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So iTunes doesn't support text?

Discuss the MP3+G karaoke format.
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alkalinesi
Posts: 54
Joined: Tue Jul 20, 2010 10:38 pm

So iTunes doesn't support text?

Post by alkalinesi »

So I was looking for a karaoke song(last of the american girls by green day) that I couldn't find anywhere, then found it on iTunes on karaoke CD. Well I downloaded the CD and I guess I just figured that since it's a karaoke CD it would include the text, I mean who buys karaoke without the text? So I'm trying to get this to work but I guess I'm out of $10? Is there any way I can get the text to work? Thanks.


mnementh
Posts: 674
Joined: Tue Apr 28, 2009 5:41 am
Location: Dundee, Scotland

Post by mnementh »

I had a a quick look at itunes but couldn't figure out what the "karaoke" download consists of!

What did you ACTUALLY download?

For Karaoke, you should have got two files (MP3 + CDG) or one ZIP file containing the MP3 & CDG.

Is this what you got?

You say you downloaded a "karaoke CD"?

How did you burn it and with what software?

Sandy.
How to Build a Home Karaoke System
alkalinesi
Posts: 54
Joined: Tue Jul 20, 2010 10:38 pm

Post by alkalinesi »

I didnt see if it was a cd+g, it didnt state anything like that, i guess i just assumed it would have an extra file for text just because its karaoke.i honestly dont see the point in buying just karaoke music without the text thats why i thought it would be included. everything was downloaded into my itunes so im not sure what kind of files i got.The music is just in my itunes folders.
How to Build a Home Karaoke System
mnementh
Posts: 674
Joined: Tue Apr 28, 2009 5:41 am
Location: Dundee, Scotland

Post by mnementh »

This is one reason I absolutely detest itunes and Sony's Sonicstage.

I will never buy a Sony hard drive MP3 player or an ipod while they are tied to specific programs to load them up.

I only buy music kit that supports straightforward "drag 'n drop"

Onyhoo, I had a quick Google (it's OK, you can't be arrested for it and it doesn't make you go blind) and found this;

www.ehow.com/how_4423924_burn-karaoke-songs.html

Looking at this, it seems that at step 5 you elect to burn a CD in your itunes account but by some magic that isn't properly explained, you then use third party Karaoke software to actually burn the CD in step 6 ????

Is this what you did?

Sandy
EDIT.

just found this on Google;

discussions.apple.com/thread/1521194?threadID=1521194

Looks like you're screwed bud!
How to Build a Home Karaoke System
mnementh
Posts: 674
Joined: Tue Apr 28, 2009 5:41 am
Location: Dundee, Scotland

Post by mnementh »

Hi again,
I think this provides your answer and I'm afraid it is almost certainly NO!

www.powerkaraoke.com/forum/about3114.html

itunes can only provide MP4 or AAC format tracks, so first you would need to convert to MP3 and there's plenty of freeware that will do that.

Unfortunately, after that you will need proprietary Karaoke authoring software to generate a lyric file, either by typing in the song or getting a text file download from the web.

Sandy
How to Build a Home Karaoke System
alkalinesi
Posts: 54
Joined: Tue Jul 20, 2010 10:38 pm

Post by alkalinesi »

OK thats what i was afraid of. thanks a lot though, i knew it seemed too good to be true.
How to Build a Home Karaoke System
bwriter
Posts: 16
Joined: Fri Nov 25, 2011 11:14 pm
Location: Kirkcaldy, Scotland

Post by bwriter »

I found the same thing at Amazon. All you get is an MP3. No CDG file. I complained to them and they refunded my money. But they were the only ones offering the tracks I wanted. So what to do?

I got myself a copy of Karaoke Builder Studio and made my own CDG files. It isn't a walk in the park. The user instructions are little better than a slap in the kisser with a wet fish. But I persevered and now, several weeks later, I'm getting the hang of it. I'm just uploading my first effort to Youtube tonight so you might want to look out for it; it's Neil Diamond's Canta Libre.

You can download a trial version of KBS to see if you like it. The trial version will only handle one page of your lyrics and thereafter fills the screen with rubbish. But it's reckoned that many (or perhaps most) of the professional karaoke companies are using this software.
How to Build a Home Karaoke System
mnementh
Posts: 674
Joined: Tue Apr 28, 2009 5:41 am
Location: Dundee, Scotland

Post by mnementh »

Hi bwriter,
I'm from just up the road in Dundee.

