We’ve included a "Basic" version our CD-Recorder 4 (4.1) software to assist you recording audio, file management, file conversion, and CD burning. The included DART CD-Recorder 4 Basic does have some limitations (the "Producer" tools are not active, AutoUpdate doesn’t function and others). Whenever you attempt to access a feature that is not supported in the Basic version, you’ll see a notification onscreen.
To access information on using CD-Recorder 4, please use the CD-Recorder 4 product FAQ, found here. Be aware that this link is for a FULL version of CD-Recorder, so some information will not apply to Karaoke Studio users.
You can purchase Karaoke Studio online directly from us by clicking on the "Buy" link, underneath the CD jewel case image of DART Karaoke Studio (on the Home page). From there, follow the onscreen links to buy the version of your choice (CD-ROM or downloaded "unlockable" version). You can also purchase using one our many retailers, whose links can be found in the "Products" area of our page, in "Resellers".
If you’d care to "try before you buy", you can download and install a fully functioning, 30-day trial (available on our web page). As you try out the demo, you’ll have various options and opportunities to purchase either a CD, or downloadable version of the software. The full CD version ($199.99 US) includes the Guided Tour (a multimedia tutorial of CD-Recorder 4 Basic only) and an electronic version of the manual. The CD-ROM version is HIGHLY recommended.
We currently support only the following Microsoft Windows platforms: Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, and Windows Me (Millenium Edition). At this time, there are no plans to release for other software operating systems.
To install DART Karaoke Studio, insert the setup CD-ROM into your drive. In Windowst™ 95, the installation procedure will launch automatically, but only if the automatic insertion feature for your CD-ROM is active.
To install DART Karaoke Studio manually, go to the Control Panel, click on Add/Remove Programs and choose SETUP.EXE on your CD-ROM drive.
The DART Karaoke Studio installation program will start, pausing only to ask in which directory you would like to install the program (we suggest that you use the default values) and the CD drive (or "CD installation path") where the setup CD is located.
To install DART Karaoke Studio, insert the setup CD-ROM into your drive. In Windows™ 98, the installation procedure will launch automatically, but only if the automatic insertion feature for your CD-ROM is active.
To install DART Karaoke Studio manually, go to the Control Panel, click on Add/Remove Programs and choose SETUP.EXE on your CD-ROM drive.
The DART Karaoke Studio installation program will start, pausing only to ask in which directory you would like to install the program (we suggest that you use the default values) and the CD drive (or "CD installation path") where the setup CD is located.
To install DART Karaoke Studio, insert the setup CD-ROM into your drive. In Windows™ Me, the installation procedure will launch automatically, but only if the automatic insertion feature for your CD-ROM is active.
To install DART Karaoke Studio manually, go to the Control Panel, click on Add/Remove Programs and choose SETUP.EXE on your CD-ROM drive.
The DART Karaoke Studio installation program will start, pausing only to ask in which directory you would like to install the program (we suggest that you use the default values) and the CD drive (or "CD installation path") where the setup CD is located.
To install DART Karaoke Studio, insert the setup CD-ROM into your drive. In Windows™ NT, the installation procedure will launch automatically, but only if the automatic insertion feature for your CD-ROM is active.
To install DART Karaoke Studio manually, go to the Control Panel, click on Add/Remove Programs and choose SETUP.EXE on your CD-ROM drive.
The DART Karaoke Studio installation program will start, pausing only to ask in which directory you would like to install the program (we suggest that you use the default values) and the CD drive (or "CD installation path") where the setup CD is located.
To install DART Karaoke Studio, insert the setup CD-ROM into your drive. In Windows™ 2000, the installation procedure will launch automatically, but only if the automatic insertion feature for your CD-ROM is active.
To install DART Karaoke Studio manually, go to the Control Panel, click on Add/Remove Programs and choose SETUP.EXE on your CD-ROM drive.
The DART Karaoke Studio installation program will start, pausing only to ask in which directory you would like to install the program (we suggest that you use the default values)
Most current "off the shelf" systems are MORE than fast enough to handle Karaoke Studio’s performance requirements. However, with all software, you’ll get a much better experience if you run it on a very fast system. The bare minimum requirements for using the software are:
Operating System: Windows 95 or higher (Windows 98, Me, etc.)
A CD-R (CD Recordable) or CD-RW (CD ReWritable) isn’t required for utilizing the DART Karaoke Studio, but you will be missing out on SOME exciting features. If you have a CD-R/RW installed on your system, you’ll have the capability of creating your own audio CDs that feature YOU as the lead vocalist for your favorite hits! This process has been greatly enhanced by the addition of the included CD-Recorder 4 Basic version (A $50 dollar value FREE) to guide you in this process. You can make joke CDs for friends, CDs for creating special moments, practicing vocal arrangements, and just for fun.
The only thing required to take full advantage is a microphone and your attitude! We don’t recommend any particular microphone, but do have some basic requirements on their use. This is further explained here . You can also get more enjoyment and use from Karaoke Studio if you have a CD-R or CD-RW drive. You can even use the software just to create your own regular audio CDs.
No. We provide you with all of the software that you should need to be able to get audio tracks from a variety of sources, use them in building, or expanding your library, and then having a good time. However, make sure that your operating system (OS) is compatible with your software.
On the CD version, we provide a full "Guided Tour" multimedia tutorial (only for CD-Recorder 4 Basic) that lets you move at your own pace, and see each step explained. If this doesn’t help, read on...
All versions also include a project wizard that can assist you in becoming familiar with project creation and completion. In addition, there is also an extensive online help system and an electronic version of the full manual.
Completing a project from start to finish will vary on a few things. First, your level of proficiency with the software will determine how quickly you can build a good basic project. Early on, it’s going to take a little time. Secondly, obtaining the audio and lyrics (either by typing or importing) will take a little bit of time. The more familiar you are with its tools and capabilities, the faster you’ll be able to take songs from beginning to end. DART Karaoke Studio provides you with the flexibility to create a song in a "quick and dirty" fashion, or be very exacting and detailed with respect to the placement of lyrics and their timing within the song. This means that if you’re the kind of person that wants it to be PERFECT, you can spend a lot of time tweaking a song. Fortunately, you can also obtain finished Karaoke Studio project files (.DKAs) from the Internet via other Karaoke Studio members... all you have to have is the audio file to make it work. The average start to end time for a user is about 30 minutes.
