*Karaoke Midi Player

 Introducing vanBasco's Karaoke Player

vanBasco's Karaoke Player (see version history) is a freeware product that plays Karaoke (.kar) and standard MIDI (.mid, .midi, .rmi) files. Features include:

fully customizable Karaoke window: change font, colors, number of lines (up to four), background image
lyrics can be displayed in a resizable window or full-screen
control window: ability to change tempo, volume, key of song
real-time MIDI output window: shows notes, volumes, and instruments, can mute or play solo individual instruments
piano view: displays notes on a big piano keyboard
integration with Microsoft Internet Explorer (optional)
easy-to-use graphical user-interface with support for skins and multiple languages
complete install & uninstall support makes setup of software straightforward.

 

 
It is never too late to learn to sing and it certainly is never too late to have some fun. With vanBasco Karaoke , an "old" but still excellent program, fun is guaranteed and above all free!
 
 Like all "dated" programs (the last update, at the time of writing, dates back to 2004), it has an interface that is not beautiful, especially because it was made for monitors of the time with low resolutions. With modern monitors everything looks a bit "small" but it doesn't create any problems.

But you can see that there has been effort in designing itand in fact there is everything you need:

the actual player with classic controls (back and fast forward, play / pause, stop and previous / next track), a nice CD player style summary display plus other controls
the sliders to modify tempo (from 25% to 200%), transposition (from 1 octave below to 1 octave above) and volume
a window with the playlists and files to be played
the window with the text (for the files that embed it) completely customizable in terms of colors and font size
a synoptic panel of midi channels with mute, solo, level, instrument name and notes played
a piano keyboard on which the notes played by all the instruments (or the solo one) except the drums are displayed
 
DOWNLOAD HERE
 
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 Winlive Free Player
 
 
Winlive FREE is a Karaoke Player for Midi, Kar, MP3, CDG, Video and YoutTube. Through the program you can manage real-time playback of these files viewing in a simple and clear any text contained in the file and synchronized. It 'also possible to check the progress of a file start and stop, next reservation, change the tempo, tone, and mute midi instruments in real time.

Here are some of the features of Winlive: Immediate management of Audio file, Midi  CDG and Video karaoke. Extensive customization of the screen karaoke. Powerful and Functional interface with possibility of use of the shortcut keys. Function-Changing tone for background tracks and CDG. Setting muted track in midifiles reproduction. 'Cover' abilities for change the feeling of the midifiles. Database management with possibility like the Home and Pro versions. Management of the song lists (up to 11) with search by title. Theme graphics and many innovations.
[NEW] Youtube video player integration with intelligent karaoke search system,
 


*Suggested configuration Windows: 2Gb Ram, 200 Mb Free storage on HD and i3 CPU or higher
*Suggested configuration MAC: 3Gb Ram, 1200 Mb Free storage on HD and i3 CPU or higher

*Compatible with Windows 7, Windows 8/8.1 and Windows 10 both 32 and 64 bit
*Compatible with Mac OSx  (tested up to Mojave) - currently NOT COMPATIBLE with CATALINA

Note for MAC users: some functionalities may be different o may be not present on mac version
 
 DOWNLOAD HERE
 
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 SoundFont
 
 SoundFont is a brand name that collectively refers to a file format and associated technology that uses sample-based synthesis to play MIDI files. It was first used on the Sound Blaster AWE32 sound card for its General MIDI support. 
 
 History

The original SoundFont file format was developed in the early 1990s by E-mu Systems and Creative Labs. A specification for this version was never released to the public. The first and only major device to utilize this version was Creative's Sound Blaster AWE32 in 1994. Files in this format conventionally have the file extension of .SBK.

SoundFont 2.0 was developed in 1996. This file format generalized the data representation using perceptually additive real world units, redefined some of the instrument layering features within the format, added true stereo sample support and removed some obscure features of the first version whose behavior was difficult to specify. This version was fully disclosed as a public specification, with the goal of making the SoundFont format an industry standard. All SoundFont 1.0 compatible devices were updated to support the SoundFont 2.0 format shortly after it was released to the public, and consequently the 1.0 version became obsolete. Files in this and all other 2.x formats (see below) conventionally have the file extension of .SF2.

Version 2.01 (usually,[2] but incorrectly called 2.1) of the SoundFont file format was introduced in 1998 with an E-mu sound card product called the Audio Production Studio. The 2.01 version added features allowing sound designers to configure the way MIDI controllers influence synthesizer parameters. The 2.01 format is bidirectionally compatible with 2.0, which means that synthesizers capable of rendering 2.01 format will also by definition render 2.0 format, and synthesizers that are only capable of rendering 2.0 format will also read and render 2.01 format, but just not apply the new features.

