Converting Kar. Files

[Grover Cornwell]

If I buy a usb recorder and the Kpro-4 program from MTU? Will I be able to convert and record all my Kar. files to CD+G and play them on my Karaoke machine?

[jaddams]

Originally posted by GrooveIf I buy a usb recorder and the Kpro-4 program from MTU? Will I be able to convert and record all my Kar. files to CD+G and play them on my Karaoke machine?

I am afraid not. Kpro allows you to create CDGs by importing or typing the lyrics then importing the musical background as a WAV file and then placing the text in sync with the music. The resulting song then is then exported to a CDG file.

However you need another piece of software “MicroStudio”, also by MTU, to burn a final CDG which can be played on any karaoke machine either at home or at your regular karaoke place.

A note of caution though, not all CDR burners (USB, IDE or otherwise) support the CDG standard. In fact, very few do and the only ones that do an excellent job are the Plextor drives AND even then you may find a bad one once in a while..

One way to guarantee that you burner is 100% CDG certified, is to buy one from MTU. they test each single drive for compliance before it’s shipped to the customer.

In my opinion, with the right hardware and software combination, you will enjoy your karaoke preferences for years to come.

For more information about MTU's Karaoke products,
please click here

For more information about supported drives, please click here

Good luck,

Jon

[mlepine]

Grover,

If you convert your .kar file to wave you will be able to create a cdg file by using Kpro.

You will need to re-enter the lyrics.

You will need a SB card (ideally an Audigy) an a Wave Recorder, the one that comes with SB is perfect.
By playing a Midi or kar file using a SB card with good set up would give you sound to be played back with Microstudio.

By the way, if you use Karawin you will be able to extract the lyrics from your kar or midi file! www.karawin.com

Good Luck

[jaddams]

Mlepine,

Grover still would need MicroStudio or a similar programmto create a Karaoke playable CDG. You cannot use Kpro to burn a CDG. This was the substance of my answer.

Regards,

Jon

[mlepine]

I tought Grover had in mind to purchase Suite 4.

You are correct Jaddams.

Regards

[jaddams]

No fault Mlepine, just a misunderstanding.

Best regards,

Jon

[danny_g]

grover check your PM I have a solution for it but don't know if naming it will constitute violating the rules of this forum. The program doesn't create cdg but you can use it in conjunction with MTU's Karaoke Suite 4 to convert from Kar to CDG. I have all the programs that are needed to create CDG files from KAR files and have tried it once. All KAR is is MIDI Karaoke so you are trading quality audio for being able to have your KAR files in your CDG collection.

[Grover Cornwell]

I have tried some of those other programs. Danny_G I don't understand why converting Midi to cdg would give up quality of audio. Can you explain. Also suite4 should have a area for correcting this or does it. Does anyone know if downloading Mid. files is ilegal under the new laws?

[danny_g]

Originally posted by Grover Cornwell
I have tried some of those other programs. Danny_G I don't understand why converting Midi to cdg would give up quality of audio. Can you explain. Also suite4 should have a area for correcting this or does it. Does anyone know if downloading Mid. files is ilegal under the new laws?

do you ever wonder why NUtech's music on it's 1 through 63 discs sounds so awful? They are all MIdI file created CDG's that with some added vocals are nothing but fake sounding music. you are trading off the quality sound of real instruments for the ease of trying to immitate reals instruments that are nothing more than a keyboard trying to be a whole band. You can't get a real Guitar solo out of a midi arrangement no matter how hard you might try. It is actually better to just record that guitar track using a real guitar.

[danny_g]

Originally posted by danny_g
do you ever wonder why NUtech's music on it's 1 through 63 discs sounds so awful? They are all MIdI file created CDG's that with some added vocals are nothing but fake sounding music. you are trading off the quality sound of real instruments for the ease of trying to immitate reals instruments that are nothing more than a keyboard trying to be a whole band. You can't get a real Guitar solo out of a midi arrangement no matter how hard you might try. It is actually better to just record that guitar track using a real guitar.

I'm a big Journey fan and while I have tried to use MIDI files to create the Journey songs that are not available on Karaoke- Certain songs have Guitar solos in them that midi can not imitate to my satisfaction. I got a friend who plays guitar so I am hoping that he can learn those songs so I can get him to replace both the guitar tracks and the bass tracks of those midi's. We both also have to lay down some background vocals for a couple of the songs as well. MIdi tracks are good for the drums and the keyboards and maybe even horn sections, but most of the guys I know who have the interest of creating tracks for karaoke believe that there is nothing better than the real instruments.

[pcgumshoe]

You get what you pay for and what you put into it.

I think, and I may be wrong. I have not toured any of these facilities and I am not advocating that this is the truth, however, in my business plan, actual musicians are negated. God knows how Musicians can mess up the whole cart! Look at the Carol Burnet Show... Ever wonder why it isn't released on DVD? Because of the Musicians Union!

Well, you can take a Kar file and use it like a midi. With a midi, you can play it into a wav. and from a wav you can make a karaoke. How much time you spend on it and what type of equipment, now more software, will determine what you are capable of doing.

Here is my list of hardware:

A PC with a lots of RAM and a good Sound Card (for now I use Live & Above from Sound Blaster, but there are others I will be using in a mini studio)

A good set of headphones (mine cost $150 and I get the at cost deal because I have what they want - booze!)

That's it.

Now, for the software (and this is important but not absolute)

Finale 2002 (will be changing to Sibelius soon)
Sonar 2.2 XL
Reason 2.5
KPro (Very IMPORTANT and the ONLY SOFTWARE to USE!)
Microstudio
Word & Notepad

Now I will address why I use what I use and what I mean by, you get what you pay for (and what you put into it):

Finale: If something does not exist. I will find the sheet music, preferable the full score or the "Piano/Conductor's Score"

I will key in all the music into multiple staves and then I have each instrument's music represented. Then I convert it to midi (Save really).

Now I goto Sonar. In Sonar, I will break some of the instruments apart or have many tracks of the same intrument (a plucked violin and a tremelo)

I will use Edirol in Sonar for some audio and I will use Rewire in Sonar to open Reason.

Reason: this is a program that has wav recordings of actual instruments. There is so much control over the instruments. The premise here is that someone (and many people do this) took the time to painstakenly record into wav format each note on a particular instrument and then different styles to play each note.

The package comes with a lot of useful instruments and effects.

Now I play my midi file through all these components and I edit the style, I edit the midi, I tweak hear and there and then I have it sounding perfect. Now I mix down the audio to a wav file. If I have time, I will burn it to a CD and make sure it sounds the same on my Bar's audio system. Everything being right, I have a close rendition of the song I am trying to make.

I search for the Lyrics on Google, copy the lyrics to a txt file and then I select it all and copy it to word. In word, I select all and convert the fonts to "ALL CAPS" Then I copy it back to Notepad and I make any spoken parts in lower case, I add things like "INTRODUCTION" "INTERLUDE" or whatever else, sometimes if I don't know the song and where I would pause, I put ===== ahead so that it reminds me to pause. I break up words with "*'s" so that I tap 3x for a word lik "An*y*one"

Then I mix it down to a CDG and then I use Microstudio to burn it to a disk. I think I will make a post in the KPro Section on this topic and see what people think.

If you have any other questions, or comments for me personally on this, email me.