There are plenty of karaoke players and editors on the market that let you manipulate mp3 and midi files as well as lyrics text so that you can create your own custom karaoke files.
If you've got the skills to compose your own music using Cakewalk or a similar program, good for you! But if not you can buy midi files online. However there are a few things you should know before you buy.
1. The accuracy of the lyrics isn't guaranteed so they may vary from the original song.
2. Midi files are available for personal use. If you add them to your web site it can be considered professional use and infringe on the copyright which could land you in a heap of hot water. Make sure you know the legalities.
3. Format 0 and Format 1 are both MIDI formats commonly used. Format 0 is almost impossible to isolate tracks unless you have a program like Cakewalk.
4. The quality of the MIDI files can vary a great deal as can the key, style, and even instruments used in the recording. Don't be surprised to find a guitar missing.
Once you've created a good MIDI file you can open it with your MIDI player and listen to it. You should have the a good key, the melody, and the basic instrumental. The arrangement needs to at least sound similar to the original artist.
If you want to edit the file you'll need a program like Cakewalk or Cubase. These are sequencer applications that let you change tempo, key, and a host of other things. There are also shareware programs available.
You can use a program like Word for the lyrics. Open your karaoke software and load the lyric file and the midi file and then synchronize them. Once you've completed the file you can sing the tracks to make sure there are no errors.
Once you are satisfied with your creation you can add your background pictures. Now it's time to get creative.
Many prefer MP3i files over MIDI files. There's no question it does offer some additional features like photos, lyrics, text, and more files types including MP3i, wav, MP3, wav, gif, txt, jpg, and bmp.
Download Winamp and the MP3 plug in which is a free shareware program. Try the program for 30 days and if you like it you need to register it for it to continue working. There are plenty of other MP3 players online.
MP3i files are bigger than MP3 files. How much bigger will depend on what additional information you add to the file. You can get MP3i files two ways.
1. Compose your own files made up of the lyrics, music, and images, and then load them into your MP3i file.
2. Use media from artists that you have received permission from.
If you want to create an MP3i files you should invest in the MP3i Creator software. It is the first of its kind to allow you to load media into MP3s. You can load gif, animated files, text files, lyrics, and even links. It's got lots of great skins to choose from and once you're done just use your Winamp with playback plugin to listen.
There' a lot you can do with your karaoke files. Change the tempo, key, or entire feel of the songs. You can even add some graphics or special effects. So what are you waiting for? Isn't it time to put together that perfect karaoke disk?
