Karaoke Forums

Have been a very causal k singer for years, I got a decent baritone, I don't consider myself to have a good voice though I am told otherwise. Thing is, I don't care. I will sing any time cause I like to sing, and don't mind making a fool of myself, as opposed to most people who are too self conscious.
So anyhow I was at this kids hockey charity the other night and they had a k dj there, I started talking to him and checked out his setup, which was basically a lap top with an external drive hooked up to a PA.
Literally no one was singing, most were skating,eating,talking and whatnot, so I decided to do some Elvis. I did "Love Me Tender" and to my surprise, I got a standing ovation ! I did a few more Elvis songs, then some Doors. I took a break to give others a shot at the mic, no one stepped up so I went back at it again with some Buddy Holly, Bob Seger and Beatles.

Had a pretty good time, and here is the thing. I am loaded right now, always am this time of year. I am just coming off 2 months of straight union work, 12hr shifts 7 days a week. Plus I did good on taxes and my side business is booming, so I have $$ coming out of my ears am always looking to invest 2k or so on something this time of year.
It didn't hit me until today, but I have decided a nice karaoke setup is what I will get this year. I already have a good leg up on it, as I am an actual musician and have a nice PA system. I sing to my own music and do covers all the time. I have top of the line mics and a killer laptop ... So it remains for me to get a karaoke library of songs like that guy at the hockey thing had on had computer, some software ,,, and thats really about it.
I'm looking around the software thread to try and make a decision about that, but any input appreciated [I am impulsive, can't wait more than a few days to get my gadgets]. Wish I would have talked more to the guy, but never thought I'd be in this position just days later, I could still give him a call and probably will ,,, But I basically want what he had. If I asked if he had, say, "Back Door Man" by the Doors, he could look it right up, and play it with a click if he had it.
Thats what I want to do with software. Song library, thats up in the air. I am in comms with this guy who claims he can sell me 140,000, yes thats 140,000, karaoke songs on an external drive for $250, you guys think that sounds shady and/or too good to be true ?
Also thinking of getting this thing http://www.ebay.com/itm/Behringer-MiniM ... 4ac165e9b6 to run with my PA. Don't really have to have it, but its cheap, has good reviews, and will add a few more options to vocals.

Thats about it, hope to be up and running within days. If anyone has any advice about the above, or have any other suggestions about must have gadgets/software, I'm all ears.
I like this idea, not only because I know I will enjoy myself, but it has the potential to make $$ as well down the road.

That's 100% illegal, pirated hard drive. When you do buy music, you must either buy legal downloads or discs, and you should expect to pay around $1.29-2.00 a song for legal karaoke music if you buy it already digital and ready for the computer, or a little under that if you buy discs and convert them to digital format yourself.

All-Star karaoke is a good place to start buying karaoke songs a la carte. Just get what you know you'll sing, and you shouldn't need to spend too much $$$.

For a player, go check out the KMP Plus here: http://www.karaokeware.com/kmp.html

You can try out the free version, but the $25.00 for the Plus version will add all of the search features, singer's history, and other features that it looks like you want.

I would also pass on that Behringer MiniMix machine. If you buy karaoke music, you don't need it. If you plan on "voice cancelling" music CDs you already have, I think you are going to be disapointed. There is nothing magic going in that allows these machines to eliminate vocal tracks. They literally just cut the frequencies where vocals commonly appear, which also includes any instruments that appear in those frequncies. So, you may get 90% of the vocals cut out, but you are also going to get like 30% of the instruments, and the resulting output is always lacking in depth.

If you are interested in just the effects portion, there are much higher quality ways to get vocal effects for around the same price.

Do you have a mixer and PA speakers for your karaoke setup already? You mention your mics, but don't mention any other PA components.

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C Mc
KJ, FL

Wow, there ARE still pirates out there.


Let's use some common sense here regarding the loaded hard drive. Where does the karaoke music come from originally? Someone has to be paid to play the music, I'm sure whoever owns the rights to the songs need to be contacted and probably paid. Studio time, equipment, insurance, utilities, advertising, materials (CDGs, jewels) what else am I missing?


