Karaoke Software

[UltraBeat Entertainment]

I was out doing Karaoke on saturday night when i relised how bad my karaoke software is. i currently use DJMobile from the company ClubDJPro but found i had to restart the program over 5 times during the night due to the fact it decided to stop displaying the lyrics! (not helpfull when your trying to run karaoke). i store all my karaoke tracks in mp3+g format.
Can anybody recommend a good piece of karaoke software? it need's to be able to read mp3+g files and it must be able to work over 2 screens (i.e control and audience). any help or suggestions welcome.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Virtual DJ, PCDJKJ, PCDJVJ, Sax and Dottys

[Spirits High]

I use PCDJKJ,

very reliable just leave the kamikaze button alone!

[Jays karaoke]

There are a couple of great karaoke hosting programmes out there but only if all your tracks are named i.e when you open a file all the track names and artist name must be there. If your tracks are named then the best by far is called Compuhost, if your tracks are not named then i would recomend using Sax & Dottys or Mimic Audition.

Jay

[Silver]

Try this one ..... http://www.otsav.com/solutions/dj/ You can also use it for dj'ing plus videos and slide shows.

[Allys_Karaoke_Show]

Sax and Dottys is cool! There is a way of using just Winamp but don't know how!

[deltic]

check you have the right codec installed for your club dj pro,i have used it in the past for music video with no problems

for karaoke i use pcdjkj and find it very good

don't like sax n dotty because it needs win amp and i don't like win amp however i did try it and have to say it was quite good but i don't think you can beat pcdjkj

[KaraokeDJ]

I tried PCDKJ and Virtual DJ for a while but then bought Swift ELite 4.0 last year and have never looked back. With about 20 karaoke nights since getting Swift Elite (www.tricerasoft.com) I've had no software crashes, no glitches whatsoever and I don't have to reboot during the night.
It has a couple of annoyances; like when you preview a CDG+MP3 (Zip) then try to use the same file in A or B it can throw up a silly 'unable to open' error but that's easily worked around by throwing something else in the preview channel to free up the ong you want. Also, I unzipped my sunfly collection so that I know all the files work.
Mistake I've made over the years is converting all my CDG discs to CDG+MP3 (Zip files) and that's now being rectified whenever I get time.

There is a trial version - worth a look.

Martin

[Totally Plucked]

Sax and Dottys is great !

[DazzyD]

I find Virtual DJ and it seems to work for me. It's got some really neat graphics fade in/out effects as well a whole host of audio effects including a fine-control key changer. It's also pretty quick at loading tracks.

I have used WinAmp with a karaoke plug-in which displays the graphics in a video window. This window can be dragged on to a second screen and made full screen so your singers can see it ok. This setup worked fine on an XP based system but totally refuses to work on Vista.

[DJ Frankie]

Otsav everytime, very reliable mate.

P.s Spud I am still up for that drink mate but its just been hectic here for the last week or so. I'll drop you a mail. :beer1:

[KaraokeDJ]

The only main problem I had when using VDJ is that if there was a slight issue with a MP3+CDG Zip file, it wouldn't play it. With Tricerasoft Swift Elite 4.0 I don't get that problem at all.

Regarding Vista: I just got a new laptop and it has Vista and everything works fine. MixMeister Fusion and Swift Elite are the only things I install, everything else I use portable versions so my laptop remains music only.

[djrikki]

Great little thread. Personally when I do karaoke nights I bring my Mac along with me. I have over 6000 karaoke songs with lyrics.

For the Mac I use QMidi, its basic, but very reliable and costs less than a tenner to register. Then just download Screen Span Doctor also if you use have an iBook like myself. This will allow you to use a monitor/tv as a second display unit rather than the default Mirrored setting (on the iBook at least).

QMidi seems to be the only cheap, bug-free and reliable karaoke software for the Macintosh. You can't do nifty-things like show Singer's name, build a Singer's Playlist, but frankily who needs to. ;-)

[DJWayne]

I use Virtual DJ and have used swift elite 4 in the past.

I much prefer Virtual DJ for the speed of search when you have a large database of songs and for ease of use and quality of show.

THere are some compatibility issues with some hosters and certain mp3+g files i know virtual DJ is one of them as if your files are zipped with high compression or with the wrong names inside the zip file they wont load. I got around this by buying a program called songverter from MTU to convert all my songs to the right format now they will work with whatever software i use however it will take something really awesome to beat virtual DJ in my opinion :)

[djsteve10]

Virtual DJ & OTS AV for me,

[axeman]

i do Karaoke every weekend, so ive tried a few and had a few problems along the way, but if you want something that works every time and is very very cheap, download "karafun" its free and it works.

[ppentertainments]

Must admit I have gave up on the idea of going digital for karaoke. To many problems in my opinion and find it easier using discs.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Must admit I have gave up on the idea of going digital for karaoke. To many problems in my opinion and find it easier using discs.

What problems did you have?

[ppentertainments]

Tracks sticking or words missing. I must admit I did not perservere too long with the problem but still find it easier to use discs - guess it is just like going digital for disco.

[MrWeetabix]

I use an older version of Virtual DJ for my Karaoke nights, I chose not to upgrade as I find it more reliable and stable than the newer ones. Very easy to use and minimum spec is quite low, so hardware is cheap to provide/replace and is easy to run from most laptops (with S-video out).

