Simon Cowell, the unlikable American Idol judge, once remarked to a contestant of the popular show: “this is not one glorified Karaoke competition!”
The statement sets the tone for what Karaoke is all about. It is a piece of equipment that helps an amateur singer sing like a pro, although it doesn’t always work for everybody. The precursor of the Karaoke is the lowly Minus One, a voice system which is more difficult to muster because stripped to its essential; it is the actual instrumentation that the original singer of the song recorded the song in. Compared to the karaoke, the Minus One system does not have the monitor interface which enables the aspiring singer to read and of course, sing the lines.
Like sushi and the Walkman, the Karaoke is another Japanese invention. As expected, the original version of this system was bulky but sooner or later would get miniaturized. The Japanese, masters at miniaturization, would stop at nothing to shrink the size of their invention or to make it even more portable. It is common in Tokyo to find a car stuffed with a portable Karaoke machine. Radio Shack now sells a Karaoke machine the size of a shoe box.
Of course, there’s the Karaoke microphone which can store hundreds and hundreds of songs in its microchip device. However, you will still need a TV monitor so you can read-sing the lines. The key to a good Karaoke system is its microphone and speakers. Bad microphone and speakers mean bad sound. You can try replacing the mike but if the speakers are built in, you are in trouble.
Ever wonder why some voices are better sounding on a Karaoke machine than others? The fuller your voice, the better! A high-pitched, shrill voice will still be hard for the Karaoke machine to fix, let alone cover up. Surprisingly, there are some really good “live” voices which can sound awful on a Karaoke machine—which only go to show that the machine isn’t perfect.
Some Karaoke machines even have a voice judge component, yet even this is not perfect. So don’t feel down when you get a failing mark, it’s not the end of the world! Sometimes, by just practicing conscientiously, you can beat the system. Here’s a tip: the Karaoke voice grading machine in actuality can’t rate the quality of your voice. It merely grades you on how completely you sing out the lines of the song. So the more you skip some words or words, the lower your overall score is.
This explains why a really foul-sounding singer can get a 90% grade while you get a failing mark! And don’t forget, Karaoke online is already here. So you don’t even need to buy the system if your PC is already equipped with a microphone and speakers (as most computers are)—even better if you have a headset (the one commonly used in PC to PC Internet telephony). In fact, this is a good way to get initiated into Karaoke which be warned—could get really addicting! If you find later on that this is not your cup of tea, you did not invest on the machine only to let it rot in the basement.
Popular songs even have Karaoke versions which you might be able to download for free on the Internet. Take heart, some popular singers may have jumpstarted their careers on the Karaoke—more than they care to admit. So if you think you got what it takes, take a chance! As the first American Idol Kelly Clarkson sings in one of her hit songs: “A moment like this, some people wait a lifetime…”
Don’t!
Danak Chait is the operator and webmaster of Karoake
FunkyKaroake which is a premier resource for Karoake information. For more information go to :
http://www.funkykaroake.com