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Frequently Asked Questions

What is karaoke?

The word "karaoke" comes from the Japanese word “Kara? which means empty, and "Oke" (Okesutora), which means orchestra. Rather than include both vocals and music, karaoke tracks will be without lead vocals. The lead vocals are provided by the performer singing the karaoke song!

What is a CDG?

A CDG, which stands for Compact Disc + Graphics, is the standard format for most English karaoke discs. These discs can either be played on a karaoke machine that supports CDG or on a regular player that can play CDs. Keep in mind that you will not be able to see any words on your screen if you play CDGs on a CD player.

What is a VCD?

A VCD (Video Compact Disc) is a disc with video stored on it. This format is different from DVDs and CDGs so you will need a karaoke player capable of reading VCDs to play this format. Most non-English music will be in this format.

What Is a DVD?

A DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) is a disc that is able to store large amounts of information on a single disc. This format is different from CDGs so you will need a karaoke player capable of reading DVDs to play this format. Most non-English music will be in this format.

What is the difference between CDGs, VCDs, and DVDs?

CDGs have no video running in the background when the song is playing. This means you will only see the words on the screen and nothing else. VCDs have a video running in the background, in addition to lyrics, while the music is playing. DVDs also have a video running in the background, in addition to lyrics, while the music is playing. DVDs will typically have more songs than either CDGs or VCDs.

What is MIDI?

MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a special format. This format will only play on our CAVS CDO-98E, Premier 99N, and HDV-201. This format is a sound file that calls on a built in sound chip on these machines to produce music. The files are extremely small so you will get many songs on each disc. The music is synthesized so you will not get CD quality sound or vocals.

What is MP3G?

MP3G is the newest format for karaoke music. There are 2 files stored on the disc, an MP3 file and a Graphics file. A MP3 is a compressed audio file. The graphics file is what you see on the screen. This format has the advantage of having a lot more songs on one disc compared to a CDG since MP3 files are a lot smaller than CDG files. This format will only play on the CAVS HDV-201.

What is a Super CDG?

A Super CDG is basically a compressed karaoke disc made by CAVS. However this disc has been formatted to only work on CAVS players supporting Super CDG format such as the DVD-203G/USB, DVD-105G/USB, DVD-202G, and the CAVS 303G

What is the difference between a CDG and a CD+G?

They are the exact same thing.

What is the best format for me?

There is no one format that is the best. Every format has its advantages and disadvantages. For example, if you preferred a large quantity of music you would pick the MIDI format but lose out on sound quality. Or you might prefer the CDG format as most new songs will come out on CDG before they appear on any other format. The drawback to this would be the limited number of songs on each disc, etc.

Can I play this disc on a regular CD player?

You can only play CDGs on a regular CD Player.

What is Multiplex Disc?

This is a disc with a split track. The left channel of the track has the vocal recording and the right channel of the track has the instrumental recording. This gives you the option of turning the vocals on or off on a karaoke player. When played on a regular CD player you will hear both the vocals and instrumentals.

What is a non-multiplexed disc?

This is when the disc does not have split track. It only has the instrumental track on it. It will not have any vocal recordings other than the back up vocals.

What is MIDI file?

MIDI stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface. This kind of music type is composed by 128 instruments at the most. The file size is very small compared to the WAV files or MP3 files.

The karaoke disc I got is not by the original artist!

Karaoke discs will never be by the original artist.

What is Amplifier?

Mixing Amplifiers combine both karaoke mixer and amplifier (receiver) in one unit. You will need an amplifier if you want to power external speakers. You can turn any DVD, VCD or CD+G player into karaoke system with a mixing amplifier.

What is a Mixer?

Karaoke mixers combine the music and vocal source into one and enhance the sound quality. A karaoke mixer can turn a DVD, VCD or CD+G Player into a karaoke machine. A karaoke mixer has some important functions: microphone inputs, volume control, key controller, echo, delay, repeat, and vocal reducer. Depending on your needs or budget, you may or may not need all of the functions.

What is a quarter-inch or XLR cable?

This usually refers to a microphone cable with a quarter-inch or XLR plug at the end of the cable.

What is a RCA cable?

A RCA cable is a cable with red, white, and yellow colored plugs at the ends of the cable. This cable is usually used to connect the audio and video from the karaoke machine to your TV and/or amplifier, mixer etc.

Do all disc formats play on all players?

No, not all players are able to play all formats. Please check your player's manual or check with the manufacturer to see what formats your player can support.

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