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DannyGKaraoke

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Would you go back to discs if say someone made off with your computer? Or would you replace it with a new one when you have the money?

One of my roommates decided to help themselves to both of my laptops, making me think I would be better off with a rackmount even though I have a bad shoulder.
 
I could get by... I do keep a dual deck CDG player in my rack... it hardly gets used, but it's there....

I'd be getting a cheap laptop as quick as I could until I could afford a high end lappy later.
 
1. I would be hunting down said roommate with passion!

2. Other than updating my books with disc-track numbers I have a dual players system ready to go at all times, and only the last two years of disc have not been put into the books so I could get by for a week or so with the old books!
 
I use RoxBox and you run it on a netbook. Life is too easy to go back to discs.
 
I'd never go back to disc. That is too much of a pain in the butt. Laptops are like $300 that can run karaoke we have a handful of them around here.
 
We use a rackmount.

2005-2009:

3 racks/cases. CPU with UPS. Screen, keyboard, PC controller and light controller in a 10x2. Mixer, wireless mics, power conditioner, dual cd in a 1x6.

Using the top lid from a combo case, it raised the cpu up high enough so that the cables weren't too short. We used another top lid from a combo case to raise the 10x2 case up to make typing and viewing the screen easier. You should be able to see photos on http://www.mobilemusic1.com.

2010:

Built a 12x20 combo case with 2 sets of 4 casters. One of those sets of casters came from a small hand truck via ebay. Also, we use the handle from that cart. Search for Mobile Music 1 on facebook and don't forget to leave a comment!
 
If not for a bad shoulder, I'd go rackmount but I can't carry something as heavy as that. For my rackmounts I require a 4U case for air flow reasons. A case like that is heavier than my sound case is all put together. I use a small car for transportation so I don't have room in it for more than one rack plus my tv and speakers. I know excuses, excuses.
But I am only able to do with what I have now. In march I will be back with a computer hopefully. If not March then April. I really hope March is when I get the new laptop.
 
DannyGKaraoke said:
If not for a bad shoulder, I'd go rackmount but I can't carry something as heavy as that. For my rackmounts I require a 4U case for air flow reasons. A case like that is heavier than my sound case is all put together. I use a small car for transportation so I don't have room in it for more than one rack plus my tv and speakers. I know excuses, excuses.
But I am only able to do with what I have now. In march I will be back with a computer hopefully. If not March then April. I really hope March is when I get the new laptop.
Click to expand...
Okay March it is. I bought 2 of them. One is an IBM Thinkpad. The other is a Dell Inspirion 4000. The Thinkpad has built in wireless while I had to get a wireless PCMIA card for the Dell which does not have an ethernet port. I also had to purchase a new copy of XP Pro for the Dell as it has ME on it now but what do you want for $50. The thinkpad was $300 delivered.
 
I can't imagine that anyone would want to steal my $20 thrift-store Dell Dimension PIII 733mhz Mid-tower P.O.S. that I run my karaoke on. If someone did, I'd have another one together by the next night out of computer scrap lying around my apartment. I keep my music on a small external fire-wire harddrive, which after shows goes into my pocket, and a backup of it on an internal hard drive on my $5 yard sale Dell Celeron desktop P.O.S. that I have at home.

Going back to discs would really suck, as I no longer have books with disc numbers in them. They exist only in my database on my computers. I do still have two JVC XL-SV22 CDG players at home, though, just in case. I also keep a Sony 300 Disc changer and VocoPro CDG converter / key changer hooked up at my main venue where I am 4 nights a week with corresponding books just in case of a complete computer failure. The music is about 5 years outdated, but it's got my DK 1-99 in it, and it got me through the two nights that my last P.O.S. computer croaked.

I seem to me the only KJ who feels this way, but I really don't like laptops and view them as a waste of money.
 
I run laptops out of needs to lighten my load. I have a bad shoulder so the heaviest thing in my setup is my audio rack which is light enough that I don't re-injure my shoulder. It also speeds up my setup time because I don;t have to carry in a monitor as well as totally set up the pc from scratch.
 
DannyGKaraoke said:
I run laptops out of needs to lighten my load. I have a bad shoulder so the heaviest thing in my setup is my audio rack which is light enough that I don't re-injure my shoulder. It also speeds up my setup time because I don;t have to carry in a monitor as well as totally set up the pc from scratch.
Click to expand...

