Karaoke Machine | The Photography Shack

Since the karaoke party in America is thirty years old now, there are many ways songbirds can explore their singing talent. There are personal attachments one can affix to an iPod to practice singing around the house while doing chores. Or extroverts may prefer to seek out a karaoke club to belt-it-out in front of dozens of strangers for prize money and fame.

For house parties, a karaoke machine can be a great way to entertain guests for hours on end. Video game systems can also transform traditional karaoke into challenging games. Finding karaoke online can transform a hobby into a social community, where friends can upload their karaoke recordings and trade with others.

So, which systems are getting the most buzz? The $60 doPi Karaoke "Party in a Pod" system can turn a video iPod into a karaoke machine. Consumers will also review their options and get a microphone, a mixer box with two inputs, echo effect, video in/out ports and all cables needed to connect an iPod to the box, which plugs into the wall.

A Song Card With Three Free Downloads

A song card comes with three free downloads and many karaoke songs come with video too. This system, which has been featured by InStyle, People, Seventeen, WIRED, Mac Life, iLounge, FHM and Entertainment Magazine, as well as Good Morning America and The Early Show, can be purchased at www.dopikaraoke.com.

Another great karaoke machine system is the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3, which sell for $300 on average, but also plays hundreds of video games and connects to the internet. The karaoke software, "Karaoke Revolution Party," only costs $30 and comes with 50 karaoke hits and a microphone.

Getting The Right Pitch

The game, which comes with varying levels for beginners and pros, allows singers the ability to practice meeting the right pitch to win points. Players can choose different singer characters, sing duets or sing in party mode when friends are over.

There is even an "American Idol" version, which features Simon Cowell, Ryan Seacrest and Paula Abdul as guest judges, who offer critiques. Game versions for PlayStation 2, Xbox, Wii and Nintendo GameCube are available as well at www.konami.com.

A Built-In Camera

The $199 Singing Machine Pedestal CDG Karaoke system offers a more professional singing and recording experience than the average karaoke machine. In addition to having two microphones, the system also comes with a built-in camera so singers can watch themselves on the video monitor.

Additionally, the RCA output allows singers the ability to tape themselves on a VCR or DVD recorder as well. Unlike other systems that are all-vocals or no-vocals, this unit comes with Auto Voice Control so the vocals are eliminated when the singer starts to sing and returns when the singer stops singing.

Key, Echo, Balance And Pitch Control

This function is ideal for practicing a new song. Additional features for this CD/CD G player include key, echo, balance and pitch control. Ipod-compatible systems also exist for $249. Consumers can purchase this product at www.singingmachine.com.

Consumers are not the only demographic for the karaoke machine. Some business owners see karaoke as a great opportunity to add entertainment or set themselves apart from the competition. Obviously, the karaoke club is nothing new, but what about the karaoke cab?

Cabs With Built-In Karaoke Machines

In cities like Dallas, New York City, Chicago and San Francisco, there are cabs with built-in karaoke machines to start off a pre-party or occupy riders for long rides. Some videos of karaoke singers are posted at www.mykaraokecab.com.

Karaoke Yellow Cab out of Dallas, Texas says that the karaoke hits up his tips and that the most common songs requested are Van Morrison’s "Brown Eyed Girl," Madonna’s "Like A Virgin" and Neil Diamond’s "Sweet Caroline."

Please note: Prices, models and features may change without notice. Please contact retailers, suppliers and or websites for the most current prices, models and features.

More Karaoke Facts....

Do you like to sing and entertain others? Is music just a part of who you are and you want to find a way to liven up the next event that you host? You need to start doing karaoke. This form of entertainment is easy to learn. The song plays and the words scroll across a screen and you simply sing along to the music. Before you know it, everyone will be wanting to take a turn entertaining each other. Your event will be the talk of the town and superstars will be in the making when you have the music blaring.

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