Karaoke Forums

Hi there.   I am going to try and do my own karaoke for my xmas party this year but I haven't got a clue on how to get started.   Firstly, what type of downloads should I be looking for, i.e., what file format.  I am hoping to use my computer and use my tv as the monitor for the song lyrics and music to appear.  I would also like to burn my karaoke creations onto disc so that I can take round to my friends' houses and have a go, the discs will be played on their dvd players.   Is there anyway that discs can be put into the dvd player and then I just select the track that we want to sing along to for the lyrics to appear on screen with the music playing in background?

What software should I be looking to purchase/download.  As this is my first one, Im very inexperienced at this and therefore don't want to go into a lot of expense (none at all if it can be avoided!!!!)

Any help or advice gratefully received....

Everything good in the world can be done for nothing?    You want the best of everything and to spare no expense.     Meaning you want to spend nothing.  

That's what you have now.   Don't change anything.    :yes:

What BD is most elequently saying is that you can't do all of what you are asking on the cheap. If you want to "download" DVD karaoke and burn it to your own discs, you are going to have to spend a ton of $$ on the downloads (about $2-4 a song, downloading for free is PIRACY and against the law), then buy a DVD burner and the software to correctly burn karaoke tracks in DVD format (which I am far from an expert at).

The inexpensive LEGAL way to go would be to purchase one or a couple karaoke DVD sets. If you have a DVD player in your computer already then you can just play them directly on your computer. The highest quality DVD sets out there are probably the Chartbuster Essential sets. There are 7 of these sets, with 7 having the most recent music, with 450 songs per set. From my experience, they average about $150 each on Ebay.

http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dl ... =11&fsoo=1


Now that is assuming that you already have your computer hooked up to an external amp, mic, and speakers for the audio output. If you don't already have that, that is another big expense if you want to do it correctly!!

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C Mc
KJ, FL

If you are not picky with the sound quality, and want something portable and pre-loaded with thousands of songs, you may want to consider the MagicSing.  You can buy one for under $200.

Here is a picture of it:

The BEST advice I could give is to go out to some local shows and check out the KJs in your area.  Then find one you like, and hire a PRO to do the party.

There really is no cheap way around it.  Even if you rent a PA system, that could cost from $100-$400 a nite, plus you have to buy the music, plus your time running the show, and preparing.  

Don't you want to have fun at the party?  
I am sure you don't want to be stuck behind the computer all night, looking up songs for people, running the sound, and fixing any problems.  It may look easy when you see a PRO doing it, but trust me there is a LOT invoved in making a rememberable show/nite.

So hire a PRO, and enjoy your party.  But make sure just not to hire anyone off the street. Check them out in action, ask for references, get everything in writing, and ask any and all questions you have.  If a KJ treats you like an idiot for asking questions, move on and find another.

JD, does that microphone put the graphics on TV?

WOOF WOOF, you betcha!  The reason why I thought this mic would be perfect for this fella is because he doesn't want to spend a lot of money and wants to take his karaoke songs to his friends.  Burning karaoke songs onto CDGs or DVDs is just one of his major hurdles.  If he takes his CDGs or DVDs to his friends, he may not be able to enjoy karaoke if they don't have a karaoke player and stereo system.  With the MagicSing mic, all they need is a television with analog video and audio inputs.  This is a cheap solution for those people who don't want to spend a lot of money on songs and equipment.  

By the way, there are other brands of this kind of mics on the market.  Make sure that you get the MagicSing Enter-tech, which is made in Korea.  Enter-tech was the first manufacturer to come up with the karaoke-in-mic gadget.  They continue to improve their products and introduce new ones too.  Check out their products on this link:

http://www.enter-tech.com:8080/enteng/p ... duct01.jsp

Do you know what's so interesting about this technology?  People have to actually buy the chips to get more songs.  No piracy here.  :)   Just think of the possibilities here.  What if the publishers of karaoke songs follow suit, and store their songs in chips that cannot be copied too?  Wouldn't that solve the piracy problem?

How do you think it would sound if you ran it through a mixer and some effects?

Sounds lousy dog. My Thursday night show is a Filipino bar that was using 1 of those I went in to sing for them and they loved me but I told them I can't sing with this crappy sound so I jumped in my truck and brought over my system and hooked into their P.A. and gave them a little free taste, needless to say I was hired on the spot and have been working there every Thursday night since. Hehe. The magic mike is all video background but is all(shiver) midi sound .

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ROBDOG *WOOF WOOF*

Two things to remember here.  First, the mic has built-in cheesy effects, so you don't want to use effects from your mixer too.  Second, it is only good for home use; not for professional hosting.  The music is midi, which is pretty lousy if you compare it to CDG.  There are no background vocals, guitar riffs and rhythms,  gut-wrenching bass, and heart-pounding drums.

Now, if CDG publishers come up with a way to store their songs in chips and put them in deck or rack-mounted players, that would not only be so convenient but would also stem piracy.

Personally, I don't like the MagicSing, but it is hard to beat its price, portability, and ease of use.  I also don't like the sound of laser discs and VCDs.  I prefer CDG.

Speaking of piracy, China is notorious for being so blatant in breaking copyright laws.  A good example is a company that sells karaoke systems over the internet.  Some of the sponsors of this site even sell their systems.  The name of the company is Unify Karaoke, and it is based in Beijing, China.  Here is a link to their website:

http://www.unifykaraoke.com/english/karaoke_library.htm

If you scroll down to that page, you will see the following:


Sure, send 1,000 songs from your CDG collection to them, and they will send back 2,000 CDG songs in return.  How can we stop them from breaking the law if they are based in China?