CAVS Optical Drive Test - Update

Folks, its been awhile I know. Between surviving an depressed (yes I said the "D" word) I am not totally unaffected and its hit my time for doing karaoke related reporting. But...an old client made it easier to get on board again. So news: The drives I found from my last posting on CAVS compatible drives are of course out of date. The drive I had found is no longer being manufactured by Asus. The newer model I've successfully tested, the ASUS DVD-E818A3 as well as the Pioneer DVR-117D are also discontinued. I have 3 of the Asus drives but 2 have just been requested by this client so I have only the one which I'm keeping. I could have used this opportunity to charge as much as the used Plextor drive guys at $100/drive but that seemed wrong somehow, especially in this economy. In fact this client had already bought 2 used Plextor drives at $100/drive and one of them lasted only 3 MONTHS before it died so I felt I needed to get this out in the open. That said, if you can find Asus DVD-E818A3 its a better alternative and is likely to be new. There is another drive I'll be testing: The Sony DDU1678A. I'm hoping it does the job although the number of people using CDG disks as opposed to the newer downloadable MP3+G files is probably decreasing rapidly. It makes sense after all. If anyone wants to help out with testing drives for native CD+G compatibility here are some links to help get you started:

Karaoke Builder
Nero Tools (Note: you want to download the Nero InfoTool, direct link here: Nero Info Tool)

The Nero Info tool is a MS Windows application. For Linux users it's reported not to work, even under Wine. So Linux uses try these tools: DVD+RW Tools.

I'd love to have a central list of CURRENT drives so people know where to find info for issues like this. Its all free info after all. there is another growing problem: PATA (IDE) Drives in general are going the way of the Dodo bird. There are few PATA(ide) optical drives (or even hard drives) of any kind in Canada as SATA is now all the rage. Aside from onboard RAID issues if an optical is on the same controller I have no problem SATA; The cables are WAY smaller, and the interface is faster. So I guess it up to us karaoke lovers to update hardware and more importantly, software, to the times. Easier said then done I know. For anyone with large collections of CDG disks, get converting to MP3+G, bin or some other computer savable format while your devices are still working. They all die sooner or later and are difficult and/or expensive to repair once the motor dies (unless you are an electrical engineer). Anyway, I'll keep you informed how this Sony works and send out more inquires to the optical drive manufactures. But if you, the karaoke loving public care to download the Nero Info tool (or Linux equivalent), test your IDE drives (or even SATA) and let me know your findings, I'd love to publish them here as well as my own. Frankly I don't have the budget to buy 12-20 drives and test them all. Thanks folks.

Karaoke Review:Chick N'Deli w/Nicholas with Hitsville Karaoke

Reviewed: 2008-04-15

For some time I've been hearing about this venue so it was high time I checked it out to see if I got a few good cluckles or laid an egg. Wednesday nights is not the most active evening but this could be a great place to go for people who don't like to wait for songs. Off to the BBQ.

The Good: The service was fairly quick and food quality was also quite good. The food selection has a wide variety of bar food: Various Burger choices, Chicken (of course!) Whole, 1/2 and 1/4 sizes both BBQ and Jerk) , wraps Chili Salads Sivloki, Pasta, Wide dessert selection along with good appetizers selections with calamari, brushetta, calamari, wings nachos and onion rings.

Song Selection is above par with 8978 songs (approx) with a good spread of generes from oldies to modern contemporary hits by Radiohead.

There is a real stage which gives a nice feel as the stage faces the entrance.

The Mixed: food prices are around average: $7-$17 although combo salads with burgers are a tad high. While the equipment was good the monitor was too low and difficult to read. Audio monitors aren't really there and one cannot hear their own voice. Mike sometines not quite connected so guessing the cable was loose. The MC's commentary had some good moments but sometimes it just fell a little short. Brilliant moments but some luls in between. Wait times are within 1 hour which is average citywide.

The Bad: As much as I was trying to put this in the mixed but this is all about the user experience. Nicholas is not terribly in attention to sound levels. Sound Balances were mostly okay but WEAK SINGERS GET OVERPOWERED by the high music levels and the MC doesn't seem to notice. Bass was often much too heavy as well. As much as I dislike saying this is an MC's job is to make sure that ALL participants can sound as good as they can and I felt like this venue was geared for season karaoke participants and beginners are not really monitored. Also, Nicholas seems to do little more than change the songs. More personality please. If Nicholas is reading this please pay attention to this. The decor of this venue is not great either. It has a run down feel which could be improved with a little TLC (Tender loving care). There is potential for a better overall feel but at the moment it feels like a run down bar/restaurant.

Summary:

The Chick'n'Deli has a great food selection and excelent service. The stage for participants is excellent and song selection is on par with some of the better venues in Toronto. Unfortunately the MC attention is not only the main weak spot its a weak spot that is felt be anyone karaoke participant who is not seasoned and that makes it difficult for new participants. This really needs to get fix and the MC needs to be listening to levels of the weak singers as well as strong. Having seen others do an excellent job at adjusting sound levels for all classes of singers there is simply no reason for Nicholas the same. If he can fix this combined with some touch up on the venue decor this could be a really fantastic venue in an awesome location.

Final Grade: C+

Facilities: 7.5 (great stage and layout but overall bar decor needs some work. Feels run down)
Equipment: 8.0 (Speakers are good but loose cables get noticed)
Song Selection: 8.9 (Excellent spread of genres kept up to date)
Food Selection: 8.7 (Very nice sellection)
Food Quality: 8.1 (Portions good, salads very fresh, burgers pretty good but salads were better)
Food Service: 9.0 (Food service was great...worth a good tip along with it)
Prices: 7.1 (average)
Location: 8.0 (Just a trip to Eglington Subway Station and an eastbound bus or 20 minute walk gets you to Mt. Pleasent)
Wait Times: 7.0 (MC keeps the que moving, so it makes city avarage)
Host: 7.2 (Sometimes great commentary between songs, other times flat, doesn't appear to notice his volume levels overpower weak singers)

Venue Information:
Chick N'Deli
744 Mount Pleasant Road
Toronto, ON, M4S 2N6
Phone: (416) 489-3363

Karaoke Host Info:
Nicholas
Hitsville Karaoke (A Division of Bent Roots Music)
Phone: (416) 84307400
e-mail: hitsvillekaraoke@yahoo.ca