Karaoke Forums

I'd like to practice singing karaoke on my computer.

Can you recommend any software (free or else inexpensive)?

1) Ripping - Currently I use Audiograbber to rip songs from CDG. Not sure if it has to do with the limitations of my computer's CD drive but it seems like some small chunks of the lyrics are sometimes missing. So it still gets the job done but just doesn't look the best.

2) Playing - Currently I use KaraWin Standard version 2 to play karaoke songs on my computer. It allows for a mic input too but apparently one can only control the volume and not the EQ or add any reverb. (So currently I put a mic into a guitar amplifier that has reverb and listen to vocals from there but that obviously has limitations, and really I'd rathter have everything going into the computer.)

Thanks in advance for any ideas that might help.

ripping I suggest CDGRip (free), works with most drives and gives clean sweeps most of the time. www.karaokeware.com

for playing the music, if you want to be able to access your songs better than karafun, I would suggest JustKaraoke. www.tricerasoft.com

For the mike to have echo or reverb while going through the computer, I would suggest purchasing a behringer minimix Karaoke unit. It's small, about the width of a tower computer. Works good to amplify the vocals.
for recording audacity will work.

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Thanks for the good info Danny!

So maybe I'll look into spending more than I thought and getting something like a Mackie compact mixer with effects and maybe it could come in handy for some other things too such as singing and playing guitar in a little church if hooked up with some powered speakers...

It would definitely work well for a couple mics & mic'ing a guitar and even some keyboards if you need them.
The small Mackie ProFX is delayed until next year, but is a nice little board. I personally don't care for Behringer but if it's more for home use, then should suffice. Also look into the Yamaha MG series & Allen & Heath small consoles as well.

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So I believe I want something like KaraWin Std or some other freeware software to play an mp3+G on the computer with lyrics on the computer screen and send its sound out to a compact mixer with effects (I suppose through speaker output jacks in sound card that came with the computer).

The compact mixer would give me music and my own voice with reverb in headphones and send just my voice with reverb (but no music) back to the computer to Audacity freeware (I suppose coming in to computer through mic input jack on soundcard that came with the computer - or perhaps USB cable).

And with Audacity software I could later combine my voice track with the original mp3+G's mp3 music track for the final result - a recorded mp3 with music and my vocals which I could later listen to and see how I sound.

So does this hopefully sound alright so far?

And for a compact mixer the Allen & Heath AH-ZED-12FX 12-Channel Mixer with USB Interface seems a bit pricey for me at $500.

But do you have any pros/cons/opinions on which of the following would be the better compact mixer for me?

- Mackie ProFX12 Compact Effects Mixer W/ USB $280
Or
- Yamaha MG124CX Stereo Mixer $290
Or
- Something else

The best free computer Karaoke player by far is Karafun. As recommended earlier, Power CD+G Burner is the way to go for ripping, copying, burnig, making compilations etc.