kJams Wiki - User contributions [en]

Server

2015-05-27T15:29:40Z

Baylink: /* Updates to the Server Resources */ - Expand

In the Pro version, and in kJams2, kJams allows the KJ to enable a web server that is built right into kJams, which allows singers to use a web browser (even from a mobile phone) or the [[iJams]] or [[wtkJams]] application to manage their queues. Basically it will allow singers to log in and manage their "Tonight", "Favorites", and "History" playlists. They can search the Library or any of their singer lists to find songs they can then put into their "Tonight" list. They can reorder their "Tonight" list so the songs come in the order in which they want to sing them.

Note: Internet Explorer and Opera are not supported. You must use FireFox, Safari, or, with a little work, Chrome.

==Take Note==
Singers created by the host in kJams (rather than thru the web interface or thru an iPhone) do not have a password. Singers without passwords will NOT show up in the list of singers that can be logged into. To assign a password to a singer so they can log in, in kJams [[Context_Click|context click]] the singer and pick "Get Info", then type a password.

==Playlist used for Server Search==
By default, the playlist that is searched by the server is the Library. However, the host can change this to any other playlist if desired, by context-clicking the playlist and choosing "Playlist used for Server Search".

This is handy if, for example, you have every song in the world in your Library, but only want a subset to be visible for user searches when they use the web server. This setting is remembered per-venue. Only one Playlist may be used for the Server Search.

==How To Turn It On==
# To enable existing singers for remote login, right click on each singer and pick "Get info..." and enter a password.
# go to "Preferences"
# Click "Server".
# Check "Enable kJams Web Server"
# Keep the default port number (80) unless you're already running a web server. If you are, try 12345 as your port.

==Testing the Web Server==
The web server will be on port 80 (or whatever other port you've configured it to) on the IP address which your computer or laptop is set to on the local network, whether wireless (usually) or wired.

To make it easier to find, both for [[wtkJams]] and for users accessing it with a standard web browser on their phone, tablet, or laptop, kJams uses Apple's 'Bonjour' service discovery protocol. Client-side support for this is built into OS/X on Apple laptops, into iOS on iPhones and iPads, and into Safari for Windows. If your singers are using other browsers on Windows or Linux, including Android phones and tablets, they will have to find the server to log in in other ways, which we'll describe below.

=== If you're using Windows ===
# Required install [http://support.apple.com/kb/DL999 Bonjour for Windows] (it says "Print Services" but it's the real Bonjour)
# You *should* install [http://www.apple.com/safari/download/ Safari] or [https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/ FireFox] (All other browsers do not support Bonjour)
# You *may* use FireFox or Chrome, but there is no support for Bonjour (see "No Bonjour?" below)
# Note that "Internet Explorer" is not supported at all.

==== Using Safari? ====
# Run Safari on any computer on your LAN
# go to Preferences->Bookmarks, and turn on Bonjour (both "Bookmarks Bar" and "Menu")
# browse your Bonjour sites for "kJams: <Venue Name>" and pick it! (The default <Venue Name> is "Singers")
# For example if your venue is called "Prancing Pony", then you'll look in safari for "Bookmarks->Bonjour->kJams: Prancing Pony"

==== Using Firefox? ====
# Run Firefox on any computer on your LAN
# install the [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/ciaociao/ Ciaociao extension]
# click the new icon in the icon bar, looks like a little "World"
# browse your Bonjour sites for "kJams: <Venue Name>" and pick it! (The default <Venue Name> is "Singers")
# For example if your venue is called "Prancing Pony", then you'll look in safari for "Bookmarks->Bonjour->kJams: Prancing Pony"

==== No Bonjour? ====
One option is to run kJams, then go to the Video menu and pick "QR Code-Web Server". This will display a QRCode grid on the Video screen. Have your singer scan that with a QR-Reader app on their smart phone, this will take them right to the your kJams Server.

Otherwise, you must find out the "sharing name" of your server machine
# Mac: in System Preferences->sharing, eg: "bree.local"
# Windows:
## start menu->control panels->system->computer name. That plus ".local" is your "sharing name". eg: if your "computer name" is "bree" then your "sharing name" is "bree.local"
## If the above doesn't work: start->control panels->network and sharing->change adapter settings->double click the LAN adapter->details->IPv4 address: that set of four numbers is your "sharing name", go figure.
# to get the full address, you must append ":<port number>" to the sharing name unless it is 80. eg: if your port number is 12345, and your "sharing name" is "bree.local", the full address will be "bree.local:12345". if the port is 80, you do not need to append anything.
# Go to any computer on your LAN, and in the web browser, enter the full address.

==Example Server==
[https://karaoke.kjams.com:12345 Click Here] (un: dave, pw: a) to see an example of what the server looks like!

==If you don't have wireless==
If you are hosting a show in a venue which doesn't have Wifi available to patrons -- don't laugh, there are still a few of those -- you can set up an Ad-Hoc network.

# Create a new network https://karaoke.kjams.com/screenshots/server/adhoc/1_create_network.png 
# name the network https://karaoke.kjams.com/screenshots/server/adhoc/2_network_name.png 
# run kJams
# click on the folder "Singers", this is actually the venue name
# click it again without moving the mouse, this will let you rename the folder
# name the venue https://karaoke.kjams.com/screenshots/server/adhoc/3_venue_name.png 
# go to preferences->server
# turn on the server (see above "[[Server#How_To_Turn_It_On|How To Turn it On]]" for more info) https://karaoke.kjams.com/screenshots/server/adhoc/4_turn_on_server.png 
# you can set the Port to 80 or just leave it at 80
# if you're using a web browser:
## make sure the web browser computer is on the same network as the kJams computer
## in your web browser, find the kJams Venue name in the Bonjour list (see [[Server#How_To_Turn_It_On|Step 7 Above]]), then click it! You're in!
# if you're using an iPhone:
## go to Settings->WiFi and pick the Ad-Hoc network. Note: to pick it, tap the NAME, not the blue arrow on the right. https://karaoke.kjams.com/screenshots/server/adhoc/5_pick_network.PNG 
## run [[iJams]] or [[wtkJams]]
## join your venue! (see links in previous step for examples) You're in!

==If you're hyper savvy==
You can put this on a *public* IP address under some domain, and use port 80 (provided there's no other web server on that address). that way people can *from home* enter something like:

https://karaoke.kjams.com:12345/

and then set up their tonight list, before they even get to the venue! isn't that spiffy? We will, at some point, have a checklist for how to set this up, including some thoughts on security.

== Known Issues ==
* A search that returns more than 200 songs will say "too many hits, refine your search" or something like that. ("200" is the default, but you can change it in the prefs "maximum number of songs returned in web server search")
* A failed login (i.e., bad password) will not display an error; it will just display the login page again.
* Updates made in kJams (eg: song added or list reordered) don't show up in the web UI unless the playlist is refreshed

==Updates to the Server Resources==

The "Server resources" are the HTML, CSS, and Javascript files that make the singer-request webserver work. They live in a folder on your hard drive, and if you like, you can make copies of them in a personal directory, where kJams will look first, so that you can do things like insert your show service's logo.

If you do this, then you'll have to do some manual work to take advantage of updates to kJams which affect these files.

When there is an update to the server resources, you have to [[Server/Update|manually update]] these files.

==Code==
if you're a code monkey and stuff you can [[Code|look here]]

Running a show

2015-05-26T16:13:02Z

Baylink:

There are two major categories of people who might want to use software like kJams: professional show hosts (whether you're being paid or not, whether you're mobile or working in a fixed location)... and everyone else.

This page is for professional show hosts. :-)

I'm going to cover everything you will need to do, in roughly chronological order, to set up for and run a "professional" show; one that's out in public, with singers who are not necessarily your personal friends, and probably an employer who expects you to Just Do It. My target will be a serviceable mid-grade professional setup. It will be possible to do things less expensively, as well as more, but, by and large, you don't get what you don't pay for.

THIS WILL BE A WORK-IN-PROGRESS until I take this line out; you shouldn't have seen it anyway unless you prowl Recent Changes (Hi, Dave :-), since it's not linked from anywhere.

== Prerequisites ==
We will assume that you've already [[installation|installed]] and [[updated]] the program, and [[importing|imported your main library]] and/or [[ripping|ripped]] your discs. We'll also assume for the moment that you're running kJams 2, and you're running it on a Mac, mostly because I am.

You also need a way to get audio out of your computer, as well as video -- and for a pro show, that needs to be a [[External Monitor (Mac)|secondary video adapter]]. Most laptops have dual video adapters; some desktop machines do and some don't.

I said "get audio out". You won't need to get audio ''in'', since for a professional show, you should not be sending your mic(s) through your computer; you really need an external mixer. You'll need one that can mix stereo sources, and possibly more than one stereo source; the more you need, the harder a good mixer is to come by.

One example of a serviceable mixer for karaoke is the [http://www.mackie.com/products/dfx12/ Mackie DFX-12]. I call it the "DFX-8", since it only has 8 input channel faders; the last 4 are all stereo, which amounts to 12 inputs. I picked this mixer for those 4 stereo inputs, which allows a KJ mic, mics for 2 singers, and a spare input, plus line-level inputs for the laptop, a separate source of background/fill music, if you do that, a commercial CD+G or CAVS player, and a spare input on the stereo/line side as well. They can be had pretty inexpensively [http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=dfx-12&mfe=search&clk_rvr_id=837004739007&_osacat=4785&_from=R40&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.Xmackie+dfx-12.TRS0&_nkw=mackie+dfx-12&_sacat=4785 on the secondary market].

As for the mics themselves, save up the money (if necessary) and just buy Shure SM-58's. :-) NO SWITCHES.

== Setup ==

The actual setup of your system largely amounts to 'standard PA setup', and as such is outside our scope here, except to note that if you use an HDMI TV set as your external monitor, OS/X will switch your audio to it, when you probably don't want it to, and you'll need to manually switch it back before every show. We'll mention that again at the proper time.

Running a show

2015-05-26T16:03:18Z

Baylink: /* Prerequisites */

There are two major categories of people who might want to use software like kJams: professional show hosts (whether you're being paid or not, whether you're mobile or working in a fixed location)... and everyone else.

This page is for professional show hosts. :-)

I'm going to cover everything you will need to do, in roughly chronological order, to set up for and run a "professional" show; one that's out in public, with singers who are not necessarily your personal friends, and probably an employer who expects you to Just Do It.

THIS WILL BE A WORK-IN-PROGRESS until I take this line out; you shouldn't have seen it anyway unless you prowl Recent Changes (Hi, Dave :-), since it's not linked from anywhere.

== Prerequisites ==
We will assume that you've already [[installation|installed]] and [[updated]] the program, and [[importing|imported your main library]] and/or [[ripping|ripped]] your discs. We'll also assume for the moment that you're running kJams 2, and you're running it on a Mac, mostly because I am.

You also need a way to get audio out of your computer, as well as video -- and for a pro show, that needs to be a [[External Monitor (Mac)|secondary video adapter]]. Most laptops have dual video adapters; some desktop machines do and some don't.

I said "get audio out". You won't need to get audio ''in'', since for a professional show, you should not be sending your mic(s) through your computer; you really need an external mixer. You'll need one that can mix stereo sources, and possibly more than one stereo source; the more you need, the harder a good mixer is to come by.

One example of a serviceable mixer for karaoke is the [http://www.mackie.com/products/dfx12/ Mackie DFX-12]. I call it the "DFX-8", since it only has 8 input channel faders; the last 4 are all stereo, which amounts to 12 inputs. I picked this mixer for those 4 stereo inputs, which allows a KJ mic, mics for 2 singers, and a spare input, plus line-level inputs for the laptop, a separate source of background/fill music, if you do that, a commercial CD+G or CAVS player, and a spare input on the stereo/line side as well. They can be had pretty inexpensively [http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=dfx-12&mfe=search&clk_rvr_id=837004739007&_osacat=4785&_from=R40&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.Xmackie+dfx-12.TRS0&_nkw=mackie+dfx-12&_sacat=4785 on the secondary market].

As for the mics themselves, save up the money (if necessary) and just buy Shure SM-58's. :-) NO SWITCHES.

Running a show

2015-05-26T15:28:16Z

Baylink:

Running a show

2015-05-26T01:26:28Z

Baylink:

Running a show

2015-05-26T00:46:19Z

Baylink: First cut. To be expanded all week.

Secret Prefs

2015-05-24T18:32:18Z

Baylink:

There are some kJams preferences that are not exposed in the user interface.

To change these, you can use an XML or plist editor (like the excellent [http://homepage.mac.com/bwebster/plisteditpro.html PlistEdit Pro]) or you can just use a text editor. If you do use a text editor, you need to be careful not to break the formatting (in short: don't touch the angle brackets or anything inside them -- except to change <false/> into <true/> or vice-versa. That is: you can change <tag>'''this'''</tag>, but not <'''this'''>data</tag>.)

You must edit them when kJams is NOT running, so shut it down before you open the file.

To reveal your preferences file, run kJams and go to the Help menu and pick "Reveal Preferences". It will then open a Finder window on the folder containing your prefs file, which will be in this location:

Mac: [[~|~/]]Library/Preferences/kJams/kJams Preferences.plist
Win: [[~|~/]]AppData/Roaming/Preferences/kJams/kJams Preferences.plist

note: click the [[~|tilde]] above if you don't know what it means.

Once the folder has been displayed, switch back to kJams and Quit the program. Then you can open the preferences file with your editor, and change any of these:

* "Browser Font Size" - default is 11
* "Launch Midi Files" - set to true
* "Half Ring buffer size (in megabytes)". Default is 1.5, set it to 3 if the [[ring buffer]] ever runs dry on your particular system
* "Maximum number of items in web search results list" - default is 200
* "Don't erase before sweeping" -
Karaoke text, of course, changes color in time with the music. This color-changing is called "sweeping". to do this, we erase only the part of the word that is "swept", then re-draw only that part in the new color. Erasing first keeps the text looking crisp on the edges, as otherwise the anti-aliasing can show the previous color on the fringes. In certain cases however, erasing first causes problems, so you can use this switch to turn it off.

You will see all the preferences that ''are'' accessible in the Preferences dialog here too, and you can, of course, edit those here as well if you like. You can even make a backup copy of the file before experimenting, which we encourage.

Secret Prefs

2015-05-24T18:30:54Z

Baylink: Expand

There are some kJams preferences that are not exposed in the user interface.

To change these, you can use an XML or plist editor (like the excellent [http://homepage.mac.com/bwebster/plisteditpro.html PlistEdit Pro]) or you can just use a text editor. If you do use a text editor, you need to be careful not to break the formatting (in short: don't touch the angle brackets or anything in between them -- except to change <false/> into <true/> or vice-versa).

You must edit them when kJams is NOT running, so shut it down before you open the file.

To reveal your preferences file, run kJams and go to the Help menu and pick "Reveal Preferences". It will then open a Finder window on the folder containing your prefs file, which will be in this location:

Mac: [[~|~/]]Library/Preferences/kJams/kJams Preferences.plist
Win: [[~|~/]]AppData/Roaming/Preferences/kJams/kJams Preferences.plist

note: click the [[~|tilde]] above if you don't know what it means.

Once the folder has been displayed, switch back to kJams and Quit the program. Then you can open the preferences file with your editor, and change any of these:

* "Browser Font Size" - default is 11
* "Launch Midi Files" - set to true
* "Half Ring buffer size (in megabytes)". Default is 1.5, set it to 3 if the [[ring buffer]] ever runs dry on your particular system
* "Maximum number of items in web search results list" - default is 200
* "Don't erase before sweeping" -
Karaoke text, of course, changes color in time with the music. This color-changing is called "sweeping". to do this, we erase only the part of the word that is "swept", then re-draw only that part in the new color. Erasing first keeps the text looking crisp on the edges, as otherwise the anti-aliasing can show the previous color on the fringes. In certain cases however, erasing first causes problems, so you can use this switch to turn it off.

You will see all the preferences that ''are'' accessible in the Preferences dialog here too, and you can, of course, edit those here as well if you like. You can even make a backup copy of the file before experimenting, which we encourage.

Secret Prefs

2015-05-24T18:19:06Z

Baylink:

There are some prefs that are not exposed in the user interface.

To change these, you can use an XML or plist editor (like the excellent [http://homepage.mac.com/bwebster/plisteditpro.html PlistEdit Pro]) or you can just use a text editor. If you do use a text editor, you need to be careful not to break the formatting (in short: don't touch the angle brackets or anything in between them -- except to change <false/> into <true/> or vice-versa).

You must edit them when kJams is NOT running, so shut it down before you open the file.

To reveal your preferences file, run kJams and go to the Help menu and pick "Reveal Preferences". It will then open a Finder window on the folder containing your prefs file, which will be in this location:

Mac: [[~|~/]]Library/Preferences/kJams/kJams Preferences.plist
Win: [[~|~/]]AppData/Roaming/Preferences/kJams/kJams Preferences.plist

note: click the [[~|tilde]] above if you don't know what it means.

Once the folder has been displayed, switch back to kJams and Quit the program. Then you can open the preferences file with your editor, and change any of these:

* "Browser Font Size" - default is 11
* "Launch Midi Files" - set to true
* "Half Ring buffer size (in megabytes)". Default is 1.5, set it to 3 if the [[ring buffer]] ever runs dry on your particular system
* "Maximum number of items in web search results list" - default is 200
* "Don't erase before sweeping" -
Karaoke text, of course, changes color in time with the music. This color-changing is called "sweeping". to do this, we erase only the part of the word that is "swept", then re-draw only that part in the new color. Erasing first keeps the text looking crisp on the edges, as otherwise the anti-aliasing can show the previous color on the fringes. In certain cases however, erasing first causes problems, so you can use this switch to turn it off.

