Karaoke Forums

To be specific, How do you fix all the listings that are artist's last name comma first name, or the ones that are first name then last name. You know, to keep continuity in your books. Fast tracks doesn't catch this for me in the dup eliminator. In fact, if anything at all is different including Case size, it skips it.

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If you're going to eat my mic, do you at least want some condiments?

One idea is to use your tags to generate a book. I used MyMp3 tag editor to do this (Export to Excel). Even this will only work if all of your tags are all in the same format.

That program has a free trial - fyi.

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I'm not a cheerleader, but I paid for my pom poms with my own money!

Are you discs ripped to a hard drive?

If they are you should have name them correctly to begin with or you hosting program will have a problem also.

What program are you using to make your song book?

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I like everyone when I first meet them. If you don't like me that's not my problem it's YOURS!
A stranger is a friend you haven't met yet

Even the best canned database is going to have errors - no matter how you have files tagged. I initially typed out my entire book by hand (helped me learn what I have too). I just mark any mistakes when I see them & fix them in my database. You could do the same for file tagging.

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

This is a common problem with all "book making" software.

That is why I concentrate my efforts on naming the files themselves correctly.

I do this before I attempt to generate a song list.

After years of doing book updates and adding entire CD+G collections to my library, I've come to the conclusion that there is NO SINGLE piece of software out there that does everything correctly.

I started with "Music Book Deluxe". I've also used "Karaoke Song List Creator". Music Book Deluxe includes a utility called "Karaoke File Renamer" that will unzip, zip, change case, order by last name, first name, song, etc. It uses their own track database of 350,000+ listings. As with any large database, there are errors. One feature that mitigates this is the error reporting dialogue that will allow you to inform the company when you find an error which should be fixed when they push their regular updates. Karaoke Song List Creator uses a database that allows you to select the disc(s) that you want added to your list and it generates lists based on your selections. It doesn't seem as full-featured as MBD, but it did have an entire series of EZ Classics CD+G's that were not in MBD's lists.

I no longer use either of these products when going to final print for a songbook. Instead I used songbook generators that rely on reading the file names directly from the HDD. I've used c. staley's FREE mp3gbook.exe and am satisfied with the results. In order to use it, I have to set up a virtual machine to run WINXP. Recently, I used Latshaw's "Song List Generator" (about $70) to produce a list of children's songs and found that not only does it run on my Vista and WIN7 machines, it also has a few more filtering/formatting options than c. staley's FREE software.

When working with ZIP files, I was lucky a few years ago when I encountered two FREE utilities. One will create ZIP files from all identically named CDG & MP3 files contained within a directory. The other will rename both the CDG & MP3 files INSIDE a ZIP file to whatever the ZIP file's name is. These two utilities accomplish the same thing as KFR from MDB, but they do it about 10 times faster.

To edit or update... when I add songs, I update the list with CompuHost and subsequently, my kiosk. I try to print song books about every 6 months or so (at $17.50 per book, spiral bound, plain paper). I use the directory-reading software to generate the list, then edit the formatting in a FREE word processor like "Open Office Write" and then output to pdf. The pdf also goes to my website where you can browse my list or download a copy. A CSV copy of the list goes to Karaokeloop.com so that user's of that app can view my list before they've ever attended a show.

Long and short of it is... your books are only going to be as good as your actual file-names.

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Never the same show twice!

What is the utility you have that does this? Will it run on an entire directory of zip files?

I used KFR to rename the GEM series and then to correct discs I imported onto my drive via my home computer. I then imported them into my Compuhost database, created a CSV file to import into Fast Tracks to make my books.

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

You might also want to include "Advanced Renamer 2.7" at advancedrenamer-dot-com.

It's saved me a ton of time when having to re-name files, particularly when reversing the surname-firstname.

