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Fri 11 Nov 05 @ 7:15 am

How to convert CDG (karaoke disks) to play in VDJ:

If you follow this, you will end up with PERFECT .zip files that will play in VDJ that will be perfectly labeled with artist, title, track, and disc number. Some settings are to taste.

Software Needed:
Genuine copy Windows XP SP2 [Not free :0( ]
Microsoft Net Framework 1.1 [Free, Google it]
VDJ ;0) [Reasonably Priced www.virtualdj.com ]
Audiograbber [Free, version 1.83 www.audiograbber.net or Google it]
MP3+G Toolz [Free, version 4.0.1.5 www.activeaspsoftware.net ]
ASPI Installed [Free, www.adaptec.com ]

Please go to www.kjpro.com and familiarize yourself with their labeling system:
SC = Sound Choice | SFG = Sunfly Gold | TU = Top Tunes | PHU = Pop Hits Monthly Urban | Etc…

TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE:
The more scratched your disks are, the less likely you will be able to get a GOOD looking file on your PC. Remember if you scratch the TOP, you’re screwed, so place your CDs label side UP, not down!

In order to copy the lyrics portion of a karaoke track, you should have a CD/DVD burner that WILL read RAW Sub code Data. 99.9% of all Plextor Brands can read this data.

Settings Audiograbber:
General:
Pick a Directory where you want the files saved
Naming, click “Advanced” button and insert “%2-%3” (to work with Toolz)
Use ASPI
Rip Method “Dynamic Synch Width”
DAE Speed (Slower is better especially on scratched CDs)

Audio Encoding
Check “Direct Rip and Encode to MP3 file”
Uncheck “ID3v1 Tag”
Uncheck “Rip All Tracks Before Encoding”
Check “Internal Encoder”
Select “Fraunhofer IIS MPEG Layer-3 Codec (Professional)”
Mode: YOUR CHOICE

Settings MP3+G Toolz
NOTES: Settings won’t take until you close and re-open Toolz, check after you’ve made these changes. Because of this, I would NOT recommend using Toolz to RIP CDGs… your disks will all be mislabeled.
Click the Options Tab
Select your Auto-Renaming “DISC-TRACK ARTIST – TITLE” works well
Check the following four of five boxes:
Auto-Rename Zip Files (Requires Internet Access) IMPORTANT!
Recurse Folders
Delete The Old Files After Processing IMPORTANT!
Rename Bin Files During Auto-Renaming Before Conversion (important, not sure)

Click on the Zip Compression
Select “5 – Default Compression”
IMPORTANT NOTE: You have MANY choices here surrounding how MUCH compression. DO NOT PICK ANYTHING ELSE! If you do, you are likely to make the file non-functional in this or any other application!

Making your first tracks:

Insert a CDG into your burner
Open Audiograbber
Click “Refresh” (every time you insert a new CDG)
Type the disk number in the Album Box (IMPORTANT, use the KJPro Label here, that way when you use Toolz later, you will have the correct artist and title in your file)
Click “CD” then “Grab CDG Tracks (Karaoke)” then “Grab to .cdg + compressed file”
Wait….
NOTE: Audio Grabber in tests has defeated Media Cloq AND Multisession CDs without any unnecessary gimmicks.

Insert next CDG and Repeat as necessary from “Refresh”
You can do this with all your CDs or one at a time as necessary. If a singer brings a CDG to you show and your computer can handle it (Usually a Dual Core WILL), you can insert his/her CD on the fly and copy the track/tracks to a temporary file one at a time. If the disk is a Media Cloq, you may have to import the whole CD.

Organize Your Collection for VDJ:

Right Mouse Click on the Folder where you put all these karaoke tracks in.
Click on “MP3+G Toolz .Net 4”

In Toolz:
Click “Convert Audio+G to Zip”
Wait… Maybe go to bed if there are a lot of files.
Confirm that all your files are labeled correctly. If your file doesn’t have the Artists and Title information, either you’ve labeled the Disk incorrectly, or your internet isn’t working. Confirm, rename and try again with the “Rename Files From Internet Button” NOTE: This will check EVERY FILE in the folder AGAIN, so if you have only a FEW mislabeled disks, create a sub-folder and paste them in there and run Toolz on that folder.