Preferences

2015-05-24T18:09:55Z

Baylink: /* Secret Prefs */ - move sweeping to the page

== How do you get there? ==
In the Menu Bar, pick "kJams -> Preferences"

== Where Are they actually Stored on disk? ==
Your preferences for kJams are stored in your user preferences folder, in a folder called, guess what: kJams. it lives here:
Mac: <home folder>/Library/Preferences/kJams/kJams Preferences.plist
Win: <home folder>/AppData/Roaming/Preferences/kJams/kJams Preferences.plist
== General ==
https://karaoke.kjams.com/screenshots/prefs/general.png
* [[Auto-Cue|Skip silence at start of song]]

== Audio ==
https://karaoke.kjams.com/screenshots/prefs/audio.png
== Importing & LAME ==
{|
| https://karaoke.kjams.com/screenshots/prefs/importing.png
| https://karaoke.kjams.com/screenshots/lame.jpg
|}

== Burning ==
https://karaoke.kjams.com/screenshots/prefs/burning.png
== Advanced ==
https://karaoke.kjams.com/screenshots/prefs/advanced.png
* '''Logging''' is used for debugging purposes. Please leave it on. Do NOT turn on Log Threads unless I ask you to
* '''Clear Search field when switching Sources''': With this on, when you switch between sources (eg: a playlist, the Library, a Singer etc), the search field is cleared, so it will reveal all items in that source. If you leave this checkbox off, the search is re-executed on the new source after you switch to it.
* '''Update Search Results as you type''': will perform the search after each key stroke. When off, you must press [Return] to execute the search
* '''Allow Name Editing''': lets you edit meta info directly in the browser. It's a bit to zealous at starting an edit session right now, so I made this pref to shut it off. (This will be fixed to work like the sources list, where you have to click and then not move your mouse for a second before the edit starts)
* '''Remember Pitch & Tempo changes in all playlists''': If you set pitch or tempo in a playlist that does NOT belong to a singer, the setting will stick, and next time you play the song from any non-singer playlist, it will play with the previously set pitch and tempo. Actually the setting is always remembered, this preference only determines if it gets applied. Note this does not affect burning a disc. In other words, if you set the pitch on a song in a non-singer playlist, then burn the disc, it will be burnt with the new pitch, even if this preference is not set.
* '''Automatically mark singers “Here”''': Will automatically place in rotation a singer who's "Tonight" list is touched (added to, removed from, or reordered)
* '''Automatically un-mark singers “Not Here”''': Will automatically remove from rotation a singer who runs out of songs. You would leave this NOT checked if you want the singers to keep their place in the rotation even if they forgot to sign up for another song after their last one. Otherwise, when they add another song, they will go to the end of the rotation (and will therefore sing SOONER than they would have had they stayed in the rotation)
== freedb ==
https://karaoke.kjams.com/screenshots/prefs/freedb.png 
See [[freedb]]
== Exporting ==
https://karaoke.kjams.com/screenshots/prefs/exporting.png
* '''Pad QuickTime Export to 320 x 240''': Normally CD+G media is 300 x 216 pixels, but this looks even more chunky than normal when scaled to the video iPod screen. If you enable this option, kJams will pad the frames with a black border to fill them out to 320 x 240.
== Tags ==
https://karaoke.kjams.com/screenshots/prefs/tags.png
== Sharing ==
https://karaoke.kjams.com/screenshots/prefs/sharing.png
== Producer ==
https://karaoke.kjams.com/screenshots/prefs/producer.png
== Music Stores ==
https://karaoke.kjams.com/screenshots/prefs/store.png 
See [[Music Store|Music Stores]] for more info, especially about [[Music_Store/Chartbuster|Chartbuster]]

== Secret Prefs ==
Please see: [[Secret Prefs]]

Fixing Tags on a CD Temp

2015-05-14T01:32:12Z

Baylink: WIP update

It’s important that you fix the metadata retrieved for a CD '''before''' you rip it. Here’s why:

*Songs with non-unique names will overlap. This means, if you have two songs called "Audio Track" from the same album (Typically "Audio CD") then they may very well both rip to the same spot on your disk drive, one overwriting the other. This creates the undesirable situation of having two songs that both point to the same files. Extra bad in that when you delete one, it may succeed in deleting, but it will leave the other song that points to those files in a bad state, potentially causing a crash when you try to delete it.
*The Cache will get confused. If you rip a song under one name, then change its name and play it again, the cache will no longer think the song is cached and will create yet another copy of the song. This is a less critical issue since the cache will eventually purge songs that have not been used lately. However, it can take up a lot of space. Update: This is in the process of being fixed now, but for now I still recommend cleaning your cache after you set meta but before ripping. [FIXME: Is this fixed by d77, Dave?]
*The CD info will NOT be updated when you change the meta info in the library. This means, if you change song info in the library after you rip, the CD will not be aware of these changes, so next time you stick the CD in, the meta info will be out of date and will not match the cache. It's best to have the meta info for a song on CD completely match the meta info for the same song in your library. Otherwise the Cache will get confused. [I have plans to completely fix all of the underlying causes of these problems; they will all eventually go completely away. But for now, please keep them in mind. [d77?]

==Getting Meta Data for Your CD==
While most karaoke CDs that you purchase will have some metadata available from public music metadata sources like CDDB, sometimes the data is not what you want or it’s incomplete. Fortunately, there are free, online databases that provide this information automatically. When you put in a CD, kJams connects you to user-created online databases that contains meta info for CDs. For each CD, kJams searches for entries that specify artist, album, track title, genre and various other information. Presently there are over 1.8 million entries in these databases. kJams can automatically look your discs up in these databases so that you don't have to manually type in the metadata.

kJams searches the following databases in sequence until it finds metadata: freedb, MusicBrainz, and TrackType. If none of these databases produces any results, kJams opens a dialog for KayJay Pro, a commercial database (not related to kJams) that contains a subset of metadata for just about every single karaoke disc that exists.

kJams comes with Preferences set to allow database queries, so you don’t need to do anything to enjoy this feature. If you want to disable it, however, you will need to go to kJams → Preferences → freedb and deselect the specific databases.

Because freedb and TrackType are user-created databases, it is considered good form to reciprocate. If you plug in a CD for which there is inadequate meta data and you end up entering the data yourself, please submit that CD data to these databases.

First, you want to fill in the meta data for the disc itself
#Place your CD+G in your disk drive.
#Double click the CD or select it using File → Get Info.
#Wait for the display showing you information about the disc. This is the metadata kJams already has associated with the disc or album. Then fill in the data about the disc that's not already known to kJams:
#Enter the Artist’s name. If the album is a compilation of artists (which is more typical for Karaoke) then just put “Various” as the artist's name.
#For Album, enter the publisher abbreviation followed by the disc number. For example, Sound Choice 4321 would be "SC4321". This is the sort of standardized format for referring to a Karaoke album. If it's a regular CD, you can just enter the actual album name
#Make sure you enter a year. Zero is NOT a valid year. If you're not sure, just set it to this year. This ''should'' be the release year of the disc, but that's often hard to find out.
#For Genre, you can type it in if you know it, or pick from the list. It’s best to pick from the list, because you want to enter something that is legal. Again, this is the genre for the *album*, which is often a mixture.
#For category, it frankly doesn't matter. Pick something, anything. "Misc" is fine.
#Press OK. This updates the meta data about the disc itself.

[work in progress -jra]

Next, you will need to fix the meta data for the individual songs. You can select all songs or just the songs you are ripping. The Select All feature is useful only if the songs are all by the same artist or all of the same genre. Since most karaoke discs are a compilation, you will most likely have to fix the songs one at a time.

davequestion: I’m assuming from this that the album info does not carry over to the individual songs? For example, if all of the songs on the disc are Beatles and Beatles is entered for the disc artist above, would Beatles carry through as the default for each song? If so, then I can’t think of a reason you’d ever use Select All below.


If all of the songs have either the same artist or the same genre:
#Select all songs OR go to Edit → Select All.
#Go to File → Get Info, and you will see this: screenshot
#Fill in either the artist name or genre (or both)
#Fill in the year.
#Press OK.

You can also use the above method to update the data for a group of songs. Suppose four of the songs are by the same artist (but not all the songs). You can select those four and update the artist on all of them at once.
To update individual tracks:
#Select track #1.
#Go to File → Get Info, and you’ll see this. screenshot
#Enter the song name
#If the artist is unique for this song, enter the artist name, too
#Press the Next button and repeat the process ‘til you wrap back around to the first track.
#Press OK.
#Now that you've entered the info for the disc, please submit it to the "freedb" so that others may benefit. Select your CD and go to Advanced → Submit CD Tracks to freedb

Once all the meta data is updated, you’re ready to rip. Go to File → Rip Selected.

Burning

2014-12-28T20:56:01Z

Baylink: Minor edits and write a lede

In addition to playing karaoke tracks for both professional hosts and home users, kJams can also burn CD+G discs which are compatible with most commercial karaoke players, such as those from Pioneer. This feature is probably most useful for home users who want to maintain their entire library on their own computer, and take along their favorite songs when they go out singing, but we suppose that description applies to some pro KJs as well -- if you have the time. :-)

== Hyper Simple Instructions ==
# If you haven't already: [[Turn off AutoPlay]]
# Create a playlist with just the songs you want to burn (2 songs max if you are still in the unlicensed Tryout mode), and select that playlist
# Click the "Burn Button" (looks like a camera iris, on the top right. to see a pic, scroll down)
# Stick in a blank CD-R disk (or a CD-RW if you're just testing, though some commercial players have problems with rewriteable discs)
# Click "Burn" in the dialog that came up
# To test if it really worked, play the disc in real karaoke hardware (playing in a computer is NOT a fair test).

== Detailed Instructions ==
Click here for [[detailed burning instructions]].

== kJams Burning Plugin ==
* '''Sold Separately''' from [[KJams_Lite_Karaoke_Software|Lite]] & [[KJams_Pro_Karaoke_Software|Pro]] (not included)
* Comes for free with [[kJams 2]] (included)
* Allows kJams [[KJams_Lite_Karaoke_Software|Lite]], [[KJams_Pro_Karaoke_Software|Pro]] or [[kJams 2]] to burn new CD+G discs from a playlist.

* In kJams Lite & Pro only:
** The burning plugin is '''SOLD SEPARATELY''', for $20. It does NOT come with kJams.
** The Tryout version of the burning plugin allows you to burn 2 songs per disc, so you can test to see if it works with your CD burner
** Do NOT purchase the burning plugin until AFTER you have tested a burned disc in actual karaoke hardware (not a computer)
** Is an in-app purchase, built in to Preferences->Burning
** After you install, to see if it installed correctly, run kJams and in preferences select the Burning tab.
* WARNING: some drives '''can't burn CDGs'''!! See the section on [[Compatible Drives]].
* Burns the song with your pitch bending (shifting) intact (so when you play it on real hardware, it comes out pitch bent, without instructing the playback device to do anything special). Does NOT burn tempo-shifting or sync-slipping (though we probably should make it do so)
* Is currently in [[Development_Stages|Final]] (Release Candidate) stage
* WARNING: Pioneer DVR drives do NOT seem to produce viable CD+G discs. They will play in computers but not on real hardware. (FIXME: "DVR"? "DVD-R", perhaps?)
* WARNING: Due to their inconsistency in some CD/DVD players, Colored or Black CD-R's are NOT recommended.
* From a customer: "I was using (cheap generic) CD-R's that I found on the web, but they would not read on Numark karaoke machines. After doing a lot of reading it looks CD+G machines are not all as forgiving as normal computers. They recommend only music CD Maxell or Memorex. I used Maxell and use the slowest burn speed. The CD '''worked great''' on the Numark machine that I was having trouble with."
* NOTE: When testing burning, use CD-RW discs, so you don't make coasters. When you've verified that your burner 'knows how' to make a CD+G disc, THEN switch to using CD-R discs. Most commercial players WILL accept CD-R discs, but will NOT accept CD-RW discs. You should really do both tests before paying for the Burner license.

==If Burning fails==
* See what to do in case of a [[Failed Burn]].

==Burning bin/cue files==
If you have a bin/cue file pair, you can drag the BIN file into kJams (or "File->Add To Library…" it) and it will appear as a CD. To burn this image, select the CD and in the file menu the "Burn Playlist…" menu item should now read "Burn bin/cue to disc…", just pick that and burn as normal.

(A .bin file is a raw ripped track (or tracks) from a CD+G disc, which has not been encoded into a compressed audio file; most users won't ever have to deal with one, but we support them anyway.)

==Making Pristine Copies==
Normally when you burn a disc, the source audio comes from some compressed format. Using typical settings this means an (optionally zipped) MP3 file. Audiophiles will of course wish to create copies of their discs with all the fidelity of the uncompressed audio from the original disc. It's simple to do this with kJams. When you rip a disc, the original, uncompressed audio, direct from the disc, is stored in the cache. (The MP3 file is then created from this uncompressed cache). Typically this cache gets cleared out to make room for more recent songs that you play (which are decompressed from the MP3 files), so what you want to do is burn your copy immediately after you rip your disc. If you want to make a pristine compilation, just re-rip from the original discs each song you want in your compilation, then burn your new disc. 
# Clear your cache (kJams->Preferences->Audio and press the clear button a few times (yes, a *few* times). If you've recently burned a disc the size may not go to zero, this is fine)
# Set your cache size to be greater than the number of songs you plan to burn. eg: if you think you'll fit 18 songs on the disc, make sure the cache size is at least 19.
# Re-rip just the songs you want to burn pristine copies of. This copies the original, uncompressed audio into the cache, ready for burning.
# Make a playlist of the compilation. If you are copying a single disc, and you have the "Create Playlists of Imported Songs" turned on, you can just use the playlist that was created, just make sure you first rename the playlist to the proper disc name before burning.
# Select the playlist
# Open the "Activity" window
# Press the burn button (once!)
At this point, watch the Activity window closely. It should immediately say "assembling bin/cue file". If instead it says "Unpacking song" and/or "Writing CDG to Cache" then a step was missed and you may be getting compressed audio. If so, press the stop sign and check your steps. Otherwise, the bin/cue assembly will complete and then you'll burn a pristine disc using uncompressed audio.

Add To Library…

2014-12-23T17:26:27Z

Baylink: add a note about NTFS

In addition to letting you rip the CD+G discs you own, kJams will also let you 'import' a library of discs you've already ripped, possibly for a software package which you are replacing with kJams. That process is called "Add To Library..."

[[Ripping]] will copy files from a CD onto your hard drive then automatically add them to your library. You only use "Add to Library" when you ''already'' have files copied to your hard drive, but kJams does not already know where they are.

You can NOT move your songs once kJams imports them (unless you [[Consolidating|know what you are doing]]). You can add song files from an [[Moving|external volume]], but that volume must be online for kJams to be able to play them.

(Note for technical people: Keep in mind you can not manually place song files into the "kJams Music" folder before you "Add to Library…" them; you do not 'own' that folder, kJams does. In fact don't mess with that folder at all (You really should [[KJams_Music_Folder|understand exactly about this]]).)

'''DO NOT''' go into preferences and change the "kJams Music" folder to point to your folder of already ripped songs. If you do you will cause the world to implode, since that is not what it's for.

After you add any songs to your library, DO NOT MOVE OR RENAME the songs or their containing folders, EVER, using the File system (Finder or Windows Explorer). It's fine to rename things within kJams, because kJams itself keeps track of where the songs are and what they are named. You will cause the universe to implode if you change things out from under the kJams database, using the file system. That means for example:

DO NOT DO THIS: "stick in a USB thumb drive with some files on it, Add it to your library, using "reference", eject the thumb drive" Guess what? the songs is gone. You can't play it any more.

DO NOT DO THIS: "Add a song to the library, using "reference" Then in the finder, rename the folder that the song resides in, or rename the hard drive that it is on, or rename the song file itself." Guess what? The universe will implode.

kJams requires write access to the disk where your music is. If you use an external drive it can NOT be formatted NTFS. If you're not sure, [[Reformat|YOU NEED TO CHECK]]. (Note that this is even true if you have a writable NTFS mount solution, even if it's commercial; kJams itself checks the filesystem type.)

== Copy or Reference? ==
When you “reference” something, you refer to the original, but when you “copy” something, you make a copy (so now you use the new one, leaving the original behind).

So, if you "reference" songs on an external drive, they will stay there, being used in place, directly from the external drive. The external drive must be present to play the songs.

Or, if you "copy" the songs, they get copied into your "kJams Music" folder (which by default on your internal drive, but may be on an external drive [[Moving|if you have moved it]]), and the songs are used from that new location.

So, in kJams, when you use the "Add to library..." function, kJams will ask if you want the songs either "copied" or "referenced". If the files are on your desktop or in the downloads folder, your answer will be ignored and the files will always be "Copied". "Referenced" is what you want if you have an external drive filled with your music files, and you want kJams to just use them "in place" (left on the external drive and used from there, the drive must be available for them to work). "Copied" is what you want if you just downloaded some music files from a web site, and they now reside in your downloads folder (they will be copied to your "kJams Music" folder, then you can throw them out from the Downloads folder).

