How to Connect Karaoke to a Computer

How to Connect Karaoke to a Computer

  1. Types of connectors and their connection
  2. How to setup?
  3. Recommendations

Today, there are many different programs for entertainment. In particular, for those who like to sing and cannot imagine a holiday without funny songs in a friendly company, there are many interesting applications for this. With the help of such programs, you can diversify your leisure, as well as hold a fun contest in the quality of singing. To do this, you must have at your disposal a regular microphone for karaoke. Fortunately, picking up a microphone model is not difficult.

Types of connectors and their connection

Before connecting a karaoke microphone to a computer or laptop, you need to determine the type of connection. If before there were few options, now there are several.

  • USB Microphones with such connectors are less common than others. However, such a connection is one of the most convenient, since the USB connector is present on almost all devices. In addition, when using such a connection, the adjustment is carried out without much effort.
  • Bluetooth The wireless connection method, perhaps, adds a lot of advantages to using home karaoke. There is no need to stay in one place and worry about the wires becoming tangled. Connecting such a microphone is easy. To do this, you need to pair the devices via Bluetooth. It should be noted that this type of connection will be an excellent option when using a laptop.
  • Standard. The familiar 3.5 mm jack can be present not only in headphones, but also in microphones. In particular, computers or laptops have just such built-in connectors. As a rule, it is highlighted in a certain color and is located next to the headphone output. There are no special difficulties when connecting, it is only important to have the necessary drivers on the PC.
  • Not quite standard. So you can call the 6.5 mm connector. According to the connection method, it is similar to the standard one. However, to use it, you will need a small adapter, with which a micron is connected to a laptop in a 3.5 mm jack. Such microphones are designed for ordinary karaoke devices, so when using a DVD player as a karaoke, additional adapters are not needed.

It is recommended to select a microphone depending on the type of connection. It is worthwhile to determine in advance which one will be the most convenient for use.

How to setup?

The microphone setup, as well as the connection, can be different. The procedure itself is fully programmed. A correctly configured sound recorder will work smoothly and properly. Depending on the type of connection, there are several ways.

Easy way

The simplest configuration option is this method. After connecting all the cables, click on the speaker icon on the bottom quick access panel. After that, select the item “Recording devices”. You can find this section through the path: “Start. Control Panel. Sound. Recording Devices”. When you open the monitor, the setup menu for the connected devices appears. The connected microphone should appear in the “Recording” section, where there is a green checkmark next to its image. If everything is as described, then the device is ready to work.

Provided that the device is fully operational, you can talk into it or blow it. A scale located near the name will show fluctuations. This is a sure sign that you can sing. In the case when there is no action on the screen when talking to the microphone, you should check everything from the very beginning. If this does not help, then there is only one conclusion. The microphone is malfunctioning.

Trial recording

In addition to the above method, you can check the operability of the recording device using the function “Test recording”. To do this, go to the “Start” and select “Sound Recorder”. Then a special application that records sound will appear. When everything is ready just click on the red circle and start recording. The recorded file in most cases has the WAVE format. After listening to it, you can evaluate the performance of the microphone, as well as sound quality.

Another test for the performance of the microphone is the “test recording”. Sometimes it happens that everything is done according to the instructions, but the sound is still missing. In this case, the malfunction of the microphone itself is completely eliminated. Do not be upset ahead of time. It happens that on a PC or laptop, the volume is simply reduced or the sound is completely muted. That is why you need to make sure that all the settings are turned on even before you start using the sound recorder.

Signal gain

In addition to the standard settings of a device for recording sound connected to a PC, there are also settings that require additional equipment. So, if you want to increase the microphone power, devices are used to amplify the signal. With the help of a preamplifier, it is possible to get rid of various interference that can accompany singing and distort the sound.

You can choose a model for any wallet, as well as with various settings. As for home karaoke, then in this case, even a simple gadget that performs the function of amplifying the signal is suitable. When buying a preamplifier, it is important to pay attention to the types of connectors. To do this, consider the microphone jack. In the case when the preamplifier is not equipped with the necessary sockets, do not be upset. You can choose an adapter for any connector.

