Karaoke FAQ's

Q: What is the correct way to spell it? karaoke? Or karaoke, karaoke, karoke, karaoke?
A: While the correct way to spell it is Karaoke, as long as you love to sing, you can spell it as karaoke, karaoke, karaoke, karoke or anyway you want.

Q: Do Karaoke music discs use original artist recordings?
A: Karaoke music discs (CDGs, CDGMs, VCDs and DVDs) are recreations recorded by independent manufacturers. The manufacturer will hire independent artists and bands to recreate songs done in the likeness of the original artist, with the goal of sounding as similar to the original artist as possible. Manufacturers' interpretation of like songs will sound different throughout different manufacturers.

Q: Do the Karaoke recordings have "background singers"?
A: Yes, most discs and songs have background singers, mainly for the chorus. And these background singers are not removable.

Q: Why can't I find the song that I am looking for?
A: LoudKaraoke.com has a large music database, but unfortunately, not all songs are available for Karaoke. When you search for your favorite songs, singers, or groups, try omitting the word "The" and "A" from the song title or group name. For favorite singers, try searching by just the last name.

Q: What is multiplex?
A: All Karaoke discs are made in either a multiplex or non-multiplex format. Multiplex discs also do not feature the original artist.

Multiplex discs, have vocal demos for each song so that you can choose to listen to the song with or without the vocals. Non-multiplex discs provide only one version of the song, without the vocals.

Q: What is CDGM?
A: CDGM stands for Compact Disc plus Graphics Multiplex. In addition to being exactly like CDGs, CDGMs include vocal demos for each song so that you can choose to listen to the song with or without the lead vocals. CDGMs usually have about 8 songs per each disc. The lead vocals are removed by a balance control on your player or by a special multiplex button on your player. See "What is multiplex" for more information.

Q: What is Hybrid CD+G?
A: Hybrid CDG discs will play in any Karaoke CD+G player, regular CD player or on a computer with Windows Media Player!

The screen (TV or computer monitor) will display the lyrics and will highlight each of them in time with the music. You can also play Hybrid discs on a normal CD player, although it will output the music only. Only a Karaoke CD+G player or Windows Media Player equipped computer will output lyrics to a screen.

Q: What is MP3+G?
A: he MP3+G consists of two files, the audio track compressed to the mp3 format and a separate cdg file that contains the graphic data. These two files combined occupy about one eighth the disc space of a standard CDG track. This is a great way to back up your karaoke discs to your hard drive or CD's. These can only be played in a PC and not a karaoke machine.

Q: What is VCD?
A: VCD stands for Video Compact Disc. VCD Karaoke discs provide not only the lyrics in time with the music, but also a video background display that complements the song. VCDs usually have about 11 songs per each disc.

To play Video CD disks you need either a CDG Karaoke player with Video CD capabilities or a DVD player since all DVD players can play Video CD format. Many CDG Karaoke players have a combination Video CD and CDG function and operate the same way as a regular CDG Karaoke player.

Q: What are DVD Karaoke Discs?
A: DVD stands for Digital Versatile Discs. DVD Karaoke disks are generally replications of the Video CD Karaoke disks. The video background on a DVD Karaoke Disk is much higher quality than a Video CD disk, however, currently there is no additional music, improved sound quality, or special DVD features. DVD Karaoke disks tend to be higher priced and there is less selection of songs.

Q: What is CDG?
A: CDG (or CD+G) stands for Compact Disc Plus Graphics. A CDG Karaoke disc contains an additional track, which displays the song lyrics on a TV when played on a Karaoke player. The words to the song are typically displayed on a blue background and are highlighted in a contrasting color to signal when the words should be sung. The CDG format is the Karaoke standard for most of the world's Karaoke. CDGs usually have about 15 songs per each disc.
CDG Karaoke disks require a special Karaoke player called a Karaoke CDG Player. A Karaoke CDG player is similar to a regular CD player, except that it has an additional chip for reading the graphics track of a CDG. In addition, a CDG Karaoke Player also has a place to plug in a microphone, a key controller to adjust for the singer's key, and an echo control to enhance the singer's voice.

A normal DVD player will play both the DVD and Video CD Karaoke disks. However, a Karaoke DVD Player has additional features such as microphone inputs, key changer, and echo control.

Q: Will CDGs play on my standard CD player or computer?
A: A CDG Karaoke disc will play (only the sound, not the graphics) in any standard CD player. A CDG karaoke disc will sometimes work on a computer with a CD-ROM drive or DVD-ROM drive, however it depends on the karaoke disc manufacturer. Recently, some manufacturers have began implementing a method that protects the CDG from being read by a computer. If a CDG has this type of protection, it will still play on standard CD players.

Please Note: Keep in mind that only a CDG karaoke player can read the graphics track, so the song lyrics will not be displayed on a standard CD player, DVD player or computer.

Q: Will Karaoke DVDs play on my standard DVD player or computer DVD-ROM drive?
A: Yes, however, a Karaoke DVD Player has additional features such as microphone inputs, key changer, and echo control.