At this time, we don’t offer that exact feature. However, we can give you something even better...
Our included CD-Recorder 4 Basic will allow you to convert .MID (MIDI) files to .WAV (Wave) files so that you can use them in our software. You can find this command on the "List" menu or by clicking on the button of the piano keyboard keys. Refer to the CD-Recorder 4 Basic Help files for more information on converting MIDI files to WAVEs.
The CD+G is an important CD standard for Karaoke applications because it allows CD audio and special graphics to be stored on a five-inch standard disc, primarily for Karaoke players. CD+G formatted CDs require a special Karaoke player and a TV set to reproduce CD audio and graphics. Graphics in this case refer to Karaoke style word displays, where words to a song appear on a colored background and change color in synch with the music track to guide singers. A typical CD+G disc contains 4 to 18 songs. When these discs are played in regular audio CD players, the graphic information is simply ignored.
In addition to hardware devices, some software Karaoke players are also available, such as WinCDG by Steve J. Gray - see http://www.ryerson.ca/~sgray. Software players do not read the ‘.bin’ files that are on CD+G discs. They interpret special files (.cdg) which contain song lyrics and synchronization data only - the audio data should be provided in a separate wave or mp3 file.
Not in Karaoke Studio, but this is one of the most powerful features in Karaoke Studio CD+G. You can create .BIN files, which are used to create a custom CD+G disc that can be played in a stand-alone karaoke CD player. Karaoke Studio CD+G also allows you to control different aspects of how that karaoke track’s graphic data is displayed, including text font, size, color, and number of verses shown as well as other powerful options.
If you have and Internet connection, you can email the DART Karaoke Studio project files (. DKAs) to friends and family. However, they will NOT be able to use them, unless they also have Karaoke Studio installed.
We also expect some number of project files to be available on the Internet. Check our web page (www.dartpro.com) for info on this.
Indeed, you can. Our included CD-Recorder 4 Basic will allow you to compile a Playlist of your mixed vocal performance files. These are songs that have the original lead vocal removed and feature YOUR vocal in its place. You can create a CD with as little as 1 track or as many as 99 (up to 74 minutes worth, unless you have "Allow CD overburning" enabled in the "Options" menu in CD-Recorder 4 Basic).
It IS possible to create an audio CD with the lead vocal (center channel) suppressed. However, there would be NO graphics information of any kind and it would only play as a regular audio CD. As stated above, it IS possible to trade and use .dka files with another user of Karaoke Studio.
No, we require Windows and many other accompanying files to be able to display your karaoke projects and playlist on the PC monitor. So, this would not be possible with Karaoke Studio.
Not in Karaoke Studio, but this is one of the most powerful features in Karaoke Studio CD+G. You can create .BIN files, which are used to create a custom CD+G disc that can be played in a stand-alone karaoke CD player. Karaoke Studio CD+G also allows you to control different aspects of how that karaoke track’s graphic data is displayed, including text font, size, color, and number of verses shown as well as other powerful options.
Generally, as long as you use the material for your own personal use and enjoyment... no. However, if you use the Karaoke Studio and the material for ANY kind of commercial purposes, then you might be breaking copyright laws. When in doubt, consult legal counsel to be sure that you’re within the law.
Assigning the ‘Default CD Reader’ drive by clicking on the "View" menu, selecting "Options" and then clicking on "Devices". Click on the pull-down menu to select which CD drive you’d like to use to ‘grab’ audio CD tracks. Make SURE that the ‘CD Reader drive letter’ matches the selected drive.
Assigning the ‘Default CD-Recorder’ drive can also be done by clicking on the "View" menu and selecting "Options". Click on the pull-down menu to select which CD drive you’d like to use to record your custom audio CDs. Note that you will be given an option to change this (and the record speed) later, prior to the actual burning process.
Start the CD-Recorder 4 Basic version and then insert an audio CD into your assigned ‘CD Reader’ drive.
NOTE: It is very important NOT to allow another CD player software program to attempt to "grab" the CD away from us. If another software ‘autostarts’ and begins playing the audio CD, make sure that you close that program before hitting the "Read Track" button in the process below.
Select the hard drive and folder where you want to store the new tracks. If you select the CD drive, the program will think you are trying to read tracks from a CD and store them on the SAME CD, which isn’t possible. So, you MUST select a valid, non-CD (fixed hard disk) drive to save the files into, prior to hitting the "Read Track" button.
If the audio track you want is on an existing audio CD, click on the "Read Track" button (it is the button that looks like a CD with music notes on it).
If desired, access the online CDDB (GraceNote) CD Information database to identify the CD and automatically insert the proper track and album info into our program.
Select the tracks that you want to record. If you are not sure which track you want, you can listen to the CD using the controls near the bottom of the dialogue box. The CD drive, that is ‘playing’ the CD, MUST have an internal audio cable connected from the CD-ROM drive to the soundcard for this audio to be audible.
After selecting the track that you want, click on the "Add" button. If all you are doing is copying the entire CD, you can click on the "Add All" button.
Before you begin to copy tracks from your CD, you should select the correct read speed of your CD-ROM drive from the drop down list labeled "Read Speed." For various reasons, we do NOT recommend that you read tracks faster than 1x or 2x. We have seen that slower speeds tend to proper better, more reliable track reading and better sound tracks.
You may want to change the file name prefix if you are recording from multiple sources so you don't get confused about which file is which. To do this, click on the "change" button, type in the appropriate name, and click "OK."
The program will now begin copying the CD tracks you have selected.
Repeat these steps until you have all of the songs you want to record. Remember that you have a limit of seventy-four minutes when you are recording on to CDs.
Yes. By clicking on "Add all" in the "Read Track" window, you can select the entire track contents of an audio CD to be transferred to the hard drive. Please note that this process can take some time, even at faster read speeds.
