Karaoke Files Formats Available

What is MP3+G?

MP3+G is a dedicated karaoke file format that was created to allow CD+G karaoke disc tracks to be played on a personal computer easily and quickly.

A CD+G track is a standard audio CD with the addition of graphics (hence the +G). MP3+G actually consist of two files; an MP3 file and a CDG file. Both files must have the same "base" name (the part before the extension) in order to be properly played back.

With most modern karaoke machines now being computer based, the MP3+G and AVI formats are fastly becoming the defacto standards in karaoke track formats.

AVI stands for Audio Video Interleave. Files of this format have .avi extension. Being developed by Microsoft in 1992, it has become so wide spread that many people consider it de facto standard for storing video and audio information on PC.

AVI combines audio and video into a single file in a standard container to allow simultaneous playback. It's advantage is it's simple architecture, enabling AVI files to run on a number of different operating system platforms like Windows, Mac, Linux, Unix and are supportable on all the most popular web-browsers.

What is WMV?

WMV is short for Windows Media Video. This video format was developed by Microsoft utilising a non-standard version of MPEG-4. Today WMV has been standardized as an independent SMPTE standard and it is now considered to be a unique format.

The video stream is often combined with an audio stream of Windows Media Audio. WMV deals with all types of video content. The advantage of the format is that it allows the compression of large video files, yet retaining considerably high quality.

What is MPEG-4?

MPEG is not actually a format but short for Moving Picture Experts Group, a working group of ISO/IEC that develops video and audio encoding standards. In most cases MPEG is taken for the name of the standard formats introduced by that group.

There are several MPEG formats, all standardized. MPEG-4 was created to stream DVD quality video at lower data rates and smaller file sizes. MPEG-4 supports video/audio objects, 3D content, sprites, text and other media types. MPEG-4 has become extremely popular due to the ability to fit a two-hour movie to a CD file retaining comparatively high quality.

What is DivX?

DivX is the name of a popular video compression technology developed by DivX, Inc. The format was developed to enable users to play and create high-quality videos in a fast and convenient way, while still maintaining the best quality possible. The DivX codec is currently the most popular MPEG-4 based codec because of its quality, speed and efficiency, as well as the wide range of DVD players that support DivX.

If you compare DivX movies to DVDs they're able to offer the same image quality at one-tenth the size, which makes them perfectly suited for downloads where the bandwidth available usually is limited. The video is normally combined with AC3 or MP3 audio to provide both high quality audio and video.

What is MP3?

MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a digital audio encoding format. It is a common audio format for audio storage, as well as a de facto standard encoding for the transfer and playback of music on digital audio players.

MP3 is designed to greatly reduce the amount of data required to represent the audio recording and still sound like a faithful reproduction of the original uncompressed audio for most listeners. An MP3 file that is created using the mid-range bit rate setting of 128 kbit/s will result in a file that is typically about 1/10th the size of the CD file created from the original audio source.

Multiplex tracks, have removable lead vocal guides for each song so that you can choose to listen to the song with or without the lead singer vocals. Sometimes manufacturers of karaoke players offering multiplex refer to this feature as Vocal Removal, MPX, Vocal Changer or Vocal Partner.

How does it work?

Its a very simple and effective concept - an entire lead vocal and instrumental is recorded on one side of the stereo track and on the side just the instrumental version. For compatible karaoke players at the touch of a button, the rendition reverts to a mono recording, putting out the same music track through left and right, thereby removing the lead vocal.

If your player does not have the multiplex facility, you can still artificially cut out the lead vocals by adjusting the left-right audio balance control.

Many of the tracks we list come in two versions with and without Multiplex. Multiplex tracks are particularly popular with those wishing to learn and practice songs.