I had a girl first time singer with me....
Makes an announcement every song about tipping the bartenders...
Wants to sing uninvited "back up" with every singer..
Turned off the microphone 3-4 times after I told her not to touch the buttons.
Had the microphone pointed so it caused feedback while she was singing uninvited "back up" and she got mad at me for telling her how to point the microphone.....
I think she was pretty Pi$$ed off by the end of the night....
GOOD...don't come back EVER....
I don't know where she learned all her bad karaoke habits but it wasn't at my show.....
Singer doesn't listen to you.
Ugh, I do get annoyed by the folks who want to run up and sing every song with the person who signed up for it without asking them first. When I know I've got someone like this in the crowd, I mute the mics between singers and only un-mute the ones that are in use. I won't un-mute for the rogue singer unless the person who signed up says it's ok.
Feedback is always a fun issue to deal with. The only time I typically run into it is when I get one of those singers who will not put the mic anywhere close to their mouth. I'm always surprised how people don't understand that for a microphone to work properly, it has to be about an inch from your lips and that once you get out to about 4-5 inches, forget about it. These are the folks who I end up adjusting the input attenuation to boost their input, only to have them point the mic right at the monitor. Under normal circumstances, I have rung out my monitor so the EQ is set such that I can hold any of the mics 2 inches from the monitor at normal operating levels and get no feedback. However, once you start boosting levels to make up for their lack of volume, all bets are off. This is probably one of my biggest pet peeves. I've actually been debating for some time putting instructions in the song books and on the screen that remind them how to hold the mic properly to be heard. I'd be happy to just let them not be heard, but then they and their friends are the first to blame me for it. It ends up being a shaky tight rope between how much do I let them disappear versus how much boost can I get away with before feedback becomes an issue.
I have found that in certain rare cases the monitor scares people into thinking they're louder than they are. Instead of trusting me to adjust their level, they try to control it by moving the microphone farther from their face. In these cases I've had some success by just turning their level in the monitor down.
Feedback is always a fun issue to deal with. The only time I typically run into it is when I get one of those singers who will not put the mic anywhere close to their mouth. I'm always surprised how people don't understand that for a microphone to work properly, it has to be about an inch from your lips and that once you get out to about 4-5 inches, forget about it. These are the folks who I end up adjusting the input attenuation to boost their input, only to have them point the mic right at the monitor. Under normal circumstances, I have rung out my monitor so the EQ is set such that I can hold any of the mics 2 inches from the monitor at normal operating levels and get no feedback. However, once you start boosting levels to make up for their lack of volume, all bets are off. This is probably one of my biggest pet peeves. I've actually been debating for some time putting instructions in the song books and on the screen that remind them how to hold the mic properly to be heard. I'd be happy to just let them not be heard, but then they and their friends are the first to blame me for it. It ends up being a shaky tight rope between how much do I let them disappear versus how much boost can I get away with before feedback becomes an issue.
I have found that in certain rare cases the monitor scares people into thinking they're louder than they are. Instead of trusting me to adjust their level, they try to control it by moving the microphone farther from their face. In these cases I've had some success by just turning their level in the monitor down.
This would happen ONCE after that I would tell her she is not welcome to sing anymore and not to come up to the stage or touch my equipment.
Second offense I would have her 86ed.
I have a statement in the front of my song book that says I can pull the plug at anytime if someone is not following the few rules I have set down and coming up to the stage uninvited, screaming into the mike, turning the mikes off, and being a general nuisance are listed. Now if the crowd does not want me to leave because of her then they can handle her or the bartender can.
Lone Wolf
Second offense I would have her 86ed.
I have a statement in the front of my song book that says I can pull the plug at anytime if someone is not following the few rules I have set down and coming up to the stage uninvited, screaming into the mike, turning the mikes off, and being a general nuisance are listed. Now if the crowd does not want me to leave because of her then they can handle her or the bartender can.
Lone Wolf
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spotlightjr
- Posts: 100
- Joined: Sun Apr 05, 2009 6:36 pm
- Location: southwest Florida
I'm wirt lone wolf on this one. You do it once, and I mute your mic. You do it twice I ask to speak directly to that person and tell them if it happens again that they are banned from singing anymore.... PERIOD! They still cause trouble and that's when the venue manager/owner/bouncer escorts them out of the building.
It's really sad that sane people actually think this kinda crap is ok to do.
I had a guy last thursday night that literally kept harassing me to get him up to sing. He, of course, promised to "bring the house down" with his rendition of "copa cabana". I made him wait like everyone else and when he finally got up there he made a damn fool of himself. He thought he was dancing but looked eerily similar to someone having a seizure. I swear he shook his keys right out of his pocket. He also took off running with my corded mic (25 foot cord) and was it not for my wife stopping him would have ripped my whole mixer off my rack. He was screaming (off key) at the top of his lungs and would not hold still. He kept getting in front of one of my speakers and created terrible feedback. I almost had to sit on him to keep him still. It was a very nerve wracking 5 minutes. I muted his mic at least 5 times during his "act" .(not that he needed one)
It's really sad that sane people actually think this kinda crap is ok to do.
I had a guy last thursday night that literally kept harassing me to get him up to sing. He, of course, promised to "bring the house down" with his rendition of "copa cabana". I made him wait like everyone else and when he finally got up there he made a damn fool of himself. He thought he was dancing but looked eerily similar to someone having a seizure. I swear he shook his keys right out of his pocket. He also took off running with my corded mic (25 foot cord) and was it not for my wife stopping him would have ripped my whole mixer off my rack. He was screaming (off key) at the top of his lungs and would not hold still. He kept getting in front of one of my speakers and created terrible feedback. I almost had to sit on him to keep him still. It was a very nerve wracking 5 minutes. I muted his mic at least 5 times during his "act" .(not that he needed one)
I know I'm in trouble whenever someone says they need to sing because they are going to save the day and they really can sing great.
They usually are not that good. And they act like I never get to hear someone that can sing good.
It's rare that I get someone that really sucks. I don't know where they go to karaoke but they must not be used to seeing singers with talent there.
They usually are not that good. And they act like I never get to hear someone that can sing good.
It's rare that I get someone that really sucks. I don't know where they go to karaoke but they must not be used to seeing singers with talent there.
This always seems to happen at some time over the night.
At one venue I attend, there's one guy with has a voice, perfect for Joe Cocker or Chris Rea, who unfortunately thinks he can sing everything and is forever trying to muscle in on other singers.
Unfortunately, turning down the Mike doesn't always work as he has a tendency to simply crowd the posted singer!!
On another tack, Re. feedback, I really like Letitrip's idea about putting a diagram at the front of the songbook, showing the correct method of holding the microphone. Excellent, in fact
Sandy
At one venue I attend, there's one guy with has a voice, perfect for Joe Cocker or Chris Rea, who unfortunately thinks he can sing everything and is forever trying to muscle in on other singers.
Unfortunately, turning down the Mike doesn't always work as he has a tendency to simply crowd the posted singer!!
On another tack, Re. feedback, I really like Letitrip's idea about putting a diagram at the front of the songbook, showing the correct method of holding the microphone. Excellent, in fact
Sandy
