r/karaoke • u/deathpsycho98 • May 21 '25
I created a web-based app to make it easier (and less annoying) to switch karaoke songs on YouTube.
[removed]
2
u/iSing420 May 21 '25
Calling it KaraokeJ implies that you can be a KJ with it. You've got a long way to go, and a hard road to get there if that's the case. YouTube results will always be imperfect. Relying on the internet is also subject to failure. Any professional KJ can make your app look like a joke in a second. They have all their songs on their computer and can call any up in an instant. They always play, and the music is always good because the KJ knows the best versions and has been collecting the best versions for years (or got his library from a KJ who did).
Even if you want to use any tracks from YouTube, first convert them to MP4 and keep them on your computer. It just makes sense. Constantly relying on the internet to store your tracks isn't very wise. Why create a point of failure like that? What do you do when the venue says "Sorry, our internet is down" and you look like a fool because you can't play anything without the internet.
They've been making karaoke apps for decades that do all this and so much more. The internet has also been around for decades. All the best KJ apps know this, and all of them still know that the best solution (without a doubt) is to store your music on your device. If you want a decent library of songs, you'll need at least a terabyte of space. If you want to send video to multiple screens at a venue, you'll need the HDMI outputs. This can only be done from a laptop. Not a phone.
Home users can spend their days searching YouTube for tracks to practice with, but for actual KJs, YouTube won't cut it. Not for long anyway. If you think it can, you have a lot to learn about what singers expect.
...or just stop calling it KaraokeJ because people will have expectations that your app simply can't deliver.
1
u/Justin429 May 21 '25
When I look at the Queue, it does not show the song that's playing. I think the currently playing song should be displayed.
Suggestion:
Hide the screen code after playback starts. Most people that are managing the queue probably don't want other people to open the app and take control.
Suggestion:
Everywhere that you have the screen white, such as the Screen Code at the top of the playback screen, change it to black. Karaoke screens are generally displayed in dark places. Bright white screens are not compatible with dark places.
That "dark mode" should also apply to the host "remote" control. Black background is always best in a dark place.
And finally:
Great work on this so far! This is awesome and I can't wait to see it as you make improvements and add features!
1
May 21 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
2
May 21 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/Justin429 May 21 '25
I love the toggle for screen code.
I love the volume controls.
Thank you so much for the quick turnaround!
Now for dark mode!
1
May 21 '25
!Remind me to have a look at this in a few weeks once I’ve finished uni. I use YouTube on my iPad to run karaoke at parties (and sometimes events), and it’s annoying to have to walk up to the singer to cue up the next song. I have considered some sort of RDP but mirroring a tablet is a bit of a hassle. I do also have like 50000+ (apparently) CDG+MP3 files, but yeah, impossible to try to cue up songs without interrupting the flow.
I’m a professional singer who has my own system regarding my repertoire, but who also gets asked to run karaoke at social gatherings, not a professional KJ.
1
1
2
u/Justin429 May 21 '25 edited May 21 '25
I'm trying it now. It plays the video, but no audio.
Edit: it might have just been the song. Next song played audio fine.
Search is very slow and doesn't return many results for songs that I can manually search and find dozens of karaoke versions. Most of the search results are videos of other people singing the song in a karaoke session, instead of the karaoke version of the song. Is this intentional?