You want to set up a karaoke system for your home party, but you don’t want to buy a karaoke machine. How to have a karaoke party without a karaoke machine?
You won’t need a karaoke machine to set up a karaoke party. You can connect the essential karaoke gear including microphones, speakers, and a mixer to a smart device. Then, open YouTube or any karaoke software to pick your favorite songs to sing.
Here is the detailed guide for setting up a karaoke party without a karaoke machine for you. Let’s see how it works!
What Do You Need To Set Up A Karaoke Party Without A Karaoke Machine?
First, you will need some equipment to substitute for the karaoke machine at your party.
The necessary devices include microphones, speakers, a mixer, and a smart device. For the smart device, you can use a smart TV, laptop, PC, tablet, smartphone, and so on. Besides, you will need a karaoke song source.
Karaoke song source
You can get karaoke songs from different sources such as YouTube, karaoke apps, or karaoke software. Depending on the devices you use, you can choose a suitable song source.
#1. YouTube
You can use YouTube on almost any device. The number of karaoke songs on YouTube is huge, and you can access them for free.
However, most of these songs don’t have high audio quality. Besides, annoying advertisements can appear while you are singing.
#2. Karaoke apps
Karaoke apps are available for smartphones, tablets, or smart TVs. You can find these apps on the Google Play Store or App Store on your device. Some popular karaoke apps with many useful features are KaraFun, Smule, Singsnap, etc.
One of the notable advantages of karaoke apps is the high quality of karaoke tracks. Moreover, there are also a lot of songs for you to choose from. Karaoke apps also provide many features such as recording, or audio editing.
But these apps may require you to pay to get them. Some karaoke apps can offer a free version but with limited access.
#3. Karaoke software
You can download and install karaoke software on your laptop or PC. Good suggestions for karaoke software are Kanto Karaoke or Karaoke Fun Player.
Like karaoke apps, karaoke software also has a lot of high-quality karaoke songs. Besides, they allow you to create playlists, adjust the tempo and volume, and use many other features.
Some karaoke software comes with a free trial, but you will need to pay some fee to access full features.
Microphone
In a karaoke system, microphones are crucial items. For a karaoke party, the more the merrier, so you should prepare at least two microphones. Some mixers may support up to 4 microphones allowing duet or group performances.
There are wired and wireless options for microphones. You should check your mixer first to pick the compatible mics.
Normally, wired microphones will be cheaper than wireless ones. Wireless microphones are more convenient if you want to dance while singing.
Speaker
The quality of your speaker has a great influence on the produced sound. If possible, you can invest in good speakers. Some combos of speakers and mixers will have a lower cost than separate items. But they are less flexible and both the speaker and mixer are of medium quality only.
Speakers also come in two types: wired and wireless. Again, make sure that you check the compatibility of your mixer before picking any speaker.
The best speaker for your home karaoke system is the PA speaker or active speaker. These speakers operate well with live music and make the sound better. Don’t choose home theatre speakers because they can get damaged when you use them for a home karaoke setup.
Mixer
Another indispensable item for your karaoke setup is the mixer or karaoke amplifier. It’s the intermediate device to connect all the equipment in your karaoke system.
The mixer will amplify the instrumental of the song and your singing through the mic. Then, the amplified sounds will release through the speakers. You can also adjust the volume of these sounds by turning the buttons on the mixer.
Your mixer needs to be compatible with all other equipment in the karaoke setup. Thus, you should consider this aspect when choosing a mixer.
How To Have A Karaoke Party Without A Karaoke Machine?
After you gather all the needed karaoke gear, you can move on with the following step to set up a home karaoke system. You can watch this video to see a sample karaoke setup.
Step 1. Connect the mics
Hook up microphones to the karaoke mixer using XLR cables if you use wired mics. For wireless mics, you should follow their instruction manual to connect them to your mixer via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.
Step 2. Connect the speaker
Plug your speaker into the karaoke mixer with XLR cables if your speaker is a wired one. If you use a wireless speaker, again, check the manual for specific instructions.
Step 3. Connect the smart device
Connect your smart device to the mixer via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. You can also make the connection with compatible cables like USB or RCA cables.
Step 4. Start singing
Open the YouTube, karaoke app, or karaoke software on your device to select the songs. If you use your smartphone, you can cast it to a TV screen for a better view. Then, you can grab the mic and belt out some tunes.
How To Make Your Karaoke Party More Fun
You have done the karaoke setup without using a karaoke machine. Do you want to make your karaoke party more fun? Try these useful tips to get a more exciting experience at your party.
Set a theme for your karaoke party
Your karaoke party will be far more interesting if you set a theme for it. You can select a theme matching the songs such as the 80s, 90s, or other music themes. Then, you need to tell your guests about the theme and dress code. They will surely be eager to attend your party.
Giving your party a theme also creates a more informal and intimate atmosphere. Thus, everyone will feel more comfortable and sing more naturally.
Make your karaoke party a singing competition
It would be more fun to add some competitive elements to your party. Some karaoke software or apps have a scoring function and you can use this function to decide the winner. Besides, prices are indispensable in a contest, so don’t forget to prepare some for your party.
Turn your karaoke party into a funny singing contest will make the attendees more enthusiastic and excited.
Choose the suitable light
If you’ve ever been to karaoke bars, you’ve probably noticed the light setup there. Karaoke rooms often have disco lights or many colorful light displays. These lights will make you feel excited and want to sing or dance.
Therefore, if you want to have more fun at your karaoke party, you can make some light setup. Colorful LED lights or disco lights are affordable options to turn your home into a club.
Some light setup will make your party more fun
Create some games to keep everyone entertained
It’s quite boring if we only sing at a karaoke party. Organizing some games will help spice up your party. “Guess The Songs”, “Don’t Forget The Lyrics”, or “Mix It Up” are some common and funny games you can try.
In addition to singing games, you can add some board games or drinking games to change the atmosphere. They will keep everyone entertained in the breaks between singing.
Good food makes a good party
Food and drink are essential parts of every party, including karaoke parties. Singing will burn calories, so don’t forget to prepare something to munch on for your guests.
You can prepare some snacks, including both salty and sweet ones. Fruits are also perfect for a karaoke party.
For drinks, you should serve your guests both alcohol and non-alcohol beverages so that anyone can enjoy them.
Good food makes a good karaoke party
Take some photos
A karaoke party can’t be perfect if there is no photo to show. To have nice pictures, you can set up a tripod to take photos.
After the party, it’s better to share your fabulous pictures on social media. Your friends will know the awesomeness of your party and want to attend the next time.
Final Words
Above is our ultimate guide for how to have a karaoke party without a karaoke machine. It will take you some time and effort, but it’s quite easy to set up.
Don’t forget to add more fun to your party with our tips. We hope that you will have a perfect karaoke party. Thank you for reading!
