Doing karaoke at home or at a party is a great activity to do with family and friends, but buying a karaoke player is a little more complicated than simply going out and buying a CD player. Different models at different prices levels have widely different features and abilities. Use this basic guide to help make the best choice regarding the functions that are desired.

Karaoke Computer Software

There are three basic styles of karaoke players available on the market right now. The first, cheapest, and often easiest to use is a software based karaoke player. Using a home computer and this special karaoke software a computer or properly connected home theater system can become an instant karaoke studio. One of the most popular and fully featured of the software based players for karaoke music is free . The VanBasko Karaoke Player software is ad-free freeware and available at many Internet download web sites.

Component Karaoke Players for the Home

The second type of karaoke player is a component audio style box that connects as a dedicated member of a home theater or sound system. These mid level karaoke players also double as CD or DVD players as well. Look for players that support the CDG format or that say they are able to play karaoke CD’s.

Portable Karaoke Players

The third type of karaoke player is a larger, portable karaoke machine that can be transported from place to place and often includes speakers, microphones, and a video screen (or video outputs to connect to a TV). Many karaoke machines also include a small collection of karaoke CD’s that contain popular songs.

Features To Look For When Buying A Karaoke Player

Newer and more fully featured karaoke players include special utilities and options that make the karaoke experience easier to set up and enjoy. Look for players that offer key changing capability. This feature allows the singer to alter the key of the music to bring it down or up to their comfortable singing range. Another useful ability is to be able to adjust the tempo or speed of a song without changing the key at the same time.