Karaoke Forums

Thanks for the comments everybody.

Babs, having it used as a judging tool sounds like the best idea yet for use outside the home. I will definitely take this idea somewhere!

exweedfarmer, there is a a program at a local university for artists to obtain legal advice for nearly free. I spoke with them and they are interested in the problem. They are going to spend some time researching and I have another appointment in a few weeks. Until then I don't want to distribute anything illegally.

Boatman, no worries, I can handle negative comments presented in a logical manner. I hear what you are saying, that rating might be uncomfortable. However, have you tried the game? You can go to the website and being playing with a single click (assuming you already have Java). I'd be interested to hear if your opinion changes. The free songs included will be unknown to you, but that well actually help prove my point. I bet you do pretty decently!

I actually feel quite the opposite! I don't really know many songs well enough to be able to sing them, even if I was reading the lyrics. With SingSong, I can at least sing any song (however poorly) because the note lines show me how to sing it, not just what words to sing. It might sound hard, but in practice while singing you will see your arrow above or below the note line, so you intuitively know to sing lower or higher.

Truthfully, I can't imagine trying to stand up in front of a crowd and sing, with or without SingSong! I am really bad at singing though, most people I play SingSong with beat me at my own game. I have a lot of fun playing it though. I don't think I could enjoy karaoke any other way. Even if only used at home, I think SingSong could act as a gateway to pull in more people who otherwise would miss out on the karaoke fun.

I wonder if there would be a way for you guys to promote SingSong at your shows? People at your shows are much more likely to be interested than some random person. As an indie game developer I have $0 for advertising, but maybe we could work something out? I'm sort of at a chicken & egg situation where I don't have an advertising budget because no one has bough the game yet, and no one has bought the game because I don't have any advertising!

leopard lizard, I know it has helped me be able to move my pitch up and down as needed. When I began the project I was very monotone. I knew how I wanted my pitch to change but my voice would hardly listen. Now I'm still not a great singer, but I'm certainly better. I'm not sure if someone who is already a good singer could learn anything from the game. I would love to hear feedback from some good singers on the topic though! Now where could I find some of those? :D

Nlouch, Singstar clone!? Sure Singstar has been out for a long time, but to be clear, there are some significant differences. First, I believe my pitch detection picks out notes more accurately. Also, try blowing into your microphone in Karaoke Revolution, Rock Band, or Singstar. You'll find that you score reasonably well doing this! You will not score at all in SingSong. Plus SingSong supports any number of simultaneous players and allows karaoke with any song without paying per song. The biggest difference though is in the display. Singstar's interface, while a lot closer to a karaoke machine's interface, IMO does not effectively convey information. You mostly just sing at it, and it scores you. It is difficult to see as you sing how you should adjust your pitch. It's amazing how many Singstar games have been released with very small improvements to their interface.