Tips on Creating Midi-Karaoke Files 

These tips from Kenny Bellew are intended to help you get started creating your own midi-Karaoke files.

Outline:

• Choose song
• Find acceptable MIDI file
• Find Lyrics
• Merge MIDI and lyrics

Choosing a Song

1. Obviously, the first step is deciding which song you would like to make into a Karaoke file. Unless you also have the ability to create your own MIDI file, this initial step may not be as easy as it sounds. You must first locate the MIDI file and then the lyrics. Finding the lyrics is usually much easier than finding an acceptable MIDI file.
    
2. Because finding an acceptable MIDI file is often the most challenging aspect of creating a midi-Karaoke file, this is often a factor in choosing a song. Therefore, you may want to start by browsing the various archives that correspond to the music genre in which you are interested. This will often give you ideas for songs you can Karaoke.
    
3. Finding an acceptable MIDI file
   Due to the fact that public domain MIDI files can come from anyone, some will be of much greater quality than others. I've heard some that I felt were better than the original artists version and others that can't even hit the rights notes and have their own interpretation of how the song should play. However, most MIDI files on the net are fairly good. Most sites will not post junk midi.
    
4. I sometimes go out trolling the net for MIDI files just to separate the wheat from chaff. I keep directory folders for my downloads named as follows (sorting MIDI files accordingly): 
• "Ideas"
• "Has Melody Track"
• "Good With No Melody"
   
5. Sometimes you will find an incredible MIDI file that is obviously done by a master, but it will be unacceptable for Karaoke for other reasons (or, at least more challenging to Karaoke). For example, a stage performer who plays guitar may create a great MIDI file but leave off the guitar track. Imagine a Jimi Hendrix tune without the guitar track.
    
6. The most common challenge to finding an acceptable MIDI file is the midi's melody track. For example, a musician may create everything but the melody track; because he or she wants to play the melody on the keyboard during a live performance.
    
7. When I find a MIDI file that I might karaoke, I first bring it into a sequencer application like CakeWalk (there are shareware sequencer applications on the net- just search). If there's not a melody track, I usually choose not to karaoke the song. It can be done, but it's tough (takes much longer) and often formidable to do accurately (difficult to get timing right). I karaoked Heartbreak Hotel and the only thing that leads into the song is the percussion track. So, unless you are really practiced with the tune, you don't even know what key in which to start singing.
    
8. Format 0 vs Format 1
   Sometimes a MIDI file is saved as a "Format 0" (single merged track) verses a "Format 1 (multiple tracks). Because you cannot easily isolate the melody track on a Format 0 MIDI file, these are very difficult to karaoke. I use Cakewalk Professional, which provides the option to save a Format 0 file as a Format 1 type file. 
    
9. Once I bring the MIDI file into a sequencer, I listen to it all the way through. Don't overlook this simple step. You might be surprised at how a MIDI file can change before it ends. While I have the sequencer open, I can choose the key I like best and change the tempo as desired. Sometimes I even assign different patches to some tracks. Sometimes you have to cut and paste to get enough verses into the MIDI file to support all of the lyrics you want to insert.
    
10. After I know for sure that I will commit to karaoking a MIDI file, I go hunting for the lyrics. The first place I look is the FreeMidi.com. If you cannot find the lyrics or a MIDI file, try doing a search for the artist. Often it is faster to go to a site that is specific to the artist for which I'm searching.
     
11. Once I have the lyrics, I paste them into Microsoft Word to prepare the words for importation into my Karaoke software. To prepare the file, I first remove any special text formatting from the file by doing a search and replace for two spaces adjacent to each other, replacing the two adjacent spaces with only one space (repeating as needed). Then, I replace each single space with a space-forward-slash. The Star3 application interprets each forward slash in a text string to indicate a new block. A block normally consists of either one word or a word broken into its syllabic parts (you decide). I sometimes do not break words into more than one block. However, if you have a MIDI file with a fairly simple melody track, you can sometimes separate the words into syllabic blocks; and, upon importing the resulting text file, the words will exactly line up with the melody bars. This is especially true if your karaoke-creating software has the ability to auto-synchronize (like Star3 does). 
     
12. Next, I launch my karaoke software, Star3, and select "File/Open" and open the MIDI file. Once the MIDI file has been opened by the Karaoke software, I enter the "Edit Lyrics" menu. In Star3, you can choose the melody track from a list of tracks within the MIDI file. This track will display the actual music score for you, allowing the lyrics to be linked more easily with the melody. The Star3 application has an automatic lyric synchronization feature, but it is far from perfect. It's fun and a good learning experience to manually synchronize the word blocks to their corresponding melody beats. Since you're working with the actual music score for the melody track, if you have a lot of words being sung quickly, it could be a tight fit. However, the Star3 software has taken this into account by allowing you to pull or push a bar to expand or contact the measure being worked.
     
13. Each block can be synchronized to a particular number of beats in the melody. Star3 has a useful feature that allows you to right-click on a block, and the block will automatically synchronize to x-number of beats in the measure. Each block will then be visually measured to the specified number beats during Karaoke play, help to guide the singer's timing. Once the word blacks have been synchronized, I generally sing the song through a few times, watching for errors in the synchronization. Once finished, you will feel a new intimacy with the song. 
     
14. The various karaoke applications will, of course, handle text importation differently. Some do not even allow text to be imported, forcing you to type as you go. The Star3 software allows you to import or paste entire text files. I like to keep both MS Word and Star3 open at the same time, and simply paste and position one sentence at a time. 
     
15. Another feature that I like about Star3 is that it allows you to have changing background images within the song. You can embed a special character any place within lyric text being merged with the MIDI score. When the song reaches this character, the background image will change. I keep a collection of BMP images that are randomly selected as a tune plays. In my opinion, this aesthetic enhancement adds enormously to the karaoke experience.
     
16. This will conclude my tips for Karaoke file creation for now. I'll update this list as I find new tips. Keep on singin'.
     

Prepared by Kenny Bellew, (c) 1996
Editor Modifications 1998-2000
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