Yes. Within the "Read Track" window, you’ll have the option to play a file from the CD and listen to it prior to being read. Note that the CD audio cable must be connected from your ‘CD Reader’ drive to the soundcard for this feature to function properly.
Clicking on the "Change" button will allow you to choose the drive and name of the file. By default, transferred tracks are sent to the currently selected folder (in the File Panel) with the name format "trackXX.wav" (X is the track number). We suggest that if you want to grab entire CDs that you create new folders JUST for that audio, and name the folder after the album or recording.
Audio tracks from CDs are sent by default to the currently selected folder on the File Panel. The File Panel consists of the left and middle ‘window’ areas of the program. They should contain your systems folders (i.e. Windows, Program Files) in the left section and the contents of each folder (i.e. audio, text, or pictures) in the middle section. We suggest creating a folder on your computer in which you store ALL of your audio (preferably on it’s own hard drive), so that it’s easier to find, and not necessary to move should you need to reinstall our software.
You can alter the location where audio tracks from a particular CD will be sent by clicking on the "Change" button in the "Read Track" window.
Once you’ve recorded the audio to the system, it’s ready to use. Simply open the Karaoke Studio Author or Recorder/Player (if you already have a project file for the audio track) then move to the section on the Karaoke Author to find out how to open a new soundtrack.
Recording audio tracks from your computer’s soundcard:
First, you’ll have to be aware that recording from your PC soundcard will HAVE TO happen in the included CD-Recorder 4 Basic software. You’ll find additional info on using that to record audio below.
The first step you'll need to take to get started recording is to set up your sound card's connection to the "outside world." There are many different types of soundcards and audio cards on the market, so the information we provide here can only give you general guidelines on how your connections will be made. Please be sure to refer to your sound device's printed or online documentation when setting up to record from its inputs. More information on soundcard troubleshooting, as well as links to many major manufacturers' Websites, can be found in the support area of our Webpage (www.dartpro.com).
You will need to have a stereo patch cable, sometimes called a "Y" cable.
One end of the cable will be a single 1/8" DIN connector that plugs into the computer.
The other end will need to have Dual female RCA connectors to plug into the stereo.
A typical computer soundcard has the following types of physical inputs/outputs available:
One 1/8" DIN input jack for a microphone (Mic)
1/8" DIN "Line In", or similar audio (music) input jack
1/8" DIN "Line Out", or similar audio output jack
A 1/8" DIN output (or outputs) from the soundcard to the speakers
NOTE: Some soundcards now feature an additional input and/or output for digital signals (signals already converted from analog to digital). CD-Recorder V4 can also record from these inputs, assuming that you have set up the digital output to input (and vice versa, if necessary) from your external digital device (CD player, DAT machine or stereo receiver with digital output). You must also be certain that your soundcard has selected the digital input as being "active". Check your soundcard documentation for more info on setting this up.
Don't be too concerned if you don't see all of the possible input/output types available. The only ones that you NEED to have are the speaker output and the Line Input. Check your soundcard's documentation for more information on which jacks do which functions. Some users don't always get printed information, and in that case, your soundcard manufacturer's Website will also be a good resource for information.
Plug the single DIN connector on the patch cable into the audio input plug-in on the computer sound card.
Possibly. The great majority of Karaoke Studio users will get their audio files directly off of audio CDs, but if you choose to record from your soundcard, you’ll need to be able to connect your equipment to the "Line In" jack of the PC’s soundcard.
No, you don’t HAVE TO have a microphone. However, many of the product features can’t be used if you do not use a microphone along with the software. There are many users, however, that only wish to use the Player to display lyrics in time, and don’t care to record themselves or others. In this case, a microphone isn’t needed... so go ahead and just sing along!
This depends on what you’re trying to record. If you’re going to be recording audio soundtracks (songs to remove vocal tracks from), you’ll want to use the "Line In" jack and connect your external audio system to that input. If you’re going to be recording your own, or others’, vocals tracks you’ll want to record from the "Mic In".
You should always use the PC soundcard’s "Microphone In" or "Mic In" for recording audio from the microphone. Microphone inputs on soundcard work at specific levels and this level must be maintained for a proper recording to take place.
After DART CD-Recorder V4 Basic is installed, you must set your input recording volume:
Double-click on the icon next to the clock that looks like a speaker. This will bring up the "Volume Control". If you don't see this control, you may also be able to access by going to "Start" / "Programs" / "Accessories" / "Multimedia" or "Entertainment" / "Volume Control"
Click on the "Options" menu and select "Properties."
Under "Properties" select "Adjust volume for" as "Recording" and make sure all of the volume controls are selected/checked on the bottom of the "Properties" dialog box. Click on "OK."
Now the "Recording Control" Dialog box will appear. Make sure that the proper line is selected (Usually "Line-In" or "Line"). The proper option must be selected or you will not be able to record any of the input. To select the proper line, you must make sure the correct "Select" option box is checked.
Use the vertical slider to adjust the input level of the source you are recording from to the proper volume. The proper volume would be when the DART CD-Recorder V4 can record a soundfile and there is no clipping of the sound while recording.
The most likely reason is the settings that the soundcard’s input section is using. See the answer above (#5) for more info on how to get to and adjust for the correct input settings.
There are other reasons for this, but that one is by FAR the most commonly reported. If this doesn’t help, contact our support professionals for more information and help getting configured.
Make sure that you have connected all of your stereo equipment properly, that you use quality cabling, and that you’re recording your audio as loud as possible without "clipping" the input. To get more information on setting proper audio recording levels, see the question/answer above concerning adjusting input volume for recorded audio.
DART Karaoke Studio DEMANDS that you use 44.1KHz, 16-bit stereo recordings. So, when you’re recording audio that will be used to create a karaoke song, you MUST use that setting.
This is recommended, but not absolutely necessary. We recommend, however, creating a folder on your hard drive (preferably the hard drive with the greatest amount of free space) that will hold all of your recordings, DeVocalized versions and new vocal recordings. This is makes it MUCH easier to find files that you’re looking for, and also means that you don’t have to move audio tracks around on your system, should you have to reinstall our software.
No, you do not. However, the job of finding lyrics to use, as well as finding MP3 files that you might want to use to create a song, will be much easier with a good internet connection available.