So would it really be possible for any of us to purchase 150,000 songs (or 350,000 as I have heard of on occasion) and the manufacturers of the karaoke music make money?


So, no do not purchase the hard drive and turn the friggin' pirate in please! If no one buys the music, soon no one will produce karaoke music as they will make no money!

Welcome to the forum, you will get lots of good advise here, I know I have!

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KingBing Entertainment C'mon Up! I have a song for you!!! [font=MS Sans Serif][/font]

I second & I echo Ripman8’s good advice. Save yourself from unnecessary worries now that you know you’ll be purchasing a bootleg hardrive. Protect yourself & be legal. It ain't worth it!

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To be fortunate enough to derive an income from a source as fulfilling as karaoke music has got to be as close to heaven as we can get here on earth!

I don't want any part of pirated tracks, I thought it sounded shady but wasn't sure. I do want mp3 based songs though, so looks like I'll have to look into some ripping software to convert CD tracks, which I'm guessing is perfectly legal if you own the tracks. I'm not going to play angel and say I never bend any rules, but I'm not going to out & out smash them.
This was a craigslist find, I noticed a few others, the other ones weren't so far over the top, but pretty sure they are bootleg as well.
I'm trying to think is it even possible to: *have 140,000 karaoke tracks & *fit them all on 1 external drive. Thats one helluva lot of files and I'm guessing mp3/g files are larger than standard mp3. $250 seems suspiciously low for something like that, the drive alone would be over $100.

For a PA I got this
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Harbinger-H ... er-reviews

Which should be more than enough to drive the karaoke & vocals.
I use it for vocals playing acoustic guitar and it sounds great, haven't ran a player through it yet but I'm sure it will crank.

Ok I have been spinning this around in my mind ,,,, I decided to get a new laptop dedicated to karoke, should be here in a couple of days. Then I'll need to track down some songs, I got just about everything else I need. I have a few songs and I am experimenting with different software.
I have a spare lcd monitor I plan on using for lyrics, so here is what I'm wondering.
When I connect the video output of the computer to the monitor, is it going to show the whole computer screen, or do these apps make it possible to just view the lyrics [as I would like] ?

You'll be able to dedicate your monitor to just the lyrics.

Kewl man, I sure hope so !
I'm going to look into getting a monitor pole mount, never seen em but they must have them ,,, Or I'll fabricate my own. That'll make it more convenient in my jam room, and more portable when I take it out.
So far I have been experimenting with Siglos and the free karafun.
Should the audio output be fed right to the PA, or should a USB sound card be used ?
Thats about it, once my new laptop gets here, I'm about ready to rock. Think I'll check ebay for some cd/g, song library will be my weak link for some time.

Depends on the program you are going to use. All of the 'pro' software ie MTU Hoster, Compuhost, Karma, Siglos Pro, have the ability to show just lyrics on the 2nd monitor. Some of the cheaper & free programs don't necessarily allow that.
On the computer you will connect the 2nd monitor & go into display properties and find & click extended desktop - if the laptop don't already pick it up for you - sometimes they do.

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LIKE Lonman on Facebook - Lonman Productions Karaoke & my main site via my profile!

If you want all the bells and whistles yet want to save money, I suggest looking at JustKaraoke. It will display to an outside monitor what you want the singers to see, allow for a second computer to add the song requests to your hosting computer, keep track of a rotation, etc. you can get it at http://www.tricerasoft.com for under $50.

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The Line Array Experiment is over. Nothing to see here. Move along.

Thanks for the tip I'll check it out.
What I don't like about siglos so far is when searching for a song, it will find the song, then thats it. Doesn't seem to be an option to actually play it. You can *add a singer then *search then *add the song to a que, but I'd like to be able to simply play it direct from a search.
Haven't messed with it much though, and I have precious few songs to search anyhow at the moment, but I can see this being a problem if I had 1,000's.

Anyone know which app this is, I like the looks of it at least

X-Ray, first I wish to commend you for loving karaoke as much as I do, and congratulate you on your decision to become a Karaoke Host!

I noticed that you came to this decision after seeing the DJ's PC based setup, and learning how easy it would be to put together a system.