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Earl
(BS, PHD & Certified CurmuDJeon)

[font=Times New Roman]"Growing Old may be mandatory... but growing UP is still optional."[/font]

When I first started, I think I had more tracks that were, for example: Elvis Presley, as opposed to Presley, Elvis, so I manually edited out the latter in fasttracks. I think I've passed the point of no return, so after two days I'm on the letter N. Even though it's tedious, I have some kind of sick satisfaction in doing it myself.
I also like the thought of only renaming the songbooks, and not the actual files themselves, I'm afraid of having to import everything again. I work two jobs seven days a week as it is, and the tranny on my car is wacky. So while it's slow for the first hour or two at karaoke, there I am preparing my songbooks. I figure I'll have the editing done before the end of the week, maybe make it to staples on the weekend, then find the time to put the sheets into the protectors the beginning of next week.
Until then, I'm teasing myself and my customers with the thousands of new songs they could sing if only they could see them!

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If you're going to eat my mic, do you at least want some condiments?

I also meant concur with a post above about after doing it manually, it's nice to have the database in your head when someone asks if you have a song.

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If you're going to eat my mic, do you at least want some condiments?

It does help to learn your library! As opposed to someone that just types in the disc numbers in a database & allow it to create it.

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

A kiosk is faster, easier and a lot cheaper.

Yes it will and well worth the money.

"KJ File Manager" - http://www.latshawsystems.com/Products.aspx

Yep, I have to agree. It doesn't take a crowd long to get used to not having books. Two kiosks will replace 20 books and save you about a zillion dollars in updates.

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Okay, who took my pants?

What's the cost of a kiosk, and is it beer/drunk proof or resistant?

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If you're going to eat my mic, do you at least want some condiments?

You get your own (inexpensive) hardware, it's the software you purchase. here are 2 of mine. made from drugstore touchscreens and win 98 computers rescued from the garbage...

So you're not selling a kiosk then, just some software. Sort of selling a car without an engine.

I've got my database, why do I need yours? If one has to go out and buy the hardware, why buy your software?

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You can be strange but not a stranger

Who said he was selling anything, he was illustrating what he has. Who would want to buy software if they didn't have a computer in the first place. Buy the hardware???? I've gotten over 10 computers that worked just fine with all the hardware and software in it, just because someone upgraded their computer and didn't want to throw the old one away in trash and didn't know what else to do with it so they gave it away.


You and Chip have been going at each others throat in these forums and I for one (and I know there are lots others) would like it to stop.

Please if you can't give a positive answer just don't answer at all.

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I like everyone when I first meet them. If you don't like me that's not my problem it's YOURS!
A stranger is a friend you haven't met yet

I had to buy hardware to run the kiosk software that I am running. The difference is the kiosk software doesn't cost as much as my playing software and I can get the kj media pro HD to use with my software. I did have to pay more for a Windows XP machine but it didn't break me either.

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

Ho hum... So, if you have cdg discs, why would you want to buy hosting software? Same thing right?


You don't "need mine" because I don't sell "a database." The software uses yours.

And, you'll be happy to know that my software even works with ....

.... wait for it ...


... disc-based systems!

And, it will even print nice and pretty request slips for singers to bring to you so you can have that "personal interaction" that you think you don't get with a kiosk.

And, (unlike printed songbooks,) you only have to buy it once.


Bummer... Mine will run on Win '95, '98, ME, 2000, and XP. If you want to run it on Vista or Win '7 you'll have to run it in an "XP mode window". The machines pictured above are Win'98 on a Pentium 166 processor that has a 3gb (yes, only three) hard drive. The computer was a rescue, I spent $30 on the wireless net card and $70 on the LCD touchscreen monitor. The cart was of course, extra and you spent as little or as much as you like.

The two below are made from 2 old laptops; 1 win '98 and 1 XP. The XP machine had a dead keyboard and it cost me $25 at a garage sale, so I plugged in a USB keyboard to configure it, attached the touchscreen monitor ($70) and had a "tabletop model" for under $150