Karaoke is one of the most fun activities you can do with your friends but it is usually only offered in specific places. The Karaoke application however lets you create and play all of your favourite songs in karaoke mode with your friends without having to leave your house.
Installation & Requirements
The setup process is fast but requires your attention at some parts as you will have the option of installing additional components. The application supports every Windows version from 98 and later.
Interface
The interface of Karaoke is overwhelming at first glance. There are 4 windows that open simultaneously when you start the application, each of them with a special function. They can all be minimized or closed down on their own except for the main interface window which will shut all others down as well.
In the main interface window you will be able to do pretty much everything. You can choose the songs you want, schedule singers, edit the various parts of the songs and the lyrics, set up a broadcast, a shoutcast or a chat and view information about the songs you have played in the past. In addition to all that you can set up your hardware to record more songs or edit various parts of the karaoke ones.
Playing a song is as easy as selecting it from the playlist and pressing the play button. You can drag and drop songs inside the application or use the extra window browser to search for more. Moreover, the main interface window offers tons of other settings and little utilities like integration with MIDI instruments, printing playlists, jingle modification and a lot more. All of them are located in the top toolbar. Support comes in the form of an online tutorial so you will need an internet connection to access it.
The songs you are currently playing will be displayed in a separate window, located in the bottom right corner by default. There you will see the singer’s name that you have appointed as well as the lyrics that will appear on the screen. A double screen is not supported in the free version but the feature exists in the paid one. However, the screen can be resized however you want and full-screen is supported as well.
The last window is the mixer. It is mostly reserved for advanced users as everything in a song can be edited to the users’ will. Experienced users will deeply appreciate all of the various options as well as the MIDI integration that is very consistent and can offer hours of entertainment alone.
Pros
-Fast installation
-Tons of settings for each utility
-Easy to use interface
-Creating and modifying songs is easy yet complex
Cons
-The interface can get too cluttered at times
Conclusion
Anyone who wants to have fun with their friends by singing in Karaoke will find much to love about the application. The surprisingly deep utilities and the integration with various different modes can mean hours of fun for people that are willing to invest some of their time in getting to know the program.