Toolz labels disks correctly 99% of the time. Some brands with vocals (Pocket Songs for example but not Pop Hit or Top Hits Monthly) often end up mislabeled with the phrase, “w/vocal” This is KJPro’s error, nothing else.

Once you have .zip files it is just a matter of loading them into Virtual DJ.
Make sure you ADD the “zip” to the "EXTENSION" tab in Virtual DJ and assign the karaoke reader.

I know of two CDG brands (not currently made) that do NOT play correctly when converted to the computer, SAVA (P maybe as well) and All Hits. All Hits WILL play the song and lyrics correctly, but the opening screen won’t be displayed properly. This is in natural issue with VDJ that may be addressed.

I have over 32,000 songs, 65% of them were created this way, and 98% were labeled this way. They all work fine in VDJ.

Good Luck!

My Next HOW TO will be on making a FREE Karaoke Book in Excel from these files.

Mon 10 Oct 05 @ 10:35 pm

Okay, first blog, EVER!

My long standing handle in the computer industry has been PCGUMSHOE, hense my community name. I have a website reserved in that name as well. The name stems from what I spend most of my time doing, sluething around in computers, including the internet.

People have accused me of being a hacker, and I'm sure hackers would take MUCH offense to that. Since I've been working on computers since 1986, I have some background and knowledge. If a problem crops up, I try my hardest to find the solution.

My title isn't far off... I'm legally disabled because, well, I'm nuts! Some would call it a gift, but I'd like for ONE WEEK to go and have 7 nights of restful sleep, with 8 hours of sleep, and 16 hours of wake.

Because I'm disabled, I've had to find ways of "supplementing" my income. I couldn't hold down a 40 hour a week job in the "traditional" sense. To many distractions.

I'd say the first time I ever DJ'ed was in 1990 in a very small town called Parker, Arizona. I had NEVER DJ'ed before then and really hadn't thought about it. There was a bar/restaraunt there and they needed a dj. I wasn't yet 21, but I told them I was. I can remember how sad it was... I had NO IDEA what I was doing and the place was always dead. They just needed someone to keep the DEAD air away.

It was the end of the 80s and I had a late start... I remember saying to the audience (all 5 people) "Here's a request" well, it was from me... sad, really sad!

Time has marched on and in 1999 I found my calling, FIX KARAOKE! It sucks... most KJs are in the business for one of TWO things, BOOZE or EGO STROKING... I'm neither, but none of them hurt from time to time.

I'll eventually post some of my "guidelines" for karaoke that all karaoke hosts should, in my opinion, follow. If you don't, you are NOT giving your audience/clientele their fair shake.

I got turned on to Virtual DJ back in 1.9 and, admittedly, used a cracked version of it. Sorry, It wasn't YET what I wanted... It had some nice features and it was easy for me to use as a DJ program, but it wasn't yet there... so I had NO interest in owning it.

Then you added karaoke support and video, now I'm hooked. I bought my copy this summer. I haven't really used it that much on account of it didn't work to terribly well with my show system. I do, however, play with it at home and when it surpasses my expectations on a perfect system, it will see the inside of a club.

I now live in the NYC area, I moved here from St. Petersburg Florida, Used to live in Seattle and Arizona as I mentioned, but I'd call California (South) my home state.

I'm very opinionated. I don't like terrorists and I consider police and politcians terrorists... Also, anyone who perpetuates their BS... Amereica is NOT the best country in the world and as SOON as I find a better one with proper health care for the disabled, ME and my Partner are moving there. I have my eyes set on Germany. I speak the language and have loved the people.

Well, That's the first draft, I doubt anyone will view it, but maybe as I get a little more active in the community.

A.S.