All About Karaoke Machines
By Bob Pardue
The following article covers a topic that has
recently moved to center stage--at least it seems that way. If you've
been thinking you need to know more about it, here's your
opportunity.
One invention that has really taken off in the
music world is the 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 machines,
and how they’ve progressed over the years.
A Brief History of Machines
The earliest 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 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 bars, also called KTV boxes, began
having competitions or fun nights for amateurs.
Advancement of Machines
The early machines worked with cassette
tapes, but later became more advanced using CDs, laserdiscs, VCDs and
today’s DVDs.
How can you put a limit on learning more? The
next section may contain that one little bit of wisdom that changes
everything.
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 equipment 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 Equipment to Computers
Karaoke songs are now being played over
computers everywhere via music files such as MIDI, MP3 and many
others.
The machine is not needed with these
files, but a downloadable player instead. Both the players
and song files can be downloaded on the Internet.
More Advances in Equipment is
Coming
Karaoke machines are being modernized in many
other ways as well. From auto 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 machines will still be around for a while.
The machines are convenient for
restaurants, bars, gatherings and other public 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 machine yet?
There's no doubt that the topic of can
be fascinating. If you still have unanswered questions about karaoke,
you may find what you're looking for in the next article.
