Hi all, thinking of new things to get me through the lockdown and beyond, and being as they say in Scotland ‘no a bad chanter’, and partial to a bit of Karaoke now and again, I thought let’s get a machine.
I would like something decent, that I can use with YouTube lyrics, plugs into the telly, the sound and Mike quality isn’t good.
I guess I’d pay up to £100 for the kit, but could pay more if you feel it’s worth it. I have been in Amazon but it’s hard to know what’s good.
All and any suggestion should welcome.
Recommendations please
Re: Recommendations please
For a hundred quid, you are not going to get much really.
Are you wanting to take it seriously or just a bit of fun while the coronavirus is rampant?
Are you wanting to take it seriously or just a bit of fun while the coronavirus is rampant?
Karaoke is the spice of life.
Re: Recommendations please
It is for lockdown, a bit of fun, but good fun. Don’t want something rubbish. Equally, I can spend more if it’s a good recommendation.
Re: Recommendations please
Well I don't know about connecting to YouTube and playing karaoke that way.
Obviously you have portable CDG players which will play discs.
The problem you have and always will have is that you can't create a sound like your local pub or club even if you had gear worth thousands of pounds.
Your home just will not allow you to get anywhere near what with the acoustics and furnishings etc.
So, you can go for what I would call a toy (a portable karaoke player that plays discs) and just sing along with that.
The same will apply if you manage to hook anything up to YouTube, the karaoke sound will simply not be there and you'll be disappointed, oh will you be disappointed
You will find yourself singing louder than the music and if there is an audience, they will probably not be amused.
In house parties such as these you will be better off not doing things on an individual basis but singing as a group and just enjoying the sing song together.
There's another option if you are doing this alone and that is to use a computer based system using discs or downloadable karaoke files.
In this case you can play karaoke with a mixer and headphones.
You will now have something which allows you to be totally immersed in karaoke and have a good sound as well.
This way you can recreate something similar to singing at the local venue and even practice for that.
If you do get a portable player, why not try hooking it up to a PC with a cheap mixer, who knows, the sound might surprise you.
Obviously you have portable CDG players which will play discs.
The problem you have and always will have is that you can't create a sound like your local pub or club even if you had gear worth thousands of pounds.
Your home just will not allow you to get anywhere near what with the acoustics and furnishings etc.
So, you can go for what I would call a toy (a portable karaoke player that plays discs) and just sing along with that.
The same will apply if you manage to hook anything up to YouTube, the karaoke sound will simply not be there and you'll be disappointed, oh will you be disappointed
You will find yourself singing louder than the music and if there is an audience, they will probably not be amused.
In house parties such as these you will be better off not doing things on an individual basis but singing as a group and just enjoying the sing song together.
There's another option if you are doing this alone and that is to use a computer based system using discs or downloadable karaoke files.
In this case you can play karaoke with a mixer and headphones.
You will now have something which allows you to be totally immersed in karaoke and have a good sound as well.
This way you can recreate something similar to singing at the local venue and even practice for that.
If you do get a portable player, why not try hooking it up to a PC with a cheap mixer, who knows, the sound might surprise you.
Karaoke is the spice of life.
Re: Recommendations please
Don’t want to use a pc. Happy to use a CDG system, but looking recommended machines.
Re: Recommendations please
OK then I have exhausted the things I know but there's plenty here who know much more.
Karaoke is the spice of life.
Re: Recommendations please
That's all these portable things are, just gimmicks.
For the OP, I would just go to ebay, search for karaoke machine and buy the cheapest one you can find.
Here's a link to those in the UK.
If you want a few people round for a drink and take it one step further you could try having a silent karaoke party.
This is where you all wear headphones hooked up to some sort of system but otherwise the sound will be dreadful on these gimmicky toys.
Best bet would be to save your money and go for a PC or laptop set up, at least that way you will get some reward and feel better about it.
Top prices I would pay for such a set up would be:
Laptop/PC about £40
Mixer £30
2 x Microphones £10
Total cost £80
Downloadable songs £1-2 each.
I think George (VinylCrazy97) has a portable karaoke machine so maybe you two should correspond and compare notes here.
That way you would be helping others in the same boat
Karaoke is for life - not just for Christmas 
Re: Recommendations please
Use a PC or Mac. Buy a mixer with USB and built in effects (My Yamaha MG10XU USB Stereo Mixer is only about 200.00 US.) I use it primarily to record my guitar and backing tracks but found this setup is great for karaoke. You will "not be happy with a cheap portable karaoke machine" unless you pay more for a good VocoPro system or something similar.
Re: Recommendations please
I download guitar backing tracks, and good ones, free from the web. Some have vocals and some do not. I guess they could be used to practice singing for free.
You can get some good karaoke tracks from karaoke versions dot com or maybe even free elsewhere on the web.
You can get some good karaoke tracks from karaoke versions dot com or maybe even free elsewhere on the web.