Yes, there are many. However, we don’t recommend any particular site. Many users these days use services such as Napster or Scour.net and others to obtain audio tracks for personal use. These are good places to start, but you can also find many audio files to use simply by using the search engine of your choice, such as Lycos, AltaVista and others.
That depends on your internet connection and what type of file it is that you’re trying to download. WAVE files (especially in CD format) are impractical to download due to their large file size. Most "average" MP3 files (a single song) will take 30-45 minutes with a solid 56k dial-up connection.
You should use CD-Recorder 4 Basic’s "MP3 to WAV" conversion capability to convert the MP3 file to a CD format WAVE file. When converting, make sure that you choose a sample rate of 44.1KHz, a bit depth of 16-bit, and convert to stereo. Then, the converted WAVE file will be completely ready to use in the Karaoke Author and Player.
NOTE: If you upgrade to the full version of CD-Recorder 4 (not Basic), then you can also further clean a file when using the Producer’s EQ. We have found that this can make a significant difference when DeVocalizing audio CD tracks (both before and after the DeVocal). It can also further suppress lead vocal/center channel audio signals by "masking" them with surrounding instrument frequencies and produce a better mix.
If you ABSOULTELY have to use an MP3 file, all we can say is... "tweak the settings to obtain the best possible results". A great number of MP3s audio files do NOT lend themselves to quality DeVocalizing (unless they are well recorded originally AND are encoded to MP3 at 160kbs or higher). So, we will ALWAYS recommend that the best course of action is to convert the particular MP3 to a WAV file... if even temporarily.
We don’t support the ID3v2 tag for MP3s at this time. You can enter lyrics into a Karaoke Studio project file, but that information will NOT be saved with either an MP3 OR a WAVE file.
DART Karaoke Author allows you to synchronize the music with the song lyrics. Additionally it gives access to the remaining DART Karaoke Studio utilities, namely:
DART DeVocalizer (a tool which will allow you to suppress the vocal part of the original STEREO recording),
DART Karaoke Recorder/Player (a utility which can be used to play DART Karaoke files and to record your own vocal performance),
DART Karaoke Producer (allowing you to combine the devocalized soundtrack, extracted from the original recording, with your own vocal contribution)
DART Karaoke Playlist (allowing you to generate and manage lists of completed karaoke project files),
DART CD-Recorder 4 Basic (an application that will allow you to record from both analog and digital audio sources, and to create your own CD).
Generate CD+G track (allowing you to create .BIN files, used for CD+G CD production, or .CDG files, used with PC software CD+G or MP3+G players (only), as well as providing you with controls for the generation of graphic onscreen lyrics and background).
Within the Author, click on the "Soundtrack" menu at the top of the window, or click on the button of the open folder with the music note coming out of it (the fifth icon/button from the left). You should see a standard Windows "Open" dialog window. You can browse your folders/files from there to find the location of any files that you’ve recorded from your soundcard, or read from other audio CDs. Use the "up arrow folder" and/or double-click on folders in the main Open window to find the WAVE files or MP3 files that you want to use.
Our soundtrack "Open" dialog window should show you any WAVE files or MP3 files that may be in the currently selected folder. When you find an MP3 file that you’d like to use, just click on it one time and hit "Open" or simply double-left click on the file that you want.
It may be necessary for you to change the "Zoom" value in the upper right of the Author window to be able to "see" the entire song onscreen. To view the entire file, just click on the upper arrow until the value shown no longer increases. However, after working with the Author for any amount of time, you’ll come to realize that working at this zoom level is impractical. For most users, a zoom level of about 400 is a good place to start. Just use the "Zoom" control to move in and out as needed from that point. You can also simply click on the Zoom window and type in a value as well. See more on AutoZoom in the next section.
As of the release, you can NOT have more than one song open in a project at any one point in time. If you open a new soundtrack, it will replace the audio file that existed there before.
Play controls, Zoom/AutoZoom, Synchronization Level Controls and Frame settings:
Controls and buttons contained in the "Play" group allow you to select the playback mode (Play and Show) and range (All, From cursor, Frame, Window).
After opening an audio file you can play it in several different ways:
To start playback, click one of the buttons situated in the "Play" group or use the corresponding keyboard shortcuts.
To play the entire audio file, click the All button situated in the "Play" group or press A.
To play an audio file from the current cursor position, click the From cursor button or press C. The cursor position can be changed by clicking on the Overview strip or anywhere inside the Soundfile Window.
If you click Frame or press F, the contents of the green "Frame" around part of the audio will be played back.
Finally, if you click Window or press W, the playback will be limited to the current contents of the Soundfile Window.
(NOTE: changing the "Zoom" level in either direction after playback has started will NOT change the amount of audio played. The "current content" that will be played back is the audio onscreen when the Window key is pressed or a user presses W.
NOTE: Changing the cursor position during playback takes the playback to a new location.
You can stop playback in two different ways. If you click the Stop button (each play button turns into Stop when activated) or press S on your keyboard and the playback will be stopped and the cursor will return to its initial position. If you press the ESC key during playback, the cursor will stay in its last position.
To check synchronization results, in the Text window below or via the lyric flag/play cursor position, activate the Play and show option, by clicking on the corresponding box in the "Play" group. When the Play and show option is switched on, the currently playing verse or word is highlighted in the Text Window, in accordance with its Flag position.
IMPORTANT: At the initial stage of synchronization, switch the Play and show option off when dropping lyric verse or word Flags during playback.
NOTICE
Use the play buttons onscreen to audition audio files while editing current or additional text, as the corresponding keyboard shortcuts are disabled when you enter the Text Edit mode.
The "Zoom" box, displayed next to the Overview strip, allows you to change the plot resolution (audio zoom in/out level) and along with it - the length of the audio segment displayed in the Soundfile Window. You can use the up and down arrows (to view more or less audio, respectively) or you can type in any desired value.
Use the Preferences dialog available from the File menu to change the default zoom value associated with different synchronization levels (Verse or Word).
