Developing a band, but first have a question

Oregonhunter5 · May 2, 2014

I am a closet country voice. I want to ask you guys with any experience a question.
I need to get a system to sing with. One that plays music and I sing with it. Not sure a karaoke machine is exactly the right way to guy.
I want a amp, and then also ear phone listen. I'm not educated in this stuff. I'm just a singer.
Thoughts

teflon6string · May 3, 2014

Make soundgear purchases with some specifics under your hat.

As much as people bag on Guitar Center, you owe youself a trip in there (when it's not busy). Find someone who knows the inventory and describe what you want to use the gear for. Ask questions, write down a short list of features you want, get prices, and then leave. Talk to musicians (everybody knows some), compare similar products from various merchants. Maybe you'll end up back at "Guitarget." Not unlike buying a car, you can get a good or bad deal anywhere depending on what you know or don't know.

What will you potenitally plug into your amp?
- microphones (real ones, not 1/4" Toys 'R Us karaoke junk), and how many?
- iPlayers and CDs?
- instruments?
- a mixer?

And how will the sound come out of it?
- built in speaker?
- headphones?
- external speakers?
- line-outs to power amps/effects processors/house system?

You might not need most or even half of those things, so don't go spend a ton of money for too much gear. But if you buy the cheapest thing you see on day-one you'll certainly pay more later in upgrades, adapters, etc.

Find out what your bandmates have and ask if their gear can also plug into (and out of) whatever you're thinking about buying. Tell other players what you want to do. Ask them what they use, and why. It's not super-complicated, but there is a learning curve right up front. A couple weeks of research now can save you grief and dollars down the road.

Finally, whatever you do... protect your eardrums. Take that from a rock/blues guitar player with asymetrical hearing loss and permanent screaming tinnitus.

Oregonhunter5 · May 5, 2014

Great info.
I have a lot to think about.

greydog111 · May 8, 2014

Oregonhunter5 said:
I am a closet country voice. I want to ask you guys with any experience a question.
I need to get a system to sing with. One that plays music and I sing with it. Not sure a karaoke machine is exactly the right way to guy.
I want a amp, and then also ear phone listen. I'm not educated in this stuff. I'm just a singer.
Thoughts

Hey, I'm developing a wart. Does that make me a frog?