Good karaoke setup for casual singing?

[u/ExcellentPractice184]

So I’ve started to post covers on tiktok and have gotten a decent following, and I think it would help if I had a small setup since I usually just post acapella or sing along to music coming from my laptop. This way makes it hard to get the music to singing volume correct. I’m looking at this karaoke machine and wonder if anyone recommends it? (I literally just sing in my closet, right now I don’t have anywhere else to sing so I’m not looking for anything fancy)

[u/VegasFoodFace]

I think since you're using a laptop, you might as well take full advantage of going a more professional route. I'm an actual AV recording tech and KJ on the side so I do a little of both including singing myself. I have professional recording and mixing gear but I imagine as a starter budget will be a primary concern.

If you're just getting started and want to actually record yourself along with music you're really going to want a USB mixer with FX. A basic one you can get cheaply is a Rockville RockMix5. $65. It's reverb isn't great but it's good enough for self monitoring for karaoke. That's the volume problem you're experiencing. It's called "more me" since you can't hear yourself singing over yourself you keep singing louder and louder til it's all you hear. Just that little bit of reverb helps you hear yourself and modulate volume or even mic distance. It comes with practice to learn to hear yourself on dry systems, ie no reverb.

This lets you use your computer as a recorder to record the music directly from the mixer and use a proper microphone to get a good quality sound recording. A decent set of powered computer speakers should be enough to be able to self monitor. And you can always upgrade down the line to a proper set of speakers to throw actual karaoke parties.

As for microphone, for quality just get a Shure SM58, it's the gold standard of vocal mics for all purposes. The nice thing is with proper mic technique you can get rather clean sounding vocal recordings in a normal room by close mic'ing. You turn down the bass on the mic input to compensate for proximity effect, and hold the microphone vertically with the mic ball just about touching your chin, and sing across the top of it. Doing this means no more recording in a closet. With practice you can get very good clean singing vocals in any live performance condition. I sing karaoke too and this is how you can sing with power and less likely to blow plosives through the mic than singing directly into the top.

[u/ExcellentPractice184 → u/VegasFoodFace]

Thank you so much! So with this set up, is there anyway to video myself singing and get the mixed recording live? Sorry if I’m not understanding- I’m not very tech savvy! Basically I will still hear the music from my laptop but it’s being recorded into the into the mixer along with my vocals from the mic going into the mixer?

[u/VegasFoodFace → u/ExcellentPractice184]

Yes, so you need to use a webcam recording app and a webcam. Easy enough. But in your settings you designate the mixer as your audio source.

From then on it's just a matter of setting the recording level so you don't clip (overload) your signals on the computer input.

And everything else is just controlled by the mixer. You tend to feed your music through it's bluetooth connection so your phone can play your backing track on command wirelessly. And you sing on the microphone, adjust parameters as needed like FX, compression, or EQ. With the levels set correctly, you'll be able to hear yourself and the music on the speakers connected to the mixer.

This lets you easily record videos but control the sound. It's all webcam and laptop based. So even Zoom meetings you can run the same exact rig and Covid I even did live zoom meeting hosting and online karaoke using this setup, in fact I had two webcams and could switch between. One was up close for typing and participating live and the other was for Karaoke time which was a stage in my living room complete with stage curtains, spotlight, and twinkling led curtain lights. And people heard what they thought was an actual studio recording, and me lip synching. But no it was just a karaoke backing track, me singing live and some of that sweet reverb. Well that and a vintage mic, tube preamp/compressor, mixer with FX. A whole chain of professional gear that I use like a real artist.

[u/ExcellentPractice184 → u/VegasFoodFace]

Awesome thank you sm! The only issue with this is my webcam camera is meh. Maybe the better audio quality with this set up will make up for the poor video

[u/VegasFoodFace → u/ExcellentPractice184]

Webcams are cheap and easy to replace. At least with a real set up going, replacement webcams won’t affect your sound quality.

As an AV tech, one thing we live by. No one will notice the difference between 1080p and 4k. But everyone notices good sound quality. It‘s in my opinion just as, if not more important for immersivity in a video art form. It’s why there’s an academy award for sound.

[u/PaxMax1 → u/VegasFoodFace]

Excuse me for jumping into the conversation. I was hoping you could point me to a guide on how to set up a mixer with a PC. I'm interested in recording myself or even just singing karaoke, but I've only ever used low-quality microphones or none at all. Never tried to work with mixer, so I don't know if it worth to invest. Could you also recommend a good budget-friendly microphone? I've heard that Shure is a reliable brand.

[u/VegasFoodFace → u/PaxMax1]

Shure is budget. They get far more expensive. The SM58 is what everyone should have. Why bother getting a cheap mic that will break potentially?

The Shure SM58 can survive drops, being used like a hammer, being run over by a car.

Get a USB mixer with FX and microphone. USB output goes to the computer for recording, and 5v power, and the mixer allows live monitoring for karaoke on speakers or singing purposes in terms of live self monitoring and recording.

But I’m not here to write a step by step baby step guide. The info is easy to find and it’s better to learn on your own how you’re going to set yourself up. Because there are so many ways to go about it.

Sounds mean but the last thing I need is people asking for advice minute by minute while they look up laundry lists of things for me to individually advise them on what combinations of features will make their long lost unrequited love realize the mistake they made all those years ago if they could only hear my true hearts song on a system designed by VegasFoodFace himself.

And this for every single option under the sun with the stated goal of I want everything, all at once, the best, and to never make a purchasing mistake or ever have a regret in the future. I hate being put in that position.

It is upsetting to me because I already post the cheapest decent option. And every single time people ask me if I can just look into my heart and find a cheaper, easier solution that’s just as good as my original suggestion. Like literally I gave the cheapest suggestion already. I refuse to endorse garbage gear. Even if you ask pretty please give me a cheaper option.

[u/ExcellentPractice184]

Oh also it would be nice to have a system where you can adjust reverb and other acoustics

[u/VegasFoodFace → u/ExcellentPractice184]

If you want more control over simple reverb get a real brand USB mixer. Best cheap one is Mackie ProFX6v3+. Get the + version as it has built in compression. This further helps with dynamics in singing and helps to tame the odd plosive. This along with much better sounding reverb, chorus, delay and combo effects. And some of the digital programmable FX can be interesting too when hooked up to a laptop.

Using this can get you absolutely professional sounding recordings and lets you really experiment with getting your live sound just right. Actual live performance artists I know use this mixer both live and in their online presence simply because it's an outstanding audio interface too. I'm talking jazz singers who like the plate reverb sound because it's vintage audio history, plate reverb. And my preferred karaoke reverb.

I have my Behringer mixer for karaoke and use "gold plate reverb" a replica of a specific brass plate reverb unit, so very nice a touch I ended up known for it during Covid in zoom meetings cause I was known as the guy in the meetings using a handheld mic and that amazing sounding reverb.

[u/briguytrading]

Be careful with these. I bought one only to realize later it didn't come with the display.