Karaoke Disc Information

    The karaoke CDG, also known as CD+G (Compact Disc plus Graphics), is very similar to a standard audio CD. The difference lies in the graphic data (lyrics and images) that is embedded in the unused sub-channel of the disc. The audio portion of a CDG can be played with a standard CD player. A karaoke player is required to display the graphics on a monitor.

    None of the commercial karaoke discs contain background music performed by the original artist. This is one reason why the quality of the music varies so greatly between name brands. Price does not always indicate the quality of a CDG. Sound Choice discs, for example, are usually the the most expensive brand. Although they are a high quality disc, they are not superior to some of the less expensive bands such as Chartbusters and Top Hits Monthly. I base this on my own opinion as well as the vast amount of feedback I have received from other KJ's.

    It's very important to keep your CDG's in good condition. They are more sensitive than the standard audio CD. Fine scratches or even a fingerprint can cause them to skip or cause the graphics to become scrambled. You will not be able to avoid the damage that occurs from normal use. You can however minimize it by avoiding the use of a storage system that utilizes sleeves to hold the discs. Inspect your disc regularly for fingerprints and smudges. Window cleaner and a very soft cloth can be used to clean them. Never use any type of mineral spirit based cleaner.

    Not all scratches on the bottom side of a disc cause problems. Unexplainably, some very noticeable scratches will have no negative effect while a very fine scratch may render the disc unusable. I'm stating this to make the point that you can't always tell the condition of the disc just by looking at it. If a CDG is clean, but it still skips or scrambles the graphics, you will need to polish the bottom (not the label side) surface. There are numerous CD polishing compounds available. Some work very well while others seem to do nothing at all. Disc Repair Pro has always worked well for me. NEVER wax your discs with car wax or anything else. I know someone who ruined his entire collection this way.

Super CDG or SCDG
    A relatively new technology, this format allows manufacturers to place hundreds (possibly thousands) of karaoke songs on a single disc. Some manufacturers have begun to place entire disc sets on a single SCDG at a considerably lower price than the original CDG discs. You have to have a SCDG player to play these discs and these players are currently produced only by CAVS.

    The up side to this format is that you will have less discs to store, fewer disc changes during a show, and the price per song. The down side is that you need a special player, the inability to update just a few songs, and the fact that if an SCDG disc becomes unusable you will lose hundreds of songs at one time.

    I would imagine that at some point you will be able to order a custom SCDG with only the songs you want. This would be a great improvement but would still not persuade me into using these discs. In my opinion, the future of karaoke music does not include any type removable discs. Many KJ's are already utilizing the MP3+G karaoke format by loading the songs onto the hard drive of a laptop computer and playing them with a software application. No discs to store, no discs to fumble around with, and no more scratched or dirty discs that skip.

Some popular CDG brands.

American Idol Karaoke
Ameri-Sing Karaoke
Chartbusters
DK Karaoke
Karaoke Hits
Monster Hits Karaoke
MyCDG - Custom Karaoke Discs
Nashville Star Karaoke
Northstar Country Karaoke
Northstar Pop Karaoke
Pop Hits Monthly Country
Pop Hits Monthly Pop
Pop Hits Monthly Urban
Sound Choice
Star Disc
SunFly
Sweet Georgia Brown

Professional Karaoke Hardware and Software

American Idol Karaoke