==To add songs from an internal drive==
#Go to your "kJams" folder (it's in your home-user's Music folder)
#Create a new folder that will hold all of your karaoke music files, if you haven’t already done so. Although your music files '''can''' reside anywhere you like, it’s best to create a folder that is dedicated to kJams, within the kJams folder, and then move your music into it.
##Make sure the folder is in the "kJams" folder, but '''NOT''' inside the “kJams Music” folder.
##Give the folder a significant name, such as Music Downloads, Free Karaoke, Liesl’s Songs, etc. For this example, we will use "MyKaraoke"
#Move the folder containing your Karaoke songs into your "MyKaraoke" folder (this is called the "Folder you Moved").
#Open kJams.
#Click on File → Add to Library.
#Locate the "Folder you Moved", select it, and click Okay.
#If kJams asks whether to "Copy" or "Reference", pick "Reference"
#If kJams asks whether to use "Tags" or "File Names", click "Tags". This allows kJams to import meta data.
#Wait for the import to finish, then make sure you can [[Arrangement|see your Activity window]], then wait for all the activity to complete (this can take a long time).
#Check that your meta data is all correct (name, artist, album)
#If all the meta data is glommed into the "Song Name" column, you must [[Reinterpret|reinterpret your songs]].

==To add songs from an external drive==
You can either copy the music to your internal drive, following the instructions above, or you can leave your music on your external drive. However, if you do this, the external drive must be connected whenever you use kJams.

To leave your music on the external drive:
#Just start from Step 4 Above
#In Step 6, the "Folder you Moved" is the folder on the external drive that has your Karaoke songs in it

==Editing Tags==
More than likely, you will need to edit tags (meta data) whenever you acquire music from sources outside of the kJams stores. Click here to learn how to do this. [[Fixing Tags (Meta Data) in the Library Temp]]

==Do not implode the world==
Okay, pay attention. Never, ever move your songs into the “kJams Music” folder. You do not own that folder, kJams does. In fact, don't mess with that folder at all. (You really should [[KJams_Music_Folder|understand this]]). DO NOT go into Preferences and change the kJams Music folder to point to your folder. If you do, you will cause the world to implode.

Once you have added songs to your library, DO NOT MOVE OR RENAME the songs or their folder... EVER. kJams keeps track of where the songs are and what they are named. You will cause the universe to implode if you change things out from under the kJams database. For example, if you (1) download a karaoke song to your desktop, (2) add it to your library, and then (3) delete the song, guess what? The song is gone. Or if you (1) add a song to the library, and then (2) rename the folder that the song resides in, or rename the hard drive that it is on, or rename the song file itself, guess what? The universe has just imploded.

You want more information on the [[kJams Music Folder]]? Click away.

One last thing: kJams requires write access to the disk where your music resides. If you use an external drive, it cannot be formatted NTFS. If you're not sure, YOU NEED TO CHECK.

== Some technical notes ==
===Acesonic===
If you have Acesonic ".cdg" files, these are in fact .bin files with interleaved CDG streams (aka "raw bin" files). Why on earth it is labeled ".cdg" is beyond me, and why they leave the CDG stream interleaved is another technical misnomer, as .CDG files "traditionally" are pre-deinterleaved. Anyway, to add them to kJams, you will first have to rename them to have the ".rbin" file name extension. [[Bulk_Name_Changer|There are tools]] for this. After you rename them, just add to library like normal. You can then convert them to whatever format you want. The only problem with this solution is that kJams can't import Acesonic metadata files. To solve this problem, [[user:11rcombs|11rcombs]] has written [http://php.net/ PHP] script to convert all the metadata from the Acesonic format a format [[CDPedia]] can import (a tab-delimited [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CSV CSV]), and complete the required batch-rename. The script can be downloaded at [http://rodgercombs.tk/files/acesonic http://rodgercombs.tk/files/acesonic], and is distributed under the [http://sam.zoy.org/wtfpl/ WTF Public License].

===KMA & WMA===
These files require the free [[Flip4Mac]] plugin

===AVI, DivX, FLV, MKV, GVI, VP6, and VFW===
These files require the free [http://perian.org/ Perian] plugin

===Bin/Cue Pairs===
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cue_sheet_(computing) What is it?] 
A pair of files with .bin and .cue extensions can be added as if it were a CD, making it easy to either rip or burn bin/cue on your mac. Simply "Add to library" the .bin file, and kJams will automatically find the .cue file next to it (it must be named '' exactly'' the same, except for the file extension). kJams will then query the freedb for meta data, and mount the BIN file just like it was a CD, then you are free to rip the songs from it. A naked .bin file does not have a corresponding .cue file to go with it, kJams assumes it contains only one song, so it is added directly to the library.

If you want to mount a particular .bin file every time kJams starts up, create a folder called '''"Mounted Disc Images"''' in the kJams folder. Put an alias / shortcut to the bin file in that folder.

===Tagged Songs===
If the songs you are importing are tagged (eg: they have ID3 data, Vorbis Comments, or QuickTime Metadata (or if you've used kJams to [[Xattr]] tag them)) then you may simply go "File->Add to Library…", navigate to the root folder, click okay, then click the "Tags" button in the next dialog (if it shows up). kJams will then import everything and you're ready to go.

However if you are importing untagged music, and you hope to glean some meta-data out of the file names directly (and optionally the enclosing folder names) then please read the next section.

===Untagged Songs===
This works for importing pre-existing Audio+G, Zipped Audio+G, QuickTime, MPEG, naked BIN files 

First, make sure you've got preferences->tags->conform song names: set to "L-T - R - S". This is important. You can change it if you know why you want to change it, but i recommend against it 'till you know what you're doing.

In the following explanation, I am going to use these conventions: 
<tt>R</tt> - artist name 
<tt>S</tt> - song name 
<tt>L</tt> - album name 
<tt>T</tt> - track number 
<tt>I</tt> - Ignore this bit of information 
<tt>/x/</tt> - stands for "folder named <x>" (without the brackets), eg: "/R/" is a folder who's name is the artist's name, or "/L/" is a folder who's name is the album name. To extend the idea, "/R - L/" is a folder who's name contains both the artist and the album, separated by a "space dash space".

Okay. As you know, pre existing songs can be named a variety of ways. eg:

LEG086-07 - U2 - Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me.zip 
SC8397-13.zip 
AH2003-03 - Pink Floyd - Time.zip 
BL21-04_-_Every_Breath_You_Take_-_Police,_The 
Adams, Bryan - Cuts Like A Knife - SC-1.zip 

Now, the problem is, it takes a human to interpret these names. Some are laid out "L-T - S - R.xxx", some are "L-T - R - S.xxx", some could be "T S.xxx. Some songs have "pretty" names in the names of the folders enclosing the song!

If you've got all your songs from one source, then they're probably all named the same way. However, if you got your songs from many sources, then you will probably want to sort them into like-minded folders before continuing. If this is the case, you should see below for info on pre-sorting, before cointinuing.

So to get started, just pick File->Add To Library and navigate to the root folder of your songs, select it and hit okay. Go have coffee if you have a lot of songs.

Now, you will spend some time "fixing" songs in batches. Select a group of songs that are similarly broken and right click "Re-interpret names" and pick the right interpretation, or make a new one (with the edit button). Watch the tasks window, after about 10 seconds kJams will attempt to update what is on the disk (renaming the files and updating the tags). Don't get too far ahead of the tasks, you may want to do a batch then let kJams finish pushing the meta out to them and then let it complete saving the database again. Then go on to the next batch.

If you get thru your whole library, and now all the meta is correct, YOU WILL NEVER GO THRU THIS PROCESS AGAIN!! That's because as you went kJams updated the actual files on the disk. If you ever need to rebuild your library from scratch, all the meta is already there, and it will all import in one fell swoop. Yeah!!

Basically this new way lets you do all your work in kJams not in the finder. No sorting necessary. But it helps to read below to understand the reasoning behind this madness.

Click Here to learn more about [[Reinterpret|Reinterpret Names]]

===Song Name Interpretation Dialog===
https://karaoke.kjams.com/screenshots/interpret.gif

The dialog shows the file name to be interpreted (labeled "File:"), plus the two enclosing folders ("Folder" and "Grandfolder"). The interpretations that are available for the file are shown in the "Interpret As:" popup. The box shows what happens when applying the interpretation to the file (and possibly it's enclosing folders). If there is no interpretation that makes the meta info as shown in the box come out correctly, you can edit what appears in the menu by pressing the Edit... button, which will launch your default text editor (likely TextEdit).

The format of the text file is just the interpretation styles, one per line. The ONLY things you should type into a style are the letters <tt>"R", "S", "L", "T", "I"</tt>, the separator <tt>" - "</tt> (that's a "space dash space"), or just a plain space <tt>" "</tt>, or a dash <tt>"-"</tt>, or parentheses: <tt>"("</tt> or <tt>")"</tt>. That's it. If you need something more, let me know. I won't try to predict what will happen if you type something else, you might crash. Anyway, add your new style, then save the file and switch back into kJams, which will update the menu, now you can select the new format you added.

I recommend against using the radio buttons, unless you know what you're doing.

Add To Library…

2014-12-22T16:42:17Z

Baylink: First cut of merge from temp

In addition to letting you rip the CD+G discs you own, kJams will also let you 'import' a library of discs you've already ripped, possibly for a software package which you are replacing with kJams. That process is called "Add To Library..."

[[Ripping]] will copy files from a CD onto your hard drive then automatically add them to your library. You only use "Add to Library" when you ''already'' have files copied to your hard drive, but kJams does not already know where they are.

You can NOT move your songs once kJams imports them (unless you [[Consolidating|know what you are doing]]). You can add song files from an [[Moving|external volume]], but that volume must be online for kJams to be able to play them.

(Note for technical people: Keep in mind you can not manually place song files into the "kJams Music" folder before you "Add to Library…" them; you do not 'own' that folder, kJams does. In fact don't mess with that folder at all (You really should [[KJams_Music_Folder|understand exactly about this]]).)

'''DO NOT''' go into preferences and change the "kJams Music" folder to point to your folder of already ripped songs. If you do you will cause the world to implode, since that is not what it's for.

After you add any songs to your library, DO NOT MOVE OR RENAME the songs or their containing folders, EVER, using the File system (Finder or Windows Explorer). It's fine to rename things within kJams, because kJams itself keeps track of where the songs are and what they are named. You will cause the universe to implode if you change things out from under the kJams database, using the file system. That means for example:

DO NOT DO THIS: "stick in a USB thumb drive with some files on it, Add it to your library, using "reference", eject the thumb drive" Guess what? the songs is gone. You can't play it any more.

DO NOT DO THIS: "Add a song to the library, using "reference" Then in the finder, rename the folder that the song resides in, or rename the hard drive that it is on, or rename the song file itself." Guess what? The universe will implode.

kJams requires write access to the disk where your music is. If you use an external drive it can NOT be formatted NTFS. If you're not sure, [[Reformat|YOU NEED TO CHECK]].

== Copy or Reference? ==
when you “reference” something, you refer to the original
when you “copy” something, you make a copy (so now you use the new one, leaving the original behind)

if you reference songs on the external drive, they stay there, being used in place, on the external drive. the external drive must be present to play the songs.
if you "copy" the songs, they get copied into your "kJams Music" folder, and they are used from there.

When you use the "Add to library..." function, kJams will ask if you want them either "copied" or "referenced". If the files are on your desktop or in the downloads folder, your answer will be ignored and the files will always be "Copied". "Referenced" is what you want if you have an external drive filled with your music files, and you want kJams to just use them "in place" (left on the external drive and used from there, the drive must be available for them to work). "Copied" is what you want if you just downloaded some music files from a web site, and they now reside in your downloads folder (they will be copied to your "kJams Music" folder).

==To add songs from an internal drive==
#Create a new folder for your karaoke music files, if you haven’t already done so. Although your music files can reside anywhere you like, it’s a good idea to create a folder that is dedicated to kJams and then copy your music into it.
##Make sure the folder is in kJams, but NOT in the “kJams Music” folder.
##Give the folder a significant name, such as Music Downloads, Free Karaoke, Liesl’s Songs, etc.
#Copy your music files into the new folder(s).
#Open kJams.
#Click on File → Add to Library.
#Locate the music folder that you want to add and click Okay.
#Click the Tags button (if one appears). This allows kJams to import meta data.
#Check your meta data.

==To add songs from an external drive==
You can either copy the music to your internal drive, following the instructions above, or you can leave your music on your external drive. However, if you do this, the external drive must be on whenever you use kJams.

To leave your music on the external drive
#Open kJams.
#Click on File → Add to Library.
#Locate the root folder for your music (on your external drive) and click Okay.
#Click the Tags button (if one appears). This allows kJams to import meta data.
#Check your meta data. (In my experience, most users who add music from an external drive have to do a lot of tag editing.)

==Editing Tags==
More than likely, you will need to edit tags (meta data) whenever you acquire music from sources outside of the kJams stores. Click here to learn how to do this. [[Fixing Tags (Meta Data) in the Library Temp]]

==Do not implode the world==
Okay, pay attention. Never, ever move your songs into the “kJams Music” folder. You do not own that folder, kJams does. In fact, don't mess with that folder at all. (You really should understand this). DO NOT go into Preferences and change the kJams Music folder to point to your folder. If you do, you will cause the world to implode.

Once you have added songs to your library, DO NOT MOVE OR RENAME the songs or their folder... EVER. kJams keeps track of where the songs are and what they are named. You will cause the universe to implode if you change things out from under the kJams database. For example, if you (1) download a karaoke song to your desktop, (2) add it to your library, and then (3) delete the song, guess what? The song is gone. Or if you (1) add a song to the library, and then (2) rename the folder that the song resides in, or rename the hard drive that it is on, or rename the song file itself, guess what? The universe has just imploded.

You want more information on the [[kJams Music Folder]]? Click away.

One last thing: kJams requires write access to the disk where your music resides. If you use an external drive, it cannot be formatted NTFS. If you're not sure, YOU NEED TO CHECK.

== Some technical notes ==
===Acesonic===
If you have Acesonic ".cdg" files, these are in fact .bin files with interleaved CDG streams (aka "raw bin" files). Why on earth it is labeled ".cdg" is beyond me, and why they leave the CDG stream interleaved is another technical misnomer, as .CDG files "traditionally" are pre-deinterleaved. Anyway, to add them to kJams, you will first have to rename them to have the ".rbin" file name extension. [[Bulk_Name_Changer|There are tools]] for this. After you rename them, just add to library like normal. You can then convert them to whatever format you want. The only problem with this solution is that kJams can't import Acesonic metadata files. To solve this problem, [[user:11rcombs|11rcombs]] has written [http://php.net/ PHP] script to convert all the metadata from the Acesonic format a format [[CDPedia]] can import (a tab-delimited [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CSV CSV]), and complete the required batch-rename. The script can be downloaded at [http://rodgercombs.tk/files/acesonic http://rodgercombs.tk/files/acesonic], and is distributed under the [http://sam.zoy.org/wtfpl/ WTF Public License].

===KMA & WMA===
These files require the free [[Flip4Mac]] plugin

===AVI, DivX, FLV, MKV, GVI, VP6, and VFW===
These files require the free [http://perian.org/ Perian] plugin

===Bin/Cue Pairs===
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cue_sheet_(computing) What is it?] 
A pair of files with .bin and .cue extensions can be added as if it were a CD, making it easy to either rip or burn bin/cue on your mac. Simply "Add to library" the .bin file, and kJams will automatically find the .cue file next to it (it must be named '' exactly'' the same, except for the file extension). kJams will then query the freedb for meta data, and mount the BIN file just like it was a CD, then you are free to rip the songs from it. A naked .bin file does not have a corresponding .cue file to go with it, kJams assumes it contains only one song, so it is added directly to the library.

If you want to mount a particular .bin file every time kJams starts up, create a folder called '''"Mounted Disc Images"''' in the kJams folder. Put an alias / shortcut to the bin file in that folder.

===Tagged Songs===
If the songs you are importing are tagged (eg: they have ID3 data, Vorbis Comments, or QuickTime Metadata (or if you've used kJams to [[Xattr]] tag them)) then you may simply go "File->Add to Library…", navigate to the root folder, click okay, then click the "Tags" button in the next dialog (if it shows up). kJams will then import everything and you're ready to go.

However if you are importing untagged music, and you hope to glean some meta-data out of the file names directly (and optionally the enclosing folder names) then please read the next section.

===Untagged Songs===
This works for importing pre-existing Audio+G, Zipped Audio+G, QuickTime, MPEG, naked BIN files 

First, make sure you've got preferences->tags->conform song names: set to "L-T - R - S". This is important. You can change it if you know why you want to change it, but i recommend against it 'till you know what you're doing.

In the following explanation, I am going to use these conventions: 
<tt>R</tt> - artist name 
<tt>S</tt> - song name 
<tt>L</tt> - album name 
<tt>T</tt> - track number 
<tt>I</tt> - Ignore this bit of information 
<tt>/x/</tt> - stands for "folder named <x>" (without the brackets), eg: "/R/" is a folder who's name is the artist's name, or "/L/" is a folder who's name is the album name. To extend the idea, "/R - L/" is a folder who's name contains both the artist and the album, separated by a "space dash space".

Okay. As you know, pre existing songs can be named a variety of ways. eg:

LEG086-07 - U2 - Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me.zip 
SC8397-13.zip 
AH2003-03 - Pink Floyd - Time.zip 
BL21-04_-_Every_Breath_You_Take_-_Police,_The 
Adams, Bryan - Cuts Like A Knife - SC-1.zip 

Now, the problem is, it takes a human to interpret these names. Some are laid out "L-T - S - R.xxx", some are "L-T - R - S.xxx", some could be "T S.xxx. Some songs have "pretty" names in the names of the folders enclosing the song!