However, what I haven't seen on this thread yet is any discussion in regard to learning how to host karaoke.

There is quite a bit more to it than pressing play...

My first suggestion to new hosts is the following:

1) Spend some time going to the least popular karaoke shows in your area. Take the time to find out WHY they are unpopular, and the MOST unpopular parts of each show- and don't do that.

2) Spend some time going to the most popular karaoke shows in your area, take the time to find out WHY
they are popular, and the most popular parts of each show- and do that.

Sounds like common sense, but so many jump right in without any thought to it.

I would also take the time to learn all the facets of running a Karaoke Hosting business.

Keep in mind that though similar equipment may be used, Being a DJ and being a Karaoke Host are to completely different skill sets.

Most important of all: Enjoy yourself, and let your patrons SEE that you love it- it'll be infectious!

Go get 'em!

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"No Contests, No Divas, Just A Good Time!"

" Disc based and loving it..."

Hey Joe ... I've enjoyed karaoke for quite a while when I happened to run into it, but never really sought it out.
I did get my kids one of those cheapo units years back, but it ended up collecting dust.
I think the main reason why I never got much into it is because, like I said, I am a musician, and have been singing to my own tunes for decades. I play and sing all the time, plugged and unplugged, around crowds and by myself. So I guess I figured, why have a cheap backing soundtrack when I can just play it myself, in my own style, in my own tempo ?
Thing about the guy at the hockey party, that is the 1st time I ever realized karoke went digital, up until then I thought it was all still CD, that made a difference in my thinking. It didn't even hit me unti later that night, I thought wow, that guy had all that music on a laptop. I figured hell, I got PA's, I got mics, I got effects and monitors and a laptop. All I needed was some tunes, and I can get going on my own setup. No need for a dedicated player and suitcases full of CD's.
I decided to get a dedicated laptop because my laptop is a monster Alienware gaming laptop, weighs more than a cinder block and the hard drive is relatively small ,, So I got a much lighter one with a 1tb hd.

So thats where I'm at right now, and all the pieces are coming together like it was meant to be. I will not only have fun, but it should help me with my singing as well. Everyone says I got a great voice, but I don't agree. I'm good at baritone, I need to work on higher ranges without sounding like a cackling goat, and I think this will help alot. I'm uninhibited on the mic, I sing like I'm in the shower ,,, But I think this is holding my potential back as well. I figure "hell, I play guitar, I'm no singer, so no one expects me to be any good ,, And neither do I !". I need to be more self conscious when singing, and critique myself as I go, and karaoke is going to help alot in this regards.

Don't plan on going semi-pro, I got a full time job and more than enough $$ making side pursuits as well, too many actually. If anything, I'll make myself and setup available at no charge to friends and family at get togethers, graduations and whatnot. Its nice to know that the potential to make $$ is there, but I doubt if I'll ever go that route.

Only thing is if you want to do it professionally (running in any type of club that will pay you) you should learn the legalities. SC tracks for example require that you have all the discs to back up anything on your laptop with a paid audit in order to use on computer. Anything else you should at least have the 'morals' enough to know unless you have the original disc, you are illegal - nothing is cheap or free!

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LIKE Lonman on Facebook - Lonman Productions Karaoke & my main site via my profile!

Well, I never did get back with the guy with 140,000 karaoke songs I mentioned in OP. He actually did text me but I didn't return it, one because I'm not interested, and two because I'm not much into texting. In this case, its not so much that I am a pillar of glowing virtue & morality, I just think its pretty brazen to offer pirated material so openly, and by nature I don't want anything to do with people with no common sense or discretion.
I have ordered some small collections on ebay and have scraped up a few of my old discs, but thats not going to suit my purposes very well, as half the stuff or more on any compilation CD I'm not going to be interested in.
Still can add them to my library to offer variety when and if I ever go out with it, but I'll probably have to look into getting material on a song by song basis, which I understand is possible.

There's a couple of ways of getting a library cheap and still have quality tracks. One is to subscribe to the cloud, no you don't own the tracks but you get to use them fora reasonable price per month or you can finance the entire digitrax catalog from the cloud. or you can finance the GEM series from Sound Choice.