I meant that I don't have to carry in a computer monitor, at most of my events I still have to bring a TV. Still saves time in setup.
 
My computer, which is NOT a laptop, but rather a mid-tower (think small beige box) weighs about the same as two of my karaoke books. My monitor, a small flat old ViewSonic LCD I bought at a thrift store 3 years ago for $30, weighs quite less than one of my karaoke books. Where I have my dongles in place to the house PA & TVs, Setup time is about 3 minutes. Sorry, I don't see where weight and setup time is an issue in tower vs. laptop.

As far as mobility, I've been running this way for years, and did not drive. I took the city bus to and from my gigs, moving my karaoke gear in a crate with wheels I got at Staples for $20. Currently my karaoke system fit well in the passenger seat of my '91 Honda CRX. My solution is simple: I only book gigs at clubs & bars that already have a house PA suitable for bands and also already have TVs. When I get the gig, I come in and place all the cables and adapters in place to connect my karaoke system to it then leave them there. My rig is simple: my computer, two wireless mic receivers, my mics, an Alesis NanoVerb effects processor, and my karaoke books. By far the most bulky and heavy thing is my books. In the past I've printed extra copies and stored them at my various venues so I would not have to transport them on the bus. Before I got my small LCD flat-panel monitor, I did the same with 17" CRT monitors. Not a big deal, they're only around $5 each at thrift stores here.

I've got shockingly little money in my equipment, running mostly old junk from thrift stores. I've instead chosen to spend all my money on an amazing karaoke music library, and invest my time into making very impressive organized karaoke books. This is what has kept me booked 3-7 nights a week in top venues for the last 5 years.

-- Dan Dan
 
That's nice that you have public transportation running that late. Around here it stops at 6pm so it's not an option. Nor is there any club that I know that has a house system. I happen to fit everything in the trunk of a Hyndai Accent so my sytem is extremely portatable.
 
Bit off topic rant:

Yes, we don't have much public transportation. The south hills of Pittsburgh has a nice T-System. Other than that I wish they would get rid of public transportation here. I find that cities that have subways or streetcars vs buses have better systems.

We have 7% tax on alcholic beverages here because our cities public transportation operates in the red. When you drive around all you will ever see is empty busses.
 
azdandan said:
My solution is simple: I only book gigs at clubs & bars that already have a house PA suitable for bands and also already have TVs.
Click to expand...

You must have been very lucky! :sqbiggrin:

Here, most venues have pretty bad house PAs, in general- or good, but for DJ/dance, and not suitable at all for karaoke.

A club with a PA suited for a band? MAYBE the huge New York Clubs, but no local restaurants or bars have anything close- though they've tried and and failed.
 
We have actually only used our own speakers three times in a year because we plug into a house system. Even though it is a small dive, the former co-owner was always looking for the next big star to send to Nashville so they had a lot of singers and bands going through there but not a lot of stage space for equipment so they built it in. They have giant speakers mounted on the walls and everything but the ceiling and postage stamp dance floor is carpeted. They also have three tvs, one a big screen, that we use.

Oh--we ARE disc so don't have to go back to them. If someone stole our discs, it would be a set-back. Back to topic?
 
I am a pro, and rely on this for my income full time, so my answer is, while I am capable of switching to discs instantly, I do keep a spare lappy...then my problem would just be replacing the spare. Redundancy is the friend of the pro. I dont have "one" of anything that can shut me down...
 
Oh that sucks!! OOOH! Yeah, I would get a new one immediately, but would be prepared to disk it again for a week or so. This hit close to home tonight as I had a problem booting, and made a mental thought of whether to get the other computer or just grab the discs!! BUT, it was all good! I also have a mini desktop ready to go into immediate service.
 
DannyGKaraoke said:
Okay March it is. I bought 2 of them. One is an IBM Thinkpad. The other is a Dell Inspirion 4000. The Thinkpad has built in wireless while I had to get a wireless PCMIA card for the Dell which does not have an ethernet port. I also had to purchase a new copy of XP Pro for the Dell as it has ME on it now but what do you want for $50. The thinkpad was $300 delivered.
Click to expand...

okay update on the computer. Having trouble loading xp on it to make setting up my network easier so I have decided to replace the dell with another computer from Used Laptops.com where I got the Thinkpad, which is functioning perfectly. Untill I get the other computer I will be running my old standbye, Compuhost.
 
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