We have three nights a week at present and all my DJs find it easy to use, with very little training or introduction. The windows-side desktop setup tends to be where I spend most time in terms of educating users.

The database search is also quite intuitive and providing you have good file-tagging, you should be able to find most tracks without the track codes.

[Nile]

I use VDJ too.
Because I can vary between djing and karaoke as the venue requires. I also have compuhost - excellent IF doing karaoke ONLY.
okliy dokily?

[UltraBeat Entertainment]

I use VDJ too.
Because I can vary between djing and karaoke as the venue requires. I also have compuhost - excellent IF doing karaoke ONLY.
okliy dokily?

CompuHost can play normal mp3 tracks as well. It has an extra function called filter tunes but the only problem is all your tracks need to be names correctly (and not in the style itunes rips them in:bang: :mad:)

[jamesh]

I use an older version of Virtual DJ for my Karaoke nights, I chose not to upgrade as I find it more reliable and stable than the newer ones. Very easy to use and minimum spec is quite low, so hardware is cheap to provide/replace and is easy to run from most laptops (with S-video out).

We have three nights a week at present and all my DJs find it easy to use, with very little training or introduction. The windows-side desktop setup tends to be where I spend most time in terms of educating users.

The database search is also quite intuitive and providing you have good file-tagging, you should be able to find most tracks without the track codes.

Don't think you'll have any problems with 5.1 - it has to be one of the most stable updates VDJ has done since 4.3... I've used it live at gigs now a few times and not had an issue with it

But back on topic...

VDJ or OTS AV are the only real choice... Why bother with different software for different types of gigs... just use one reliable software that can do all (audio, video, Karaoke) and then at least you have the most flexible solution possible

[KaraokeDJ]

Hi Everyone.
AS I've menthined before, I've been using Swift Elite 4.0 and (other than a few fairly minor annoyances) I have no problem with it. However, as many have pointed out, VDJ does make switching between DJing and KJ very easy, and that is typical of my nights in some venues.

But, before I jump to VDJ, can some of you who use it for Karaoke answer a few questions:

1. Can you prepare a list of songs with singer names?
2. Do you ever get traks that won't play or bad graphics? All my songs are unzipped (ie: seperate mp3 & CDG files for each track).
3. Can you stop the annoying swirling of the two videos on the screen? Gosh I really don't like that.
4. Can you build a database for easy searching?

I know these are questions I could possibly get answered in the VDJ forums but since you are using it for the same purpose I'm considering it, thought it made more sense to ask here.

Thanks.

[Jiggles]

Anyone tryed Karafun? (www.karafun.com) Its impressive shame that the tracks for it cost abit. You can also use normal karaoke files as well :)

[axeman]

callum - i posted a comment earlier that i use karafun and find it spot on for me! as for the tracks it uses, i just use my hardrive full of cd&g s

[DazzyD]

1. Can you prepare a list of songs with singer names?


Can't remember if you can do this directly within VDJ. Don't think so but you can add any requests to the playlist as they come in and just keep the slips to cross-reference them for the singer name. Or keep NotePad open to jot down singers and songs.



2. Do you ever get traks that won't play or bad graphics? All my songs are unzipped (ie: seperate mp3 & CDG files for each track).


Yes but this is usually down to the way the track has been ripped. Always make sure the CD+G is clean and rip at the slowest speed possible using a dedicated program such as CDGRipper.



3. Can you stop the annoying swirling of the two videos on the screen? Gosh I really don't like that.


Yes. Simply choose a different video transition in the Effects menu.



4. Can you build a database for easy searching?


You can search tracks and folders in VDJ. I can't remember exactly how but I think it's easier to create a virtual or favourite folder, add all of your tracks to that and then use the search box.



Thanks.

You're welcome! ;)

[Jiggles]

callum - i posted a comment earlier that i use karafun and find it spot on for me! as for the tracks it uses, i just use my hardrive full of cd&g s

Goes to show how much i read this forum :D

[KaraokeDJ]

1. Can you prepare a list of songs with singer names?
2. Do you ever get traks that won't play or bad graphics? All my songs are unzipped (ie: seperate mp3 & CDG files for each track).
3. Can you stop the annoying swirling of the two videos on the screen? Gosh I really don't like that.
4. Can you build a database for easy searching?

Thanks DazzyD for your answers. Does anyone else have twopence worth about what VDJ does?

Cheers.

[DJWayne]

Ok here is my 2p and answers to your questions



1. Can you prepare a list of songs with singer names?
.

Yes you can there is a karaoke plugin that appeared in VDJ 5.08 that keeps a list of singers and their chosen songs its very easy to use just drag and drop. It has text that you can configure telling the crowd who is next etc.


2. Do you ever get traks that won't play or bad graphics? All my songs are unzipped (ie: seperate mp3 & CDG files for each track).
.
If your songs are unzipped you wont have a problem the only issues i have seen are zip files that use too high a compression ratio for VDJ to read. if you get broken grahics its down to the files not the player that have been ripped at too high a speed or from damaged disks.