If you check the AutoZoom box (in the File / Preferences dialog), DART Karaoke Author will automatically change the zoom value to one which guarantees that all "word" Flags, belonging to the same verse, will be displayed in the Soundfile Window (only when synchronization level is set to Word). If the AutoZoom box is left unchecked, the zoom value will remain constant, unless you intentionally modify it or change the synchronization level.
Buttons from the Synchronization level group can be used to select between the different synchronization options (Verse or Word).
There are two levels at which you can synchronize the text with the music:
If you choose the verse level, by pressing the Verse button in the Synchronize group, you will be able to mark position of the beginning of each verse, that is, each line of the typeset text.
When you choose the word level, by pressing the Word button in the Synchronize group, you will be allowed to mark position of each word or phrase of the text (‘phrase’ is a sequence of linked words - see Typesetting rules in Text Window).
When the text file is synchronized with the audio file, the Flag corresponding to the selected item is automatically localized and displayed in the Soundfile Window and vice versa - each time a new Flag is activated the corresponding text item is marked.
How long it will take you to "finish" a karaoke project depends a lot on which synchronization mode that you use. Verse will not produce effects that are as professional, but it’s much faster. Word synchronization takes more time, since you have align individual words to the time that they should be sung. After working with this mode for a time, it is possible to become quicker when setting word-based lyric flags. Of course, how exacting you are also will have an impact on time required to produce a word-synced karaoke project.
The green "Frame" displayed on the Overview strip, and in the Soundfile Window, allows you to precisely select the playback range.
Depending on your preferences, the Frame may be window-constrained (i.e., always situated inside the Soundfile Window) or unconstrained. To switch between these options, use the Preferences dialog available from the File menu.
To play the `framed’ portion of the recording, click the Frame button, situated in the ‘Play" group. To stop playback, click the same button again. You can also press F and the contents of the green "Frame" around the audio will be played back.
The Frame can be modified in two different ways:
First, you can drag both frame edges displayed on the Overview strip to their new positions (note that if the Frame is set to be window-constrained the edge placement will be restricted to the Soundfile Window area).
Second, you can precisely control of the Frame position by switching to the Soundfile Window and placing the mouse pointer over one of the Frame corners - then depress the left mouse button and move the corresponding edge to a new position.
If the Frame is wider than the displayed fragment some or all of its corners may be not available.
Please note that you can drag the left frame edge over its right edge and vice versa. This feature can be very handy when working on consecutive fragments of the sound material.
Inputting Lyrics, Setting "Flags" and Using Verses or Words to Change the Cursor Position:
The Text Window (the black area in the lower left) shows the lyrics that ought to be synchronized with the music. If you’re starting a brand new project, this window will be empty and completely black until you import lyrics or type in text directly.
There are two methods to input lyrics into a new project. Input them by hand (typing) or importing a TEXT (*.txt) file into the lyrics editor. Both methods are described below.
To type in, or edit the text, select the Edit command from the Lyrics menu or click on the Text Window using the right mouse button and check Edit. As long as you stay in the editing mode, a yellow blinking cursor is displayed in the Text Window indicating the placement of new text. To quit editing mode, uncheck Edit in the same way you checked it.
You can type in the text while listening to the file play back. Using the various play options (All, From cursor, Frame, Window), audition specific fragments of the recording as many times as necessary to get the text right. Then, type it in and move to another fragment. Use the play buttons to audition audio files while editing the text, as the corresponding playback keyboard shortcuts are disabled when you enter the editing mode.
Working in the editing mode you can: type in a new line or word, modify existing ones, remove verses and/or words, change division into verses and/or words, create phrases etc. If, at the time of editing, the text is synchronized with the music, all changes you introduce will be accompanied by Flag changes - the corresponding Flags will split, merge, or entirely new Flags will be created. Quite obviously, all new Flags (including those created by splitting the existing ones) should be synchronized.
Yes, if possible, it may be easier to find and download the lyrics of a song from the internet, especially if it is a more popular song. You should look for lyrics as TEXT (*.txt) files, or save the information as a TEXT file, if you find the lyrics you want online. Then, after saving them, you can import them instead, which makes finishing a Karaoke Studio project MUCH faster (unless you’re a quick typist).
Yes, there are many, but we don’t recommend any in particular. Doing a search of the internet, using your favorite search engine, should yield lots of responses, from fan sites to official band portals, there’s lots of lyrics to be found out there. Usually searching for " lyrics" (example: "Joe’s Band lyrics") will yield excellent results.
Just save the web info as a TEXT file, or copy it by hand to a new TEXT file, using Notepad (which can be found in "Start" / "Programs" / "Accessories"). Name your TEXT file something descriptive (like the song’s title) and you’re ready to go.
To import an existing text file, press the IMPORT TEXT button (the folder with the "A" coming out of it) situated on the Toolbar, or select the Import command from the Lyrics menu. You should see a standard Windows "Open" dialog window. You can browse your folders/files from there to find the location of any lyric TEXT files that you’ve created by hand or downloaded from the internet. Use the "up arrow folder" and/or double-click on folders in the main Open window to find the TEXT file that you want to use.
The song lyrics are incorporated into your DART Karaoke Author files (*.dka). If you want to save the lyrics in a separate text file, use the Export command available from the Lyrics menu. Please note that DART Karaoke Author does not update the imported or exported text files - all changes you introduce while working in the text editing mode are saved in the corresponding *.dka files but are not saved in the original text files. Therefore, you should use the Export command to save/update such external text files whenever needed.
The typesetting rules are very simple: each verse, which corresponds to one line of a typeset text, should consist of a certain number of words and phrases separated by spaces. By ‘phrases’, we mean two or more words joined with underline signs - this is a simple way of linking words which are jointly pronounced but written down separately. Multiple spaces are ignored when you import a text but are not ignored if you work in the editing mode (to allow you to put a new word between the existing ones). Since the verses displayed in the Text Window are automatically numbered, please do not put any numbers at the beginning of each line of the typeset text.
If the verse is longer than the width of the Text Window it is displayed in two or more lines. The vertical slider situated on the right hand side of the Text Window can be used to scroll the text up and down.