Volume

Another important setting is volume. The use of the microphone depends on this. To check, go to “Properties” and click on the “Listen” button. Thanks to this check, you can determine how the microphone works: whether there is any extraneous noise or sound distortion. It is also recommended that you go to the “Levels” section. Here you can adjust the sensitivity and volume of the karaoke microphone. In addition, you can change the balance between the right and left channels.

In order to add more originality to entertainment, You can use special programs that create different sound effects. There are quite a lot of them on the Internet, and each program has certain functions. Some of them not only help change the voice or add an echo, but also improve the quality of the signal from the recording device.

Additional settings

You can adjust the microphone through advanced settings. In the “Advanced” section, you can select the bit depth of processing, as well as the sampling frequency when processing an analog signal. This option will be useful for those who have a sound card with small performance on their computer or laptop. As a rule, weak sound cards cope poorly with the processing of a large amount of information in a short period of time.

Fix such troubles will help to reduce the sampling rate or bit depth. In addition, with a weak microphone sound, you can use the gain function, which is located in the advanced settings. However, when amplifying, it is worth remembering that extraneous noise can also amplify.

Recommendations

Of course, experienced users know perfectly how to achieve optimal microphone sound and quality performance. However, many do not attach importance to some recommendations that allow you to create home karaoke. We advise you to listen to them.

  • Drivers You should know that to connect a microphone, like for any other device, additional software is required. It’s about drivers. If the appropriate drivers are not installed on the PC or laptop, then you need to fix it. You can find the necessary software on the official websites of the manufacturer of your computer. You can’t neglect this, because otherwise even the most expensive and fully functional microphone will not work.

Some models of recording devices come with a special disc with software for normal operation. Then just insert it into the drive and make the appropriate settings, following the simple instructions.

  • Equipment. There is another important recommendation: checking the condition of the equipment. In this case, we are talking about plugs and connectors. If there is a malfunction when connecting and setting up the equipment, it is worth checking the plugs, connectors, and wires. Sometimes working equipment may cease to function normally due to a connector on a PC or laptop. Before connecting, you need to inspect the socket, if there is any damage, it is better to use another. In addition, you must carefully consider the wires, if we are talking about standard microphones.
  • Care. Karaoke is always fun. However, proper care of the equipment should also be remembered. In addition, singing into a dusty microphone is a dubious pleasure. That is why it is recommended to periodically inspect the device for contamination and eliminate it in a timely manner. This procedure will be useful not only from the point of view of hygiene and aesthetics, but also will help to extend the life of the device, as well as improve sound quality.
  • Updates. As you know, the developers sooner or later finish the next work to improve their brainchild and release a new version. If you use the additional software for home karaoke, it is recommended to check for updates. Thanks to this, you will always have useful features installed, and a fun company of karaoke lovers will be able to try out the latest effects.
  • Professional recording software. Sometimes a simple hobby can become a lifelong business. If you have good vocal abilities and others advise you to record your single, then it is worth a try. Fortunately, you can create good audio at home. To do this, just follow all the recommendations for setting up the equipment, as well as download special software for high-quality sound recording.

Following all the instructions, you can create a real karaoke studio at home. You can invite friends to a fun party, organize a talent contest and just have fun.

See below for how to connect a microphone.

We connect a karaoke microphone

To begin with, let’s look at the types of microphones. There are three of them: capacitor, electret and dynamic. The first two are distinguished by the fact that they require phantom power for their work, so that with the help of built-in electronic components you can increase the sensitivity and maintain a high volume level during recording. This fact can be both a virtue, if used as a means of voice communication, and a disadvantage, since in addition to the voice, extraneous sounds are also captured.

Dynamic microphones used in karaoke are an “inverted speaker” and are not equipped with any additional circuits. The sensitivity of such devices is quite low. This is necessary so that, in addition to the voice of the speaker (singing), a minimum of unnecessary noise gets into the track, as well as to minimize feedback. By directly connecting the dynamic microphone to the computer, we get a low signal level, for amplification of which we have to increase the volume in the system sound settings.

Such an approach leads to an increase in the level of interference and extraneous sounds, which at low sensitivity and stray voltage turn into a continuous “mess” of hissing and cod. Interference does not disappear even if you try to amplify the sound not during recording, but in a program, for example, Audacity.