SoundFont 2.04 (there never was a 2.02 or a 2.03 version) was introduced in 2005 with the Sound Blaster X-Fi. The 2.04 format added support for 24-bit samples. The 2.04 format is bidirectionally compatible with the 2.01 format, so synthesizers that are only capable of rendering 2.0 or 2.01 format would automatically render instruments using 24-bit samples at 16-bit precision.

SoundFont is a registered trademark of Creative Technology, Ltd., and the exclusive license for re-formatting and managing historical SoundFont content has been acquired by Digital Sound Factory.
 
 Functionality

MIDI files do not contain any sounds, only instructions to play them. To play such files, sample-based MIDI synthesizers use recordings of instruments and sounds stored in a file or ROM chip. SoundFont-compatible synthesizers allow users to use SoundFont banks with custom samples to play their music.

A SoundFont bank contains base samples in PCM format (similar to WAV files) that are mapped to sections on a musical keyboard. A SoundFont bank also contains other music synthesis parameters such as loops, vibrato effect, and velocity-sensitive volume changing.

SoundFont banks can conform to standard sound sets such as General MIDI, or use other wholly custom sound-set definitions like Roland GS and Yamaha XG. 
 
DOWNLOAD HERE
 
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VirtualMIDISynth

VirtualMIDISynth is a software MIDI synthesizer implemented as a Windows multimedia user driver, accessible as a standard MIDI Out device.

It works on Windows XP (SP3) / Vista (SP1) / 7 (SP1) / 8.x / 10 / 11 (both x86 and x64), and is based on the great BASS library from un4seen.
 
 


 Introduction

Playing a MIDI (o karaoke) file on Windows has always been a poor-quality experience, because the well known bundled "Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth" synth is just... ehm... simple: poor samples, mono sound, no effects (reverb, chorus) support.

Software synts deeply improve quality, but sometimes they're difficult to install or limited to specific uses, like the ones integrated in some DAWs or karaoke players.

Till Windows XP some virtual devices existed on 32bits systems, like the well-known YAMAHA XG SoftSynthetizer S-YXG50 and Cakewalk-sfz+ (both unsupported now).
Nowadays, on x64 systems, we're out of luck: none of them works anymore.

One day Ian Luck (un4seen) added to his BASSMidi library a great feature: the possibility to render a live MIDI stream, including SysEx messages. I quickly realized that, if only I could intercept that MIDI stream and drive it through Ian's library, well, we would have got a great MIDI Synth.
The challenge was to create a good quality synth and keep the end user away from complicated virtual MIDI chains (ever tried VanBasco -> MIDI Yoke/LoopBe1 -> SynthFont chain ?).

User only needs a new virtual MIDI Out device, select it as output on his preferred player settings and... start playing, nothing more.

Here we are, VirtualMIDISynth is the answer: an user mode multimedia x86/x64 driver that works on Windows XP / Vista / 7 / 8 / 10 / 11 (both x86 and x64), implemented as a MIDI Out virtual device.
Main features

    User mode multimedia driver, no reboots, no BSOD
    Directly accessible as MIDI Out device, no need for virtual MIDI cables (like MIDI Yoke, LoopBe1)
    Supports up to 4 virtual devices, each with its own soundfont configuration (new in version 2.x)
    Virtually unlimited polyphony (limited only by available CPU power)
    MIDI mixer to set track mute/volume, accessible through systray icon
    Integrated MIDI converter to easily convert your MIDI files to WAV/MP3/FLAC
    Lightweight setup (~1.2 MBytes)
    No DLL cluttering, everything is self contained installation folder (except for MIDI device driver) (new in version 2.x)
    Clean installer, won't affect other MIDI devices
    Efficient RAM usage (allows using large SoundFonts, > 1GByte)
    Load soundFonts (up to available memory), enable/disable/chain them at your will; native 64bit version (on x64 OS) is not limited to 4GByte (new in version 2.x)
    Configure MIDI Mapper default device (this feature is already available in XP, but missing in Vista / Windows 7)
    Windows 8/10/11 users can also install CoolSoft MIDIMapper and configure it straight from VirtualMIDISynth configurator to get the well-known MIDI Mapper back to their systems
    Multilanguage dialogs.
    If you want to help in translation, see here for status then get in touch to have access to the online translation system.
 
DOWNLOAD HERE
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loopMIDI


Virtual loopback MIDI cable for Windows 7 up to Windows 10, 32 and 64 bit.

This software can be used to create virtual loopback MIDI-ports to interconnect applications on Windows that want to open hardware-MIDI-ports for communication.

The ports created are unique for each user and only exist while the loopMIDI-application is running.  So if you log-off, the created ports cease to exist.

