Karaoke Machines

One invention that has really taken off in the music world is the karaoke machine. Unlike other pieces of musical equipment, the karaoke machine appeals to folks of all ages, all genders and all types of voices ? good or bad!

Here?s a quick guide to karaoke machines, and how they?ve progressed over the years.

A Brief History of Karaoke Machines

The earliest karaoke machine was invented in Japan during the 1970s when a singer named Daisuke Inoue developed a tape recorder that could play a song for a 100-yen coin. He had been asked frequently by attendees of his performance to provide his song on a tape recorder so they could sing along during a company vacation.

Daisuke felt it was a great idea, not for his song only, but for many others. Inoue leased his karaoke machines to stores instead of selling them directly.

The machines were placed in restaurants and hotel rooms. In 2004, Inoue won the tongue-in-cheek Ig Nobel Peace prize for his invention.

Karaoke Hits the USA

Karaoke machines came to the United States during the 1990s when karaoke bars, also called KTV boxes, began having competitions or fun karaoke nights for amateurs.

Advancement of Karaoke Machines

The early karaoke machines worked with cassette tapes, but later became more advanced using CDs, laserdiscs, VCDs and today?s DVDs.

The machine has audio input, audio output, and a way to alter the pitch of the music.

The most popular machines are audio mixers that include a microphone input that?s built in with a Laser Disc, Video CD, CD G or DVD player. Karaoke machines that are capable of producing a video lyrics display are called KTV in many countries.

Another unique feature of many karaoke machines is the ability to change the pitch of the music, or key, to fit the vocal range of the singer. With this feature, songs that are too high for the singer can be played in a lower key.

From Karaoke Machines to Computers

Karaoke songs are now being played over computers everywhere via music files such as MIDI, MP3 and many others.

The karaoke machine is not needed with these files, but a downloadable karaoke player instead. Both the players and song files can be downloaded on the Internet.

More Advances in Karaoke Machines are Coming

Karaoke machines are being modernized in many other ways as well. From auto karaoke to mobile phone karaoke, people are going to be able to ?sing along? from just about anywhere before long!

Karaoke Machines Still Going

Even with all the modern devices and methods in karaoke, the karaoke machines will still be around for a while.

The karaoke machines are convenient for restaurants, bars, gatherings and other public karaoke events because they can be moved easily, use a screen and sound everyone can see and hear when a big crowd is present, and they provide affordable entertainment.

Got your karaoke machine yet?

Bob Pardue is owner of Karaoke Singing and is a retired karaoke DJ. You can view his other music articles by going to http://www.karaoke-singing.com

There are many different types of karaoke machines on the market today. Whether you are planning a party, or simply want to entertain a few friends, there is a karaoke machine out there to fit your needs. While many people are using computers for this purpose, there are still many advantages to owning an actual karaoke machine. Portability is, perhaps, one of the biggest advantages, as it allows you to transport the machine from one location to another both quickly and easily. It also allows you to set it up in different rooms of the house in order to accommodate the varying number of participating guests.

There are several features to look for when deciding to purchase a karaoke machine, many of which are now standard and, are therefore, found on many machines. Still, you should be aware of the features you want, and check to see that the machine you purchase has them.

A basic karaoke machine consists of audio input for connecting external electronic audio devices such as tape decks, CD players, and now, MP3 players, a means of altering the pitch of the actual music, (not the pitch of the singer’s voice), and an audio output so that others can hear the music and singer.

Some lower end machines include a feature which allows you to play a standard song on the machine and suppress the singer’s voice so that it isn’t heard. This, however, is generally ineffective as it often decreases the quality of the music, and often times distorts the overall sound. This can be especially problematic if the singer is being recorded.

At least one microphone input is also included, and many machines come with a mic. Higher end karaoke machines also come equipped with a method for connecting it to another type of machine that will allow video encoding. This will enable the lyrics to be displayed on a screen so that the performer may read them while singing. This feature is typically found in bars and clubs that offer karaoke, but is now commonly done at home as well.

While many karaoke machines were equipped with two tape decks, thus allowing singers to record their performances while using karaoke backups already pre-recorded on another cassette, the machines of today typically include one tape deck and a CD player. Recording your performance still isn’t a problem, since most backups are now available on CD, which has become standard.

Karaoke Machines

Offers Karaoke machines for rent or buy in Toronto Canada

Karaoke comes from the Japanese word ?kara? and ?one?, meaning ?empty? and ?orchestra?. A karaoke performance can be termed a ?virtual? performance, in that a person can walk up to the stage and start singing without the aid of a live band. Karaoke machines provide that music. In a karaoke performance, the voice of the original singer is reduced in volume or is totally absent. Generally, there is a display of the song?s lyrics, as well as psychedelic color changes that are coordinated with the music.

This form of entertainment has been popular in East Asia for two decades. Musical entertainment has always been a permanent fixture at parties in Japan. It is noteworthy that singing and dancing was considered an integral part of a samurai warrior?s growth. ??Utagoe Kissa?? or ?song coffee shop? in direct translation, became a rage in Japan during the Taisho rule (1912 -1926), where customers used to test out their singing skills backed up by music from a live band.

In the 1970s, a singer named Daisuke Inoue who performed in a coffee shop was inundated with requests to lend his recordings so that people could sing along with them. Inoue realized that he could make money in this potentially lucrative venture and invented a tape recorder that played a song for a coin worth 100-yen. This was the birth of the karaoke machine. Initially, this form of entertainment was criticized for its unoriginality and its exorbitant price. In those days, a 100 yen could buy two lunches. However, it was gradually accepted into the main stream, and Inoue was given the Nobel Prize for his invention in 2004.

Early on, cassette tapes were used in the machine; but with technology, VCDs, CDs and DVDs gradually took the place of tapes. Karaoke soon spread to the rest of Asia and eventually the United States and other Western countries. Though it met with the expected disapproval from certain quarters, it has slowly become a great form of nightclub entertainment.

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