The "Flags" displayed in the Soundfile Window are used as the synchronization marks. Depending on the selected synchronization level (see Synchronization level in the Help files), they show the beginning of the sound material that corresponds to a particular verse or word. Each Flag has a text banner, a flagpole and a base.
It is HIGHLY recommended that you set lyrics in the following fashion:
Set the verse Flags during playback: switch off the Play and show option in the Play group, set the synchronization level to verse (click the Verse button), place the cursor at the beginning of the recording and click All (or "A" on your keyboard) to start playback. Each time you hear the beginning of the verse, click the Set flag button or press the SPACE bar on your keyboard. Continue until the last verse is reached.
When finished, adjust the Flag positions (some small corrections are usually necessary). Fix (lock) each Flag in place by clicking on its base to prevent it from accidental displacement (you can move a fixed Flag directly, by dragging its pole, but you can’t do it indirectly by moving the neighboring Flags).
When all verse Flags are done, change the synchronization level to word (click the Word button) and move the word/phrase Flags to the right positions (to find a Flag click the corresponding word/phrase in the Text Window). Fix the Flags when positioning is finished.
The best way to do this is to use your ears and eyes to see the cursor ‘roll over’ the flag at just the right time. This does take a little working with to get expert results, but very quickly, you should be able to get a good idea of what works and what doesn’t. In most cases, just getting a flag reasonably close is more than good enough... of course, this depends on how perfect of a karaoke song you want to create.
To move the synchronization Flag to a new position, place the cursor over the flagpole, left-click-and-hold then drag it to the newly desired location.
To fix position of a Flag, e.g. to prevent it from accidental displacement, click on its base. The base of a fixed Flag is filled with the Flag color. The other Flags cannot move the Flags that are fixed unless their status is changed back to `floating’ by clicking the Flag base again.
To fix positions of all Flags corresponding to a particular verse (including the word Flags), click on the checkbox displayed next to the verse number (if you fix all word Flags corresponding to that verse the box will be automatically checked).
If you click on the checked verse box, the status of the corresponding Flags will be changed to `floating’. Hence, to make all Flags (associated with a selected verse) ‘float’, click the verse checkbox twice - the first time to fix all Flags (unless they are already fixed) and the second time - to release them.
When you move a Flag to a new position the remaining ones will be pushed away to make a free space, if necessary (provided, of course, they are not fixed). The distance between the word Flags is limited from below by 100 milliseconds. You can change this value using the Preferences dialog available from the File menu.
DART DeVocalizer is available after pressing the DEVOCALIZER button (the mouth with the yellow line through it) situated on the Toolbar or after choosing the DeVocalize command from the Karaoke menu.
You can use this tool for elimination, or near-elimination, of the lead vocalist’s performance from almost any regular stereophonic recording. This is like producing a Karaoke music track, except that the background music and background vocals are not an imitation - they are extracted from an original recording by means of digital processing of an audio signal. And... you don’t have to wait for someone to prepare it for you!
Basically, any stereo audio sources can be used: compact discs (usually yielding the best results), analog records, cassette tapes, stereo TV and Radio etc. The separation technique will not work on a monophonic source. Also, it usually does not work on recordings made before the mid-1960s.
As for what settings to use, that’s hard to say. All songs will require different treatment and MAY not produce desired results. This is a side effect of the process that must be used to produce the vocal suppression effect and varies from track to track.
To remove more of the lead vocal track, keep the Attenuation slider in its rightmost position. If you set the slider position further to the left, the vocal will start to return. Setting the slider all the way to the left means "no vocal removal". The results you will get depend on the amount of reverberation present in the original recording. If there is a lot of ambient sound associated with the lead vocalist, the elimination will not be perfect. Even in this case, however, the remaining ‘echo’ should still be pretty faint.
The voice of the lead vocalist is often eliminated along with the sound of some of the supporting instruments. To minimize this effect, use the Bass retrieval slider
While listening to the results, increase the bass cutoff by moving the Bass retrieval slider to the right. Stop right about the point where the vocal track becomes audible again.
Bass retrieval is usually worth the effort, as it can bring back some important elements of the accompaniment suppressed in the course of vocal elimination, such as percussion beats, bass guitar and generally all sounds that remain below the lead vocalist’s ‘bandwidth’.
Use the Output level slider to control the output volume of the devocalized sound. When adjusting the volume, make sure that the clip indicator does not light up at any point in the song.
We refer to using the Audition feature as ‘on-line tuning’. This means that you can listen to the ‘before’ and ‘after’ of your edits to make sure they are right before saving them.
To start testing (auditioning) your changes, press the Play result button. DART DeVocalizer will play the results of the digital audio processing while you are changing the program settings. Each time you modify any of the settings, the red Ready light in the Audition group will turn off - it will be switched on again as soon as the results obtained under the new settings are available.
How quickly your PC is able to keep up with our on-line tuning depends on the CPU speed, amount of RAM, hard drive space and other factors. As always, faster PCs will yield faster results.
At any time during the test, you can press the Play source button to bypass filtering and listen to the original, unedited recording.
Select the processing range using the Range box. You can process the entire recording, starting from its beginning (entire file) or from the current position of the cursor in the Soundfile Window (from cursor). If you choose frame, all tests will be confined to a selected frame; and if you select window they will be confined to the content of the currently displayed window. In all cases listed above, processing is performed in a loop. Note that you can shift back and forth between DART Karaoke Author and DART DeVocalizer. This allows you to change the content of the signal Frame and/or Soundfile Window without closing the DART DeVocalizer dialog.
When tuning is finished, you can create your DeVocalized file by saving the results in a separate soundfile. To start saving the new audio file, press the Process button. To change the name of the output file to be created, press the Change button and type in a new name.
When the output (devocalized) file is produced, you can display it in the Soundfile Window by clicking the radio button situated to the left of its name.
Playing the devocalized soundfile in the Play and show mode you can perform a ‘dress rehearsal’ prior to using the DART Karaoke Recorder/Player.
NOTICE
When the Bass retrieval option is switched off, DART Karaoke Author creates a pseudo-stereo output file (the left channel is the reversed-phase version of the right channel). When the Bass retrieval option is active, the output file is truly stereophonic.