When you close the configuration, the application will not terminate, but rather be minimized to the traybar.  When you right-click on the traybar-icon of loopMIDI, you get an options-menu to either deactivate the application, configure the ports or to activate autostart each time you log on to the computer.

DOWNLOAD HERE
 
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MIDIMapper


CoolSoft MIDIMapper is the missing (and needed) MIDI Mapper for Windows 8, 10, 11.

It installs as a MIDI Output device and forces itself as MIDI device #0 (read below for an explanation).
It can be managed with a configuration panel accessible from Control Panel or its Start menu icon.

CoolSoft MIDIMapper is not only a configurator for the well known MIDI registry keys (because that "hack" stopped working from Windows 8, see below) but a full alternative to (the now missing) Microsoft MIDI Mapper.

What is a MIDI Mapper?

Let's get back to Windows XP era, where MIDI was "exposed" to the public and it had its own place into "Sound and Multimedia" control panel application.
Users were able to select their default MIDI Out device from a list of all installed MIDI devices.
Based of this choice, all programs that were outputting a MIDI data stream (and had not selected a specific MIDI Out device) had their stream played by the selected device.

MIDIMapper was not real device but sort of "pipe": it receives a MIDI stream on its input and drive it to an user configured (real) MIDI Out device.
MIDIMapper, as said, was bundled with Windows, installed as MIDI device #0 and preconfigured to use the first available "real" device, usually the well-known Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth (MGWS from now on).

Another MIDI device was bundled, the well known Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth (MGWS from now on).
MGWS is a (low quality) software wave synth, installed as MIDI out device #1.
So on Windows XP, programmers had 2 well known devices: #0 (MIDIMapper) and #1 (MGWS), the former preconfigured to use the latter.
When a MIDI software (i.e. your MIDI player) starts playing, it should select a MIDI out device otherwise #0 is used.
There are a lot of softwares around without a configurable output device (think about game emulators and Active Movie based players, like Windows Media Player and MediaPlayer classic): they all use #0 by default.
Device #0 is MIDIMapper --> MIDIMapper is configured to use MGWS --> MGWS will play your MIDI.
This chain worked well: default users had a working MIDI synthesis out of the box.

It all worked up to Windows 7, but getting worst version by version:

Windows XP: device #0 is MIDIMapper, #1 is MGWS
Windows Vista / 7: same as above, but MIDIMapper configuration disappeared from control panel (registry settings were still available, so some third part tools were released as workaround)
Windows 8 and newer: no more MIDIMapper, registry keys hack not working anymore!
Why do I need it?
Well, in fact you don't need it, but only if your MIDI clients (players, games, DAWs) allows you to select a specific output device.
If not, then go on reading...

On Windows 8 the MIDIMapper device has been completely removed so MIDI softwares are now REQUIRED to select a specific device (no selection still means #0).
I wrote "REQUIRED" because, worst of all, MGWS is now installed with some sort of "dynamic" ID: #0 out of the box, but it becomes #1 if you install another one (like VirtualMIDISynth or an USB MIDI device).

Anyway #0 won't lead to a well known situation like in pre-Windows 8 era; #0 could be MGWS or any other one; that's why you now need to select a specific device (it could also force you to upgrade your software).
If you can't (and your software uses #0), you're out of luck: it will use the first in the devices list...
DOWNLOAD HERE
 
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RELATED WEBSITES TO VISIT 
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KARAKAN
 
 Karakan is a free and easy to use editor for creating MIDI karaoke files. It runs under Microsoft Windows. You can enter the lyrics of a song as text in Song Text Format. From the lyrics and a given MIDI file (.mid), Karakan makes a karaoke file (.kar). You can test the karaoke file using Karakan's internal playing facilities, or using an external karaoke player, which can be started from Karakan.
 
 
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 CoolSoft Virtual MIDISynth
 
 In order to get better audio quality from the MIDI sequence, I use CoolSoft Virtual MIDISynth. This software makes it possible to load a bank of sounds GM, GS, XG.. in memory of the computer and to replace advantageously those of the Audio card of origin. Several banks (Soundfonts) are available.
 
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TERMINOLOGY:
 
-KAR is a file extension for a text and midi file format used in Karaoke. KAR was designed by Tune 1000. The KAR file format is now one of the main formats for karaoke in the freeware market. KAR files contain added text for lyrics, synchronized with the Midi music.

-MIDI is an acronym that stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface. It’s a way to connect devices that make and control sound — such as synthesizers, samplers, and computers — so that they can communicate with each other, using MIDI messages. This lets one keyboard trigger sounds on another synthesizer, and it makes it possible to record music in a form that allows for easy note editing, flexible orchestration, and song arrangement. Virtual instruments — computer programs that simulate hardware synthesizers and samplers — also communicate with computer sequencing software running on the same computer using MIDI messages.


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