3. Can you stop the annoying swirling of the two videos on the screen? Gosh I really don't like that.
.

as said already choose a different transition


4. Can you build a database for easy searching?
.

the database on VDJ is very good and can seperate the different types of media you have karaoke , video and music.

I used swift elite for a long time and find VDJ a breath of fresh air the search is quick and doesn't affect performance unlike swift which tends to glitch if you search during a track in a large database. The automix is very good compared to swift and features such as the key changer that are built in make karaoke very easy to do. The beauty of the whole thing is being able to use every type of media in one program seamlessly.

I would suggest you download the trial version and have a play around and i am sure you will realise very quickly why so many people on the forum sing the praises of VDJ.

[501damian501]

virtual dj is the standard these days

[BossmanKaraokeDisco]

Thanks DazzyD for your answers. Does anyone else have twopence worth about what VDJ does?

Cheers.

Just thought I would add my 2p worth as its been a while since I posted on her. Have been using Virtual DJ for karaoke and discos for 12 months now.

Did have an issue at first with not opening some karaoke files, mine are all zip files, just opened seperate window, unzipped and then worked fine. Your choice then wether to tidy up and rezip file or leave unzipped.

That has been the only minor issue I have found, good stable programme and the effects are excellent, text effect can be used for putting next singers name on the screen, and visuals are great for when just music is being played.

Tried PCDJKJ before changing and found it to be unstable. Would always stick with Virtual DJ and no I dont have shares in the company LOL:D

Hope this helps

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

virtual dj is the standard these days

How do you come to that conclusion then?

[Silver]

virtual dj is the standard these days

Sorry says who!? Who sets these industry standards anyway?

I've got Cue (which is identical to VDJ) and Ots and I'm afraid Ots is far more stable than Cue. To the point where I will not use Cue in a live situation. Ots has never ever let me down no matter what I throw at it.

[KaraokeDJ]

...there is a karaoke plugin that appeared in VDJ 5.08 that keeps a list of singers and their chosen songs its very easy to use just drag and drop. It has text that you can configure telling the crowd who is next etc.

Sounds great - just what I'm after - but I can't find the karaoke plugin that allows the singers name to be entered. Only just got the VirtualDJ demo at the mo.


text effect can be used for putting next singers name on the screen, and visuals are great for when just music is being played.

Can't figure that out at all.

I just found the 'Karaoke' plugin and the 'text' plug in... However, when I choose 'Karaoke' it won't even select and whe I choose 'text' it does nothing. Odd.

[KaraokeDJ]

I was going to give Virtual DJ a try tonight. Can anyone tell me how to use the Karaoke Plugin and/or the Text Effect?

[DazzyD]

I was going to give Virtual DJ a try tonight. Can anyone tell me how to use the Karaoke Plugin and/or the Text Effect?

First of all, the actual karaoke plug-ins for VDJ simply try to dampen down the vocals on a track (often with very little success). If you're talking about using VDJ for karaoke, you really need proper karaoke tracks (MP3+G, for example, which are made up of two tracks - MP3 audio and .cdg visual files) as VDJ will happily play them. If you haven't got these tracks, CDGRipper is a great piece of software that allows you to rip CD+G discs providing that your CD drive is capable of reading the discs in the first place.

As for the text overlays, once the Text plug-in is installed, it will show up in the Video Effects menu of the Effects tab. To get it to work, simply click the Text effect and the controls will come up. Click Activate to start the effect. You can then choose your text colour and start typing in the text you want to display. When you're finished typing it in and want to display it just click Apply and the text will be overlayed on the video playing on the screen (or a blank screen if no video is playing).

It's this easy! Hope this helps!

[DJWayne]

I was going to give Virtual DJ a try tonight. Can anyone tell me how to use the Karaoke Plugin and/or the Text Effect?

The karaoke plugn in video effects in VDJ requires the latest version of directx to be installed to work properly just in case you dont have it.If it isnt installed you either get an error message when you click on the plugin or it appears to do nothing. Don't confuse this with some of the other plugins available in VDJ which i think is what DazzyD was refering to. Not sure it is in the demo but havent checked for a while.

It is simply a case of activating the plugin which will pop up another window onto which you drag and drop the karaoke song your singer has chosen it then prompts you for their name. The pop up window holds your list of singers and will put up text on the screen depending on how you have configured it using the config button in the plugin.

Its hard to describe but once you have the plugin running you will see what i mean and its pretty self explanatory from there on.

[DazzyD]

Not sure that I have this plug-in. The only karaoke one I've got is the one that tries to muffle out vocals (the same kind of thing used as a karaoke function in lots of audio editing software). I shall go and have a look for this one!

EDIT:

Is this function only available in version 5? I am still using version 4.2. I checked the plugins on the website but couldn't find the Singers List one so I'm assuming it's actually part of Version 5 and not a downloadable plugin. Am I right in thinking this If not, can someone post a link to the download page?

[DJWayne]

Not sure that I have this plug-in. The only karaoke one I've got is the one that tries to muffle out vocals (the same kind of thing used as a karaoke function in lots of audio editing software). I shall go and have a look for this one!

EDIT:

Is this function only available in version 5? I am still using version 4.2. I checked the plugins on the website but couldn't find the Singers List one so I'm assuming it's actually part of Version 5 and not a downloadable plugin. Am I right in thinking this If not, can someone post a link to the download page?