If you've got all your songs from one source, then they're probably all named the same way. However, if you got your songs from many sources, then you will probably want to sort them into like-minded folders before continuing. If this is the case, you should see below for info on pre-sorting, before cointinuing.

So to get started, just pick File->Add To Library and navigate to the root folder of your songs, select it and hit okay. Go have coffee if you have a lot of songs.

Now, you will spend some time "fixing" songs in batches. Select a group of songs that are similarly broken and right click "Re-interpret names" and pick the right interpretation, or make a new one (with the edit button). Watch the tasks window, after about 10 seconds kJams will attempt to update what is on the disk (renaming the files and updating the tags). Don't get too far ahead of the tasks, you may want to do a batch then let kJams finish pushing the meta out to them and then let it complete saving the database again. Then go on to the next batch.

If you get thru your whole library, and now all the meta is correct, YOU WILL NEVER GO THRU THIS PROCESS AGAIN!! That's because as you went kJams updated the actual files on the disk. If you ever need to rebuild your library from scratch, all the meta is already there, and it will all import in one fell swoop. Yeah!!

Basically this new way lets you do all your work in kJams not in the finder. No sorting necessary. But it helps to read below to understand the reasoning behind this madness.

Click Here to learn more about [[Reinterpret|Reinterpret Names]]

===Song Name Interpretation Dialog===
https://karaoke.kjams.com/screenshots/interpret.gif

The dialog shows the file name to be interpreted (labeled "File:"), plus the two enclosing folders ("Folder" and "Grandfolder"). The interpretations that are available for the file are shown in the "Interpret As:" popup. The box shows what happens when applying the interpretation to the file (and possibly it's enclosing folders). If there is no interpretation that makes the meta info as shown in the box come out correctly, you can edit what appears in the menu by pressing the Edit... button, which will launch your default text editor (likely TextEdit).

The format of the text file is just the interpretation styles, one per line. The ONLY things you should type into a style are the letters <tt>"R", "S", "L", "T", "I"</tt>, the separator <tt>" - "</tt> (that's a "space dash space"), or just a plain space <tt>" "</tt>, or a dash <tt>"-"</tt>, or parentheses: <tt>"("</tt> or <tt>")"</tt>. That's it. If you need something more, let me know. I won't try to predict what will happen if you type something else, you might crash. Anyway, add your new style, then save the file and switch back into kJams, which will update the menu, now you can select the new format you added.

I recommend against using the radio buttons, unless you know what you're doing.

Music Store/KaraokeCloud Pro

2014-12-22T16:30:57Z

Baylink: Oops; there's more in there than I thought.

The KaraokeCloud (for home users) and KaraokeCloud Pro (for professional KJ/show hosts) music stores are operated by Digitrax, and composed of, largely, the old Chartbuster library of karaoke tracks, which Digitrax purchased when Chartbuster went bankrupt, plus the DK and Sunfly libraries; there's a complete list at the bottom of this page.
<div class="tright">
{|cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"
|<iimg>http://www.karaokecloudpro.com!https://karaoke.kjams.com/resources/stores/karaoke-cloud-pro.png</iimg>
|}
</div>
==Signing Up==
# Run kJams
# go to preferences
# click on stores
# make sure "Enable Checked Music Stores" and "Karaoke Cloud" is checked. (if they weren't, then check them and restart kJams, and come back to this screen)
# click to "Edit Music Store Settings"
# make sure "Karaoke Cloud" tab is selected
# click "Create Account…" button and follow the wizard
# If you like, click the "Subscription Tier:" pop-up menu and upgrade your service!

==Streaming==
There are over 7 thousand songs available for streaming, and most of them can also be purchased a-la-carte. There are also several free songs which are marked with the Green label (search for "label:2" in the store). You must create a free account with '''KaraokeCloud''' ahead of time to play the free songs, and of course you must purchase a streaming subscription to stream the rest. For home users, you must have an internet connection at the time you wish to stream. For KJs and fanatics, you can sign up for "Tethering", where you pre-download all the cloud data (encrypted), then you can "stream" from that, so you do NOT need an internet connection when you want to play any of the songs in the cloud library.

Currently there are three Tiers available: Free, Home, and KJ Tethering. Note that "Home" is NOT licensed for public performance, tho you're free to purchase it with the Pro version of kJams as long as you only use it at home. Note: If you are doing public performances then you must use '''kJams Pro''' and the "KJ Tethering" tier. Also note that "private" parties with more than 20 people are legally considered "public".

{|border="1"
| '''Tier'''
| '''kJams Lite'''
| '''kJams Pro'''
| '''Pre-Download'''
| '''Public Performance'''
| align="center" | ''' Price '''
| '''Expiration'''
| '''Auto-Renew'''
| '''Purchase'''
|-
| '''Free'''
| align="center" | ✓
| align="center" | ✓
|
|
| align="right" | Free
| align="center" | Never
|
| Built In! (Only 12 songs are free)
|-
| Karaoke Cloud: '''Home Streaming'''
| align="center" | ✓
| align="center" | ✓
|
|
| align="right" | $10
| align="center" | 1 Month
| align="center" | ✓
| in-app purchase
|-
| Karaoke Cloud Pro: '''KJ Tethering'''
|
| align="center" | ✓
| align="center" | ✓
| align="center" | ✓
| align="right" | $99
| align="center" | 1 Month
| align="center" | ✓
| in-app purchase
|}

Note that these tiers are only for a single installation and its backup. If your business has more than one KJ running shows (ie: working for you), you will need a separate license for each KJ. Sharing your Tier is strictly prohibited. Note that these Tiers are monitored closely and will be audited if it seems there are shenanigans going on.

To be clear: '''kJams Lite''' and/or the "Home" Tier can '''not''' be used in a public setting due to the License Agreement. If you are doing a public show (or large private show) then you '''must''' use '''kJams Pro''' and either the "KJ Tethering" Tier or the "Free" Tier with purchased songs. You can of course use the Pro version for private shows.

==Downloads for Purchase==
There are over 7 thousand songs available for purchase / download (they can also be streamed). They are USD $1.99 each. Sort by price then scroll down a bit to see them all at once. To sort by some other column, search for "1.99" then sort however you wish. Purchased songs may be played in a public / commercial venue, as long as the KJ or Venue has membership in [http://www.ascap.com/ ASCAP].

==Free Streaming Songs==
There is also a set of about 12 songs that you can stream for free! I'm not sure if this set changes every month, so be sure to update your music store when kJams asks you to (or right before a show) to make sure you've got the latest list. These songs have been Labeled (colored) with Green so you can easily see them. To play them, you must have created a free account. To see the list in the music store, first [[Sorting|show the "Label" column]], then either a) sort by Label, then scroll down to the green section, or b) just search for "Label:2" (no quotes).

==Voucher Credits==
You can pre-purchase voucher credits somehow, I'm not quite sure where, but the code comes on a physical card. We'll try to get digital vouchers going soon. (CHECKME)

==Karaoke Cloud '''PRO''' (aka: Tethering)==
Tethering does not work in Tryout mode because one of the criteria for encryption is a serial number.

Tethering means that a copy of all the cloud data will be stored locally on your computer or external drive. The "tether" means that it is "tied" to your computer via your serial number and your username and password, so the database you have can't be used by someone else. What's great about having a local copy is that you do not need to be online in order to "stream" any of the songs! That means that when you operate at a venue that has no internet connection, you still have access to the ''entire'' streaming library. Another benefit is that if you ARE online, when you purchase a song, the song comes out of the local cloud data store, instead of needing to download. 
If you opt for the "KJ Tethering" Tier, kJams will automatically start downloading the entire song database to your kJams folder, in a folder called "KaraokeCloud Tethered Database". It will take about 110GB of space, so be sure you have enough before you start. It will take a long time too, on a good connection it may take a day to get it all. On a slow connection, it may take a couple days. If there are hiccups part way thru, you can just (optionally force) quit kJams and run again, and it will pick up where it left off. Do not worry about the songs that don't sync properly, we're working on it (CHECKME), they will be skipped and marked as "Missing" and the "Comment" will show why. (You can [[Sorting|show the "Missing" and "Comment" sort columns]] if you like).

==Tethering to External Drive==
If you would prefer to use an external drive to store ALL your music, use the "[[Moving]]" procedure. If you just want to store the Cloud data on an external drive, follow these steps:
# quit kJams
# Go to your "kJams" folder
# if there is a "KaraokeCloud Tethered Database" folder already there, drag it to the external drive, then delete it from the kJams folder
# if there is NOT that folder there, then go to your external drive and create a folder called "KaraokeCloud Tethered Database"
# select that folder and make an alias (shortcut)
# Drag that alias (shortcut) back into the "kJams" folder
# rename it there so that it does NOT have the word "_alias" (or "_shortcut") at the end. Be VERY careful that you remove the space character (indicated by the underscore in the example here). The point is it must be named exactly "KaraokeCloud Tethered Database", so kJams will find it.
# you may now delete the alias (shortcut) from the external drive, as it is no longer needed

Now, when you sync the cloud data, it will go to the external drive.

==Manufacturers==
These manufacturers are available in the KaraokeCloud store: 
Chord Buddy 
DigiTrax Karaoke (formerly Chartbuster) 
DK Karaoke 
Music Maestro 
Magic Music 
Priddis 
SBI 
Stage Stars 
Sunfly

Music Store/KaraokeCloud Pro

2014-12-22T16:30:01Z

Baylink: Minor tuning

The KaraokeCloud (for home users) and KaraokeCloud Pro (for professional KJ/show hosts) music stores are operated by Digitrax, and composed of, largely, the old Chartbuster library of karaoke tracks, which Digitrax purchased when Chartbuster went bankrupt.
<div class="tright">
{|cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"
|<iimg>http://www.karaokecloudpro.com!https://karaoke.kjams.com/resources/stores/karaoke-cloud-pro.png</iimg>
|}
</div>
==Signing Up==
# Run kJams
# go to preferences
# click on stores
# make sure "Enable Checked Music Stores" and "Karaoke Cloud" is checked. (if they weren't, then check them and restart kJams, and come back to this screen)
# click to "Edit Music Store Settings"
# make sure "Karaoke Cloud" tab is selected
# click "Create Account…" button and follow the wizard
# If you like, click the "Subscription Tier:" pop-up menu and upgrade your service!

==Streaming==
There are over 7 thousand songs available for streaming, and most of them can also be purchased a-la-carte. There are also several free songs which are marked with the Green label (search for "label:2" in the store). You must create a free account with '''KaraokeCloud''' ahead of time to play the free songs, and of course you must purchase a streaming subscription to stream the rest. For home users, you must have an internet connection at the time you wish to stream. For KJs and fanatics, you can sign up for "Tethering", where you pre-download all the cloud data (encrypted), then you can "stream" from that, so you do NOT need an internet connection when you want to play any of the songs in the cloud library.

Currently there are three Tiers available: Free, Home, and KJ Tethering. Note that "Home" is NOT licensed for public performance, tho you're free to purchase it with the Pro version of kJams as long as you only use it at home. Note: If you are doing public performances then you must use '''kJams Pro''' and the "KJ Tethering" tier. Also note that "private" parties with more than 20 people are legally considered "public".

{|border="1"
| '''Tier'''
| '''kJams Lite'''
| '''kJams Pro'''
| '''Pre-Download'''
| '''Public Performance'''
| align="center" | ''' Price '''
| '''Expiration'''
| '''Auto-Renew'''
| '''Purchase'''
|-
| '''Free'''
| align="center" | ✓
| align="center" | ✓
|
|
| align="right" | Free
| align="center" | Never
|
| Built In! (Only 12 songs are free)
|-
| Karaoke Cloud: '''Home Streaming'''
| align="center" | ✓
| align="center" | ✓
|
|
| align="right" | $10
| align="center" | 1 Month
| align="center" | ✓
| in-app purchase
|-
| Karaoke Cloud Pro: '''KJ Tethering'''
|
| align="center" | ✓
| align="center" | ✓
| align="center" | ✓
| align="right" | $99
| align="center" | 1 Month
| align="center" | ✓
| in-app purchase
|}

Note that these tiers are only for a single installation and its backup. If your business has more than one KJ running shows (ie: working for you), you will need a separate license for each KJ. Sharing your Tier is strictly prohibited. Note that these Tiers are monitored closely and will be audited if it seems there are shenanigans going on.

To be clear: '''kJams Lite''' and/or the "Home" Tier can '''not''' be used in a public setting due to the License Agreement. If you are doing a public show (or large private show) then you '''must''' use '''kJams Pro''' and either the "KJ Tethering" Tier or the "Free" Tier with purchased songs. You can of course use the Pro version for private shows.

==Downloads for Purchase==
There are over 7 thousand songs available for purchase / download (they can also be streamed). They are USD $1.99 each. Sort by price then scroll down a bit to see them all at once. To sort by some other column, search for "1.99" then sort however you wish. Purchased songs may be played in a public / commercial venue, as long as the KJ or Venue has membership in [http://www.ascap.com/ ASCAP].

==Free Streaming Songs==
There is also a set of about 12 songs that you can stream for free! I'm not sure if this set changes every month, so be sure to update your music store when kJams asks you to (or right before a show) to make sure you've got the latest list. These songs have been Labeled (colored) with Green so you can easily see them. To play them, you must have created a free account. To see the list in the music store, first [[Sorting|show the "Label" column]], then either a) sort by Label, then scroll down to the green section, or b) just search for "Label:2" (no quotes).

==Voucher Credits==
You can pre-purchase voucher credits somehow, I'm not quite sure where, but the code comes on a physical card. We'll try to get digital vouchers going soon. (CHECKME)

==Karaoke Cloud '''PRO''' (aka: Tethering)==
Tethering does not work in Tryout mode because one of the criteria for encryption is a serial number.

Tethering means that a copy of all the cloud data will be stored locally on your computer or external drive. The "tether" means that it is "tied" to your computer via your serial number and your username and password, so the database you have can't be used by someone else. What's great about having a local copy is that you do not need to be online in order to "stream" any of the songs! That means that when you operate at a venue that has no internet connection, you still have access to the ''entire'' streaming library. Another benefit is that if you ARE online, when you purchase a song, the song comes out of the local cloud data store, instead of needing to download. 
If you opt for the "KJ Tethering" Tier, kJams will automatically start downloading the entire song database to your kJams folder, in a folder called "KaraokeCloud Tethered Database". It will take about 110GB of space, so be sure you have enough before you start. It will take a long time too, on a good connection it may take a day to get it all. On a slow connection, it may take a couple days. If there are hiccups part way thru, you can just (optionally force) quit kJams and run again, and it will pick up where it left off. Do not worry about the songs that don't sync properly, we're working on it (CHECKME), they will be skipped and marked as "Missing" and the "Comment" will show why. (You can [[Sorting|show the "Missing" and "Comment" sort columns]] if you like).

==Tethering to External Drive==
If you would prefer to use an external drive to store ALL your music, use the "[[Moving]]" procedure. If you just want to store the Cloud data on an external drive, follow these steps:
# quit kJams
# Go to your "kJams" folder
# if there is a "KaraokeCloud Tethered Database" folder already there, drag it to the external drive, then delete it from the kJams folder
# if there is NOT that folder there, then go to your external drive and create a folder called "KaraokeCloud Tethered Database"
# select that folder and make an alias (shortcut)
# Drag that alias (shortcut) back into the "kJams" folder
# rename it there so that it does NOT have the word "_alias" (or "_shortcut") at the end. Be VERY careful that you remove the space character (indicated by the underscore in the example here). The point is it must be named exactly "KaraokeCloud Tethered Database", so kJams will find it.
# you may now delete the alias (shortcut) from the external drive, as it is no longer needed

Now, when you sync the cloud data, it will go to the external drive.

==Manufacturers==
These manufacturers are available in the KaraokeCloud store: 
Chord Buddy 
DigiTrax Karaoke (formerly Chartbuster) 
DK Karaoke 
Music Maestro 
Magic Music 
Priddis 
SBI 
Stage Stars 
Sunfly

Music Store/Chartbuster old

2014-12-22T15:47:06Z

Baylink: Add lede noting CB has been bought out.

Chartbuster went out of business in 2012; its assets were purchased by [[Digitrax]], which operates [[KaraokeCloud]] and [[KaraokeCloud Pro]]. Everything on this page is now, therefore, only of hysterical interest.
<div class="tright">
{|cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"
|<iimg>https://www.chartbusterkaraoke.com/!https://karaoke.kjams.com/resources/stores/chartbuster.png</iimg>
|}
</div>
==Streaming==
There are over 12 thousand unique songs available for streaming, and most of them have versions with and without guide or lead vocals. You must sign up with '''Chartbuster''' ahead of time (see "Purchase" links below), and of course you must have an internet connection at the time you wish to stream. When you purchase a streaming pass, you get a "User ID", which you enter into the "Stores" preferences panel.

There are two Tiers available only for '''kJams Lite''', and two separate Tiers available only for '''kJams Pro''', due to licensing restrictions. Note: If you are doing public performances then you must use '''kJams Pro'''. Also note that "private" parties with more than 20 people are legally considered "public".