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The Line Array Experiment is over. Nothing to see here. Move along.

Another way is to get a core set of discs. I bought some of the cheaper ones to start with, like the Sweet Georgia Brown series and I got the DK Millenium SCDGs. That alone is 1800 songs, ripped at 192kb/s. Some question their legality, but DK isn't enforcing their trademark, and you have still purchased a disc.

DO NOT BUY ANY Sound Choice from any source but original disc. They never sold anything on thumb drive, Super CDG, hard drive, or anything else but an original disc. You risk getting into trouble with them if you do.

Once you have a core set, to cover mostly the oldies to reasonably modern songs, there are download sites like Tricerasoft.com and Digitrax.com where you can buy single song downloads, which is REALLY helpful. Someone requests a song you don't have, you could, literally, have it for them by their next turn in rotation. You get a receipt for each song, so they can be recognized as legal purchases, and you can then work on your collection based on customer requests rather than amount of songs you have. You can have 50,000 and only 5,000 of them ever get sung. What is the point??

BTW, Sound Choice does NOT off downloads on ANY site, so if you see them on a download site, do not use that site. Once again, you could get in trouble.

Good luck, and I hope it all works out for you.

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I am the ONLY SANE 1 HERE

Thanks for the tips, appreciated.
I will have to look into the single downloads, especially since at this point I am doing this mostly for my own enjoyment.
I'll build up a base on the cheap, where I can and when I can, for those occasions when I get out to do some backyard parties or graduation parties for friends kids ect ,,, But I'd like to concentrate my main effort towards songs and artists that I like, and that is not feasible buying random collections.

I'm almost ready to go, PA system is ready, just installed a new 21 inch monitor yesterday. I wanted a pole stand but couldn't find one, so I get a swiveling ceiling hanger bracket for the monitor. Have my new laptop with a few good songs ready to go, alls I need now is a sound wire to patch the laptops audio out into the PA.
Looks like an 1/8 to 1/4, will probably have to use an adapter.
Going to use the vga video output, hopefully all will work as intended.

Checked out that Behringer unit you posted the link to.

I built a gadget from a kit that was designed to do fundamentally the same thing back in the 1990s using op amps. I was disappointed with the results because while the vocals did become significantly softer I was never able to successfully perfectly cancel a lot of them no matter how much I fiddled with the control knobs. If you're interested in more I'll lay out the principles and theory below...

The vocals and bass are recorded on BOTH stereo channels, so by using a low pass filter on each of the stereo inputs you route the bass around the cancellation section to the final mixer section.

The signals from both channels are then each fed into their own (theoretically identical op amp) one of which has been set up to phase invert its signal by 180 degrees. The two signals are fed into a mixer and recombined where the phase inversion (if the two sound levels are perfectly matched) causes the two signals to sum and theoretically perfectly cancel any 100% identical signal (the vocal)

The levels out of the op amps could be adjusted via potentiometers that adjusted the bias voltage applied to the op amps (bias voltage effects how much amplification you get out of each amp) so as to theoretically perfectly balance the output levels.

After all this the bass is mixed back into the final signals and theoretically you have a signal with no vocal. Notice I keep using theoretically. I think part of the problem is that the bass bandpass filter would necessarily route around some male vocals that happen to fall into the bass frequency range. Perhaps the thing would work better for a woman whose vocals all fell above the top of the bass bandpass threshhold.

Off to a shaky start, got everything hooked up and it really sounds like crap.
PA I nearly have to turn all the way up to sound anything close to loud, but then of course the mic will do nothing but feed back with the master that high, so I have to back it off. The result sounds Ok in my basement, but would be ludicrous ourdoors, I was hoping this thing would blast, and it should.
Lyrics screen only is not showing on the monitor but rather my whole computer screen using siglos pro. Tried extended desktop setting, 2 of them just showed the computer screen, and one blanked out the computer screen and was visible only on the monitor. Hopefully a little tweaking will get things in order ,,, But theres not much to it, there aren't that many controls on this simple PA and computer sound was at the max.