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How to Create a MIDI for Karaoke

Karaoke has been around awhile, yet it remains a popular form of entertainment and musical enrichment. Often associated with nightclubs, parties, birthday celebrations or weddings, karaoke is also popular in many homes, where family and friends can perform well-known popular or traditional tunes, singing along with a recorded musical accompaniment. MIDI song files are very common and cover a broad repertoire of both contemporary and classical music. Using a relatively inexpensive program like Power Tracks Pro or other widely available MIDI software, you can convert standard MIDI song files into karaoke song files.

Things You'll Need

  • Power Tracks Pro MIDI sequencer
  • Sound card with speakers
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Instructions

  1. Opening a MIDI Song File to Edit

    • 1

      Install Power Tracks Pro MIDI sequencer on your computer. If you prefer another MIDI sequencer, be sure to use one that allows you add lyrics to MIDI song files.

    • 2

      Configure your sequencer to send MIDI output to your computer's sound card or MIDI synthesizer. This can be done through the toolbar menu "Options-MIDI Devices." The default MIDI synthesizer for PCs is usually Microsoft GS Wavetable, but may be any other software synthesizer installed and running on your computer.

    • 3

      Open a standard MIDI song file in Power Tracks Pro using the "File-Open" command on the toolbar menu. Standard MIDI files have a file extension of MID or SMF. You can download popular MIDI song files from Internet archives; if you are an advanced MIDI user, you can create your own.

    • 4
      Symbols used for transport controls

      Preview the MIDI song file by clicking the "Play" button on the sequencer's control panel. For most sequencers, this is a graphic panel that looks like a recording console with buttons such as "Play," "Pause/Stop," "Rewind" and "Fast Forward."

    • 5

      Locate which one of your MIDI song file’s multiple tracks is associated with the actual tune or melody. The track which has the tune might be labeled as "Melody" in the track view. If not, find the tune by listening to each track alone, or by viewing each track in the notation view until you find the right one.

    Adding Lyrics to a MIDI Song File

    • 6
      Use the mouse or arrow keys to select a melody track.

      Select the “Melody” track from the multiple tracks in the tracks view. Do this by clicking on the track or moving the arrow keys until the track is highlighted.

    • 7
      This is standard music notation.

      Click on the toolbar menu to open the track in notation view. In this view, the notes are displayed on a standard music staff. To open a track in notation view with Power Tracks Pro, highlight the track and click on the toolbar menu's "Window-New-Notation."

    • 8

      Click the “L” button on the notation window’s toolbar to start the lyrics entry mode.

    • 9

      Enter lyrics for each note of the melody by clicking on a note, typing a word or syllable into a text box, pressing the "Enter" key, then moving on to the next note until you finish entering all the lyrics. Clicking the “L” button again will toggle off the lyrics entry mode.

    • 10

      Save your MIDI song file. You should save it with a modified file name to indicate that you have added lyrics to the song. For example, you might wish to save "MySong.mid" as "MySongLyrics.mid".

    MIDI to Karaoke Conversion

    • 11

      Open your edited MIDI song file with melody and lyrics in Power Tracks Pro.

    • 12

      Click on toolbar menu "File-Remap" to .KAR format.

    • 13

      Arrange the music tracks of your MIDI song file so that non-lyrics text, lyrics, melody and instrument tracks are in the standard order for karaoke MIDI files. Follow the instructions for remapping the appropriate tracks.

    • 14

      Preview the remapped tracks and make sure they are labeled correctly and in the standard order prescribed in the instructions for remapping MIDI tracks to karaoke tracks. Especially make sure, by opening the track labeled "Lyrics," that the words are there.

    • 15

      Save the re-mapped MIDI song file as a "karaoke" file, by clicking the button “SaveAs .KAR…”. You may also save the file with the “File-SaveAs…” file command; but be sure the file extension is .KAR. The file extension KAR identifies the file as a karaoke song file and makes it easier to play on other karaoke players.

    Preview Your Karaoke Song File

    • 16

      Open your converted karaoke song file in Power Tracks Pro.

    • 17

      Select and highlight the track labeled “Lyrics.”

    • 18

      Open the toolbar menu "Window-New-Big Lyrics" window. You should be able to view the lyrics in this window.

    • 19

      Press the space bar to begin playing your song. The lyrics are highlighted as the music plays.

    • 20

      Press the space bar again to pause or stop the music. If the lyrics and music are in sync, and you can sing along with the accompaniment, your file is complete.

    Creating Your Own Karaoke Song File (Optional)

    • 21
      Realistic effects can be achieved in MIDI composer software.

      Install MIDI composer software, such as Band-in-a-Box or Jammer, on your computer. MIDI composer software automatically “composes” a musical accompaniment according to a pattern of chords and musical style you select. The sounds are surprisingly realistic, and the effect is as if a real band were playing your music.

    • 22
      A MIDI keyboard controller is another option.

      Connect a MIDI keyboard controller to your computer using a MIDI interface device and cables.

    • 23

      Start the composer program and configure the MIDI In and Out ports, usually listed in the toolbar menu for MIDI devices, to send and receive data to and from your keyboard.

    • 24

      Establish the basic musical elements and structure of your song. These include items such as key, meter and total number of measures. You can modify these items later as you continue to develop your song.

    • 25

      Enter the desired chords for each measure. You may use standard chord designations such as C, G7, Dsus4 and Amaj7. In this phase, you establish the pattern of harmony throughout the song.

    • 26
      Authentic style and feel can be applied to MIDI accompaniment.

      Choose a style of accompaniment for each part of your song. These parts may include an introduction, a “groove” or main music section, interludes, breaks, pre-ending and ending. This addition gives a "live" and authentic feel to your song.

    • 27

      Select an empty track with no music or other data from the list of multiple tracks displayed in the composer program’s track view by clicking on it or highlighting it. Use your mouse or arrow keys for this.

    • 28
      Layer in your melody for assistance.

      Click the "Record" button and record the melody of your song by playing it in unison (one note at a time) from your controller keyboard. Follow the directions in your MIDI composer program’s user guide for how to record a MIDI track. This step layers in your melody with the other tracks.

    • 29

      Click the “Play” button to listen to your song. If the melody and accompaniment do not sync up exactly, you might need to rerecord the melody until it goes well with the accompaniment.

    • 30

      Export your arrangement and save it as a standard MIDI song file.

    • 31

      Follow the steps in sections 1 to 4 to convert your original MIDI song file to a karaoke song file.

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