It first appeared in 5.08 so i would assume its a version 5 plugin mate.

[DazzyD]

It first appeared in 5.08 so i would assume its a version 5 plugin mate.

Thought as much. I'm not quite ready for the upgrade yet but cheers anyway! :beer1:

[KaraokeDJ]

It first appeared in 5.08 so i would assume its a version 5 plugin mate.

Yes it is in version 5. I got the demo and tried it. It is a very good plugin but I need to practice with it a bit before I use in in a public performance. I'll stick with Swift Elite for now but the recommendations for Virtual DJ on here have, ultimately, lead me to try something that I can see I am going to enjoy using, eventually.

[KaraokeHo]

virtual dj is the standard these days

Maybe for you. I've used Winamp, and later in combination with Sax-N-Dotty, and last week stumbled upon Karma and haven't looked back.

http://www.latshawsystems.com/ProductDetails_Karma.aspx


Everyone has their own "flavor", and I'm not going to imply there's a "standard" for player software because there's way too many good ones, and it doesn't really matter as long as it works for you and your style of show. Now MP3s and MP4s are certainly the format standards and we need standards in digital formats, or music collections would be a nightmare to maintain.

:beer1:

[KaraokeDJ]

...and last week stumbled upon Karma and haven't looked back.

But that was only last week... Still time yet!!!

By the way: :welcome1:

Also: Karma looks very nice. Will be trying it out sometime. Thanks for the link.

[One Vision]

I was out doing Karaoke on saturday night when i relised how bad my karaoke software is. i currently use DJMobile from the company ClubDJPro but found i had to restart the program over 5 times during the night due to the fact it decided to stop displaying the lyrics! (not helpfull when your trying to run karaoke). i store all my karaoke tracks in mp3+g format.
Can anybody recommend a good piece of karaoke software? it need's to be able to read mp3+g files and it must be able to work over 2 screens (i.e control and audience). any help or suggestions welcome.

Hya mate, I don't personally do Karaoke but know as already mentioned, WinAmp with the plug in works very well.
A couple of DJs I know use it and swear by it, been out a few times with them and it seems flawless.

[DazzyD]

The guy I sub for uses WinAmp. It's a decent player but doesn't have the fine controls of VDJ.

I'll have to check out this Karma, though. It sounds interesting (although I'd have to use it for a bit longer than a week before start singing it's praises!)

[KaraokeDJ]

The guy I sub for uses WinAmp. It's a decent player but doesn't have the fine controls of VDJ.

I'll have to check out this Karma, though. It sounds interesting (although I'd have to use it for a bit longer than a week before start singing it's praises!)

I agree Dazzy. WinAmp - while being raved about a lot and seeming pretty good, it is a 'no frills' karaoke add-on fo VirtualDJ.

Karma does 'look' nice but I too would need more than a week of using any software before Iw as confident enough withit to start 'singing' it's praises!

[jamesh]

*prepares for a possible rocky ride after posting this but..*

I really can't believe winamp is being used in a professional environment. Yes it's fine for a bit of home karaoke, listening to music at home but a professional environment? I think not.

It's no wonder this industry struggles to up it's prices and reputation!!!

Professional software is on the market for a reason...

**again please don't get me wrong it's good software - i just don't think it gives a very professional image using winamp to run your disco or karaoke.)

[djsteve10]

*prepares for a possible rocky ride after posting this but..*

I really can't believe winamp is being used in a professional environment. Yes it's fine for a bit of home karaoke, listening to music at home but a professional environment? I think not.

It's no wonder this industry struggles to up it's prices and reputation!!!

Professional software is on the market for a reason...

**again please don't get me wrong it's good software - i just don't think it gives a very professional image using winamp to run your disco or karaoke.)

Thank you the voice of reason has arose again, Winamp is free software and it is the cowboys that are using the free software to provide a service and charge moneys, Maybe if these cowboys got their music for free (I.e Illegal source) then they it should only be fair for them to work for free.

I just don't get it how us professionals spend the money buying the sofware, the time configuring it to dual screen to make work easier for both partys and then people are still cutting corners and using a media player.

[KaraokeDJ]

It's no wonder this industry struggles to up it's prices and reputation!!!
Professional software is on the market for a reason...

Exactly why I use Swift Elite. People look at my screen and see software they have not seen before and also they see my software unlock dongle and they realise it's not 'bedroom DJ' software and that I must have paid for it rather than downloading the free version of 'dodgey' version.

[Danno13]

I agree with James, it's the equivelant of using domestic CD players instead of proper DJ ones.

Mind you.. I've done a night of karaoke with a domestic DVD player before :bag:

[UltraBeat Entertainment]

Exactly why I use Swift Elite. People look at my screen and see software they have not seen before and also they see my software unlock dongle and they realise it's not 'bedroom DJ' software and that I must have paid for it rather than downloading the free version of 'dodgey' version.

Do you really think the public think the difference between and bedroom and pro DJ is a USB Dongle???:confused:

Most people won't even take notice if your using CD's or MP3 so i don't think they will notice your dongle some how.