Next, we’ll talk about how to get rid of such a problem and use a dynamic microphone for its intended purpose. For high-quality voice recording.

Using a Preamp

A preamplifier is a device that allows you to increase the level of the signal coming from the microphone to the PC sound card and get rid of stray current. Its use helps to avoid the appearance of interference, inevitable when manually “twisting” the volume in the settings. Such gadgets of various price categories are widely represented in retail. For our purposes, the simplest device is suitable.

When choosing a preamplifier, pay attention to the type of input connectors. It all depends on which plug the microphone is equipped with. 3.5 mm, 6.3 mm or XLR.

DIY preamp

To assemble such an amplifier, you need a minimum of parts and a battery.

Here we will not write down the steps of how to solder the circuit (the article is not about that), it’s enough to enter the query “do-it-yourself preamp for the microphone” into the search engine and get detailed instructions.

Connection, practice

Physically, the connection is quite simple: just insert the microphone plug directly or using an adapter into the corresponding connector on the preamplifier, and connect the cable from the device to the microphone input on the PC sound card. In most cases, it is pink or blue (if pink is not) in color. If on your motherboard all the inputs and outputs are the same (this happens), then read the instructions for it.

The assembled design can also be connected to the front panel, that is, to the input with the microphone icon.

Then you just have to adjust the sound and you can start creating.

Conclusion

The proper use of a microphone for karaoke in a home studio will achieve good sound quality, as it is designed specifically for voice recording. As it becomes clear from all of the above, this requires only a simple additional device and, possibly, care when choosing an adapter.

How to connect a karaoke microphone to a computer? Can I use a dynamic microphone for Skype? Why is the sound very quiet when connecting a vocal dynamic microphone to a standard sound card of a computer (Realtek, VIA)? Will a simple adapter for connecting a karaoke microphone to a computer help? How to amplify a voice from a vocal microphone, make a recording louder? What preamplifier is needed for a dynamic microphone?
You will find the answer to these questions in this.

Thanks to Oleg Mazroff for providing the Shure SM58 dynamic microphone recording to the microphone input of the Realtek ALC 887 motherboard.
The original of this entry can be downloaded here: http://yadi.Sk/d/fhh8mvkb3QzWUg

P.S.
If you own interesting ways to solve the problem. Please feel free to share them! For information on this issue is extremely small.
For example, such relatively high-quality recordings on Apple computers using an external USB audio card: http://goo.Gl/2bAaOh

Music: “Aces high” by Kevin MacLeod (http://incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

I will list the possibilities of connecting a dynamic microphone to a computer:
1. In a good sound card having a high-quality microphone preamplifier:
a) built-in (PCI, PCI-E);
b) external (USB, FireWire);
c) a mixer with a USB interface.

2. Receive sound through the LINEAR (high-quality!) Input of a normal computer sound card, after amplifying the signal through an external device:
a) a special microphone preamplifier (preamp);
b) DVD player with karaoke function: http://youtu.Be/aSaAZqUhcIU
c) a music center with microphone input and line output;
d) speaker system with mic input and line output;
e) other similar devices.

3. An additional feature (not described in the): to amplify the sound from the microphone to a level sufficient for the MICROPHONE input of conventional audio cards through a makeshift amplifier. Radio hams, I think, they themselves know about it, but for the rest this method is hardly acceptable (at least because of problems with the purchase of radio components).

Audio cards with microphone preamps:
ESI MAYA44 110
Lexicon Alpha 115
P.S. There are suggestions that also work well with a dynamic type microphone
Asus Xonar D-Kara 55 and
Creative Sound Blaster Audigy Rx 70
Who knows. Please share the link to the entries!

Mixers with USB output:
Behringer Xenyx 302 USB 75
ART USB MIX 80
An example of poor-quality operation of such ADCs:
http://goo.Gl/eLjjZ0

Amateur Preamp Microphones:
ART Tube MP 50
Behringer MIC100 50
Behringer MIC200 60
Behringer MIC800 MINIMIC 70
Alesis MicTube Solo 49 €
etc.

The cable shown at the end of the can be found in Google by the phrase “2 tulips. Jack”.
Or so:
“2 RCA. Jack 3.5 “
“2 RCA male. Jack 3.5 male »