{|border="1"
| '''Tier'''
| '''kJams Lite'''
| '''kJams Pro'''
| align="center" | '''Price'''
| '''Expiration'''
| '''Auto-Renew'''
| '''Purchase'''
|-
| VIP
| align="center" | ✓
|
| align="right" | $3.99
| align="center" | 48 Hours
|
| [https://www.chartbusterkaraoke.com/kjams-vip-pass.html Buy Now]
|-
| All Access
| align="center" | ✓
|
| align="right" | $9.99
| align="center" | 1 Month
| align="center" | ✓
| [https://www.chartbusterkaraoke.com/kjams-all-access.html Buy Now]
|-
| Pro 48 Hr Pass
|
| align="center" | ✓
| align="right" | $9.99
| align="center" | 48 hours
|
| [https://www.chartbusterkaraoke.com/kjams-pro-pass.html Buy Now]
|-
| KJ/DJ
|
| align="center" | ✓
| align="right" | $19.99
| align="center" | 1 Month
| align="center" | ✓
| [https://www.chartbusterkaraoke.com/kjams-kj-dj-access.html Buy Now]
|-
| Venue
|
| align="center" | ✓
| align="right" | $99.99
| align="center" | 1 Month
| align="center" | ✓
| [https://www.chartbusterkaraoke.com/kjams-venue-access.html Buy Now]
|}

The "'''KJ/DJ'''" tier is only for a single KJ. If your business has more than one KJ running shows (ie: working for you), you will need a separate license for each KJ. Sharing your pass is strictly prohibited.

The "'''Venue'''" tier is only for the owner of a venue (a bar or club where different KJs come on different nights). The venue owner then allows the KJ to use the Venue's pass ("User ID") for the night that they are playing at the venue. If the KJ owns the computer equipment, and they use the pass owned by the Venue, then the KJ must delete the pass from their Preferences at the end of their gig. Note that these passes are monitored closely and will be audited if it seems there are shenanigans going on.

To be clear: '''kJams Lite''' can '''not''' be used in a public setting due to the License Agreement. If you are doing a public show (or large private show) then you '''must''' use '''kJams Pro'''. You can of course use the Pro version for private shows.

See [[Music_Store/Chartbuster#Instructions_For_Use|instructions]] below.

==Downloads for Purchase==
There are about 2400 songs available for purchase / download (they can also be streamed). They are USD $1.99 each. Sort by price then scroll down a bit to see them all at once. To sort by some other column, search for "1.99" then sort however you wish.
==Downloads with Special Licensing Privileges==
There are about 60 songs available for purchase / download that require special, separate licensing. You can buy the songs, but that does NOT grant you the special license. You must [https://www.chartbusterkaraoke.com/faq#8 arrange a license with Chartbuster] to allow you to use the audio track in your own recordings, or in auditions or in competitions. Theses songs are USD $14.99 each, NOT including licensing. Sort by price to see them at the top of the list, or search for "14.99". For your convenience, they have been Labeled (colored) with Red so they stand out in the store.

==Free Streaming Songs==
There is also a set of about 50 songs that you can stream for free! This set changes every month, so be sure to update your music store when kJams asks you to (or right before a show) to make sure you've got the latest list. These songs have been Labeled (colored) with Green so you can easily see them. They do not require any sign up or login! To see the list in the music store, first [[Sorting|show the "Label" column]], then either a) sort by Label, then scroll down to the green section, or b) just search for "Label:2" (no quotes).

==Chartbuster Credits==
You can pre-purchase credits from Chartbuster for use within kJams, this allows for savings when you buy in bulk. [https://www.chartbusterkaraoke.com/kjams-credits.html Log in at Chartbuster] to purchase credits. Credits are also accounted for with a "User ID", which you can input into your Preferences panel.
==Instructions For Use==
After you purchase a "Streaming Pass" or "Chartbuster Credits" (see above), log into your account on their web site and follow these steps: 
# You MUST have purchased the pass or credits thru the links above. If you bought it from outside of the above "kJams" links, then your User-ID WILL NOT WORK. (You can [https://www.chartbusterkaraoke.com/contact-us exchange it at Chartbuster] for one that does, however)
# At the top of the page, click "My Account"
# On the left, click "Account Information"
# In the middle of the page, Next to "Account Information" select the NUMBERS of your "User ID" and copy it to the clipboard (Mac: ⌘-C, Win: ⌃-C)
# Now paste that number into kJams preferences: (Mac: ⌘-V, Win: ⌃-V) 
https://karaoke.kjams.com/screenshots/chartbuster/cb_cust_id.png

==Troubleshooting==
On Mac, if purchases fail or if your "User ID" doesn't work, then run Safari (not any other browser), and click here: https://chartbusterkaraoke.com . A sheet should come down telling you it "can't verify the identity", like this: 
https://karaoke.kjams.com/screenshots/chartbuster/cert_id.png 
Now click the "Show Certificate" button, then check the "Always Trust" check box, then click "Continue", then everything should work! 
https://karaoke.kjams.com/screenshots/chartbuster/always_trust.png 
If no dialog asks about "identity" or "certificate", that means it's not a certificate problem.

In that case, <email>dave@kjams.com|write to me</email> with your "User ID" and I'll check from here, and coordinate with Chartbuster if necessary.

Downloading Music from Other Sites Temp

2014-12-12T00:06:16Z

Baylink:

There’s no problem purchasing karaoke music from other websites or downloading free music files. However, when you download from other websites, you do not download directly into the kJams library. Rather, you download to your hard drive (usually the "Downloads" folder.

Once you've downloaded the files, use the [[Add To Library]] function, then when kJams asks to "Move" or "Reference", pick "Move".

==Downloading Sample Songs==
Sample songs that you download during installation are handled similarly. You first download them, and then you do "Add to Library" them into kJams (again, picking "move").

==Meta Data==
When you download music files from outside of kJams, you might find that your meta data is incomplete or messed up. If this is the case, click here for help. [[Fixing Tags Temps]]

Downloading Music from Other Sites Temp

2014-12-12T00:05:28Z

Baylink: Untemp the first reference

There’s no problem purchasing karaoke music from other websites or downloading free music files. However, when you download from other websites, you do not download directly into the kJams library. Rather, you download to your hard drive (usually the "Downloads" folder.

Once you've downloaded the files, use the [[Add to Library]] function, then when kJams asks to "Move" or "Reference", pick "Move".

==Downloading Sample Songs==
Sample songs that you download during installation are handled similarly. You first download them, and then you do "Add to Library" them into kJams (again, picking "move").

==Meta Data==
When you download music files from outside of kJams, you might find that your meta data is incomplete or messed up. If this is the case, click here for help. [[Fixing Tags Temps]]

Building the Library

2014-12-08T18:47:54Z

Baylink: minor expansions

Just like with iTunes, in '''kJams''' all of your karaoke music is organized in a main Library. kJams treats the Library as a [[Glossary#Playlist|Playlist]]. From this library, you can search for music, build smaller playlists, and of course play karaoke. The library allows you to organize music that is on your system—that is, music that is purchased through kJams, as well as music that resides elsewhere on your hard drive—but it also allows you to include music that you don’t “own,” such as streaming music.

You have several options for building your library, and you can use any and all of them in combination.

You can:

* [[Purchasing Music Through kJams Temp|'''Purchase''']] downloadable karaoke music using the built-in kJams music stores. This is the way most kJams users obtain their music.
* [[Downloading Music from Other Sites Temp|'''Download''']] music from other music sites (including free songs) and index them into kJams.
* [[Ripping Temp|'''Copy''']] music from your karaoke CD-Gs into the kJams library. This is called 'ripping'.
* [[Add to Library Temp|'''Index''']] karaoke tunes that are already on your internal or external hard drive into the library. (This includes sample songs that you downloaded during installation. This will also be the option you'll utilize most if you're converting from some other professional show hosting package, since you will probably have a large library of already ripped or purchased tracks.)
* Add '''streaming''' songs to your library.

[ Note: I used the word “index” rather than “copy” because kJams does NOT COPY when you ''Add'' music to your library. It only makes a note of where the song resides on the internal or external drive and it then uses the original files right where they are. This can be a big problem for newbies who download music to their desktop and then add the files to the kJams library. Once the files are added, they think they can trash the file from the desktop. But in reality, this is the only file that exists. ]

If you are new to karaoke, you probably don’t have any tunes on your hard drive or any karaoke CDs to rip. No problem! To try out kJams’ features, you really only need to download a few songs. Free songs will work just fine. You can also go to the Chartbuster music store to find free streaming songs.

'''Before you start to build your library,''' I suggest you first:
# Set up your purchase preferences here: [[Setting Purchase Preferences Temp]]
# Read about meta data here: [[Understanding Tags (Meta Data)Temp]]

Building the Library

2014-12-08T18:45:23Z

Baylink: Baylink moved page Building the Library Temp to Building the Library without leaving a redirect: Disinterment

Just like with iTunes, all of your karaoke music is organized in a main Library. kJams treats the library as a [[Glossary#Playlist|Playlist]]. From this library, you can search for music, build playlists, and of course play karaoke. The library allows you to organize music that is on your system—that is, music that is purchased through kJams, as well as music that resides elsewhere on your hard drive—but it also allows you to include music that you don’t “own,” such as streaming music.

You have several options for building your library, and you can use any and all of them in combination.

You can:

* [[Purchasing Music Through kJams Temp|'''Purchase''']] downloadable karaoke music using the built-in kJams music stores. This is the way most kJams users obtain their music.
* [[Downloading Music from Other Sites Temp|'''Download''']] music from other music sites (including free songs) and index them into kJams.
* [[Ripping Temp|'''Copy''']] music from your karaoke CD-Gs into the kJams library. This is called 'ripping'.
* [[Add to Library Temp|'''Index''']] karaoke tunes that are already on your internal or external hard drive into the library. (This includes sample songs that you downloaded during installation.)
* Add '''streaming''' songs to your library.

[ Note: I used the word “index” rather than “copy” because kJams does NOT COPY when you ''Add'' music to your library. It only makes a note of where the song resides on the internal or external drive and it then uses the original files right where they are. This can be a big problem for newbies who download music to their desktop and then add the files to the kJams library. Once the files are added, they think they can trash the file from the desktop. But in reality, this is the only file that exists. ]

If you are new to karaoke, you probably don’t have any tunes on your hard drive or any karaoke CDs to rip. No problem! To try out kJams’ features, you really only need to download a few songs. Free songs will work just fine. You can also go to the Chartbuster music store to find free streaming songs.

'''Before you start to build your library,''' I suggest you first:
# Set up your purchase preferences here: [[Setting Purchase Preferences Temp]]
# Read about meta data here: [[Understanding Tags (Meta Data)Temp]]

Building the Library

2014-12-08T18:44:34Z

Baylink: First cut on disinterring this whole page tree

Server

2014-12-07T18:41:35Z

Baylink: /* How To Turn It On */ - Deleting bug4 ref; could not reproduce

In the Pro version, and in kJams2, kJams allows the KJ to enable a web server that is built right into kJams, which allows singers to use a web browser (even from a mobile phone) or the [[iJams]] or [[wtkJams]] application to manage their queues. Basically it will allow singers to log in and manage their "Tonight", "Favorites", and "History" playlists. They can search the Library or any of their singer lists to find songs they can then put into their "Tonight" list. They can reorder their "Tonight" list so the songs come in the order in which they want to sing them.

Note: Internet Explorer and Opera are not supported. You must use FireFox, Safari, or, with a little work, Chrome.

==Take Note==
Singers created by the host in kJams (rather than thru the web interface or thru an iPhone) do not have a password. Singers without passwords will NOT show up in the list of singers that can be logged into. To assign a password to a singer so they can log in, in kJams [[Context_Click|context click]] the singer and pick "Get Info", then type a password.

==Playlist used for Server Search==
By default, the playlist that is searched by the server is the Library. However, the host can change this to any other playlist if desired, by context-clicking the playlist and choosing "Playlist used for Server Search".

This is handy if, for example, you have every song in the world in your Library, but only want a subset to be visible for user searches when they use the web server. This setting is remembered per-venue. Only one Playlist may be used for the Server Search.

==How To Turn It On==
# To enable existing singers for remote login, right click on each singer and pick "Get info..." and enter a password.
# go to "Preferences"
# Click "Server".
# Check "Enable kJams Web Server"
# Keep the default port number (80) unless you're already running a web server. If you are, try 12345 as your port.

==Testing the Web Server==
The web server will be on port 80 (or whatever other port you've configured it to) on the IP address which your computer or laptop is set to on the local network, whether wireless (usually) or wired.

To make it easier to find, both for [[wtkJams]] and for users accessing it with a standard web browser on their phone, tablet, or laptop, kJams uses Apple's 'Bonjour' service discovery protocol. Client-side support for this is built into OS/X on Apple laptops, into iOS on iPhones and iPads, and into Safari for Windows. If your singers are using other browsers on Windows or Linux, including Android phones and tablets, they will have to find the server to log in in other ways, which we'll describe below.

=== If you're using Windows ===
# Required install [http://support.apple.com/kb/DL999 Bonjour for Windows] (it says "Print Services" but it's the real Bonjour)
# You *should* install [http://www.apple.com/safari/download/ Safari] (All other browsers do not support Bonjour)
# You *may* use FireFox or Chrome, but there is no support for Bonjour (see "Not Safari?" below)
# Note that "Internet Explorer" is not supported at all.

==== Using Safari? ====
# Run Safari on any computer on your LAN
# go to Preferences->Bookmarks, and turn on Bonjour (both "Bookmarks Bar" and "Menu")
# browse your Bonjour sites for "kJams: <Venue Name>" and pick it! (The default <Venue Name> is "Singers")
# For example if your venue is called "Prancing Pony", then you'll look in safari for "Bookmarks->Bonjour->kJams: Prancing Pony"

==== Not Safari? ====
You must find out the "sharing name" of your server machine
# Mac: in System Preferences->sharing, eg: "bree.local"
# Windows:
## start menu->control panels->system->computer name. That plus ".local" is your "sharing name". eg: if your "computer name" is "bree" then your "sharing name" is "bree.local"
## If the above doesn't work: start->control panels->network and sharing->change adapter settings->double click the LAN adapter->details->IPv4 address: that set of four numbers is your "sharing name", go figure.
# to get the full address, you must append ":<port number>" to the sharing name unless it is 80. eg: if your port number is 12345, and your "sharing name" is "bree.local", the full address will be "bree.local:12345". if the port is 80, you do not need to append anything.
# Go to any computer on your LAN, and in the web browser, enter the full address.

As an example of what the server looks like: https://karaoke.kjams.com:12345 (un: dave, pw: a)

Send me some feedback on what works and what doesn't, and what you need to make it better. Thanks!

==If you don't have wireless==
If you are hosting a show in a venue which doesn't have Wifi available to patrons -- don't laugh, there are still a few of those -- you can set up an Ad-Hoc network.

# Create a new network https://karaoke.kjams.com/screenshots/server/adhoc/1_create_network.png 
# name the network https://karaoke.kjams.com/screenshots/server/adhoc/2_network_name.png 
# run kJams
# click on the folder "Singers", this is actually the venue name
# click it again without moving the mouse, this will let you rename the folder
# name the venue https://karaoke.kjams.com/screenshots/server/adhoc/3_venue_name.png 
# go to preferences->server
# turn on the server (see above "[[Server#How_To_Turn_It_On|How To Turn it On]]" for more info) https://karaoke.kjams.com/screenshots/server/adhoc/4_turn_on_server.png 
# you can set the Port to 80 or just leave it at 80
# if you're using a web browser:
## make sure the web browser computer is on the same network as the kJams computer
## in your web browser, find the kJams Venue name in the Bonjour list (see [[Server#How_To_Turn_It_On|Step 7 Above]]), then click it! You're in!
# if you're using an iPhone:
## go to Settings->WiFi and pick the Ad-Hoc network. Note: to pick it, tap the NAME, not the blue arrow on the right. https://karaoke.kjams.com/screenshots/server/adhoc/5_pick_network.PNG 
## run [[iJams]] or [[wtkJams]]
## join your venue! (see links in previous step for examples) You're in!

==If you're hyper savvy==
You can put this on a *public* IP address under some domain, and use port 80 (provided there's no other web server on that address). that way people can *from home* enter something like:

https://karaoke.kjams.com:12345/

and then set up their tonight list, before they even get to the venue! isn't that spiffy? We will, at some point, have a checklist for how to set this up, including some thoughts on security.

== Known Issues ==
* Any list (singers or songs) with more than 200 items will say "too many hits, refine your search" or something like that. ("200" is a secret pref you can change)
* A failed login (i.e., bad password) will not display an error; it will just display the login page again.
* The album selector doesn't actually do anything (yet).
* Updates made in kJams don't show up in the web UI until the playlist is refreshed. This will be addressed after 1.0.

==Updates to the Server Resources==
When there is an update to the server resources, you have to [[Server/Update|manually update]] them.

==Code==
if you're a code monkey and stuff you can [[Code|look here]]

Advanced metadata editing

2014-12-05T03:41:01Z

Baylink: /* Other Stuff You Ought To Know */ - hide

One of the many powerful features that kJams provides you is the ability to use an external program to modify the stored metadata about your songs/tracks. Generally, this will be a spreadsheet, though you could use something else too, if you wanted.

There are some caveats to this, and you can break your database and waste a lot of the time you've invested if you're not careful how you do things. Like all powertools, the use of this feature requires some caution. But it's powerful enough to be worth learning how to use, especially if you're a professional host.

So, like they used to say on the tests in school:

'''READ EVERYTHING BEFORE DOING ANYTHING'''.