[DJWayne]

*prepares for a possible rocky ride after posting this but..*

I really can't believe winamp is being used in a professional environment. Yes it's fine for a bit of home karaoke, listening to music at home but a professional environment? I think not.

It's no wonder this industry struggles to up it's prices and reputation!!!

Professional software is on the market for a reason...

**again please don't get me wrong it's good software - i just don't think it gives a very professional image using winamp to run your disco or karaoke.)

I have to agree with James winamp is great in the house but in a professional environment it just doesnt cut it.

I am not just saying that because i use Virtual DJ I noticed some time ago that if you use winamp for karaoke the graphics are very jerky and it is quite off putting if you have used decent hosting software before which plays the graphics smoothly.

Not only that professional software is designed with reliability in mind if winamp crashes then the developers attitude is "oh well it happens sometimes just restart the program" where as a developer on a professional solution knows reliability is paramount as any major issues jeopardise the reputation of the software and the DJ/KJ who are using it.

It is simply a case of you get what you pay for compare a set of cd players you get off fleabay from china for £100 and a set of denons for £600 - no contest same with software to be honest :)

[Cj_The_Dj]

pcdj - kj is good, not got it but ive seen it

just like pcdj red with a screen for words.

[KaraokeDJ]

Do you really think the public think the difference between and bedroom and pro DJ is a USB Dongle???

No not solely the dongle. The different software. It's professional in appearance and professional in performance. Not a plugin like the bulk of this thread is referring to.


...if you use winamp for karaoke the graphics are very jerky and it is quite off putting if you have used decent hosting software before which plays the graphics smoothly.
Never used it professionally. Tried it years ago and didn't like the graphics quality.


It is simply a case of you get what you pay for
Exactly. There are 'cheap' solutions but ultimately we need something that will perform all night long and not crash, freeze, or fail to load a file just when you need it.
I tried a few applications over the years and keep coming back to the stability, reliability and quality of Swift Elite. It just never has a glitch.

[DazzyD]

Thank you the voice of reason has arose again, Winamp is free software and it is the cowboys that are using the free software to provide a service and charge moneys, Maybe if these cowboys got their music for free (I.e Illegal source) then they it should only be fair for them to work for free.

I just don't get it how us professionals spend the money buying the sofware, the time configuring it to dual screen to make work easier for both partys and then people are still cutting corners and using a media player.

I think it's very unfair of you to label someone a cowboy without knowing the facts.

The guy who I sub for is far from a cowboy. He's been around for at least 16 years and has 7 systems with DJ's to match. All his kit is PAT tested, he's got PLI and is registered with the tax man. All of his music is original CDs and, as he specialises in karaoke, he has all original CD+Gs and a number of subscriptions to CD+G series. Last time I saw him in July he was on the ProDub site to buy his license.

The only reason he uses WinAmp is because he's dipping his toe in the water with regards to digital karaoke. He usually uses a 500+1 CD multichanger with CD+G decoder so his job is easy enough anyway (although those things are blooming heavy!). He wanted to have a try without finding out it's not him and wasting his money on the pro software. WinAmp has given him the chance to have a go without committing to anything just yet.

As for using free software, in the course of my business I use a number of free software packages mostly obtained from computer magazine cover discs. I use free office software (OpenOffice.Org) as well as free graphic and web design software - mostly Serif stuff. I'd be surprised if anyone on here can genuinely say that all of the software they use is paid-for.

[ppentertainments]

Good post Daz - If it works for you why should it matter if it was free or cost £000s. Yes I am against illegal downloads etc but if there is any free software which someone is comfortable with then why not use it. I used free dj software (totally legal) for over a year.

[KaraokeDJ]

... I am against illegal downloads etc ...
Here Here!!!
I was talking to a guy a few weeks back who was telling me about his Karaoke collection of tens of thousands of tracks and that he doesn't bother with buying them when they can be downloaded! I can't repeat what I wanted to call him - especially as I'd just bought my ProDub licence and feel proud to be able to produce receipts and original CDs for all my music I have with me.
He went on about this software and that software he uses - all of which he downloads...
He stuck his number in my karaoke book saying 'if you need anything give me a call'... I binned his number!

[One Vision]

*prepares for a possible rocky ride after posting this but..*

I really can't believe winamp is being used in a professional environment. Yes it's fine for a bit of home karaoke, listening to music at home but a professional environment? I think not.

It's no wonder this industry struggles to up it's prices and reputation!!!

Professional software is on the market for a reason...

**again please don't get me wrong it's good software - i just don't think it gives a very professional image using winamp to run your disco or karaoke.)

WHY as far as I know it does exactly what it says on the tin


Thank you the voice of reason has arose again, Winamp is free software and it is the cowboys that are using the free software to provide a service and charge moneys, Maybe if these cowboys got their music for free (I.e Illegal source) then they it should only be fair for them to work for free.

I just don't get it how us professionals spend the money buying the software, the time configuring it to dual screen to make work easier for both partys and then people are still cutting corners and using a media player.

I think you just need to come down of that cloud a little Steve and not see others that dont do things the same as you as COWBOYS.
Granted if I ever chose to go down the karaoke road I would probably look a bit deeper in to the software used but wouldn't class anybody that does a job with free software as a COWBOY.

