The Best Karaoke Player Software is Video Hoster^®   

• Playlists hold your Karaoke, Audio and Video songs in any play order, organizing and running your show rotations. Create and save any number of them on the hard drive for venues, weddings, etc. Use one and select to auto delete or keep played songs, or create them for a language (English, Spanish, etc.), or genre (Country Western, etc.).
• Full Show Automation for auto-rotate ignoring songs that have played and missing singers that you skip.
• Automatic Fade audio down as background audio fades up between songs, or to fade out an early terminated song as the next fades in to avoid "dead air" silence.
• Add Songs & Singers to the Playlist by 8 methods, and optionally save them in the Singers Database.
• Drag and Drop Songs to change their rotation order any time.
• Allow Singers to do several songs in a turn with few singers, or one song per turn.
• Song & Singer Status shows Ready, Playing, Played, Skipped.
• Play Controls: Play, Stop, Pause-Resume, Restart, Delete, Skip, adjust Volume, Remove Silence, Mux in/out.
• AutoPlay or Manual Cueing can change instantly. Add an "A-Stop" track to halt AutoPlay for announcements. The Talkover button drops the background audio level down and back up when done.
• Change Key on-the-fly in half-note steps or presets for regular singers favorites.
• Skip Absent Singers to keep their position, but losing their turn for the current Rotation.

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• Add On-The-Fly Notes while playing to later change the Databases.
• Remove or Keep Songs after they play.
• Append Playlists of saved dance routines, or multiple Playlists to perform with interlude audio/video between performances.
• Play Multiplex Songs as stereo, or play only music or switch in/out to play vocals with the music to help the singer.
• Adjust Sync Live while playing CD+G songs with the lyrics out of sync to the music.
• Unique Crash Recovery allows your show to continue when, just like your CDG Player, Hoster or your computer crashes. Playlist changes always save to the hard drive when made, ready when Hoster restarts. The open Playlist automatically re-opens. Tracks from singers discs are able to play. Your show continues! The most you lose is 3-5 seconds to restart Hoster, or the computer restart time. It just doesn't get any safer!

• Import Karaoke CD+G Disc to your hard drive using most CD/DVD drives.
• Maximum Single-Pass Ripping Speed to rip all or only tracks you want in minutes with a fast drive.
• UltraClean™ Lyrics imports Karaoke CD+G lyrics/graphics and music to the hard drive for the best quality in the industry, especially on scratched and multi-session discs.
• Selectable Folder to store on any drive:/folder/sub-folder on any hard drive, or just use the default folder.
• Auto-Name by On-Line Database identifies the Brand & DiscID and if found in the database fills in Titles & Artists.
• Auto-Name by Build-In Database by manually selecting the Brand & DiscID and if found in this database fills in track Titles & Artists (over 384,000 track definitions upgraded monthly with Hoster Annual Upgrade).
• Manually Enter Titles & Artists for new discs missing from both databases. As you type a few characters the lists scroll to the matching name, or enter a full new name.

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• Assign Other Parameters used to find special requests; Language, Genre, Duet or Multiplex.
• Auto-Assign Unique BookID Numbers or custom assign them with your method. These print in the Songbooks for singers to give you to quickly add to the Playlist.
• Preserves Multiplex Songs so you can choose to play the music or music+vocals.
• Imports Hoster Ready Files as WMA compressed KMA files with audio, lyrics and song parameters in one file. Store twice as many as MP3+G at the same quality. MTU Songverter converts KMA to MP3+G, ZIP or other formats.
• Selectable WMA Compression: 192 Kb, 160 Kb, 128 Kb or 96 Kb.

Installing Hoster also installs the Microsoft^® Access Database Manager, able to manage millions of songs and multiple databases. When Hoster first runs it creates two databases to hold your songs and singers.

Songs Database

• Catalogs Karaoke, Audio and Video files from importing CDG Disc tracks, or Hard Drive files already on your drive(s).
• Cataloged Fields include: Title, Artist, Brand, DiscID, Track# (Title is the only required field). You can also identify Language, Genre, Duet, and Mux to search or print in Songbooks. You can add these fields when you import or index the files, or edit them later.
• Type a Few Characters to find any songs in seconds to add to your Playlist.
• Auto-assign a Unique BookID Number to each song, or use your own custom number scheme.
• Review your disc inventory, instantly showing discs you have.
• Edit fields in cataloged songs whenever you want.