NOTE: Recorder/Player controls are represented in Bold, all capitals. Menu commands in Karaoke Author Playlist are in Bold, but are NOT all caps.
You can use DART Karaoke Recorder/Player to play audio files and watch the text at the time it is sung or spoken.
This feature can be very useful when learning foreign languages or trying to follow song lyrics in a language you don’t know very well.
To start playback, press the PLAY button at the bottom of the screen (the right-pointing triangle). To pause the playback, press the PAUSE button (the two vertical lines). To resume playback after pausing, click the PAUSE button again. Finally, to stop playback press the STOP button (the square).
If you want to play several audio files while in the Recorder/Player, open the Playlist dialog by pressing the PLAYLIST button (that looks like a clipboard) situated on the Toolbar or by selecting the Playlist command from the Karaoke menu. Use the Load button to open an existing playlist or use the Add, Remove, Move up, Move down and Clear buttons to arrange DART Karaoke sessions into a new playlist.
When ready, click the Play button to open DART Karaoke Recorder/Player and start playback. The name of the currently playing item is shown at the bottom of the Recorder/Player screen. To move to the next or previous item, click the NEXT or the PREVIOUS button, respectively (in the middle to the right of QUIT.
Finally, to display and/or to choose from the contents of the entire playlist, click the silver triangle situated at the bottom of the screen next to the current play item’s name.
At this time... no. We don’t currently have any plans, or timetable, to control the scroll speed of the text when playing in either the top, or bottom, lyric display sections of the Recorder/Player.
Different systems build and load our player software at different rates. The PC’s overall horsepower can have an effect load times. So, we recommend keeping other programs running in the background turned off, or at least minimize the number that are running. This can be done, in most versions of Windows, by using "Ctrl+Alt+Del" and selecting "End Task" for each listed item, except for "Explorer" and "Systray" (if you don't have "Systray" listed, don't worry about it).
This feature is not available at this time. We’ve had this suggestion from many users and may implement it in future versions. Monitor our website for the latest information on this.
At this time... no. We don’t currently have any plans, or timetable, to control the scroll speed of the text when playing in either the top, or bottom, lyric display sections of the Recorder/Player.
You can use DART Karaoke Recorder/Player to play audio files and watch the text at the same time it is sung or spoken. This feature can be very useful when learning foreign languages or trying to follow song lyrics in a language you don’t know very well.
To start playback, press the PLAY button at the bottom of the screen. To pause playback, press the PAUSE button. To resume playback after pausing, click the PAUSE button again. Finally, to stop playback press the STOP button.
You can adjust the current playback ‘cursor’ position by moving the circular "scroll-ball" underneath the main lyric window. Left-clicking-and-holding on the ball will allow you to ‘drag’ the playback position backwards or forwards in time, just as you’d use "rewind" and "fast forward" on tape cassette deck. The speed of this feature is dependent on the speed of your PC and can vary from system to system. The speed of the hard drive and the amount of RAM weigh heavily on how quickly this control can respond.
If you want to play several audio files, evoke the Playlist dialog by pressing the PLAYLIST button situated on the Toolbar or by selecting the Playlist command from the Karaoke menu. Use the Load button to open an existing playlist or use the Add, Remove, Move up, Move down and Clear buttons to arrange DART Karaoke sessions into a new playlist. When ready, click the Play button to evoke DART Karaoke Recorder/Player and start playback. The name of the currently played item is shown at the bottom of the Recorder/Player screen. To move to the next or previous item, click the NEXT or the PREVIOUS button, respectively. Finally, to display and/or to choose from the contents of the entire playlist, click the silver triangle situated at the bottom of the screen.
In order to record your own vocal track while listening to the music your audio card must be Full Duplex which means it should allow for simultaneous handling of the input and output data streams.
To record, do the following:
Connect the microphone to the MIC input of your audio card.
Connect headphones to the output of your audio card (if you used loudspeakers, in addition to your voice the microphone would also pick some amount of the background music).
Put on the headphones and press the RECORD button to start the recording session. When singing don’t hold the microphone too close to your mouth - otherwise you may introduce into the recording some low frequency breathing artifacts (‘air pops’). To pause recording, press the PAUSE button. To resume recording after pausing, click the PAUSE button again
Recording will be automatically stopped when the end of the input audio file is reached.
When recording your own vocal contribution you can listen either to the original recording (i.e., sing along with the performer you would like to over-dub) or to the devocalized recording. You can make this choice when going into the Recorder/Player from the Author or from the Playlist.
Select the Producer tool by clicking on the button/icon with the kitchen mixer on it or select "Producer" from the "Karaoke" menu. At the top of that dialog, you can select the two files to mix by clicking on the "Change" button next to each listing. Usually, the files will have similar names. The DeVocaled files will have "-DeVocalized.wav" at the end. Your vocal performance will have a "-Rec" at the end. You can change those names when creating and saving those types of files.
No, not at this time. This would require you to Cut/Paste sections together or assemble a final fix from different takes. We are considering this feature, but have no plans or timetable for implementing it in future updates.
Yes, you can choose any two WAVE files to mix together. The program doesn’t "set" you to mix any particular files. You can select any two files that you wish, no matter what they contain.
When both pieces needed to create a new recording are ready, namely a devocalized soundtrack (obtained using the DART DeVocalizer) and an audio track with your own vocal performance (created using the DART Karaoke Recorder/Player), it’s time for mixing it up.
In order to reverse the phase of the one of the individual signals (prior to mixing) check the corresponding Invert boxes. This can fill out and widen some tracks and have a dramatically good (or very bad) effect on the final mix. Working to get the best attainable results with this will yield benefits with certain pairs of files.
The best answer we can give is that you’ll want to use your ears for that. They are your best tools and the results that you may receive will be slightly subjective. Some users will be more comfortable with having their performance buried further in the music and others will want to stand out. It’s all up to you.
Yes, if you use the "Play Result" button, you’ll hear the effect of those two files being mixed together at the currently selected volume slider levels. You can change the level slider for either file and hear THAT change happen while you listen (if you have a faster system). You can also play just the first or second file alone with the Play File 1 and Play File 2 buttons.