== The Basic Procedure ==

=== Moving Data To Your Spreadsheet ===
* Select your Library (or some other appropriate [[Glossary#Playlist|Playlist]]) in the Source Pane of the main kJams window.
* Click on any visible row on the right
* By "[[Glossary#context-click|context-clicking]]" on the title row, make visible any columns you want to work with in an external program, and hide any that you don't need to -- make sure the (unique) Song ID column is visible
* Select some group of tracks you want to edit, or Command-A/Ctrl-A to select all tracks in the window. If you do select all tracks, we recommend that you
** Make sure the (unique) Song ID column is visible as the first column, and
** Sort the window by that column, in ascending order
* Press Command-C/Ctrl-C to copy the data
** If you selected All Songs, a dialog box may pop up with a 'thermometer' display to tell you how far along the process is
* Start your spreadsheet program* (if it's not running) or
* Switch to it (if it is running)
* Click in cell A1 (top left corner)
* Command-V/Ctrl-V to paste

[ * If you don't have a spreadsheet program already, let us recommend the excellent -- and free -- Apache Open Office, available online for the Mac and for Windows ]

You should now have a spreadsheet that is full of whatever rows (for each song) and columns (for each type of metadata) you had visible when you clicked Copy.

=== Editing Data Within Your Spreadsheet ===
Save two copies of that spreadsheet. Call them "Library original" and "Library", or something to that effect. You'll edit the second, and have the first available in case you badly break something and need to recover.

Now: edit the spreadsheet any way you need to. You can use the range-paste feature to clean up artist names, or harmonize CD/album names, or whatever your needs might be. The only thing you cannot do is to insert or delete any rows or columns, or move any columns around.

You can even use the Data->Sort feature to resort the sheet by whatever column makes a particular task easier... as long as you '''re-sort to "Song ID (ascending)" when you're done'''. This is the secret sauce that makes all else possible.

Once you've done all the editing you feel is necessary, do that final re-sort (if you had sorted the sheet some other way during your work), and then follow this procedure:

=== Moving Data Back From Your Spreadsheet ===
* Save the edited sheet, using whatever name you already called it (Command-S/Ctrl-S). You shouldn't need to specify a name cause you did that at the beginning, remember?
* Click in cell A1
* Scroll down until you can see the lower-right cell on the sheet on your screen
* Shift-Click in that cell; you should see the entire active part of the sheet change color to show that you've selected it
* Command-C/Ctrl-C to Copy
* Switch back to kJams -- you did leave it running, right?

Now, the instructions diverge a bit, depending on whether you copied ''all'' your tracks at the beginning or only a few. If you only copied a few, then you should still see them selected on the screen, and you can just hit Command-V/Ctrl-V to Paste your data back in. After a few seconds, you'll see your edits appear on the screen, and they're automatically saved in your permanent database.

If you Copied "All", then:
* Make sure you are still displaying tracks in ascending order by Song ID (this shouldn't have changed)
* Make sure all tracks are still selected (this shouldn't have changed either, but if not, hit Command-A/Ctrl-A again)
* Hit Command-V/Ctrl-V to paste

Just like on a short edit, you should see your data appear on the screen after a short delay, but if you were pasting in thousands of songs worth of data, that delay may be several seconds long -- you may again see a dialog box pop up with a 'thermometer' display to tell you how far along the process is. Once it's done, you'll see the visible data change, ''if'' you had changed any records that were within the visible window. Either way, though, the changes you made externally, and copied and pasted back in should be in your database; do a search for a track you edited, and double-check.

Advanced metadata editing

2014-12-04T19:36:28Z

Baylink: First cut; there's a video for this, but it doesn't go into as much supportive detail

One of the many powerful features that kJams provides you is the ability to use an external program to modify the stored metadata about your songs/tracks. Generally, this will be a spreadsheet, though you could use something else too, if you wanted.

There are some caveats to this, and you can break your database and waste a lot of the time you've invested if you're not careful how you do things. Like all powertools, the use of this feature requires some caution. But it's powerful enough to be worth learning how to use, especially if you're a professional host.

So, like they used to say on the tests in school:

'''READ EVERYTHING BEFORE DOING ANYTHING'''.

== The Basic Procedure ==

=== Moving Data To Your Spreadsheet ===
* Select your Library (or some other appropriate [[Glossary#Playlist|Playlist]]) in the Source Pane of the main kJams window.
* Click on any visible row on the right
* By "[[Glossary#context-click|context-clicking]]" on the title row, make visible any columns you want to work with in an external program, and hide any that you don't need to -- make sure the (unique) Song ID column is visible
* Select some group of tracks you want to edit, or Command-A/Ctrl-A to select all tracks in the window. If you do select all tracks, we recommend that you
** Make sure the (unique) Song ID column is visible as the first column, and
** Sort the window by that column, in ascending order
* Press Command-C/Ctrl-C to copy the data
** If you selected All Songs, a dialog box may pop up with a 'thermometer' display to tell you how far along the process is
* Start your spreadsheet program* (if it's not running) or
* Switch to it (if it is running)
* Click in cell A1 (top left corner)
* Command-V/Ctrl-V to paste

[ * If you don't have a spreadsheet program already, let us recommend the excellent -- and free -- Apache Open Office, available online for the Mac and for Windows ]

You should now have a spreadsheet that is full of whatever rows (for each song) and columns (for each type of metadata) you had visible when you clicked Copy.

=== Editing Data Within Your Spreadsheet ===
Save two copies of that spreadsheet. Call them "Library original" and "Library", or something to that effect. You'll edit the second, and have the first available in case you badly break something and need to recover.

Now: edit the spreadsheet any way you need to. You can use the range-paste feature to clean up artist names, or harmonize CD/album names, or whatever your needs might be. The only thing you cannot do is to insert or delete any rows or columns, or move any columns around.

You can even use the Data->Sort feature to resort the sheet by whatever column makes a particular task easier... as long as you '''re-sort to "Song ID (ascending)" when you're done'''. This is the secret sauce that makes all else possible.

Once you've done all the editing you feel is necessary, do that final re-sort (if you had sorted the sheet some other way during your work), and then follow this procedure:

=== Moving Data Back From Your Spreadsheet ===
* Save the edited sheet, using whatever name you already called it (Command-S/Ctrl-S). You shouldn't need to specify a name cause you did that at the beginning, remember?
* Click in cell A1
* Scroll down until you can see the lower-right cell on the sheet on your screen
* Shift-Click in that cell; you should see the entire active part of the sheet change color to show that you've selected it
* Command-C/Ctrl-C to Copy
* Switch back to kJams -- you did leave it running, right?

Now, the instructions diverge a bit, depending on whether you copied ''all'' your tracks at the beginning or only a few. If you only copied a few, then you should still see them selected on the screen, and you can just hit Command-V/Ctrl-V to Paste your data back in. After a few seconds, you'll see your edits appear on the screen, and they're automatically saved in your permanent database.

If you Copied "All", then:
* Make sure you are still displaying tracks in ascending order by Song ID (this shouldn't have changed)
* Make sure all tracks are still selected (this shouldn't have changed either, but if not, hit Command-A/Ctrl-A again)
* Hit Command-V/Ctrl-V to paste

Just like on a short edit, you should see your data appear on the screen after a short delay, but if you were pasting in thousands of songs worth of data, that delay may be several seconds long -- you may again see a dialog box pop up with a 'thermometer' display to tell you how far along the process is. Once it's done, you'll see the visible data change, ''if'' you had changed any records that were within the visible window. Either way, though, the changes you made externally, and copied and pasted back in should be in your database; do a search for a track you edited, and double-check.

=== Other Stuff You Ought To Know ===
For safety purposes, kJams 2 in releases later than FIXME will actually check the Song IDs for each row before it pastes them in, and if there are any mismatches, it will tell you which ones, and refuse to paste anything unless you force it (which will be a really bad idea :-). This will only work if you had the Song ID column visible when you copied, which is why we told you to do that, above. Normally, this would occur for one of two reasons: you accidentally edited a Song ID when you meant to edit a different field, or you forgot to re-sort before you did Save/Copy at the end.

Getting Started

2014-12-03T21:50:17Z

Baylink: Cleanup after move-in

kJams is designed to be user-friendly and easy to figure out. Those of you who use iTunes, or other karaoke software, can probably jump right in and begin playing karaoke. The following is for those of you who might need a little more help getting started.

==Starting kJams==
Once you download and install kJams, the kJams icon will be in your Start Menu (Windows) or in your Dock (Mac).

# Click the icon to start the program.
# The Main Screen opens and displays your main music Library -- which is actually a [[Glossary#Playlist|Playlist]] (which is empty) and the kJams menu bar. I suggest you click through the menu options, just to see what's there. Pay close attention to the Edit and Control menus, as you will be using these a lot.
# If there are any new online music stores available, you will be asked if you want to download them. (This can happen every time you start kJams.) I suggest you always download the new stores as they become available.

==Ways to Play==
There are three ways you can play karaoke music through kJams.
* You can play music that has been downloaded to your computer. This includes music that you purchase through kJams and an online music store, but also music files that may already reside on your hard drive.
* You can play music directly off of a karaoke CD. (This assumes your drive can read karaoke CDs, which is [[Compatible devices|not always the case]].)
* You can stream karaoke music from internet music sites.

And of course, you can do any combination of the three.

''A note about streaming music:'' To stream music, you purchase a subscription, kind of like Netflix, and then you can access any songs you like, as many times as you like. Keep in mind, however, that in order to stream, you have to have an internet connection. Also, there can be a considerable lag time as the songs buffer.

==Where do I begin?==
If you're not sure where to start, I recommend the following:
# First build a small library of music. The easiest way to do this is to purchase music through the built-in kJams stores.
# Next, learn how the library works—try sorting by columns, add and delete columns, etc.
# Now you're ready to play some music! Learn how to start/stop songs; familiarize yourself with the various controls and video options.
# Create playlists.
# Check out some of the other features, such as trimming and slipping.

Once you've gotten this far, you'll have the hang of it, I promise.

Everything you need to know to complete these steps is in the documentation. Just go through the topics in order, skipping over those that don't pertain to you. It's that easy!

Glossary

2014-12-03T21:49:08Z

Baylink: /* Playhead */ - add Playlist

__TOC__
==Add to Library==
is in the context of kJams means to add songs that '''already exist''' on a hard drive, ie: they were ripped by some other software, or previously ripped with kJams but then moved or you decided to rebuild your library after [[consolidating]] it. This is NOT the same thing as '''Ripping'''.

==Artwork Panel==
The place in the corner where you can see album art, singer photo, or a mini lyrics window (see [[Screen_Shots#Browser|Screen Shots]]

==Burn==
Synonym for "Writing a CD". To create a new CD, CD+G, VCD or DVD from music or video files that were originally on your computer. This new disc can then be played in any player that can play that type of disc. For example, you might "burn" a CD+G disc that contains your 14 favorite songs, then you can bring that disc out with you when you go to a venue for Karaoke, give the disc to the KJ and sing all your favorite songs.

==CD Info.cidb==
This is the file used by iTunes to inform the finder what to display for CD track names. The format is discussed in the article [[CD Info.cidb]].

==Copy==
to "copy" a file means you have the file already existing on a hard drive or local storage device, and you are making a second copy of the same file, somewhere else on that same hard drive, or on another local hard drive or storage device. it *can* also mean copying over a network, if said network is local and you're using the Finder or "Windows Explorer" to do that copy.

==Download==
To transfer a file, over the internet or other network, from a remote server, computer or other networked device, to the computer that you're currently controlling, typically the computer physically in front of you. You are "pulling" the file "down" to the computer you're controlling from a remote computer.

Note that this is NOT the same as [[Glossary#Add_to_Library|Add To Library]], [[Glossary#Rip.2C_Ripping|Ripping]], [[Glossary#Copy|Copying]], [[Glossary#Burn|Burning]], or [[Glossary#Upload|Uploading]], these words are NOT interchangeable.

You typically "control" the computer that is physically sitting in front of you, but this distinction is subtle. You may instead do a screen share where you control a computer down the street, and, controlling it's screen, cause a connection from that remote computer back to the computer that is physically in front of you, and from there transfer a file TO the remote computer. This is still a "Download", even though the file is traveling FROM the one in front of you TO the remote computer.

==FAQ==
Frequently Asked Questions. By convention this implies that the answers are also given.

==Import==
In the context of kJams you should never say "import" as it is not precise enough. Please use the word "Rip" or the term "Add to Library", because they mean very different things.

==LCD==
See [[Screen_Shots#LCD_Panel|LCD Panel]]

==Messenger==
See [[Messenger]]

==Metadata==
Information '''about''' something. In this context, it is the various data associated with songs and can include just about anything you can imagine. In addition to name, artist, album, you can have things such as Label Color, Beats per Minute, Composer, even Lyrics. In kJams, essential meta data is stored in tags right in the song file, and is duplicated in the database for efficient access. Non essential meta data is stored in a file next to the song file, in an text [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xml XML] file in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plist "plist"] format. See: [[Perfect Metadata]], [[Meta Data Files]], [[Meta Info]].

==Playhead==
See [[Screen_Shots#LCD_Panel|LCD Panel]]

==Playlist==
A playlist is list of songs, nothing more, nothing less. Everything in the Sources pane of kJams is a playlist, except the KJ rotation, which is a list of singers.

==Reference==
When you "add to library" and you pick "Reference", that means the music file stays right where it is. kJams will only make note of WHERE it is located, and will look for it there when you go to play the song. It's rather like just an index. Use referencing to keep track of songs that are on an external hard drive.
==Reinterpret Names==
Song file names can look like this: "SF0123-02 - U2 - When Love Comes to Town", see how all the "meta info" is all glommed together in the name of the file? When you see it like that listed under the "Name" column in kJams, and you see only a "-" in the "Artist" and "Album" columns, then you need to "Reinterpret" the names, that will get the meta data to go into the right columns.

==Rip, Ripping==
Synonym for "Reading a CD". To copy music and/or video off a CD, CD+G, VCD, DVD. In this context it may also include LaserDisc. This generally involves translating the format of the data as well, eg: the data on a music CD is written in a raw, uncompressed format called [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PCM "PCM"], but when you rip it into a file on your disk drive, it may be written in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mp3 "MP3"] format. This is NOT the same as "[[Glossary#Add_to_Library|Add To Library]]". It *is* a form of "format shifting", which is (currently) perfectly legal.

==Scrub==
An mouse action denoting dragging the [[Glossary#Playhead|Playhead]] across the timeline track. See [[Screen_Shots#LCD_Panel|LCD Panel]]

==Tag==
When a song is stored on a computer, it is stored in a particular "format". That format may be AAC, MP3, Vorbis, QuickTime (which has many sub-formats), or any of a dozen other formats. Each format usually has a "tagging scheme" that manages the meta data for the song. For example, the MP3 format uses a tagging scheme called [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Id3 "ID3"], and Vorbis uses a tagging scheme called [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vorbis_comment "Vorbis Comments"]. Tags almost always include "Name", "Artist", "Album", "Track Number", and "Genre". Tags are stored directly inside the song file itself, so when you copy the song to another computer, the tags of course go with the song.

==Upload==
To transfer a file, usually over the internet, from the computer you are controlling, typically your local machine, to a different computer, server or device, typically remote server. You are "pushing" the file to up to it's destination, like when you "upload" a photo to Flickr.

Note that this is NOT the same as [[Glossary#Rip.2C_Ripping|Ripping]], [[Glossary#Copy|Copying]], [[Glossary#Burn|Burning]], or [[Glossary#Download|Downloading]], these words are NOT interchangeable. See "[[Glossary#Download|Downloading]]" for further elucidation.
==Wiki==
This is a Hawai'ian word meaning "quick". It is also the name of the software used to run the kJams web site and manage all this documentation. [http://karaoke.kjams.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=7 More info here].

Getting Started

2014-12-03T21:14:38Z

Baylink: Baylink moved page Getting Started Temp to Getting Started without leaving a redirect: Was already ready to promote, though I'm gonna expand some more

==Introduction==
kJams is designed to be user-friendly and easy to figure out. Those of you who use iTunes or other karaoke software can probably jump right in and begin playing karaoke. The following is for those of you who might need a little more help getting started.

==Starting kJams==
Once you download and install kJams, the kJams icon will be in your Start Menu (Windows) or in your Dock (Mac).

#Click the icon to start the program.
#The Main Screen opens and displays your main music library (which is empty) and the kJams menu bar. I suggest you click on the menu options, just to see what's there. Pay close attention to the Edit and Control menus, as you will be using these a lot.
#If there are any new music stores available, you will be asked if you want to download them. (This can happen every time you start kJams.) I suggest you always download the new stores as they become available.

==Ways to Play==
There are three ways you can play karaoke music through kJams.
#You can play music directly off of a karaoke CD. (This assumes your drive can read karaoke CDs, which is not always the case.)
#You can stream karaoke music from internet music sites.
#You can play music that has been downloaded to your computer. This includes music that you purchase through kJams, but also music files that may already reside on your hard drive.

And of course, you can do any combination of the three.

''A note about streaming music:'' To stream music, you purchase a subscription, kind of like Netflix, and then you can access any songs you like, as many times as you like. Keep in mind, however, that in order to stream, you have to have an internet connection. Also, there can be a considerable lag time as the songs buffer.

==Where do I begin?==
If you're not sure where to start, I recommend the following:
#First build a small library of music. The easiest way to do this is to purchase music through the built-in kJams stores.
#Next, learn how the library works—try sorting by columns, add and delete columns, etc.
#Now you're ready to play some music! Learn how to start/stop songs; familiarize yourself with the various controls and video options.
#Create playlists.
#Check out some of the other features, such as trimming and slipping.

Once you've gotten this far, you'll have the hang of it, I promise.