Singers Database

• Catalog Singers to instantly find them by typing a few characters into the field that scrolls the list.
• Catalog Favorite Songs with an unlimited number for each singer, including key changes.
• Used to Instantly Add Singers when they appear at your show, adding songs for the night or new ones they request.
• Maintain Singers & Songs by searching for when they last performed, deleting those who no longer come.
• Export a List of all singers and their songs to print.
• Refresh Database to apply any edits to Titles or other fields.
• Auto-Saves Backup to allow rebuilding the database if ever needed.
• Split Record if you accidentally combine two singers with the same name.

Build Songs Database Screen

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• AutoScan Folder You can now set a folder, that Hoster will Scan every time you click Ok, when opening Hoster.
• Fast Unattended Cataloging of all selected song types in folders/sub-folders multi-levels deep with "recursive scanning" and catalog them in the Songs Database. Bad files are identified and not cataloged.
• Hoster KMH and KMA files auto-catalog first to preserve their BookIDs.
• Creates KMH Files with Karaoke, Audio and Video song parameters. These 256 byte files save in the same folder with the songs they catalog.
• Auto-Assign Unique BookIDs indexing all types at once, or each type separately, or custom assign using your method.
• Reads MP3+G/ZIP/WMA+g Header Title and Artist are read from the tags. If Title is not found, the Define Field order selected is used.
• Reads MP3/WMA Header Title and Artist are read from the tags. Title and Artist. If Title is not found, the Define Field order selected is used.
• Catalog 24 Song Types one or multiple at a time:
  
  • Karaoke: MP3+G, WMA+G (Zip or not)
  • Audio: MP3, WMA
  • Video: AMR, AVI, DAT, DVIX, M1V, M2V, M4V, MOV, MPG, MPEG, QT, WMV, VOB, 3GP
  • Note: WAV, WAV+G and BIN files can only catalog in the Index Hard Drive Files screen.

Index Hard Drive Files Screen

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• Maximum Flexibility to identify and catalog in the Songs Database, the Title, Artist, Brand, DiscID and Track# found in the filename. Nine selectable common formats instantly match a selected filename, or define the field/separator order in filenames to catalog multiple different formats. Examples:
  
  • Title - Artist - BrandDiscID-Track.zip
  • BrandDiscID-Track_-_Artist_-_Title.bin
• Hold-My-Hand™ Instructions guide you step-by-step how to use the full flexibility of this screen.
• Create KMA Files from WAV, WAV+G and BIN files by WMA compressing the audio to take 1/10^th the space, and save the parameters identifying each song.
• Create KMH Files to catalog all supported Karaoke, Audio and Video formats (except WAV, WAV+G, BIN), storing the parameters identifying each song.
• Catalogs One File Type at a time.
• Auto-Assign Unique BookIDs to the selected type, or use your custom numbering scheme.

1. BookID Button allows entering the number that a singer gives you from the Songs Database.
2. Brand Button allows entering Brand-DiscID-Track when requested by a singer.
3. Search Button dialog can stay open to find any song. Search on Title, Artist, BookID, Brand, DiscID, Language, Genre, Duet, or Multiplex fields; selecting Karaoke, Audio or Video songs. Type a few letters to search and the found songs appear.
4. Singers Button dialog can stay open showing all saved singers and their favorite songs. Typing a few letters scrolls the list to the matching name.

5. Singer Disc Button to rip a track from their Disc or Flash Drive into the Playlist, saved as temp files (to give their Disc/Flash Drive back), auto-deleting after playing to be legal.
6. K-oke Button adds songs on the hard drive not cataloged in the Songs Database; ZIP, MP3+G, WMA+G, WAV+G, or BIN format.
7. Audio Button adds songs on the hard drive not in the Songs Database; MP3, WMA and WAV format.
8. Video Button songs on the hard drive not in the Songs Database; AMR, AVI, DAT, DVIX, M1V, M2V, M4V, MOV, MPG, MPEG, QT, WMV, VOB, 3GP format.

When dual-display is not available your Preview Display and Playlist appears when not playing, and the Show Display while playing.

• Marquee Messages (at top above) scroll left, right, up, down or stationary; can set the text and background colors or image; show/hide each message; adjust the scroll speed.
• Singers Names Display (at bottom above) shows next singers from the show rotation. Select 1 to 30 singers, song name, time to be on stage, colors, size, bold-italic, font; shown above or below the Lyrics while performing, or only in Audio/Intermission views between performances. It auto-updates whenever songs finish and new singers are added.

• Automatic Quad View changes the Show Display based on what file type is playing:
  
  
  1. Karaoke Songs with lyrics.
  2. Audio Songs with selectable background.
  3. Video Songs with/without lyrics.
  4. Intermission Times with background music and selectable ad images, or Windows Visualization moving image.

