Karaoke Machines
One invention that has really taken off in the music world is the karaoke machine. Unlike other pieces of musical equipment, this one appeals to folks of all ages, all genders and all types of voices - good or bad!
Here's a quick guide to singing with programmed music, and how it's progressed over the years.
A Brief History of Karaoke Machines
The earliest karaoke machine was invented in Japan during the 1970s when a singer named Daisuke Inoue developed a tape recorder that could play a song for a 100-yen coin. He had been asked frequently by attendees of his performance to provide his song on a tape recorder so they could sing along during a company vacation.
Daisuke felt it was a great idea, not for his song only, but for many others. Inoue leased his recorders to stores instead of selling them directly.
The machines were placed in restaurants and hotel rooms. In 2004, Inoue won the tongue-in-cheek Ig Nobel Peace prize for his invention.
Karaoke Hits the USA
Karaoke machines came to the United States during the 1990s when bars, also called KTV boxes, began having competitions or fun nights for amateur singers.
Advancement
The early karaoke machines worked with cassette tapes, but later became more advanced using CDs, laserdiscs, VCDs and today's DVDs. The machine has audio input, audio output, and a way to alter the pitch of the music. The most popular ones are audio mixers that include a microphone input that's built in with a Laser Disc, Video CD, CD+G or DVD player. Karaoke machines that are capable of producing a video lyrics display are called KTV in many countries.
Another unique feature is the ability to change the pitch of the music, or key, to fit the vocal range of the singer. With this feature, songs that are too high for the singer can be played in a lower key.
Computer Generated Songs
Karaoke songs are now being played over computers everywhere via music files such as MIDI, MP3 and many others. The machines are not needed with these files, but a downloadable karaoke player instead. Both the players and song files can be downloaded on the Internet.
More Advances are Coming
Karaoke machines are being modernized in many other ways as well. From auto karaoke to mobile phones, people are going to be able to "sing along" from just about anywhere before long!
Still Going Strong
Even with all the modern devices and methods of entertainment, the karaoke machine will still be around for a while. You'll find them in restaurants, bars, gatherings and other public places holding singing competition because they can be moved easily, use a screen and sound everyone can see and hear when a big crowd is present, and they provide affordable entertainment.
So, don't look for this Japanese invention to go away anytime soon.
