Karaoke Forums

Greeting All,
I am new to these forums and this is my first post.
I have tried my best to research this question before asking it and have not been able to reach a conclusion.

I currently host Karaoke parties at the house using "Karaoke Revolution" on the PS3.
The wife and I would like to get into using KJ style Karaoke for the parties so that we can essentially have and unlimited songlist-assuming budget.

Here are some tech specs for back ground:
LAPTOP:17" MacBook Pro 2.33 ghz, 2 Gig RAM, 160 GB HDD. (Will run Windows too)
TV:Sony SXRD55A2020 55" Hi-Def Rear Proj. W/1080p (Has PC-In Plug plus S-Vid and Composite Vid)
SOUND: Bose Acoustic Wave (Not the small table top version)

Here is the question:
What software should I buy that will give me the best home Karaoke experience, ease of use, search engines, MP3+G etc. Ripping, and why?
Also, how do you legally obtain the huge song libraries that I have seen without breaking the bank?

Thanks in advance for any help or opinions you might share.
Glock30

Mac computer will need to run Windows for MOST (99%) of the karaoke software that's currently out.  
TV - i'm assuming you are just asking for you own personal home parties.  
Sound - again assuming your own home parties only.  There are much better ways to go soundwise, but since you mentioned concern about budget, i'll leave this out right now.



There are many discussions on this one - here's a link to the latest.
http://www.karaoke-forum.com/viewtopic.php?t=9858  
Basically you would need to try them all out yourself & decide which fits your needs & works with your computer best.  Most have demo's you can download.



Well, 'legally' you don't without breaking the bank.  There are very few 'legal' download sites in which you pay per song.  And since computer use for pro karaoke is being cracked down on, I suspect there may be even fewer in the near future for a while until the manus decide that it is the way to go.
Best bet is to buy a good core of songs on disc then take the time to rip them to your computer.

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I agree with Lonman on everything he said. Here is my two cents worth. First, I have tried all the Mac based Karaoke software and none of them are up to par, even just for home use. I would stick to PC based software. Since you are going to use it strictly for karaoke while you are using the laptop, I would not suggest using emulator like Parallels, stick to Apple's Boot Camp when running windows. It may be more difficult to transfer files between the OS but you will get more compatibility.

I like MTU's Hoster, they have a lite version for home use, personally but there are many other ones you can use.

As for the TV, I believe MacBook Pro has DVI output, which can be converted to HDMI if you don't have DVI input on your TV

Audio is pretty simple to output from the computer but you will need a mixer and effects for your vocal, as well as mics. You can try to use USB mic to mix it all inside the laptop but there isn't a software the will do it easily. You don't need a expensive mixer but you should have at least 2 mic inputs, somewhere to get effect (echo, delay etc) in to the music for your vocal. The connection from the laptop to mixer is straight forward.

You can then input video directly from your laptop to the TV then route the audio from your laptopp through your mixer then to your Bose system. That should work ok. Some would say you need a professional system to make it right, or make it sound better but I think you can do with what you have and do fine for home use.

Good luck.

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Seize the day and SING!!!