You’ll likely want to turn one or both of the sliders down to get the clip light to turn off. You can work to adjust the proper mix level with no fear of causing distortion or problems.
Yes, this is possible. After creating the first mix (and calling it "song1", for example), you could record a 2nd vocal take with the DeVocaled version playing or "song1" playing. Then, just use the same process above to add to song1 for that background vocal or extra touch.
No, you would need to convert the file from MP3 to WAV format using the CD-Recorder 4 Basic software.
DART CD-Recorder 4 Basic allows you to play and record MPEG Audio data (MP3), i.e. to decompress the encoded sound and save it in a standard wave format.
To convert MP3 files to WAVE files:
Start the CD-Recorder 4 Basic software from the CD icon in Karaoke Author or by selecting "DART CD-Recorder" from the "Karaoke" menu in Karaoke Author.
Select the MPEG 3 (MP3) file that you would like to convert to a WAVE format from the middle "File" panel. If you do not see MP3 files in that middle section, make sure you have "MP3" selected in the lower left file-type menu. You’ll also have to have selected the proper hard drive and folder where your MP3 files are located first.
Click the MP3 TO WAV button situated on the toolbar or choose the Convert MP3 to WAV command available from the List menu.
Set the recording mode by means of choosing the desired sampling frequency, number of channels and sampling resolution. (select: 44kHz, 16-bit stereo)
Select the name of the wave file where the results will be saved.
Click OK.
To audition a file prior to recording click the Play button.
Click on the "Change" button toward the bottom of the Producer window, next to the "Output File" listing. Enter the name you want to use and hit "Enter" or "Save".
Not at this time, no. We don’t currently create (encode) to MP3 format. We are considering this feature, but have to plans or timetable to include it in any future updates.
You must use the included CD-Recorder 4 Basic software to burn the WAVE files you’ve created onto a CD that will play in a regular audio CD player. At this time, we ONLY create "Red Book" audio CDs, which are the same as what you might purchase from a record store. These should play in most (if not all) consumer CD players. However, we DO recommend that you use CD-R blank media, unless you are CERTAIN that the player you will use supports and can properly read CD-RW blank media.
Of course. You can make as many final mixes as you’d like. However, these can take up quite a lot of hard drive space over time, so it’s usually a good idea to delete the unwanted mixes or archive them onto an audio or data CD.
Click on the Add button in the upper right corner to add an existing DART Karaoke Studio project (.DKA file) to the total playlist that you’re creating. Then, browse with Windows "Open" dialog to find the folder where your karaoke project files (*.dka) are located. Select the song to add to the list from that window by left clicking on it and selecting Open on the dialog window. The same file can exist in multiple playlists at one time.
Yes, this shouldn’t pose any problem. The software doesn’t make a distinction about what kind of audio file is being played with a karaoke project and will reference the audio file that was "open" in the karaoke project when it was saved last. You also have the option to if a project will open the Original wave file or the DeVocalized (if exists) wave file, if it exists on the system (and meets the standard naming conventions for this type of file (example: "mysong-Devocalized.wave").
No, the only type of file that can be opened/added to the Karaoke Studio Playlist is a file that ends with the ".dka" file extension. These files are the karaoke project files, which contain graphic information, text, lyric flag position, audio files settings, etc.
The Open button (in the middle far right of the Playlist window) lets you view the contents of the selected karaoke project file in the main Playlist window (the middle section). You must have a project "added" to the new playlist for this feature to be available. Just left click on the file in the main playlist, then hit Open to view that project.
Click on the Remove button, in the upper right corner, to remove the currently selected DART Karaoke Studio project (*.dka file) from the total playlist that you’re creating.
Note: For these changes to be kept when revising an existing playlist, you must use the "Save" command to the left to preserve your changes to either the existing playlist ("overwrite") or to a brand new playlist file.
No, we do not delete the audio file, whether it is a WAVE or an MP3. The audio file, the karaoke project files and any associated Text files of lyrics are left completely alone and untouched. The project itself is simply removed from the list so that it is not included in the pull-down menu in the Karaoke Studio Recorder/Player.
No, we do not delete the project file when simply removing it from the playlist you’re working on at the time. The audio file, the karaoke project files and any associated Text files of lyrics are left completely alone and untouched. The project itself is simply removed from the list so that it is not included in the pull-down menu in the Karaoke Studio Recorder/Player.
You can use the Move Up and Move Down buttons (on the right) to change the current position of the selected karaoke project file. As the names imply, Move Up will put the project file earlier in the current list (example: moving it from the 3rd song to the 1st) or Move Down will put the file later in the list (example: moving from the 1st song to the 3rd).
Keep in mind that these project files in a playlist can be brought up within the Recorder/Player program at will by clicking at the song menu at the bottom of that window.
Currently, this capability isn’t supported. We have had several users suggestion this, but we have to current plans or timetable for when this feature might be released. For now, you will have to alter the project file order in the playlist one at a time.
After creating a playlist of Karaoke Studio project (*.dka) files, you can save them to your hard drive for future use. After clicking the Save button to the left, select the name for your new playlist, as well as the hard drive and/or folder you’d like to hold it in. It is not important that the project files or playlist reside in the same folder as your audio, but it is recommended.
As their names imply, the Load button will allow you to open a karaoke playlist that you’ve saved before and the Clear button will totally empty the contents of the current working playlist.
Using the Play button will launch the current state of the playlist into the DART Recorder/Player. If you want to play from a playlist that is different than the one you’re working on, it is recommended that you Save the working playlist first and then Load the new one.
Using the Included DART CD-Recorder utility:
We’ve included a "Basic" version our CD-Recorder 4 (4.1) software to assist you recording audio, file management, file conversion, and CD burning. The included DART CD-Recorder 4 Basic does have some limitations (the "Producer" tools are not active, AutoUpdate doesn’t function and others). Whenever you attempt to access a feature that is not supported in the Basic version, you’ll see a notification onscreen.
To access information on using CD-Recorder 4, please use the CD-Recorder 4 product FAQ, found here. Be aware that this link is for a FULL version of CD-Recorder, so some information will not apply to Karaoke Studio users.
![[Top]](/images/up2.gif)