So you’re here because you want to set up a great karaoke system at home. Setting a karaoke system gives you the chance to take a party to the next level, entertain guests, or even just let you have a bit of fun singing at home! Whatever your reason is for wanting a karaoke system, you’ll need some basic equipment to set it up.
Decide on your Instrumental Source
So to set up karaoke, you’ll need a few important things.
- Intrumental soundtrack
- Video screen with lyrics
- Microphones
- Speakers/ audio output for the microphone sound and instrumental
We’ll go into the best two ways to setup karaoke at home a bit later on, but first, you should have a think about what intrumental source you want to use.
There are absolutely tonnes of different options available. Which one you choose will depend on your budget, and which type you feel most comfortable with. You can go for classic CDs or electronic sources like YouTube or karaoke subscription apps. You’ll need to make sure your karaoke setup is compatible with whatever instrumental source you choose. It’s up to you which you decide first, but remember, compatibility is by far the most important thing.
To help you choose what instrumental source is best for you, we’ve outlined some of our favourite methods.
YouTube
YouTube is the cheapest way of sorting out both your music audio and lyric video for a home karaoke setup. Connect a device like a tablet or laptop, or use your smart TV to your mixer and then search YouTube for an instrumental, or karaoke version of a song. The best thing about using YouTube, is that it’s completely free and it has a karaoke version of pretty much every song you could ever think of.
Amazon Fire TV Stick
Did you know that if you say “Alexa, play Karaoke Night”, that you can use your TV to show both the song audio and lyric video so you can sing along? If you connect your smart TV to an Amazon Fire TV Stick and to your mixer, then you can get started playing karaoke really quickly!
Karaoke Version
Karaoke Version is great source for MP3 backing tracks that will have pretty much any song you could ever want to sing at your karaoke party. If you’re tech savvy, you can use it to create a video using Lyric Video Creator which allows you to add an MP3 backing track to create a lyric video to sing along to. This option is a little more complicated, but a good one to try if you can’t find a karaoke versio of the song elsewhere.
KaraFun
Sunfly Karaoke
The Voice Sing and Connect
Choosing a Karaoke Setup
Karaoke Setup Comparison
Karaoke Machine | DIY Karaoke Setup |
Easy to set up because it’s an all-in-one system | Allows you to choose the perfect pieces of equipment for your needs |
Fast to connect, most karaoke machines can be setup in under ten minutes | More compatible with a range of audio software such as YouTube, karaoke apps and CDs |
Budget karaoke machines are available to make them a cost-effective option | Helps to create a higher quality sound output for professional use |
Using a Karaoke Machine at Home
Make sure you choose a karaoke machine that’s compatible with the type of music software you want to use. Does it only use CDs, or can you connect a device like a tablet or laptop to use YouTube or a subscription app?
Take a look at the 12 best karaoke machines.
Next, you’ll need to connect your karaoke machine to your TV to get started. Here’s a diagram to help.
So the first thing you need to do, is to connect your karaoke machine to a screen. There are usually three wires, collectively called an RCA connector to help you do this.
Simple connect the wires supplied with your karaoke machine to the corresponding colours on your TV (usually at the back or on the side of the screen).
After that, you simple connect the microphone to the karaoke machine, turn your screen on and use the source button to find the right setting to display the lyrics screen.
The types of cable, colours and connections will vary depending on your exact karaoke machine. Always be sure to check the instruction manual.
DIY Karaoke Setup at Home
- Microphones
- Speakers
- Mixer
- Instrumental audio
- Screen with the lyrics
So the first thing you need to do, is connect your microphone to the mixer. Most wired microphones use XLR cables and most modern mixers have 1/4″ TS and XLR channel inputs. If your microphones are wireless, then set them up as specified, usually either by WiFi or bluetooth. Now you need to connect your speaker to the mixer. This again is usually wireless or requires XLR cables.
Next you’ll need to connect the mixer to your audio and video device. This can be using a bluetooth or other wireless connection. If it’s wired, then it’s likely to be either an RCA or USB connection.
After that, you’ll need to connect your audio/ video device to the TV screen using a HDMI cable or it can be done wirelessly with a smart TV.