Karatastrophie

Hi Mat, thanks for yet another great video. One thing I noticed: @8:15 the stereo test isn't very convincing because it all sounds center to me. I think the audio track or voiceover track is completely mono - including this test? I don't think it's my setup... Enjoy our time off!

I kind of like the "failures". It shows not everything works out...makes me feel a lot better about all the stuff I try and work on that doesn't pan out.

Like a few others in the comments I went down a rabbit hole trying to find out more about this. There is another one here https://www.asiabros-online.com/shop/products/detail214.html This one has stickers with a little bit more info. If I had to make a guess I think it’s very much like those old pub love testing machines but with a bit more interactivity and a score you can probably influence based on your performance mixed with a bit of randomness. Looking at some semi-related materials these were likely fitted in Showa bars and the machine would have been accompanied by a chart on the wall showing prizes you could claim. A little bit like the gambling machines Matt showed a good while ago where you had to redeem your winnings rather than the machine giving them to you directly.

Just a quick note: you're a terrific presenter, storyteller, and YouTuber. Consequently, even when you're disappointed by one of your own videos, you can hardly help but put out something entertaining and Very Much Worth My Time. I can't count the number of times the Algorithm has recommended a video on a topic I was genuinely excited about, but then I bailed after five minutes because the presenter just had no skills whatsoever. (And/or: they chose to belch loudly into the microphone, literally in the first ten seconds. WHY)

I enjoyed it - very funny.

I am not a karaoke person but I always watch for the crooning from Britain's Frank Sinatra.

"Ah, Mat's had a shave..." Is probably not the takeaway you desired for this project! That tech did look and sound dire but you set up a future video where we get to find out what the heck that first machine is all about! I actually like old arcade and bar games. And that one is very enigmatic. I'm in the US and hadn't a clue who Jennifer Paige was. Had to look the girl up. Seems to be pretty sundry.

Deepest voice option... "I bring Sutekh's gift of karaoke tat to all humanity."

“Finished on a high note” 😂

Really giving us the hard sell here, Mat, good grief 😅

Mr Children used to be a big name, maybe still is, and was more indie than pop, I also saw traveling by Utada Hikaru on the screen for quite a while hoping you might give it a bash, so they do have recognisable Japanese content at least, however poorly rendered. Sounded a bit like Music Maker on the Atari ST at times. If you’re missing trackers, you can get the ‘modern’ hardware version by Polyend.

There's an awkward cut at 1:27. Crossfading the audio might smooth it out. At 10:14 the camera angle makes it less than obvious that you're pointing at something. Maybe insert a close-up of the battery.

OK I spent like half an hour trying to google up anything whatsoever on that first machine in Japanese. There is really nothing at all aside from spam sites mirroring the Yahoo Auction and another site also selling one. Also throughout history there seem to have been about 100 different Japanese companies named "Santec", what a generic name! I did find two other devices that I bet are made by the same company, they seem to do the same thing and the format and guts look very similar - karaoke scoring (by comparing the pitch of the incoming music vs the microphone) plus some kind of random chance raffle. And they both have those same LED music and vocal level bars. "Karaoke Fantasy" https://centuryma3.hatenablog.jp/entry/2018/01/10/234334 "Jupitron V-777" https://jp.mercari.com/item/m52414188044

Recently I brought an old kiddies ride, mainly to see how the audio was done on it, but I learnt of it that those coin slots seem to work on a sequence of pulses, might be a case of like I did, soldering a non latching push switch across where the wires come out that coin mech and pressing it few times to see if it fires up, that's how Jimbo the plane seemed to work.

A while ago I bought a different Japanese bar gadget from the same era as that karaoke scoring thing (I bought a "human test" 20-questions type personality tester). The repair that one needed was the power supply - the device seemed to work but it kept bugging out, especially when you entered coins. I measured the voltage with a multimeter and removed the power supply and replaced the power supply wires with a DC jack where I could use a generic power supply of the same voltage. That fixed all the bugginess.

What a fascinating machine, thanks so much for sharing, I love it.

"If you enjoy disappointment, combined with mediocrity, this should be right up your street." Enjoy? I've personally created an entire life around that very concept... I enjoyed that, it made me laugh! I love to see anything Japanese, I don't care if it works properly or not, it's all about the anticipation of what could happen and the wondering about what exactly a product is for. Have a good holiday Mat!

Loved the randomness of this video Mat, and even if you think it was shambolic, I enjoyed it very much. I said it before, but maybe a collaboration with MyMateVince or Mark Fixes Stuff - they would get to the bottom of the first devices problems to enable you to properly showcase it. They are both UK based and are excellent and fixing electrical gremlins. Looking forward to “Techmoan Does Barry White vol 1” CD release!!!!