Creating Instabuttons

• Enable/Disable Instabuttons to show or hide all, or click individual Use checkboxes to show/hide them individually.
• Assign Audio or Video File Types intermixed in any order.
• Customize Each Button with your title and color to easily find.
• Play Volume is settable for each audio Instabutton.
• Drag-n-Drop a Row auto-arranges the buttons into the new order.

Using Instabuttons

• Click One to Play in AutoPlay or Manual Cueing modes.
• Stop Playing an Instabutton by clicking another, or click the Stop button at the left.
• Instabuttons Auto-Wrap onto new lines when you enable more, or resize Hoster's screen.

• Prepare Instantly using your Songs Database contents, NOT an optional "add-on" module.
• Customize Appearance to make it your Karaoke Songbook.
• By Title, By Artist, or My Discs (identify Inventory for new purchase).
• Order Artist Names by "Lastname, Firstname" or "Firstname Lastname".
• Select "The" or "A" to appear at the start, or end of Titles and Artists fields.
• Select What to Print in what order: Title, Artist, BookID, Brand, DiscID, Track, Language, Genre, Duet, and Mux.
• Select Last Field on each line to be BookID, DiscID-Track, or None.
• Select What to Include: Full Songbook including new release pages; New release pages only; Range of BookIDs; Duets, Multiplex songs, Languages or Genres.
• Unique Exclude List to choose song parameters not to include for printing (very flexible).
• Last Printed Songbook is remembered so you can create new release pages as you import new discs to keep current without reprinting.

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• Hide in Songbooks allows selecting duplicate songs to not print, yet still in the Songs Database to add to the Playlist.
• Custom Title to identify your Songbook, or different layouts, venues, etc.
• Minimizes Page Count to reduce printing cost.
• 1, 2 or 3 Columns Format that you prefer, and to reduce pages.
• Select Viewer Program to instantly see your created Songbook before printing.
• Creates Rich Text Format (RTF) Books printable in Wordpad, Word, Open Office, etc.

• KMA/KMH Headers & Songs Database change automatically when any edit is made.
• Single or Multiple Views allow changing more fields on one song, or common fields on multiple.
• Find Any Song using the powerful search on the first character, or a string within the selected field(s).
• Select Fields to Search with instant search on BookID, Title, Artist; slower search for other fields.
• Change Song Parameters: Brand, Title, Artist, lyrics Language, Genre, Duet, Multiplex (music on left, music+vocals on right track), Hide in Songbook (duplicates to not print), BookID Root and Track#.
• Create 5 Presets of all parameters you frequently use, clicking two buttons to apply these to one or more files.

• Play Selected Song to see the title page and adjust the remove silence points when lyrics start before the music starts or continue after it ends.
• Play Next button starts playing the song below the current one playing.
• Remove Silence to run high energy shows, automatically detecting the start and end of the audio to skip the Title and Credit page silence on Karaoke songs. Process one or more selected files, or all cataloged files to be processed. It even allows you to adjust the start or end on songs with lyrics starting before or ending after the music.
• Delete Songs from the Songs Database and KMA and KMH files on the hard drive, but master .mp3, .cdg, .wma file(s) remain on the hard drive.

Background Player Controls

• Bkgnd Audio Button in the Hoster screen displays a screen controlling songs that play when the Playlist is silent.
• On/Off Buttons instantly turn the BA Player on or off.
• Browse... Button selects a folder with your songs to play.
• Play Controls: Play, Pause, Stop, Play next song. Select a song in the list to play out of sequence.
• Selectable Fade In/Out durations from 0.5 to 5.0 seconds.
• Background Volume Slider to set the playing amplitude.
• Search Allows you to search the list to find a specific song
• Random Play When this is checked, it will randomly play through the songs in the folder.
• MP3/WMA Tag's If the audio files have the Title and Artist in the mp3/wma tags, we will use that. This makes your list much cleaner.

Talkover Controls

• Talkover Button in the Hoster screen drops the background audio to your adjusted level to talk to your audience, then click it off and the audio fades up.
• Talkover Volume Slider to set the amplitude when the Talkover button is clicked, fading the audio down in a quarter second, and back up when you click Talkover off.

• Video Hoster Installs any number of times on 2 computers you own, Quad installs on 4, Hoster One on 1.
• Transparent Security allows honest users to use Hoster as they want. However, theft is blocked. Note: When requested, we issue a refund only after Hoster is removed from all computers while on-line to un-register in your MTU account.
• Installation Requires an Internet Connection over dial-up, DSL or Cable to register, but it is not required to run (privacy policy).
• Read How to Remove and install Hoster on another computer any time, without needing MTU.

If your computer is running, Video Hoster is running!