Karaoke On PC With Karafun, How?

[Mulsiphix]

I recently discovered Karafun, a karaoke streaming service. I've never even tried karaoke before. I would like to try it and figured I could use my PC. It already has speakers. But I'm not sure how to do this? Is it possible to use two mic's, even though I only have one mic port on the card and the speakers can only read from a single sound source at once.

Is anybody else doing this? Anybody know what I would need to connect a mic to my PC for Karaoke? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[DanG2006]

I am assuming that you have USB ports. For about $150 you can get a dual wireless handheld mic systems that you can plug the receiver into the USB port of your computer. I have the single mic version and it sounds good. You can get it at Sweetwater.com it's the Behringer Ultralink ULM200USB. I have the Ultralink Ulm100USB.

[mr.dj]

I am assuming that you have USB ports. For about $150 you can get a dual wireless handheld mic systems that you can plug the receiver into the USB port of your computer. I have the single mic version and it sounds good. You can get it at Sweetwater.com it's the Behringer Ultralink ULM200USB. I have the Ultralink Ulm100USB.

Dan, are you referring to just recording your voice ?
I don't think you could sing Live using your computer direct or am I misunderstanding the original question ?

[Mulsiphix]

I like that option very much DanG2006. I'd love to go that route, as research after this post had convinced me that I would need to spend $500 to get a proper living room setup, versus using the parts my PC already has available. mr.dj, why do you think that wouldn't work? I just want to be able to sing. I don't need to record my voice or the performance or hear my own voice coming out of the speakers. I just want Karaoke PC software to be able to recognize my voice.

[mr.dj]

. mr.dj, why do you think that wouldn't work? I just want to be able to sing. I don't need to record my voice or the performance or hear my own voice coming out of the speakers. I just want Karaoke PC software to be able to recognize my voice.

Well I was waiting for a response from Dan as he might know how to set it up like that. I know you can record your voice that way but to play the mike input direct from the computer to me has many problems, 1st the output direct from the mike could blow your computer speakers if you accidently sing too loud, 2nd the only way I know to get your voice coming out direct from the computer there would be a fair delay of your voice making it out of synce with the playing music. 3rd the quality of the sound direct from a computer speakers is not that great.
My advise would be to get a small active PA speaker that has at least 2 inputs, one for the audio out from your computer and one for the Mic input. An example would be this: http://www.music-group.com/Categories/B ... 5D/p/P0957#
This is fairly cheap option and has mixing ability better than you will get direct from a computer. There are similar speakers available which include some FX processing for reverb and echo adjustments if you want to spend a bit more. Such as: https://www.andertons.co.uk/p/996551061 ... oCVXPw_wcB

[wiseguy]

Get a USB mixer and then use any microphone(s) you want. The mixer would actually replace the computer's sound card and allow you to adjust the sound of your microphones and even add effects like reverb if the mixer is so equipped. You can play the final mix (music and vocals) through earphones, the computer's speakers, or an external active speaker or speakers. The Alesis Multimix 4 is a good mixer for this.

[DanG2006]

Actually Behringer and I Believe others as well has mixers that you can totally control from a tablet or even an android phone using an app. I don't have a tablet that would have enough battery life or I would get one myself because then I can be out in the audience and get a better feel for what needs to be adjusted rather than have to run back to the system or stay with the system the whole night to make sure the mix is right and my singers sound as good as I can make them without investing in Autotune although there is a mixer that has that built into it made by Peavey. As to using the wireless USB mic for live performances rather than just recording at home, I have yet to try it connected to my computer so I don't have any experience with that. Right now I am still trying to figure out how to get it to work with a mixer that was specifically designed to work with the mic. I haven't got the volume controls on the mic itself to rise the volume up to a usable volume, but that's just trying t use it with the mixer. In the computer it has the balls to be used in recording. I plan on trying to use it again tomorrow and if unsuccessful I will take it out of my system and just use it for recording at home.

[DanG2006]

I tried to use it at my show on Friday and it was a no go. The mic has now been relegated to home recording duty only.

[DanG2006]

I recently picked up the 2 mic version of the Ulm100USB mic and have used it successfully in 2 shows on the same day. The first show, I had to take the batteries out of my mic number 1 of my regular wireless mics to get the mic controlled by channel number one to power on, even though the batteries that they replaced were unused prior to going into the new mic. The second show of the day I ran the same batteries for 4 hours. my third show, I put fresh batteries into both mics and channel 1 wouldn't stay on long enough to even get one vocal note out. It continued to do it after I changed the batteries again. Maybe I should have put in the batteries from mic number 2 of my regular mics.

[mr.dj]

Do you have anything else plugged in to channels 1&2 at the same time ?
Also do you have any other equipment using the 2.4ghz frequency range ?

[DanG2006]

No the only channels that I have anything plugged into is channel 3 for my wired mic which I use for announcing and channel 6 where I plug my sound card into. As I said, the first show mic number 1 wouldn't even power on initially. It took taking batteries out of my regular wireless mics, which I wasn't using at the time and putting them into mic 1 of the ulm202usb mics and it worked perfectly fine for 2 shows. I am starting to believe that I may have gotten some duds in the batch of batteries that I picked up. I got a 60 pack of Ray vac AA batteries for cheap at Home Depot. The other batteries in my regular wireless mics were no name brand that I picked up at a dollar store. But other than that they have worked great. It's frustrating that once you think you have it all figured out, more issues come up. I am actually going to be selling the powered mixer with the mics if I can figure out the issue with mic 1. Personally I think that it is a battery issue.

[mr.dj]

Sounds like it could be dead batteries, I carry a small battery tester with me myself. if you dont have test equipment a small torch that use AA batteries gives a good indication.