I'm curious how you get rid of the vocals on your home made CDG's.

I've tried a few of this kind of software and haven't found ONE that does anything other than a pathetic vocal removal.

Every track I've tried either has clearly audible vocals, or when the vocal is reasonably removed, the music track is muffled and pretty awful.

Sandy.
How to Build a Home Karaoke System
bwriter
Posts: 16
Joined: Fri Nov 25, 2011 11:14 pm
Location: Kirkcaldy, Scotland

Post by bwriter »

Mnementh, regarding removing vocals from audio tracks, it's almost never satisfactory.
The programmes that claim to do it for you all work on one basic principle. They need the vocal to be recorded as near the centre of the stereo field as possible. That is, the singer will, as you listen to the music, be in dead centre of the stage. If this is the case, and it almost never is nowadays, the software simply inverts one of the stereo channels (it MUST be a stereo recording, and it must also be a WAV file, not MP3). Thus the vocal which normally appears on both channels with equal volume will be cancelled out. It's a bit like matter meeting anti-matter, they annihilate each other.

Problem is, recording vocals in that way ceased being popular soon after the introduction of stereo.

But let's imagine we had the ideal recording to work with. Yes, the original vocal would be removed. But recording is an art and not a science. Various 'adjustments' are applied to the vocal signal during or after recording. One of these adjustments is echo. I would venture to say that NO singer would be happy recording their voice without having a touch of echo applied. That echo may not be applied equally to both of the stereo channels. So it doesn't cancel out completely. Hence the ghostly vocals you are often left with. They are usually chiefly echo.

If the vocals were recorded off-centre, then the software must permit you to adjust the panning so as to bring it into dead centre. Most of the cheapo software doesn't do that. I believe Audacity (a wonderful piece of software in many ways) is guilty of not allowing this although I stand ready to be corrected on this.

An unfortunate result of this reversing the phase of one channel is that some of the instruments may also appear at, or near, dead centre. Typically this would be the drums. And it stands to reason that they will be cancelled out too. Some programs have a further trick up their sleeve to combat this; they let you apply the reversal process on a narrow slice of the total audio spectrum. They hope that by doing this they can remove the vocals while leaving the drums alone.

If you consider all these variables you can see why most people simply don't bother trying and why most of those 'WE CAN REMOVE THE VOCALS FROM YOUR RECORDINGS' claims are far-fetched.

No, if you want to build your own karaoke, the only certain way is to acquire a backing track MP3 file. I bought a few from Amazon and sucessfully turned them into fairly good karaoke tracks with the help of Karaoke BUilder Studio. Trust me, if there was a cheaper way to do it, I'd have found it. Looking on the bright side, most of these tracks from Amazon (and iTunes) are fairly inexpensive at between 69p to 89p per track.
I've done a few from Roy Orbison, Al Jolson and one from Neil Diamond. The first ones I tried are a bit basic and I may do them again some time but they do a turn. If you'd like to sample a couple, PM me with your email address.

Change of subject. I stayed the weekend in Dundee last summer enjoying the Beatles tribute bands. Did you go to any of the gigs? I'd love to go again this year if it's on but don't think I will. Apart from one Dutch band, every single act seem to equate LOUDness with quality. My poor lugs are still trying to recover.
How to Build a Home Karaoke System
mnementh
Posts: 674
Joined: Tue Apr 28, 2009 5:41 am
Location: Dundee, Scotland

Post by mnementh »

Hi bwriter,
you're going to love this, considering this hobby/job.

I hate live music! :oops:

Karaoke has died down a bit in most of the local hostelries I frequent and they have been stick on live bands/singers/open mike nights.

It must be costing them a fortune!!! :!:

I like karaoke for the fun aspect and the occassional brilliant singer that turns up. I also quite like the really dreadful ones, as it must take some pair of cojones to stand up in front of a good number of people and "murder" a classic tune.

As to vocal removers, I'm pretty much up on this as I used to ber a computer service engineer and IT tech with Dundee University and I totally agree with you, Re. vocal removal claims.

Sandy.
How to Build a Home Karaoke System
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