This is excellent! Awesome job taking a jumble of results and turning them into something highly entertaining. I wouldn't yet give up on the first device though; it is strange enough that I bet someone would be willing to probe a bit more to try and get it working..

Hey, don't knock the A1 version of "Take On Me" -- its Tron-inspired music video (reportedly containing the most elaborate CGI of any music video created up to that point in 2000) is famous for using the Windows Task Manager as a "VR Matrix Simulator": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbCsIKI6HEU

I enjoyed the video on the karaoke microphone setup. It’s fun and engaging. But it’s difficult to get into the first part since you and the audience don’t really know what it is and it doesn’t work. And it’s hard to invest in a fix it video for those reasons especially when it doesn’t get fixed. For what it’s worth I would release it without the first part.

No advice I can give on the original device, but I enjoy watching the "failures" too, it's still interesting to see old or unusual tech even if it doesn't work. Perhaps someone from Japan will be familiar with this and pipe up with some ideas.

This one was a lot of fun. Plenty of laughs and a bit of intrigue. Its too bad the first item wouldn't work, but the repair attempt was still interesting to see. Pairing it with the e-Kara was a good idea to make use of that footage. Good thumbnail. To me your expression is that of a "deer in headlights" (is that saying used in the UK?) which fits well with the video. It may have been a "shambles" in the sense that it features a fruitless repair attempt and the dreaded K-word, but it was an entertaining and well-assembled shambles. Thanks, Mat!

love the video

okie can find how to send a direct message so have you heard of the Kawasaki SAX-A-BOOM

Hi, Mat, it might be worth seeing if https://www.youtube.com/@StezStixFix might have a look at the circuit boards. He's an amateur, but his success rate is very high. stezstix@gmail.com Just a thought. :-)

Lol this video made me smile on a drab Tuesday evening - it's done it's job .....thanks Mat

I've just noticed that Headphone Headman has lost his toupee 😶

Growl Karaoke with Mat! My life is complete.

First time I've seen a karaoke device with built in 'satan mode'. Saves you the time of playing studio recordings backwards looking for demonic messages.

This was a great video, especially for a disappointing mediocre one ?! 😝😝😝😝😝

Watching a karaoke video from Mat the day after I had Yoga (muscles aching!) is not a good idea 🤣. Ouch, my belly...

I highly enjoyed this self-inflicted abuse.

The description makes me want to watch it more lol

Great video that bit you know if you do have lock issues, I’d suggest reaching out to Locknoob - not only is he a top bloke but his channel is great. He could def be of help.

Thanks for the excellent singing at the end, without sound ON it looked like you were having a shave! :) Great video - as always!

Now that I got to see the video... On the e-Kara: I'm sure this was a Japanese toy. You're right about the sound chip being a low-quality gaming sound chip. The MIDI files that were played to be a quite good quality, I very much enjoyed them, even with the terrible sound pallet. And the modulator of the microphone was raising the voice an octave and dropping it an octave respectably. It needed to do that so the singing would be pitched correct. But that's why it seemed so extreme, especially in the lower register. Loved the video. Now, to paraphrase Marie Antoinette, "Let me eat cake."

I enjoyed that! Much better than that football nonsense on the telly

This was utterly brilliant. I laughed so hard on my lunch break I nearly spilled my lunch :D

I haven't watched it yet, but it's already special. You see, today is my birthday, and this feels like you gave me a birthday present! Though, to be honest, it's not the nicest present I got. I happened to get the notice of the video in a car dealership finishing up purchasing a new HRV. But it is the next best birthday present I've gotten. Now I'm going to watch it. Thanks, Matt.

What did the Mrs. say to the part starting around 29:45? :D

Fankastic video!

Mat snatched victory from the jaws of defeat by ending the video with him singing karaoke tunes--always a winner!😊

Yikes; this certainly was a gigantic kerfuffle for sure. A few GB of video footage later, no doubt. I am amused by all of out-of-control fun the Japanese got up to in their free time. Double-blister pack those e-kara carts and they will never be accessible again. I can see myself being scared to hell if I heard those e-kara voices calling my name from the top of the stairs. The fjords sound like absolute heaven right now in the scorching humid 85° heat of late spring. Enjoy and safe travels. Take care. 🤍

Disappointment and I are old friends, so I'll just have a little watch I think

The 1st unit possibly just compares the frequencies of the 2 inputs and gives you a score depending on how accurate you are.

Enjoy your holiday! You deserve it! 🌅

I think you're far too hard on yourself Mat, we all love your content! I'm sure everyone agrees with me!