Frequently Asked Questions about KaraFun software

Karaoke songs

I can't hear the music once I have converted a MIDI karaoke file in video
There are two kinds of karaoke files : the MIDI karaoke based on a MIDI music (KAR or MID files) and the AUDIO karaoke based on a AUDIO music (MP3, OGG, WAV... files).
Only the AUDIO karaoke can be converted into video, because the music track of a video file is always in AUDIO format and never in MIDI format.
The MIDI karaoke files do NOT contain music but only datas that can be performed by an external source (soundcard, external MIDI synth, virtual General MIDI bank, VSTi instrument, etc.). That's why the size of KAR and MID files are so small. So, from a configuration to an other, the MIDI music is played differentelly : Better with a pro synth, Poorer with a AC'97 sound card.
So, to convert a MIDI karaoke into video, you MUST convert first the MIDI source to AUDIO...

How to convert a WMV to AVI file?
To convert a Windows Media Video WMV file to an AVI (DivX, XviD, Uncompressed, etc.) video file, you have to use a video file converter like Rad Video Tools:
- download, install and run Rad Video Tools,
- select your WMV file and click on "Convert a file"
- check "Convert Video" and "Convert Audio" and click on "Convert"
- select your compressor type (DivX, XviD, Uncompressed Frames, etc.) and click on OK
- wait the end of the conversion, click on Done and close.

Software issues (installation and use)

Display problems
KaraFun needs at least DirectX 9. Nevertheless, DirectX relies on the manufacturer's drivers. Don't forget to update the drivers of your video card.

Video karaoke files don't work!
To play video karaoke files, you must have installed the right video codec on you PC (DivX, Xvid, Mpeg).
First, try to play a video KFN file like the KaraFun Studio Trailer or a video KFP file like the Jellyfish preset made with KaraFun Studio. In the Karaoke Library window, right-click on a karaoke file, then select Karaoke background and Set a karaoke preset. Now select the Jellyfish KFP file you've just downloaded and play...
If nothing appears in background then install a video codec pack like ffdshow.
If the video still doesn't appear then your video card can probably not display video. Run the DirectX Diagnostic Tool to be set straight about it.

I've no sound when I export my KFN to AVI
Before trying other audio compression, select PCM in the audio compression box. So the audio compression part of the AVI file will not be compressed, and this is the most compatible choice of the list.
Another frequent cause of having no sound is using a midi file as audio source. Check the help about Convert MIDI karaoke to AVI for more info.

The video export don't work or the result jerks
Some audio or video codecs are not compatible with DirectShow (so they don't work with KaraFun).
The solution is to export the video with uncompressed video frames and uncompressed audio. Select "Uncompressed frames" as video compressor and "PCM" as audio compressor. This export should always works.
You'll see that the resulting file is really huge (several gigabytes) and if you're trying to play it, you're computer may not be able to sync the audio and the video... That's why you should recompress it with another video tool depending of your use (DivX, DVD Mpeg2, WMV, XVid...). You can use VirtualDub for example.
More info: Convert karaoke to video

I can't make a KFN karaoke song with KaraFun Editor
In the Editor, the first thing you must do, in order to create a new KFN karaoke file, is to add and define an audio source. You can't do anything before that. Open the library, add your song file (MP3, MID, KAR, OGG...) and select it in the audio source window. Now, you can add lyrics by double-click on the text track... Just follow the tutorial...
To get used to the Editor, you can also open the song "When the Saints go marching in" and see how it works...

My CD+G discs won't play!
KaraFun CDG playback works on the majority of the PC. Anyway, depending of your CD or DVD drive, you may not be able to play CDG discs.
You can try to replay your discs with KaraFun on another PC with a different CD drive. Some drives can not read digitally the CDG information, that's why KaraFun can not display them.
But if you're successful with other CDG players, you'll maybe be able to convert your CDG discs to CDG+MP3 files, these converted files are always readable with KaraFun. There is many software doing the job, you may try Audiograbber which is free.

How to move KaraFun Studio from a computer to another?
Pretty natural...
Your serial number doesn't change, so download it from the download page with your current license information and install it.
Then, you just have to activate it again, like the first time.

Can't launch KaraFun, I've a messagebox talking about a WMVCORE.DLL problem
In order to export to WMV file (even in the free version of KaraFun) you need to have Windows Media Player 9 or better. If you're not running the lastest Windows XP version nor the latest WMP version, we simply advice you to download and install the lastest version of Windows Media Player (or just the missing component) to solve this problem.

Tricks and Tips

Are there any keyboard shortcuts for the player?
Just right-clic on the KaraFun logo to get these keyboard shortcuts:
Z - Previous track
X, Space - Play
C, Space, Pause - Pause
Esc, V - Stop
B - Next track
F1 - Training mode: Switch to classic karaoke
F2 - Guide mode: Vocal Guide/Instrumental Guide/No Guide
See also: Keyboard shortcuts for the editor.

How to change text properties in Playlist?
- Go to the default skin folder ( C:\Program Files\KaraFun\Skins\Default )
- Edit (with notepad or other text editor) the file "skin.ini"
- Replace the bloc:
---
[ListView]
Font=Arial,8,,0,0
---
with what you want (1st parameter=Font name, 2nd=Font size, 3rd=Font style). Ex:
---
[ListView]
Font=Arial,16,B,0,0
---
Restart KaraFun and enjoy!
Note: you can copy the skin in an other folder and give it an other name ([Info] section of the "skin.ini" file) with the aim of not losing your changes during a next update of KaraFun.

How to remove the singer voice?
If you work with original song, the original singer voice can quickly become annoying...
Unfortunately, there is no magic wand to suppress the vocal part of a song.
Since v0.90, we added a real-time "vocal reducer" to KaraFun. Sometimes, it gives very good results but the instrumental part is often suffering.
For a decent karaoke party, you should buy proper backing tracks!

How to convert KFN to CDG?
The CDG format is not as flexible as the KFN format and both of the formats are very different from each other.
KaraFun can not convert its karaoke display to CDG file, we will try to add this feature in a future Karaoke Studio release. Anyway, don't expect moving backgrounds or 3D effects like in the KFN format because the CDG format won't allow them!

How to use another font in the editor?
The reason why there is only a few fonts available is because the listed fonts are the only ones in ALL Windows systems.
To use another font, you'll have to embed the corresponding TTF file (standard font file) directly in the karaoke file.
Hopefully, it's pretty easy, in the Library (Project -> Library menu) add a TTF file. Then, in the text track select your file as the track font.
You can open a KFP or an unlocked KFN file in order to see how the fonts are added; You may also find original TTF files on a lot of websites.

Miscellaneous questions

Will KaraFun be available for Linux, Mac, PS2...?
KaraFun is not planned to be converted on any other platform than Windows. The reason is mainly technique because development tools and API are not available on other OS.

Contribute to KaraFun

When will I have KaraFun translated in my language?
Tomorrow! Take courage and translate it!
More information on how to translate KaraFun...