Karaoke Forums

I've been trying out singing karaoke semi-regularly for about a year now and just stumbled upon this site which I really like!

And this is my first question.

There are a few songs that are a little too high for me in parts and I've heard that I can ask the KJ to perhaps lower it by 2 halfsteps which would be ideal for me.

But if I do this does that mean that the tempo of the song will be a little bit slower?

And do many singers actually ask the KJ's to change pitch on songs (usually downward I would think)?

Thanks in advance!

On many machines slightly , on certain units NO. I just haven't found any CDG players yet that don't yet.

Let me know one who can back up that claim ok? So far every claim is a false one.

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Brian D.
(BHB)

I don't get asked to change key real often, but it happens once in a while. Most of the time when it does, it is from serious karaoke singers passing through (the ones I know like this tend to visit many different venues - I may not see them for months, and then they stop by for a few shows before moving on). This doesn't necessarily imply they are outstanding vocalists !

Usually I'm asked to bring it down 1 or 2, though for a few, it can be much more. Rarely am asked to go up.

I know a few KJs that take the liberty to change key on singers without being asked. I personally don't do that, though I have suggested it before to some singers if I think it would help; when tried, they have been pleased with the results.

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Sounds Great! Entertainment
Bartlett, Illinois

on the vocopro 8000 dual deck it changes the speed up to 13% to change the pitch.

on most digital keychangers ....... the Keychanger has an Frequency generator that generates a frequency that combines with the original music to change the key. This is call beat frequency oscillation. This is the best method for key changing. (depending if the Mfg. knows his stuff.)

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I'm Not Dead yet...... But every day Im getting Closer !

Technically no. A digital key changer does it electronically. The old Pioneer players that had auxillary inputs were perfect examples, as we used to hook up external players to it & use the Pioneers key changers, no difference in speed - just key. Some of the cheaper units may be different, but I haven't seen one yet - at least not to a noticeable point. When you lower or raise, you get an "illusion" of slower/faster speed mainly because of what you are used to hearing when you would speed/slow something like an old record player or even further back an old reel to reel. The more the change, the bigger the illusion. You really don't want to change a song more than 1 or 2.
It was kind of fun hooking up another player with a mic connected to it as we could easily lower/raise the key of our voice to high chipmunk style or the low death demon.
There are a couple of machines that do raise the key by slowing/speeding the song & those are the VocoCrap 4000 & 8000 & the Numark 25G

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Lonman did what I was trying NOT to do... Thanks Lon..

I'm winded now.

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Brian D.
(BHB)

Don’t necessarily think you have to lower the pitch. I believe most key changes are ½ steps, so up or down 2, would equate to changing the key by 1 step. You don’t always have to go down to find a key that is easier to sing in. Suppose a given song is being played in the key of C, you could lower it to B and sing it or raise it to D and sing it, try it and see which works for you.

At least half of the songs I sing, I have the KJ change the key. I've gone as low as 3 and as high as 3. I haven't noticed any difference in the tempo. However, there are some songs that just don't sound right with the key changed. Also, tell the KJ to change the key even if you've written it on your song slip. Sometimes they don't see it. Hope this helps~

In recording karaoke tracks the "Best method" is a key change of 1 full step (2 half steps or 2 clicks) up or down. After thet it's best to get a band to re-session the song and learn the song, or find another version.

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Brian D.
(BHB)

I agree with Tammy K......I Lower the key on about 25% of the 130 or so songs that I have on my song list. I think I raise the key on only two songs. A few as much as 3 steps, and have noticed no tempo change. But, as she says, some songs get muddy when the key is lowered, especially ones with a lot of guitars and heavy bass lines.

The Sound Choice version of Lee Greenwood's "God Bless The U.S.A." is one that I actually lower 5 steps, and due to the orchestration (violins,etc.) it sounds great to me.

When I lower the key on the 2000's Audio AKJ7000 mixer, it does slow the song down.

You probably will get different results with different mixers though.

It's impossible to slow the song on an external unit which the AKJ7000 is. It may give the "EFFECT" of slowing down the song, but unless the effect is actually ON THE MACHINE, it can't slow down the actual song of an exteranl machine.

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Lonman's right. You can't slow anything on an external machine without recording-then playing back, and it doesn't do that. Some of the older machines did slow down or speed up as a way to change the pitch, especially the old casset type players. But the state-of-the-art digital players do it digitally, without changing the speed. Got into an argument with a guy about it one time, so we took a stop watch and timmed a song. Then changed the key by 4 half steps, and timmed it again. It played at the exact same speed. Even after doing that, he still claimed it changed the speed or the sound wouldn't have changed. I tried to explain digital vs analog, but it was to no avail.

interesting. For some reason it sounds like the song is slower. I'll have to give it a stop watch test.

Thanks for the info.

It's going to sound slower to your ears because that's what are trained to expect. I don't know how old you are but as stated before it's like pitch wheels on old tape players or slowing down a record player. When your ears "hear" the lower tones & background singing that sounds like some demonic vocal out of the house of The Omen, you subliminally go back to when you had to physically slow down a recording to hear that effect & think it is slowed.

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Analogue player like the older Pioneer twin tray machines do slow the song or music if lowered, speed it up if the key is raised. If you lower or raised the pitch 3 steps or an octave and a half you end up with monster background vocalists with a lower key or chipmunks if the key is raised that much.

New machines have digital key changers and so the pitch or key change does not affect the song music speed.

I have the old Pioneer machines & they do not slow/speed up the sound - if it does, it is on a very slighted scale (but it doesn't). The older Pioneer machines had auxillary inputs for external players which you could also change the key of the external player, which stated, you cannot slow/speed up an external machine connected to a key changing device - it is done digitally. This same key changer does not slow/speed up it's own internal player either - this is too done digitally. You hear an effect to this fact because this is what your ears expect when you hear a pitch altered from the original key.
The old, original DK/Sony karaoke machines did have a tempo/key (analog) changer.

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Lonnie the twin trays do Slow or speed the tempo. I own several machines and it is noticable.

I do as well & it's an illusion. Time a song for yourself - I have & there is no difference.

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In digital recording there is a time change when key or "Pitch changing" a 3-4 minute song usually by maybe a whole 1-3 seconds. Actually depending on the amount of pitch change. For a 3:20 song i have clocked over a 2.2 second change just on sony's 2 track .wav file recording software, just with a whole step up change in pitch digitally.. I will argue that one to the hilt.. and No, I did not have the original discussion with Ron. My head is still spinning from the Flight From Colorado 2 hrs. ago.

But it was a great 5 days!

(Special thanks to Robbie Lee of Robbie Lee Karaoke Productions - Colorado Springs, I owe ya big time sweetheart.. And God Bless Make-A-Wish of Colorado! )

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Brian D.
(BHB)