Thought you would never ask........

In Central Florida, Karaoke is Gator Karaoke.....

Karaoke is from the Japanese "empty," and "orchestra".  Karaoke is a form of entertainment in which singers sing along with recorded music (and/or a music video) using a microphone and public address system.

The music is typically a well-known song where the voice of the original singer is removed. This is usually done by using karaoke equipment, graphic equalizer or by using computer software that removes the vocals from the original track. Lyrics are usually displayed on a video screen, along with a moving symbol or changing color and/or music video images, to guide the singer.

A basic karaoke system consists of a music (karaoke) player, microphone inputs, some form of electronics for altering the pitch of the singer's voice and the played music, and an audio output. Most common machines are CD+G, Laser Disc, VCD or DVD players with microphone inputs and an audio mixer built in. CD+G players use  special tracks  to decode the lyrics and pictures that are displayed on the screen while other formats display both audio and video.

Most karaoke machines have technology that electronically changes the pitch of the music so that the singers can sing along to any music source by choosing a key that is appropriate for their vocal range, while maintaining the original tempo of the song.

The sound is then sent to several speakers and wham....music.

 Many advanced Karaoke hosts have upgraded their equipment to computer systems that they may supplement with hard disks. This allows them to offer a wider selection of songs and music. Since some songs are available from several music suppliers the arrangements may be very different. Some singers prefer to buy their own discs and most karaoke hosts have equipment to play those disks.

Some of the hosts have very high end equipment packages and can produce sounds equal to a live band. That combined with an above average singer can provide a very pleasant entertainment experience.