[davidcormack]

ots av for me so easy to use and does not crash lol

[KaraokeHo]

My vote is for Karma

http://www.latshawsystems.com/ProductDetails_Karma.aspx

Terrific audio quality and everything is drag and drop and a breeze to use.

[DazzyD]

My vote is for Karma

http://www.latshawsystems.com/ProductDetails_Karma.aspx

Terrific audio quality and everything is drag and drop and a breeze to use.

Just checked this out online and I'm quite surprised that something that looks so basic is so resource-intensive. For example, the system requirements include a 2Ghz single-core processor which immediately excludes my laptops that run at 1.7ghz.

I'll keep on using Virtual DJ for the moment but I'm looking to include Swift Elite 4 on my systems at a later date. I had the 10-day trial and I really liked what I saw (a couple of hiccups but with more practice it could be a winner!).

[bedrock]

hi i have found virtual dj fantastic for kariokie and easy to use what i did was when i was doing a disco on the boys brigade camp i did the disco for them and i had karaoke as well on mp3 cdg and it comes up with a video screen which i made bigger and then every one sang of the laptop screen cos we had no tv and i find that works better for me .and also i use virtual dj for listening to my music now because its so simple to use

[welby]

Hi all,

I reckon by my counting your votes as follows:

Virtual DJ = 10
OTS AV = 05
PCDJVJ = 04
SAX n Dottys = 04
Swift Elite = 02
Others = 03*

*others being winamp and cue

Clearly indicating Virtual DJ the favourite by people that commented in this thread.

For what it's worth my vote goes to Virtual DJ on the bases that it is easy to use. The only moan I that it will crash on MP3+CDG Zip files that are created using high compression. Skins and addons are in abundance, making it very flexible.

My second choice would be Swift Elite on the basis that is has everything built in and is very comprehensive. Singer Lists, Instant Messages, AV effects. The downside for me is that I run my laptop at 1240 x 800 and the lack of skins at this resolution puts me off. Just a minor niggle!

Maybe a software poll would sort this one out?

Hope this helps?

[501damian501]

i tried the trial verison of swift elite and was not impressed, many of glitches and had to restart several times. BIG NO.

[KaraokeDJ]

i tried the trial verison of swift elite and was not impressed, many of glitches and had to restart several times. BIG NO.

Well Damian, I'm amazed. I've used Swift for the past couple of years on XP laptop and Vista laptop and NEVER had any issues with it except shutting it down sometimes in Vista. Never had to reboot or CTRL | ALT | DELETE the system due to any probs with Swift. Very odd.

[501damian501]

it was when i was trying to use a feature, i think it was the text feature it has.

[djsteve10]

Hi all,

I reckon by my counting your votes as follows:

Virtual DJ = 10
OTS AV = 05
PCDJVJ = 04
SAX n Dottys = 04
Swift Elite = 02
Others = 03*

*others being winamp and cue

Clearly indicating Virtual DJ the favourite by people that commented in this thread.

For what it's worth my vote goes to Virtual DJ on the bases that it is easy to use. The only moan I that it will crash on MP3+CDG Zip files that are created using high compression. Skins and addons are in abundance, making it very flexible.

My second choice would be Swift Elite on the basis that is has everything built in and is very comprehensive. Singer Lists, Instant Messages, AV effects. The downside for me is that I run my laptop at 1240 x 800 and the lack of skins at this resolution puts me off. Just a minor niggle!

Maybe a software poll would sort this one out?

Hope this helps?

Numark Cue & PCDJVJ are both powered by Virtual DJ so it's what ever takes your fancy.

[Adam_F]

Numark Cue & PCDJVJ are both powered by Virtual DJ so it's what ever takes your fancy.

Yeah, powered by, but with "bits" taken out. They tend to be less stable than the original VDJ.

[ultrasound disco]

A wee eyeopener here for VDJ.
I found that VDJ was MAXING out my 2.8ghz p4 (Dell GX270 2gig ram) when I extended my desktop to the second monitor and maxed the lyrics window.

(5% without VDJ...and 45% without extended desktop)

They just did not want to play well together and I tried it on 3 other computers to no avail.
I was buggering about with it last night and thought I'll try "swapping" the screens.
So I shuffled the VDJ to the extended screen and moved the lyrics window to the primary screen and "hey presto" CP usage 60% and falling....

[Totally Plucked]

I think it's very unfair of you to label someone a cowboy without knowing the facts.

The guy who I sub for is far from a cowboy. He's been around for at least 16 years and has 7 systems with DJ's to match. All his kit is PAT tested, he's got PLI and is registered with the tax man. All of his music is original CDs and, as he specialises in karaoke, he has all original CD+Gs and a number of subscriptions to CD+G series. Last time I saw him in July he was on the ProDub site to buy his license.

The only reason he uses WinAmp is because he's dipping his toe in the water with regards to digital karaoke. He usually uses a 500+1 CD multichanger with CD+G decoder so his job is easy enough anyway (although those things are blooming heavy!). He wanted to have a try without finding out it's not him and wasting his money on the pro software. WinAmp has given him the chance to have a go without committing to anything just yet.

