I would like to start with a question:
— What does karaoke mean to you? No, not like that. What do you imagine when you hear the word “karaoke”?
— That’s right, a TV or projector screen with subtitles. Congratulations, you are among the 99.9% of people who, when they hear “karaoke,” immediately think of subtitles. Below, as someone who has probably seen almost all possible versions of karaoke subtitles, I will tell you what you will encounter when you get your own karaoke system. And I know for sure: to avoid disappointment, you should think about such basic details as subtitles long before purchasing karaoke for your home or business.
So, let’s start with the fact that karaoke subtitles can initially be divided into two types: non-customizable and customizable.
Non-Customizable Subtitles
You will always see the subtitles that were used by the company that created the karaoke content or the karaoke equipment manufacturer. This is neither good nor bad — it’s a fact of life that you’ll have to live and sing with.
Why don’t karaoke content and equipment manufacturers include the option to change subtitles in their software?
Firstly, it’s expensive.
The content development itself becomes significantly more costly because it requires the correct distribution of the karaoke file, where the text and synchronization must be implemented as a separate component. The first generation of karaoke files was created in the form of video clips with or without a background, over which the subtitles animation played. So when you selected a song and hit play, the player simply played a video. Typically, these videos are of questionable quality: I have never seen such videos in 4K and very rarely encountered Full HD. Mostly, these karaoke files contain 360p (SD) — 640 × 360 or at best 720p (HD) — 1280 × 720 videos. To understand how such karaoke content will look on the screen, imagine that you have turned on YouTube on your TV with very, very poor internet: most likely, the video will play in such low resolution. In an era where everyone is accustomed to 4K and even 8K TVs, such quality is rather dubious. But the fact remains — this is how karaoke began.
Secondly, customizable subtitles take time.
It’s much faster to keep stamping out video clips than to overhaul your legacy and give your karaoke content a new, modern look. It’s always easier to do things the way they’ve been done for decades.
Thirdly, the existence of piracy and theft.
There are cases, and they are not uncommon, where karaoke software or equipment creators illegally copy karaoke content from companies that make it by hand. Apart from recording a video (with a capture card, for example) to obtain the valuable karaoke clip, there’s no other way. By using such services and equipment, you support piracy, consume stolen content, and hinder the development of the professional karaoke industry. Parent companies don’t get compensated for their work, and as a result, they invest less and less in creating new karaoke compositions. And you end up singing to pixelated subtitles. Everyone loses except the pirates.
☝In conclusion
If you choose karaoke software or equipment that doesn’t allow you to customize the subtitles, you will likely deal with low-quality content, both visually and audibly. In my experience, there’s a clear pattern: if a simple video is used as a karaoke file, the composition is likely of dubious origin. I’ve encountered this many times, but I’ve never come across a low-quality composition with customizable subtitles.
Customizable Subtitles
This is one of the main signs I recommend looking for when choosing karaoke equipment. The mere fact that karaoke subtitles can be customized, even if these settings are limited, indicates that you’re dealing with a company that values its reputation and produces quality karaoke software or equipment.
Comparison Table of Non-Customizable and Customizable Karaoke Subtitles
Non-Customizable | Customizable | |
Change position, e.g., bottom or center | — | ✓ |
Adjust the number of lines, e.g., 2 or 4 | — | ✓ |
Change the background, e.g., use family photos or an advertisement for your karaoke venue | — | ✓ |
Optional display of a semi-transparent background under the subtitles for better readability | — | ✓ |
Change subtitle color | — | ✓ |
Such a range of settings is unavailable for most karaoke systems, but even if some of them are present, it’s already quite good.
Some companies have gone further and incorporated on-the-fly subtitle rendering into their software. These subtitles will adjust to the size of the screen you are using and will always be in the field of view with proper margins. This eliminates situations where part of the subtitles “flew out” of the visible area of the screen.
An additional highlight in modern karaoke subtitles is the color separation of parts in duet songs. Most manufacturers use different colors for the filled-in subtitles, and only a few offer different colors for unfilled subtitles for duet parts. This way, you know in advance where your text begins and ends. Common parts for performance in such songs are filled with a neutral color — a signal for everyone to sing in unison. Also, a pleasant bonus is the presence of a third and fourth color for songs performed as a trio or quartet.
Conclusions
Choose modern and quality karaoke if you really want to enjoy it. Don’t compromise on the quality of the video and audio components (or with your conscience if you prefer a pirated product). In the worst case, you can always use YouTube (even without a Premium subscription) — it’s much better than piracy since YouTube regularly distributes dividends among copyright holders and authors.
Sing with pleasure, otherwise singing loses its meaning 😉