Karaoke is an abbreviated Japanese compound word: "kara" comes from "karappo" meaning empty, and "oke" is the abbreviation of "okesutura," or orchestra. While karaoke started in Japan, it has become the rage around the world. Karaoke discs have been translated into almost every language on Earth, and the frenzy continues to rise. All over the U.S., karaoke continues to draw crowds of people looking for the chance to be a star, and sing their favorite songs with a full background accompaniment. Karaoke is popular in bars and nightclubs and restaurants, but karaoke parties are on the rise as well. People like going over to their friend’s houses to join the fun in the more private settings. That’s why today, in this How2, we’re going to show you how to set up your own karaoke party, including lights. So start practicing your scales, and invite your friends over for a night of singing and fun.

There are a couple of formats for karaoke, going all the way back to the laser disc, which you don’t see too much of anymore. The latest format is the CDG - or CD+G, which consists of the CD information (the music), plus the graphics so that you can read along while you sing. Hence, CD+Graphics. CDG players also have microphone inputs and key controllers to adjust for the singer’s key. Most of them also have some amount of reverb, and other effects to enhance the singer’s voice. And with ActiveHome, we’re going to spice that up even further.

Some of you may already have a karaoke machine of some kind. If not, there’s no reason you can’t have such a party anyway. If you have the CDG discs, you don’t necessarily need the graphics if you already know the words, so you could have one with your own stereo system. But if you need the lyrics, a CDG player is the way to go. This machine hooks to your television/stereo system and plays videos in the background, and highlights the song’s lyrics just like in the clubs.

For this party, we’re going to set up ActiveHome controls that allow you to use your remote control.

The first step is to set up your karaoke player.

Set up an area of the house to act as a stage. You can use curtains, or other cloth to create backdrops and whatever else you think would be fun. Use your mind, and be creative.

So let’s hook up some lights. We’re going to hook up three different types of lights to give you some variety. Take however many lamps you want to use, and put some colored light bulbs in them. If you have any special lamps, such as lava lamps and psychedelic lights, feel free to use them as well.

Now go into ActiveHome and click on the Macro [M] icon at the far right.

In the new box, click on "Macro."

Then "Add Standard Macro." For this Macro we’re going to use three separate lamps, and a strobe that you can purchase for twenty bucks at Radio Shack. If you have any other lights that you feel would add to the ambiance then this would be a great place to put them. This may even include lava lamps and pre-fab music lighting.

Let’s name this macro "Ballad Lighting."

In your macro box, grab the icon marked "Wall Lamps" and drag it over to the left side of the screen. Then do this again, grabbing the icon that represents where your second lamp is located. Do this with your third light, and etc. And when you drag the macro do so until a red-line/box appears around the first macro, and drop the icon in there.

Now let’s set the lights to about 50%. You can change that if you find that it’s too bright, or too soft, simply by clicking on the up and down arrows on the far right-hand side of the icon. In the black dialog box between the arrows, you will see at what percentage your lights are. Do this for each light.

And now you have your "Ballad Lights."

Let’s set up the "Rock Lighting."

Go back to your main ActiveHome box. Click on the "M" icon. Click on the icon on the right that represents the outlet for your lamp, such as "Wall Lamps," and drag it over to the left side of your screen. Then do this again, grabbing the icon that represents your second lamp and so on. And just as you did earlier, when you drag the macro do so until a red-line/box appears around the first macro, and drop the icon in there.

Determine what percentage you would like each lamp to resonate to, and set them there.

For these, if you’d like to have them flicker on and off, you can control them using your Palm Pad Remote, clicking them on and off. Of course you can control all of the lights using your Palm Pad Remote.

Now hook up your strobe to one of the ActiveHome Lamp Modules. These are now ready, and all you have to do is use your remote control to toggle from one to the other.

So as your friends get up to sing, you can determine the lighting based on the song they chose to sing. You can either turn on and off the lights directly at the computer, or with your Palm Pad Remote. And when one of your friends is rocking out, that’s the best time to hit the strobe. Right there during the musical breakdown. Give it a try and be your own karaoke DJ. Before you know it, you’ll be having more parties and more friends than you’ll know what to do with.

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