As for using free software, in the course of my business I use a number of free software packages mostly obtained from computer magazine cover discs. I use free office software (OpenOffice.Org) as well as free graphic and web design software - mostly Serif stuff. I'd be surprised if anyone on here can genuinely say that all of the software they use is paid-for.

Agree 110% :)

[KaraokeDJ]

I'd be surprised if anyone on here can genuinely say that all of the software they use is paid-for.
I was originally going to say I disagree but then I realised I do use OpenOffice for all my docs, spreadsheets etc., However, as for the 'tools of the trade' in both DJing, remixing, and my day-to-day IT related jobs, I don't use any freebies. For one reason I look after my computers to the point I am very cautious what I install and secondly, I find that the best tools are rarely free and (assuming they do exactly what they claim) then they are worth every penny you pay for them.

I'm never going to say that freebies are pointless because many people say they use them and many say they are good - but having been stung with adware, virus attacks, etc., over the years, I am (perhaps too) cautious.

Finally, though; hat's off to anyone who has found and uses a quality bit of opensource/free software.

[Twinspin]

I used PCDJ VJ to host a karaoke i did a few weeks ago as a one off. But it was good software for karaoke.

[nigelwright7557]

It has a couple of annoyances; like when you preview a CDG+MP3 (Zip) then try to use the same file in A or B it can throw up a silly 'unable to open' error but that's easily worked around by throwing something else in the preview channel to free up the ong you want.
Martin

Thats coz Windows wont allow the same file to be opened twice.

[DazzyD]

This is quite true (unless it's a shared file) but it's beyond me why anyone would want to open the same track twice in succession. I don't even like playing the same track twice in the same show!

[King Of Karaoke]

I use PCDJKJ,

very reliable just leave the kamikaze button alone!

what do you mean by the Kamikaze button?

so for this topic (wow 8 months old)

ive seen people say good and bad things about every program (even the popular Virtual DJ), all apart from OTS, i cant see anyone saying anything bad about it?

Has anyone got any negative experiences with OTS AV or is it just that you are happy with Virtual DJ instead?

[KaraokeDJ]

This is quite true (unless it's a shared file) but it's beyond me why anyone would want to open the same track twice in succession. I don't even like playing the same track twice in the same show!

It's not because the song has been played twice it is because the file is previewed in the preview channel and if it is still in 'preview' it cannot be opened in A or B. WHat I do now is dump another track into preview which frees up the other track to be used in A or B. A bit of a fiddle but it works.

[Rowleys]

VDJ for me as i use this for my main DJing

some times it crashes just 1 but i think thats down to somthink with my laptop getting really hot but when it does i all have a cd to jump on to to reboot laptop.

but i have never tryed anythink else

[DazzyD]

what do you mean by the Kamikaze button?

so for this topic (wow 8 months old)

ive seen people say good and bad things about every program (even the popular Virtual DJ), all apart from OTS, i cant see anyone saying anything bad about it?

Has anyone got any negative experiences with OTS AV or is it just that you are happy with Virtual DJ instead?

I bought OtsAV DJ at the start of December and I was shocked at the amount of time it takes to initially load in your song library. This is because (apparently!) it analyses every track (in order to beatmatch?) as it loads the tracks in. It took me over 5 hours to load in less than 30% of my library at which point I gave up and left it til I had a day with more time.

Because of this, I've only been able to try it (at the testing stage) with a limited music library so I can't really comment although I've not found many problems up to now (if you discount the fact that my laptop is not souped up enough to run graphics/video). Getting a new laptop soon so we'll see what happens then!



It's not because the song has been played twice it is because the file is previewed in the preview channel and if it is still in 'preview' it cannot be opened in A or B. WHat I do now is dump another track into preview which frees up the other track to be used in A or B. A bit of a fiddle but it works.

I get you now! My karaoke library has been checked and double checked so I tend not to need to preview tracks. Therefore, it's a facility which I've rarely used except for the odd music track.


VDJ for me as i use this for my main DJing

some times it crashes just 1 but i think thats down to somthink with my laptop getting really hot but when it does i all have a cd to jump on to to reboot laptop.

but i have never tryed anythink else

This doesn't seem very good at all. Sounds like your laptop hasn't got a sufficient cooling system to operate properly. Is your fan clogged up? It should be kicking in when the system reaches a certain temperature.

[womble]

Great little thread. Personally when I do karaoke nights I bring my Mac along with me. I have over 6000 karaoke songs with lyrics.

For the Mac I use QMidi, its basic, but very reliable and costs less than a tenner to register. Then just download Screen Span Doctor also if you use have an iBook like myself. This will allow you to use a monitor/tv as a second display unit rather than the default Mirrored setting (on the iBook at least).

QMidi seems to be the only cheap, bug-free and reliable karaoke software for the Macintosh. You can't do nifty-things like show Singer's name, build a Singer's Playlist, but frankily who needs to. ;-)


Look at KJams... www.kjams.net (i think) they have a reasonable free version of the software, and for the paid version you get upgrades such as being able to save singers and their personal preferences, such as favourite songs and pitch shifts etc.

[gazzak]

I find Virtual DJ and it seems to work for me. It's got some really neat graphics fade in/out effects as well a whole host of audio effects including a fine-control key changer. It's also pretty quick at loading tracks.