Everything you need to know to complete these steps is in the documentation. Just go through the topics in order, skipping over those that don't pertain to you. It's that easy!

Old Getting Started

2014-12-03T21:13:51Z

Baylink: Baylink moved page Getting Started to Old Getting Started without leaving a redirect: Not done mining this, but temp an acceptable start

kJams needs some Plugins:
* [[Lame|MP3]] (for ripping CDs to MP3 files)
* mpeg (for playing back MPEG1&2 files (VideoCD, etc)

don't forget to sort by [[User Sort Order]]. 
Understand about the [[kJams Music Folder]]. 
know about this: [[Talk:Version_History]] 
Your external drive can not be formatted for Windows NTFS! If it is you may have to [[Reformat]].

if you are "add to library..."-ing an existing library, you'll want to know how to [[Reinterpret]]

can someone chime in here please? yes even you, the one who is reading this??

You'll want to set up your [[External_Monitor_%28Mac%29|External Monitor]]

Keep your windows [[Arrangement|arranged like this]]!
==A nice intro==
okay hi!! welcome!

# your superdrive likely won't work (it's not a software problem, it's like asking a CD player to play a DVD, it just can't read it) pop in any CD+G disc and play it with kJams, just double click the first track. does it say "sorry not compatible"?, well then I recommend a LightScribe drive, just about any one will do, amazon has them. they're less than $100. they also let you burn mix discs (with the separate burning plugin, only if you want it)
# how many songs total do you have? less than 5,000? then you'll be fine with 1 GB RAM 5,000 to 20,000 then 2 GB > 20,000 go with 4GB 
# you'll want the MP3 plugin, so when you rip your discs, the audio encode to MP3. download and install it from the downloads page.
# just download kJams and run. if you're a pro running shows get the Pro version (license required for public performance), else get the Lite version. Pro manages venues and singers at each venue, and song preferences per singer ("tonight" que, faves, history etc). plus a bunch more for "pros"
# go to preferences, and set your "Importing->Encoder" to "LAME MP3", "Best"
# stick in one of your discs
# if you get a dialog asking for the "kjpro name" click the question mark icon or [[KJ_Pro|click here]] to learn how to look up each disc, so YOU don't have to type anything
# AFTER you get all the meta data correct, THEN drag the icon of the CD (on the left) ON to the icon of the "Library" (or you can select only the tracks you want and drag them to the library)
# YAY!

Compatible Drives

2014-12-03T21:08:07Z

Baylink:

<iimg>http://Pilotkaraoke.com/showproduct.aspx?productid=109&affiliateid=10071!https://karaoke.kjams.com/resources/pilot_banner.png</iimg> 

First:
* Remember this rule of thumb: some CD / DVD drives are simply '''[[Not Capable]]''' of reading / burning CD+G media
* This page lists *everything* that I know. do not write to me expecting I know some more secret tidbits, this is ALL I've got on the subject.
* Drives typically DO NOT ADVERTISE that they have CD+G capability like you see in some spec sheets (see below). In fact, many don't even advertise that they are Macintosh compatible. Rest assured they *are* mac compatible and that ones below marked "Works for Sure" can indeed read and write CD+G.
* The Matshita drives built into many older laptops DO NOT WORK
* Newer Mac computers have the "HL-DT-ST" drive which actually may work, try it out! [ This editor has a 7,1 MacBook Pro (mid-2010, MB356LL/A), and the stock Superdrive in it will RIP discs just fine. He hasn't testing burning yet. ]
* You ''can'' expect to get perfect rips and burns. If you're getting glitchy graphics, could be your drive, lens, or disc, don't think "oh, I can't expect perfection", because you can and you should.
* All of these compatibility notes apply only to CD+G Karaoke Audio discs. SCDG, Neo, and other high-capacity discs are standard DVD data discs, and you don't have to worry about any of this.

==How to tell if your drive will work==
For ripping, you can just stick in *any* audio CD (does not have to be a CD+G disc) and try to play it in kJams. If it works, then you know you can at least PLAY CD+G discs--kJams attempts to open the drive in a mode where CDG discs can be read properly; if the drive won't permit this, kJams will tell you so.

The burn test: make a playlist with two songs, burn the disc. Did you get "[[Failed_Burn|DRStatusStateFailed]]" ? If it seemed to work, take it to a real hardware karaoke player and play it. If that works too, you're good to go! (If you don't have a hardware CDG player available, as many don't, you can always eject it, put it back into kJams, and attempt to play the tracks you burned.)

== More Info ==

Find the *original spec sheet* for your drive. Google the manufacturer part number, they're almost always out there somewhere in a PDF or something. Looks something like this: https://karaoke.kjams.com/resources/specs.jpg 
Failing that, [http://www.padus.com/support/hardware/drives.php this compatability list] is quite nice. And here's a [https://karaoke.kjams.com/downloads/Compatible.txt BIG] list. Or try [http://www.tricerasoft.com/drivelist.html TriceraSoft], [http://www.goldenhawk.com/faq_body.htm#cdg GoldenHawk].

==Works for Sure==
[ Note that these listings are older than Dec 2014; prices and availablility are certainly not under '''our''' control :-) ]
* [http://Pilotkaraoke.com/showproduct.aspx?productid=109&affiliateid=10071 PilotKaraoke] ONLY sells CD+G compatible drives
* $48 [http://www.amazon.com/Gear-Head-Mobile-External-8XDVDEXT-CP6V2/dp/B002FRGDVG GearHead 8XDVDEXT]
* $40 Samsung SH-S182M or SE-S224 or [http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B002C1BBU8/sr=/qid=/ref=olp_tab_refurbished?ie=UTF8&colid=&coliid=&condition=refurbished&me=&qid=&seller=&sr= SE-S084C/RSBN] or <strike>SE-S084D</strike> '''Update:''' the "D" version does NOT work for burning.
* $50 [http://www.google.com/products?hl=en&q=HP+DVD1170e&scoring=p HP DVD1170e Lightscribe] available [http://tinyurl.com/36son8a everywhere]!
* $122 [http://tinyurl.com/37zdoar - Liteon 20X External DVDrw + Lightscribe, Retail Pack]
* Optiarc DVD RW AD-7580S
* [http://www.nextag.com/hp-dvd1270/stores-html hp-dvd1270], hp DVD RW AD-75815
* LaCie d2 DVD±RW with LightScribe. '''Update:''' Some folks have reported trouble burning with the "NEC DVD±RW ND-3500AG", which is the drive used in at least some LaCie D2 burners.
* many '''HL-DT-ST DVD-RW'''. ([http://club.cdfreaks.com/f91/lg-dvd-writer-faq-updated-28-jul-2008-a-168082/#post1289258 Hitachi/LG drives]. DT is for DaTa, ST is for STorage) Models confirmed working are '''GWA-4080M'''. Some MacBookPro's have these built in!! Warning: Some can only read! See below.
* '''HP DV920105 CA 16X DVD with LightScribe'''
* '''LaCie 16X DL'''
* '''Plextor 708UF & 760A'''
* '''Yamaha CRW-F1E'''
* '''Sony DRX-510UL DVD-R''' Works for ripping. Burning has not been tested yet.

==Read Only (No burning)==
* '''HL-DT-ST DVD-RAM and RW''' models '''GSA-S10N''', '''GS31N''', '''GP08NU6B''', '''GE24LU20''' and '''GA32N''' can read but they fail burning viable discs. '''GE20-LU10''' can read but apparently only burns 2 tracks and fails after that. (check the MBPro BEFORE you buy so you know, it's rather random which drive you'll get if you just order the MBPro online)
* $99 [http://www.amazon.com/Blu-Ray-USB-External-Player-DVDRW/dp/B001QA2Y9S/ref=sr_1_3 Blu-Ray USB External Player]
* LaCie LigtScribe DVDRW8651 will read but NOT WRITE
* Discs burned with '''Pioneer DVR''' can can be read by other computers, but not real karaoke hardware.
* '''Plextor 610U''' can read. it *seems* to write discs but they don't play back very well.
* Samsung SE-S084D
* NEC DVD±RW ND-3500AG
* Gear Head CDSL07U2S (will seem to burn, but the discs won't play on real hardware)

==Does NOT work for Sure==
* Gear Head Mobile Slim MODEL CDSL07U2S, can't even rip, it lies about it's capability and gives black video
* most Optiarc drives (except as noted)
* TEAC CD-W548E
* Many "Matshita" drives don't read or write (many mac laptops have them)
* '''Plextor 716SA, S, UF'''
* [http://www.plextoramericas.com/index.php/dvd-rw/external-dvd-rw/px-880u?start=1 '''Plextor 880U''']
* TSSCorp LS-L632M

==We are Confused==
* [http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/product?lc=en&cc=us&dlc=el&product=3422491&lang=el& HP dvd1040e] I know it can rip, but there's been at least one user who could not burn.
* The specs say it does NOT work, however you are somehow able to rip SOME cdg discs. Haven't tried burning. [http://us.lge.com/products/model/detail/computer%20products_optical%20drives_optical%20drives_GSA-E60L.jhtml LG GSA-E60L] (and why the hell do they have such arcane names??) 
* Note: it does rip but a user has reported this will not burn!! A pre-certified CD+G compatible drive from [http://www.mtu.com/basics/karaokecdr.htm#Burners MTU]. I recommend the IDE Internal ($80) plus a [http://www.wiebetech.com/products/firewiredrivedock.php DriveDock] ($114). Yes it's more expensive but it's faster than USB2. If you don't care about blazing speed then simply the USB one ($130) is fine. 
* '''Plextor 755UF''': one person could not get it to work at all. another reports "perfect success ripping and burning"
* '''Plextor 750A''': reports it can read but not write, however, one user reports that the graphics read are VERY glitchy

==Why does the drive that does not work on Mac still work on Windows?==
What? Really? Do you have such a drive? Can I see it? What is its make/model? Please contact me.

I have gone the extra mile and with help from Apple and a secret third party I have written a low level disc reader that has access to the drive in the same way that Windows has. Unfortunately I have discovered that it is still incompatible with Matshita drives. Matshita the most important drive to gain compatibility with, given that that is the drive manufacturer for the vast majority of mac laptops. However if you find a drive that says it should be CD+G compatible, but isn't, please let me know. To see if your drive will work, just put in a disc and try to rip it with kJams, kJams will honestly inform you if it *should* work but doesn't, or if it should NOT work but you can try anyway (and many drives DO work even when not advertised to!) or it will inform you that it is in fact not compatible.

Burning: There ARE drives that natively support Reading but not Writing. On those windows programs, the authors have figured out how to send raw data to the device directly, bypassing the "CD+G Write" strategy that kJams currently uses. One day I expect i'll figure out how to do that too, but for now, you're stuck having to purchase a drive with native CD+G write capability.

== One final thought ==
kJams allows you to simply put a CDG disc in a drive, and play songs directly off of it, without even ripping, a feature which can be very handy for professional hosts.

If you're going to ''use it that way'', you will probably be best served to do with with an external full-size 5.25" trayload drive in a housing, as they are much more rugged than internal and slot-load drives.

Not Capable

2014-12-03T21:06:07Z

Baylink:

kJams works with ALL drives that are '''capable''' of ripping / burning CD+G media.

If you're imagining it's possible to "just write a new driver or update the software somehow to enable these drives" which aren't, well, that's not within the realm of our physical laws.

Think of it this way: there is just no way (literally the physics won't work) to play a Blu-Ray disc in a CD drive. The hardware for decoding the data just isn't even built into the drive. The ONLY possible way to read a Blu-Ray disc is to get a drive CAPABLE of reading a Blue-Ray disc. The same EXACT thing is true for CD+G.

The waters seem muddy for those who don't know because SOME CD / DVD drives are in fact capable, while some are not, leading people to think that ALL drives must be capable with some software tweak.

If kJams says "you need a new drive", then you do, there's no other way.

Read this article to find a [[Compatible_Drives|compatible drive]].

Compatible Drives

2014-12-03T21:05:18Z

Baylink:

<iimg>http://Pilotkaraoke.com/showproduct.aspx?productid=109&affiliateid=10071!https://karaoke.kjams.com/resources/pilot_banner.png</iimg> 

First:
* Remember this rule of thumb: some CD / DVD drives are simply '''[[Not Capable]]''' of reading / burning CD+G media
* This page lists *everything* that I know. do not write to me expecting I know some more secret tidbits, this is ALL I've got on the subject.
* Drives typically DO NOT ADVERTISE that they have CD+G capability like you see in some spec sheets (see below). In fact, many don't even advertise that they are Macintosh compatible. Rest assured they *are* mac compatible and that ones below marked "Works for Sure" can indeed read and write CD+G.
* The Matshita drives built into many older laptops DO NOT WORK
* Newer Mac computers have the "HL-DT-ST" drive which actually may work, try it out! [ This editor has a 7,1 MacBook Pro (mid-2010, MB356LL/A), and the stock Superdrive in it will RIP discs just fine. He hasn't testing burning yet. ]
* You ''can'' expect to get perfect rips and burns. If you're getting glitchy graphics, could be your drive, lens, or disc, don't think "oh, I can't expect perfection", because you can and you should.

==How to tell if your drive will work==
For ripping, you can just stick in *any* audio CD (does not have to be a CD+G disc) and try to play it in kJams. If it works, then you know you can at least PLAY CD+G discs--kJams attempts to open the drive in a mode where CDG discs can be read properly; if the drive won't permit this, kJams will tell you so.

The burn test: make a playlist with two songs, burn the disc. Did you get "[[Failed_Burn|DRStatusStateFailed]]" ? If it seemed to work, take it to a real hardware karaoke player and play it. If that works too, you're good to go! (If you don't have a hardware CDG player available, as many don't, you can always eject it, put it back into kJams, and attempt to play the tracks you burned.)

== More Info ==

Find the *original spec sheet* for your drive. Google the manufacturer part number, they're almost always out there somewhere in a PDF or something. Looks something like this: https://karaoke.kjams.com/resources/specs.jpg 
Failing that, [http://www.padus.com/support/hardware/drives.php this compatability list] is quite nice. And here's a [https://karaoke.kjams.com/downloads/Compatible.txt BIG] list. Or try [http://www.tricerasoft.com/drivelist.html TriceraSoft], [http://www.goldenhawk.com/faq_body.htm#cdg GoldenHawk].

==Works for Sure==
[ Note that these listings are older than Dec 2014; prices and availablility are certainly not under '''our''' control :-) ]
* [http://Pilotkaraoke.com/showproduct.aspx?productid=109&affiliateid=10071 PilotKaraoke] ONLY sells CD+G compatible drives
* $48 [http://www.amazon.com/Gear-Head-Mobile-External-8XDVDEXT-CP6V2/dp/B002FRGDVG GearHead 8XDVDEXT]
* $40 Samsung SH-S182M or SE-S224 or [http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B002C1BBU8/sr=/qid=/ref=olp_tab_refurbished?ie=UTF8&colid=&coliid=&condition=refurbished&me=&qid=&seller=&sr= SE-S084C/RSBN] or <strike>SE-S084D</strike> '''Update:''' the "D" version does NOT work for burning.
* $50 [http://www.google.com/products?hl=en&q=HP+DVD1170e&scoring=p HP DVD1170e Lightscribe] available [http://tinyurl.com/36son8a everywhere]!
* $122 [http://tinyurl.com/37zdoar - Liteon 20X External DVDrw + Lightscribe, Retail Pack]
* Optiarc DVD RW AD-7580S
* [http://www.nextag.com/hp-dvd1270/stores-html hp-dvd1270], hp DVD RW AD-75815
* LaCie d2 DVD±RW with LightScribe. '''Update:''' Some folks have reported trouble burning with the "NEC DVD±RW ND-3500AG", which is the drive used in at least some LaCie D2 burners.
* many '''HL-DT-ST DVD-RW'''. ([http://club.cdfreaks.com/f91/lg-dvd-writer-faq-updated-28-jul-2008-a-168082/#post1289258 Hitachi/LG drives]. DT is for DaTa, ST is for STorage) Models confirmed working are '''GWA-4080M'''. Some MacBookPro's have these built in!! Warning: Some can only read! See below.
* '''HP DV920105 CA 16X DVD with LightScribe'''
* '''LaCie 16X DL'''
* '''Plextor 708UF & 760A'''
* '''Yamaha CRW-F1E'''
* '''Sony DRX-510UL DVD-R''' Works for ripping. Burning has not been tested yet.

