Karaoke Forums

I am looking for a good quality, affordable karaoke machine for my mother.  Is there any machine out there that will tell you whether or not you are on key when you sing?  She likes the idea of the video game, but wants a karaoke machine that will do bascially the same thing (minus the competition part).  I know nothing about karaoke machines.  Can anyone help?  Thanks!

Welcome to the forum KelliJan

Depends on what you mean by affordable and quality.  I personally started out with a simple "Singing Machine" that plays CD+G.  As far as telling you whether you sing on key or not .... I haven't seen the like.  Some Singing Machine models allow you to tape yourself and you could then play it back to see whether you were on key or not.

Maybe some of those here with more experience might know of something else out there.  Check the sponsors out at the lower left corner of these web pages as their prices are about the lowest I've found.

Welcome KelliJann
Yeah if there was a machine out there with an autotuner, I think we'd all have one

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Thanks, guys!  I appreciate the help.    

I have some that have the "Scoring feature".   It let's you know on the screen how close you were to being on key.   Look for that feature.   My machines are older so I don't know if they are still made.

Thanks, Big Dog!  What brands are the machines with the scoring feature?

I have a Pioneer that plays laser discs and cdgs.     It cost $1200.   Some of my older machines also did scoring.   You will have to do an internet search for new machines that have that feature.    Mine is at least 7 years old, or more.    Good luck.  :wave:

Actually, the scoring on those machines was in how close you were to the original recording; not to being on key.  Two totally different aspects.

You had to be on key.



On a similar note.(pun intended)

James, I was told a few years ago that there are indeed things we can buy for for $1,000.   In real-time (as they were being sung) it would correct sharp or flat notes.    Nobody would ever know they sucked.  :O  LMAO

Those machines scored on the basis of key, it looked for how well you were in key with the song, it didn't even really matter if you were in time - it coulsn't tell that.  The other downfall to it was the mic HAD to be plugged into the player itself to even work - not a good resulting sound.  Fun toy for home use, but would never use it professionally.

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agreed, Lonnie. The venue I started out with used to hook their mics into that, and some of the "older" karaoke generation loved the scoring...  I found it annoying as the mics were terrible to tweak, and we often had feedback.

once I convinced them to get a regular mixing board, and the kjs were trained in how to use it (myself included), that problem went away... well, until the next batch of non-trained kjs!

When I was in band I was taught that being in the same key meant that you played anywhere in the chord.  These machines only seemed to score highly if you were on the original note.

The original note was on key wasn't it?   It wasn't sharp or flat.

I've seen some software that suppose to help you with your pitch.  I don't know how good it is or if it'll work with CD+G's or not.

http://www.carryatune.com/index.

There is a portable machine that fits into your purse, and hooks up to any device with rca jacks. It costs between 200 and 300 dollars, and comes packaged with hundreds of songs(depending on the package) and an extra wireless mic. The music isn't like the original songs, but it is quite an intersesting product. It scores you, and even has a competetive game using the scoring function....pm me if you want to know more.

KELLI, since your question really hasn't been answered, please allow me. First off, you are not going to get a karaoke machine that can grade your pitch AND it be "affordable" like you asked, so forget about that.

I assume that when you say affordable, you mean something around or less than $100, and there are tons of options but they are all going to be very basic machines. Go to your local Best Buy or Wal-Mart and check out the DVD players. You'll find that about 1/2 of them are CDG/karaoke compatable, meaning that they will play karaoke CDs through your TV or home theater stereo. Find one of those that has microphone inputs and you'll have a decent player with basic features for your mom for under $100.

Also keep in mind that these players are higher quality than most of the players out there that come with built-in speakers and are billed as "karaoke systems." HOWEVER, having the external speakers may be a feature your mom needs. Those systems seem to run from about $150-500. Honestly, they all are not really great quality, so you may want to just lean towards the least expensive ones if you go this route.

Also remember that you need to buy karaoke CDs (CDGs) to go along with your new player. They will cost you from $6-25 each at retail stores for about 6-16 songs on each disk, but for your mother's needs you could get a nice base set off of somewhere like karaoke.com with 500-1200 songs for less than $100. If you need help picking one out, just let me know, but for her use the Sweet Georgia Brown or SuperCore sets should work fine and have have a decent mix of music from the 50s-early 2000s in all genres.

Finally, did you know that there are about 3-4 sequals to the video game? If that was what your mother was using in the first place, maybe you would be best served to just go check out the other versions of the video game with new songs and updated features.

Oh, and before I get rheemed by the pro KJs out there, remember that not everyone out there wants or needs professional equipment with all the bells and whistles and the complete SoundChoice catalogue, as some of you seem to think they do. Sometimes a DVD/CDG player and the SGB kit is EXACTLY what will make someone happy within their budget!!

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KJ, FL

I agree with topher on this as well. Supercore is probably the better choice if you are looking for decent rendentions of the songs. I actually would love to get rid of all my SGB but I have people who sing off them and seem to like stuff like War Pigs/Paranoid to name a song that gets chosen.

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