I have used WinAmp with a karaoke plug-in which displays the graphics in a video window. This window can be dragged on to a second screen and made full screen so your singers can see it ok. This setup worked fine on an XP based system but totally refuses to work on Vista.

Love Virtual DJ for Karaoke. I also used Winamp in XP but changed to Virtual DJ in Vista.

[kjdiscos]

Swift Elite - Dogs B's

[mark karaoke]

i have sax and dottys on 2 of my works laptops and swift elite 4 on the other,i must be honest and say that sax and dottys is a far better system for karaoke----- swift elite is a jack of all trades and a master of none!!!!!

[The_Blue_Dragon]

I use virtual DJ and i love how it all works. I also know of at least 4 other DJ's in the area that also use it

[B*Dazzled]

Hi All,

I am just moving over to pc kjing and have just about picked the software i am going to be using but with the amount of songs i have the lisence is going to cost me a fortune. Has anyone with thousands of songs managed to get a discount from the MCPS? According to the Pro Dub website it is £480 perannum for 15,001-20,000 disc's and 20,001-100,000 is on application only. Can anyone advise what is the best thing to do and how have you got on with this.

Thanks xx

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Hi All,

I am just moving over to pc kjing and have just about picked the software i am going to be using but with the amount of songs i have the lisence is going to cost me a fortune. Has anyone with thousands of songs managed to get a discount from the MCPS? According to the Pro Dub website it is £480 perannum for 15,001-20,000 disc's and 20,001-100,000 is on application only. Can anyone advise what is the best thing to do and how have you got on with this.

Thanks xx

Tracks not discs.

There is loads of info about the Produb, so let's not take this off topic.

There was a discount originally of 25% but that has come and gone. Once you have paid for your original license, then you just need to buy a top up, so although it is a big expense, once you have bought it for your main collection, you won't need to buy the big license again.

[1st Choice Karaoke]

Nearly every digital Karaoke I have seen down my way is running OTS Av. I have tried it myself, and i will use it when i go digital later this year. VERY stable, it comes with its own CDG ripping software, produces very clear videos, runs multiple screens, and you can put banners & photos up in between karaoke tracks on the screen, as well as playing all your other music through it too. It is compatible with most USB type controllers like HERCULES too. The big selling point for me is the stability, I have not spoken to a single person who has had this software crash on them.

[DJ Jules]

Nearly every digital Karaoke I have seen down my way is running OTS Av. I have tried it myself, and i will use it when i go digital later this year. VERY stable, it comes with its own CDG ripping software, produces very clear videos, runs multiple screens, and you can put banners & photos up in between karaoke tracks on the screen, as well as playing all your other music through it too. It is compatible with most USB type controllers like HERCULES too. The big selling point for me is the stability, I have not spoken to a single person who has had this software crash on them.

How do you go about ripping CDG's to MP3+G? I've been trying to work out how to do this and have found a few good peices of software, but it looks like my CD drive doesn't support CDG? What does everyone else use?

Julian

[DazzyD]

Nearly every digital Karaoke I have seen down my way is running OTS Av. I have tried it myself, and i will use it when i go digital later this year. VERY stable, it comes with its own CDG ripping software, produces very clear videos, runs multiple screens, and you can put banners & photos up in between karaoke tracks on the screen, as well as playing all your other music through it too. It is compatible with most USB type controllers like HERCULES too. The big selling point for me is the stability, I have not spoken to a single person who has had this software crash on them.

I thought that Ots AV was very resource-intensive. I tried it a few months ago and my system wasn't powerful enough to do the visuals and graphics rendering although Swift Elite 4 ran perfectly (although I went back to using VDJ as I was more confident with it).


How do you go about ripping CDG's to MP3+G? I've been trying to work out how to do this and have found a few good peices of software, but it looks like my CD drive doesn't support CDG? What does everyone else use?

Julian

CDGRipper from Tricerasoft was my software of choice (before my computer died with the dreaded blue-screen a few weeks ago - I must get round to reinstalling it on to the new laptop!).

But you have hit the nail on the head. Few drives are capable of reading CD+G discs / sub-channel data. There is a drive info tool you can download and run to see if your drive is compatible but don't be surprised if it's not. There used to be a list of CD+G compatible drives on the Tricerasoft website so it could be worth looking on there before going out to buy a new drive.

[kjdiscos]

I thought that Ots AV was very resource-intensive. I tried it a few months ago and my system wasn't powerful enough to do the visuals and graphics rendering although Swift Elite 4 ran perfectly (although I went back to using VDJ as I was more confident with it).



CDGRipper from Tricerasoft was my software of choice (before my computer died with the dreaded blue-screen a few weeks ago - I must get round to reinstalling it on to the new laptop!).

But you have hit the nail on the head. Few drives are capable of reading CD+G discs / sub-channel data. There is a drive info tool you can download and run to see if your drive is compatible but don't be surprised if it's not. There used to be a list of CD+G compatible drives on the Tricerasoft website so it could be worth looking on there before going out to buy a new drive.

For ots av you cant run it on any old laptop for video you need a powerful machine, We use 64Bit Turions with 4GB Ram and it runs it nicely

And crash it simply doesnt its rock solid solid as a rock, You can even control it remotely over the internet if you wanted to :)