
My balance is control over music and voice, treble and bass, highs and lows, fx and not...
发表时间 Mon 03 Jul 06 @ 12:05 am
Steve Lynch
I don't see how you adjust the sound at the beginning of the show while you're grandstanding on the stage.....
but I did learn something from your last post....
I can get rid of my rack full of driveracks, compressors, antares units, eq units and such, and just mount an air conditioner in my rack to adjust sound with... too much bass? must be high humidity... turn the a/c up..... a little too trebley? must be the temperate variations....
I think you're in the wrong business gumshoe, maybe you should be a singing meteorologist!
:)
but I did learn something from your last post....
I can get rid of my rack full of driveracks, compressors, antares units, eq units and such, and just mount an air conditioner in my rack to adjust sound with... too much bass? must be high humidity... turn the a/c up..... a little too trebley? must be the temperate variations....
I think you're in the wrong business gumshoe, maybe you should be a singing meteorologist!
:)
发表时间 Mon 03 Jul 06 @ 7:22 am
A Man and His Music
I tried.
发表时间 Mon 03 Jul 06 @ 7:41 am
PCGumshoe
If you asked me, "What are you hobbies?" I'd reply:
Sound Engineering
Audio/Video
Singing
Karaoke
Computers
Online Gaming
I've been a professional "KJ" since 1998. I got fed up with bad sound, bad hosts, and bad music collections.
If you are such a professional and have all that equipment (and know how each piece works and WHY you need each piece) you are only mocking me with that bs about replacing it all with an A/C unit. If you know anything about sound you know that you can't make ONE adjustment for the equipment at the beginning of the night and expect it to "work" for the whole night. Each singer is different and the mics pick up different voices differently, so you have to compensate for that. The more people you pack into a room, the more dense the air gets and you have to compensate for that plus the temperature change.... I'm by no means a sound engineer, but I've learned a lot from many of them and have been told that I do rather well by my ears.
You must be a real sarcastic host.... "Wow! I've never heard anyone sing QUITE like you!!! you were the best I've ever heard...." Seriously...
You know, you are smacking me to the ground because of my beliefs about a singing KJ... you have NO idea what level of professionalism I put into my shows. How dedicated I am to helping MY singers do whatever they want to with their voices. How many hours (free of charge) I spend working on DEMO CDs for singer or REMIXES so they can perform publicly at this event or that event.
See, this is a JOB to you. It's a passion to me. Can't I have that?
I know a LOT about sound because I care that what I put on SOUNDS better than anyone else.
My mixing board is a Mackie Onxy... not your average FOH board (Front of House)
I use Mackie SRM450's because I think the JBLs sound like sh*t.
I have a monitor for the singer and a monitor for me.
I don't use ANYTHING cheap.... VocoPro is CRAP... VDJ is the bomb (excluding the 44.1 Khz problem)
I use Sennheiser Wired Mics and I have a Sennheiser Body Pack and an Audio Technica Wireless for those people I trust and special events.
I have FX, EQ and Compressors as well... your not special in that regard.... 90% of most KJs don't even know what 1/2 this equipment is outside of the name and WHY THEY NEED it... I do...
I've experimented with every piece of equipment I could get my hands on and still don't settle for what I have... there's always something better.
You wanted this to be your MONTHLY RANT on karaoke, well, I've provided you with that.
Until I see your show and you see mine we can knit pick at each other. This is nothing but prick waving.
Have you hit my nerve, absolutely. I won't stand for someone to mock me like this... I know there are lessor kjs out there and I have tried to take them under my wing and help them with sound, advice, music, books, and countless other things AT THEIR REQUEST.... but at the end of the day, they guy or gal that walks home with the most supportive audience is the one that wins...
Recently, someone called me the Karaoke Nazi.... as if I was insulted by this... I sized up this tired old drag queen (and it was a drag queen) and realized that all that I do for the good far outways my zealous over the top attitude I have for this thing that is mocked almost everywhere I've been except in Japan and Hong Kong (where I haven't been).
How's this: I have no life, okay... I have a disability that leaves Karaoke as the only thing I can find joy in AND provide joy... because I'm good at it. I haven't said here that "you suck" I have said that a lot of people do SUCK and I haven't found my equal.
So you live on a boat, get tan and drink all day long... sure you've got all that GREAT equipment and all, but at the end of the day do you feel you amount to something because of it? I do. And to say that proudly in something as NERDY as karaoke, takes balls...
Sound Engineering
Audio/Video
Singing
Karaoke
Computers
Online Gaming
I've been a professional "KJ" since 1998. I got fed up with bad sound, bad hosts, and bad music collections.
If you are such a professional and have all that equipment (and know how each piece works and WHY you need each piece) you are only mocking me with that bs about replacing it all with an A/C unit. If you know anything about sound you know that you can't make ONE adjustment for the equipment at the beginning of the night and expect it to "work" for the whole night. Each singer is different and the mics pick up different voices differently, so you have to compensate for that. The more people you pack into a room, the more dense the air gets and you have to compensate for that plus the temperature change.... I'm by no means a sound engineer, but I've learned a lot from many of them and have been told that I do rather well by my ears.
You must be a real sarcastic host.... "Wow! I've never heard anyone sing QUITE like you!!! you were the best I've ever heard...." Seriously...
You know, you are smacking me to the ground because of my beliefs about a singing KJ... you have NO idea what level of professionalism I put into my shows. How dedicated I am to helping MY singers do whatever they want to with their voices. How many hours (free of charge) I spend working on DEMO CDs for singer or REMIXES so they can perform publicly at this event or that event.
See, this is a JOB to you. It's a passion to me. Can't I have that?
I know a LOT about sound because I care that what I put on SOUNDS better than anyone else.
My mixing board is a Mackie Onxy... not your average FOH board (Front of House)
I use Mackie SRM450's because I think the JBLs sound like sh*t.
I have a monitor for the singer and a monitor for me.
I don't use ANYTHING cheap.... VocoPro is CRAP... VDJ is the bomb (excluding the 44.1 Khz problem)
I use Sennheiser Wired Mics and I have a Sennheiser Body Pack and an Audio Technica Wireless for those people I trust and special events.
I have FX, EQ and Compressors as well... your not special in that regard.... 90% of most KJs don't even know what 1/2 this equipment is outside of the name and WHY THEY NEED it... I do...
I've experimented with every piece of equipment I could get my hands on and still don't settle for what I have... there's always something better.
You wanted this to be your MONTHLY RANT on karaoke, well, I've provided you with that.
Until I see your show and you see mine we can knit pick at each other. This is nothing but prick waving.
Have you hit my nerve, absolutely. I won't stand for someone to mock me like this... I know there are lessor kjs out there and I have tried to take them under my wing and help them with sound, advice, music, books, and countless other things AT THEIR REQUEST.... but at the end of the day, they guy or gal that walks home with the most supportive audience is the one that wins...
Recently, someone called me the Karaoke Nazi.... as if I was insulted by this... I sized up this tired old drag queen (and it was a drag queen) and realized that all that I do for the good far outways my zealous over the top attitude I have for this thing that is mocked almost everywhere I've been except in Japan and Hong Kong (where I haven't been).
How's this: I have no life, okay... I have a disability that leaves Karaoke as the only thing I can find joy in AND provide joy... because I'm good at it. I haven't said here that "you suck" I have said that a lot of people do SUCK and I haven't found my equal.
So you live on a boat, get tan and drink all day long... sure you've got all that GREAT equipment and all, but at the end of the day do you feel you amount to something because of it? I do. And to say that proudly in something as NERDY as karaoke, takes balls...
发表时间 Mon 03 Jul 06 @ 10:20 am