MIDIKAR2.ZIP

This file contains a collection of MIDI karaoke song files. 
MIDIKAR2.ZIP is a superset of MIDIKARA.ZIP that I uploaded 
earlier. It contains all of the songs of MIDIKARA.ZIP
plus many others that I've done. Some of the songs that
used to be in MIDIKARA.ZIP are improved. So if you already have
MIDIKARA.ZIP, I would encourage you to download MIDIKAR2.ZIP 
to replace MIDIKARA.ZIP.

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MIDI Karaoke Frequently Asked Questions
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Q: What are MIDI karaoke files?
A: MIDI karaoke files are Standard General MIDI files that have
song lyrics built into one of the tracks according to a certain
format. Using a program that supports this format, the lyrics 
can be displayed on the screen in synch with the music.

Q: What hardware do I need to be able to use MIDI karaoke files?
A: You need a General MIDI synthesizer or a sound card to hear the
music. It is recommended to use a wavetable synthesizer sound 
card as opposed to FM synthesizier.

Q: What programs can I use to play MIDI karaoke files to be able
to see the lyrics?
A: At this point I know of three programs that can play MIDI karaoke
files.

Name          Manufacturer           Commercial/Shareware
----          ------------           --------------------
Soft Karaoke  Tune 1000              Commercial (~$30)
PC Karaoke    Turtle Beach           Commercial ($?)
KaraDos       Jean-Pierre COCATRIX   Shareware

If someone knows of another program that can play MIDI karaoke files,
please let me know.

Q: Can I use a regular MIDI file player to play MIDI karaoke files?
A: Yes, however you will not be able to see the lyrics. If your 
MIDI player can not play files with an extension other than .MID,
rename the MIDI karaoke files from .KAR to .MID extension.

Q: Where did the files in this archive come from?
A: Most of the files in this archive are the MIDI files I downloaded 
from various places on internet. Originally they did not have the built-
in lyrics. I entered the lyrics myself. Other files I sequenced myself.

Q: Are the files in this archive copyrighted?
A: I hope if some of them are, they are free to be distributed. As I 
said the previous answer, I downloaded them from the net, and with the 
exception of my own sequences which are public domain, this archive 
does not contain anything that has not been uploaded before. If some 
of the files in this archive are NOT supposed to be distributed, I was 
not the one who uploaded them in the first place.

Q: Where can I get more MIDI karaoke files?
A: More MIDI karaoke files can be BOUGHT from Tune 1000 and their dis-
tributers, which are various music stores. For more information call
Tune 1000 at 1-800-363-TUNE. The files obtained from Tune 1000 are 
NOT public domain and should not be distributed. The current list price 
for a disk with 10 songs is $24.95.
Also Clubhouse Productions makes MIDI karaoke files that you can 
download. Look for those at archive.epas.utoronto.ca.

Q: What is the MIDI karaoke file format?
A: Load one of the MIDI karaoke files into a sequencer to examine
the contents of the tracks of the file.
The first track contains text events that are used to make the 
file recognizable by the Soft Karaoke program as the MIDI Karaoke 
file. @KMIDI KARAOKE FILE is used to for that purpose. @V0100 
is the program version number. Anything starting with @I is any
information you want to include in the file.
The second track contains the text events for the lyrics of the
song. The first event is @LENGL. It identifies the language the
words are in, which is English. The next couple of events start
with @T which identifies the title of the songs. You can have up
to three events like these. The text of those events will show
up in the upper right corner of the Soft Karaoke program window.
The rest of the track contains the words of the song. Each 
event is the syllable that is supposed to be sung at the time
of the event. If the text starts with \, it means to clear the
screen and show the words at the top of the screen. If the text
starts with /, it means to go to the next line.

Q: How can you make a MIDI karaoke file from a regular General MIDI
file?
A: Tune 1000 is working on a program that will handle the task. It 
should be out very soon. But you can use your favorite sequencer
to record NOTE ON events and later convert them to TEXT and enter
the lyrics of the song. That's what I did.

Q: How can I contact the uploader of MIDIKAR2.ZIP
A: You can contact me, Raphael Pungin, by sending email to 
raphael@cnct.com or br326@cleveland.freenet.edu

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Have fun!!!
Raphael Pungin
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