First we looked at 4 Karaoke programs written for DOS. These are not as flashy as the ones written for Windows, but they still do a great job and have some good features. Karakan is a DOS Freeware program that allows you to attach text lyrics to any MIDI song and produce a standard Karaoke file. It is very easy to use. You just type in the lyrics to the song using hyphens to separate syllables, so that it will synchronize with the music upon play-back. We also looked at KaraDos, MegaMid and GSPlay - All easy-to-use Karaoke players made to run in DOS.
On the Windows side, we looked at Karaoke Producer, a shareware Karaoke editor. This one also allows you to attach text lyrics to any MIDI song, producing a Karaoke file. The only drawback is that is saves the Karaoke song in its own proprietary format, so you can't play them on other Karaoke players. The editing is done more graphically than the DOS-based Karaoke editor. Instead of inserting hyphens between each syllable, a text box automatically shows up for each note encountered in the melody track. All you have to do is type in the lyrics into each text box. This package is shareware, and the registered version costs $35.
The next package we looked at was the Standard MIDI and Karaoke File Player, a freeware program that has a really nice-looking screen. It displays four piano keyboards, each handling 4 MIDI channels. The notes being played will show as colored boxes on the keyboard associated with the MIDI channel that the notes are sounding from. Full screen Karaoke mode is available which hides the player pianos, and you can change the fonts and sizes while playing, so that the words can be seen from across the room, if necessary.
We then looked at Midi-oke!, a Karaoke player that also comes with a built-in wave recorder. This allows you to actually record a live Karaoke session directly from a microphone while the music is playing. This can then be played back at any time, and the wave file will be in-synch with the music. It also has a colored bar above the lyrics that works as a "count-down" to help you to know when to start singing. This package is shareware and is priced at $20.
Finally, we looked at a CD Player for Windows that goes a step beyond most other music CD players. This one allows you to enter the title of your CD, and titles of each song. It will store these titles in a database, then detect that CD the next time you put it in, and call up the correct song titles. You can also enter the lyrics to songs, set up the timing with a built in "Karaoke Record" option, and then play back the CD later and the computer will highlight each word of the song as it plays.
We meet on the 3rd Tuesday of each month at the Harmon Foundation, 2901 S. Harvard, at 7:00PM. Everyone's invited, so COME ON OUT!
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