Posts Tagged ‘karaoke machine’
Karaoke Machine Guide
Karaoke started in the 1970s in Japan, where business professionals would drop into a karaoke club on their way home from work to de-stress. For club owners, it was a great way to entertain patrons, without paying for strolling musicians. By the nineties, karaoke had become a staple in American culture as well, with tens of thousands of bars, restaurants and clubs offering weekly karaoke nights. Karaoke equipment includes such things as a karaoke machine, which plays CDs, DVDs, mp3s and/or CD Gs, has built-in or plug-in speakers, one or more plug-in microphones and either video cables or a built-in lyrics screen.
So which systems are getting the most buzz? The $60 doPi Karaoke “Party in a Pod” system can turn a video iPod into a karaoke machine. Consumers will also get a microphone, a mixer box with two inputs, echo effect, video in/out ports and all cables needed to connect an iPod to the box, which plugs into the wall. A song card comes with three free downloads and many karaoke songs come with video too. This system, which has been featured by InStyle, People, Seventeen, WIRED, Mac Life, iLounge, FHM and Entertainment Magazine, as well as Good Morning America and The Early Show, can be purchased at www.dopikaraoke.com.
Over a million people have purchased the “Rock Band” game for PlayStation, Wii and Xbox, which turns their video game consoles into a karaoke machine and musical instrument tutorial. Like the karaoke game “Karaoke Revolution,” the lyrics appear at the top of the screen for vocalists to follow, while a bar provides feedback on how well the pitch and note duration match the original. Other friends or family members can try their hand at guitar, the bass guitar and drum pads. This game is really fun for parties, rainy days and cultivating an interest in music.
The $199 Singing Machine Pedestal CDG Karaoke system offers a more professional singing and recording experience than the average karaoke machine. In addition to having two microphones, the system also comes with a built-in camera so singers can watch themselves on the video monitor. Additionally, the RCA output allows singers the ability to tape themselves on a VCR or DVD recorder as well. Unlike other systems that are all-vocals or no-vocals, this unit comes with Auto Voice Control so the vocals are eliminated when the singer starts to sing and returns when the singer stops singing. This function is ideal for practicing a new song. Additional features for this CD/CD G player include key, echo, balance and pitch control. Ipod-compatible systems also exist for $249. Consumers can purchase this product at www.singingmachine.com.
Consumers are not the only demographic for the karaoke machine. Some business owners see karaoke as a great opportunity to add entertainment or set themselves apart from the competition. Obviously, the karaoke club is nothing new, but what about the karaoke cab? In cities like Dallas, New York City, Chicago and San Francisco, there are cabs with built-in karaoke machines to start off a pre-party or occupy riders for long rides. Some videos of karaoke singers are posted at www.mykaraokecab.com. Karaoke Yellow Cab out of Dallas, Texas says that the karaoke hits up his tips and that the most common songs requested are Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl,” Madonna’s “Like A Virgin” and Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline.”