==Read Only (No burning)==
* '''HL-DT-ST DVD-RAM and RW''' models '''GSA-S10N''', '''GS31N''', '''GP08NU6B''', '''GE24LU20''' and '''GA32N''' can read but they fail burning viable discs. '''GE20-LU10''' can read but apparently only burns 2 tracks and fails after that. (check the MBPro BEFORE you buy so you know, it's rather random which drive you'll get if you just order the MBPro online)
* $99 [http://www.amazon.com/Blu-Ray-USB-External-Player-DVDRW/dp/B001QA2Y9S/ref=sr_1_3 Blu-Ray USB External Player]
* LaCie LigtScribe DVDRW8651 will read but NOT WRITE
* Discs burned with '''Pioneer DVR''' can can be read by other computers, but not real karaoke hardware.
* '''Plextor 610U''' can read. it *seems* to write discs but they don't play back very well.
* Samsung SE-S084D
* NEC DVD±RW ND-3500AG
* Gear Head CDSL07U2S (will seem to burn, but the discs won't play on real hardware)

==Does NOT work for Sure==
* Gear Head Mobile Slim MODEL CDSL07U2S, can't even rip, it lies about it's capability and gives black video
* most Optiarc drives (except as noted)
* TEAC CD-W548E
* Many "Matshita" drives don't read or write (many mac laptops have them)
* '''Plextor 716SA, S, UF'''
* [http://www.plextoramericas.com/index.php/dvd-rw/external-dvd-rw/px-880u?start=1 '''Plextor 880U''']
* TSSCorp LS-L632M

==We are Confused==
* [http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/product?lc=en&cc=us&dlc=el&product=3422491&lang=el& HP dvd1040e] I know it can rip, but there's been at least one user who could not burn.
* The specs say it does NOT work, however you are somehow able to rip SOME cdg discs. Haven't tried burning. [http://us.lge.com/products/model/detail/computer%20products_optical%20drives_optical%20drives_GSA-E60L.jhtml LG GSA-E60L] (and why the hell do they have such arcane names??) 
* Note: it does rip but a user has reported this will not burn!! A pre-certified CD+G compatible drive from [http://www.mtu.com/basics/karaokecdr.htm#Burners MTU]. I recommend the IDE Internal ($80) plus a [http://www.wiebetech.com/products/firewiredrivedock.php DriveDock] ($114). Yes it's more expensive but it's faster than USB2. If you don't care about blazing speed then simply the USB one ($130) is fine. 
* '''Plextor 755UF''': one person could not get it to work at all. another reports "perfect success ripping and burning"
* '''Plextor 750A''': reports it can read but not write, however, one user reports that the graphics read are VERY glitchy

==Why does the drive that does not work on Mac still work on Windows?==
What? Really? Do you have such a drive? Can I see it? What is its make/model? Please contact me.

I have gone the extra mile and with help from Apple and a secret third party I have written a low level disc reader that has access to the drive in the same way that Windows has. Unfortunately I have discovered that it is still incompatible with Matshita drives. Matshita the most important drive to gain compatibility with, given that that is the drive manufacturer for the vast majority of mac laptops. However if you find a drive that says it should be CD+G compatible, but isn't, please let me know. To see if your drive will work, just put in a disc and try to rip it with kJams, kJams will honestly inform you if it *should* work but doesn't, or if it should NOT work but you can try anyway (and many drives DO work even when not advertised to!) or it will inform you that it is in fact not compatible.

Burning: There ARE drives that natively support Reading but not Writing. On those windows programs, the authors have figured out how to send raw data to the device directly, bypassing the "CD+G Write" strategy that kJams currently uses. One day I expect i'll figure out how to do that too, but for now, you're stuck having to purchase a drive with native CD+G write capability.

== One final thought ==
kJams allows you to simply put a CDG disc in a drive, and play songs directly off of it, without even ripping, a feature which can be very handy for professional hosts.

If you're going to ''use it that way'', you will probably be best served to do with with an external full-size 5.25" trayload drive in a housing, as they are much more rugged than internal and slot-load drives.

Compatible Drives

2014-12-03T21:04:50Z

Baylink: Cleanup, reformat, and add a Jerry Springer note at the end.

<iimg>http://Pilotkaraoke.com/showproduct.aspx?productid=109&affiliateid=10071!https://karaoke.kjams.com/resources/pilot_banner.png</iimg> 
First:
* Remember this rule of thumb: some CD / DVD drives are simply '''[[Not Capable]]''' of reading / burning CD+G media
* This page lists *everything* that I know. do not write to me expecting I know some more secret tidbits, this is ALL I've got on the subject.
* Drives typically DO NOT ADVERTISE that they have CD+G capability like you see in some spec sheets (see below). In fact, many don't even advertise that they are Macintosh compatible. Rest assured they *are* mac compatible and that ones below marked "Works for Sure" can indeed read and write CD+G.
* The Matshita drives built into many older laptops DO NOT WORK
* Newer Mac computers have the "HL-DT-ST" drive which actually may work, try it out! [ This editor has a 7,1 MacBook Pro (mid-2010, MB356LL/A), and the stock Superdrive in it will RIP discs just fine. He hasn't testing burning yet. ]
* You ''can'' expect to get perfect rips and burns. If you're getting glitchy graphics, could be your drive, lens, or disc, don't think "oh, I can't expect perfection", because you can and you should.

==How to tell if your drive will work==
For ripping, you can just stick in *any* audio CD (does not have to be a CD+G disc) and try to play it in kJams. If it works, then you know you can at least PLAY CD+G discs--kJams attempts to open the drive in a mode where CDG discs can be read properly; if the drive won't permit this, kJams will tell you so.

The burn test: make a playlist with two songs, burn the disc. Did you get "[[Failed_Burn|DRStatusStateFailed]]" ? If it seemed to work, take it to a real hardware karaoke player and play it. If that works too, you're good to go! (If you don't have a hardware CDG player available, as many don't, you can always eject it, put it back into kJams, and attempt to play the tracks you burned.)

== More Info ==

Find the *original spec sheet* for your drive. Google the manufacturer part number, they're almost always out there somewhere in a PDF or something. Looks something like this: https://karaoke.kjams.com/resources/specs.jpg 
Failing that, [http://www.padus.com/support/hardware/drives.php this compatability list] is quite nice. And here's a [https://karaoke.kjams.com/downloads/Compatible.txt BIG] list. Or try [http://www.tricerasoft.com/drivelist.html TriceraSoft], [http://www.goldenhawk.com/faq_body.htm#cdg GoldenHawk].

==Works for Sure==
[ Note that these listings are older than Dec 2014; prices and availablility are certainly not under '''our''' control :-) ]
* [http://Pilotkaraoke.com/showproduct.aspx?productid=109&affiliateid=10071 PilotKaraoke] ONLY sells CD+G compatible drives
* $48 [http://www.amazon.com/Gear-Head-Mobile-External-8XDVDEXT-CP6V2/dp/B002FRGDVG GearHead 8XDVDEXT]
* $40 Samsung SH-S182M or SE-S224 or [http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B002C1BBU8/sr=/qid=/ref=olp_tab_refurbished?ie=UTF8&colid=&coliid=&condition=refurbished&me=&qid=&seller=&sr= SE-S084C/RSBN] or <strike>SE-S084D</strike> '''Update:''' the "D" version does NOT work for burning.
* $50 [http://www.google.com/products?hl=en&q=HP+DVD1170e&scoring=p HP DVD1170e Lightscribe] available [http://tinyurl.com/36son8a everywhere]!
* $122 [http://tinyurl.com/37zdoar - Liteon 20X External DVDrw + Lightscribe, Retail Pack]
* Optiarc DVD RW AD-7580S
* [http://www.nextag.com/hp-dvd1270/stores-html hp-dvd1270], hp DVD RW AD-75815
* LaCie d2 DVD±RW with LightScribe. '''Update:''' Some folks have reported trouble burning with the "NEC DVD±RW ND-3500AG", which is the drive used in at least some LaCie D2 burners.
* many '''HL-DT-ST DVD-RW'''. ([http://club.cdfreaks.com/f91/lg-dvd-writer-faq-updated-28-jul-2008-a-168082/#post1289258 Hitachi/LG drives]. DT is for DaTa, ST is for STorage) Models confirmed working are '''GWA-4080M'''. Some MacBookPro's have these built in!! Warning: Some can only read! See below.
* '''HP DV920105 CA 16X DVD with LightScribe'''
* '''LaCie 16X DL'''
* '''Plextor 708UF & 760A'''
* '''Yamaha CRW-F1E'''
* '''Sony DRX-510UL DVD-R''' Works for ripping. Burning has not been tested yet.

==Read Only (No burning)==
* '''HL-DT-ST DVD-RAM and RW''' models '''GSA-S10N''', '''GS31N''', '''GP08NU6B''', '''GE24LU20''' and '''GA32N''' can read but they fail burning viable discs. '''GE20-LU10''' can read but apparently only burns 2 tracks and fails after that. (check the MBPro BEFORE you buy so you know, it's rather random which drive you'll get if you just order the MBPro online)
* $99 [http://www.amazon.com/Blu-Ray-USB-External-Player-DVDRW/dp/B001QA2Y9S/ref=sr_1_3 Blu-Ray USB External Player]
* LaCie LigtScribe DVDRW8651 will read but NOT WRITE
* Discs burned with '''Pioneer DVR''' can can be read by other computers, but not real karaoke hardware.
* '''Plextor 610U''' can read. it *seems* to write discs but they don't play back very well.
* Samsung SE-S084D
* NEC DVD±RW ND-3500AG
* Gear Head CDSL07U2S (will seem to burn, but the discs won't play on real hardware)

==Does NOT work for Sure==
* Gear Head Mobile Slim MODEL CDSL07U2S, can't even rip, it lies about it's capability and gives black video
* most Optiarc drives (except as noted)
* TEAC CD-W548E
* Many "Matshita" drives don't read or write (many mac laptops have them)
* '''Plextor 716SA, S, UF'''
* [http://www.plextoramericas.com/index.php/dvd-rw/external-dvd-rw/px-880u?start=1 '''Plextor 880U''']
* TSSCorp LS-L632M

==We are Confused==
* [http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/product?lc=en&cc=us&dlc=el&product=3422491&lang=el& HP dvd1040e] I know it can rip, but there's been at least one user who could not burn.
* The specs say it does NOT work, however you are somehow able to rip SOME cdg discs. Haven't tried burning. [http://us.lge.com/products/model/detail/computer%20products_optical%20drives_optical%20drives_GSA-E60L.jhtml LG GSA-E60L] (and why the hell do they have such arcane names??) 
* Note: it does rip but a user has reported this will not burn!! A pre-certified CD+G compatible drive from [http://www.mtu.com/basics/karaokecdr.htm#Burners MTU]. I recommend the IDE Internal ($80) plus a [http://www.wiebetech.com/products/firewiredrivedock.php DriveDock] ($114). Yes it's more expensive but it's faster than USB2. If you don't care about blazing speed then simply the USB one ($130) is fine. 
* '''Plextor 755UF''': one person could not get it to work at all. another reports "perfect success ripping and burning"
* '''Plextor 750A''': reports it can read but not write, however, one user reports that the graphics read are VERY glitchy

==Why does the drive that does not work on Mac still work on Windows?==
What? Really? Do you have such a drive? Can I see it? What is its make/model? Please contact me.

I have gone the extra mile and with help from Apple and a secret third party I have written a low level disc reader that has access to the drive in the same way that Windows has. Unfortunately I have discovered that it is still incompatible with Matshita drives. Matshita the most important drive to gain compatibility with, given that that is the drive manufacturer for the vast majority of mac laptops. However if you find a drive that says it should be CD+G compatible, but isn't, please let me know. To see if your drive will work, just put in a disc and try to rip it with kJams, kJams will honestly inform you if it *should* work but doesn't, or if it should NOT work but you can try anyway (and many drives DO work even when not advertised to!) or it will inform you that it is in fact not compatible.

Burning: There ARE drives that natively support Reading but not Writing. On those windows programs, the authors have figured out how to send raw data to the device directly, bypassing the "CD+G Write" strategy that kJams currently uses. One day I expect i'll figure out how to do that too, but for now, you're stuck having to purchase a drive with native CD+G write capability.

== One final thought ==
kJams allows you to simply put a CDG disc in a drive, and play songs directly off of it, without even ripping, a feature which can be very handy for professional hosts.

If you're going to ''use it that way'', you will probably be best served to do with with an external full-size 5.25" trayload drive in a housing, as they are much more rugged than internal and slot-load drives.

System Requirements

2014-12-03T20:18:21Z

Baylink: /* Software */

Before you buy kJams, you should check the hardware you want to run it on, to see if it meets our requirements. Since you can download the fully-functional package to test it on your own machine, you get to determine whether your computer has enough badonkadonk to run the package to run the package without having to guess. Er, sorry; Trace Adkins flashback there.

Remember: especially if you're using the system to do professional hosting for money in a public place, ''you should always reboot your computer before starting a show'', and you may want/need to do a [[clean boot]] to make sure no extra programs are being started up for your at boot time which will load your machine down.

= Basic Requirements =

== Hardware ==
These are the recommended specifications; you may be able to use some features with lesser hardware, though perhaps not all at the same time.

* A PC or Mac, or laptop, with at least a 2GHz CPU
* 4GB RAM (For < 15,000 songs, else 6-8GB)
* at least 10GB Free disk space (or room enough for your future music library)

== Software ==
* For Mac users: Mac OS X 10.4 or newer (including 10.10, yes)
** kJams 2 requires 10.7 or newer
* For PC users: Windows XP* or newer
* QuickTime 7.1 or on either platform (you'll need to install it on Windows, obviously)

<nowiki>*</nowiki> Note: While kJams will run on Windows XP, Microsoft no longer provides even security updates for it, and it's not recommended to run it if it will in anyway be connected to the internet.

== Other ==
* An internet connection (at least temporarily) to the computer on which you plan to purchase and activate a kJams license

= Extended Requirements =
* To rip and/or burn, you'll need a [[Compatible_Drives|compatible drive]]. Not all drives are compatible! One of the reasons I provide a Tryout version is so you can see if your drive is compatible. More on this in the next section.
* To burn more than 3 songs you must already have purchased kJams Lite, Pro, or 2. (You can, and you SHOULD) test burning with a 2 song playlist using the free Tryout. That's why there's a free tryout.
* For the '''Producer''' plugin, a Macintosh, otherwise requirements as for '''Burning'''
* Don't add more than about 112k songs to kJams, it is only a 32bit program and the memory management scheme will make it run very slowly if you add more than that
* 2 core (or more) Intel CPU at 2GHz. It [[PowerPC|will work on a PowerPC]] computer, for a short while, but Apple is dropping support *very soon*

System Requirements

2014-12-03T20:17:35Z

Baylink: /* Software */ - I'd meant to put this in the first time, and apparently forgot.

Before you buy kJams, you should check the hardware you want to run it on, to see if it meets our requirements. Since you can download the fully-functional package to test it on your own machine, you get to determine whether your computer has enough badonkadonk to run the package to run the package without having to guess. Er, sorry; Trace Adkins flashback there.

Remember: especially if you're using the system to do professional hosting for money in a public place, ''you should always reboot your computer before starting a show'', and you may want/need to do a [[clean boot]] to make sure no extra programs are being started up for your at boot time which will load your machine down.

= Basic Requirements =

== Hardware ==
These are the recommended specifications; you may be able to use some features with lesser hardware, though perhaps not all at the same time.

* A PC or Mac, or laptop, with at least a 2GHz CPU
* 4GB RAM (For < 15,000 songs, else 6-8GB)
* at least 10GB Free disk space (or room enough for your future music library)

== Software ==
* For Mac users: Mac OS X 10.4 or newer (including 10.10, yes)
** kJams 2 requires 10.7 or newer
* For PC users: Windows XP* or newer
* QuickTime 7.1 or on either platform (you'll need to install it on Windows, obviously)

* Note: While kJams will run on Windows XP, Microsoft no longer provides even security updates for it, and it's not recommended to run it if it will in anyway be connected to the internet.

== Other ==
* An internet connection (at least temporarily) to the computer on which you plan to purchase and activate a kJams license

= Extended Requirements =
* To rip and/or burn, you'll need a [[Compatible_Drives|compatible drive]]. Not all drives are compatible! One of the reasons I provide a Tryout version is so you can see if your drive is compatible. More on this in the next section.
* To burn more than 3 songs you must already have purchased kJams Lite, Pro, or 2. (You can, and you SHOULD) test burning with a 2 song playlist using the free Tryout. That's why there's a free tryout.
* For the '''Producer''' plugin, a Macintosh, otherwise requirements as for '''Burning'''
* Don't add more than about 112k songs to kJams, it is only a 32bit program and the memory management scheme will make it run very slowly if you add more than that
* 2 core (or more) Intel CPU at 2GHz. It [[PowerPC|will work on a PowerPC]] computer, for a short while, but Apple is dropping support *very soon*

Clean boot

2014-12-03T20:14:49Z

Baylink: New page. Not pullin any punches.

A '''clean boot''' is a startup procedure where you tell the computer not to load any programs at boot time which are not absolutely necessary for the computer itself to run. These might be calendaring programs, webcam software, any number of things.

== Macintosh ==
On a Mac, you do a clean boot this way:
* Go to the Apple menu and Restart
* Once restarted, type your username and password but do not hit enter upon completion.
* Instead hold the Shift key as you click the login button.
* Your user account will load without additional startup-items, or applications. Release Shift once your icons and desktop appear.

If you are an accomplished Mac user, you may be able to set up a secondary login account which does this automagically for shows.

== Windows ==
It used to be possible to hold down a key during boot to do a clean boot on Windows as well. Now, alas, it appears to be a requirement that you use the msconfig utility to stir your configurations around, and we are '''not''' gonna tell you how to do that. :-) So, if your computer won't run kJams comfortably when booted in the normal way, you'll either need to uninstall some programs which run background tasks or get a faster computer -- or use msconfig do do a clean boot.

We really are sorry that we aren't giving you more here, but, frankly, we don't want you yelling at us if other stuff breaks.

= A Footnote =
If you are hosting shows professionally for money in public places, you are ''really'' engaging in false economy if you don't have a computer which is dedicated to only that task, and which you don't use for anything else.

Really: you need two identical computers, in case one breaks.

Luckily, you are legally licensed to install kJams on two computers for your one license fee, as long as both are not in use at the same time, so you don't even have to break the law to be a smart businessperson. :-)

System Requirements

2014-12-03T20:04:10Z

Baylink:

Before you buy kJams, you should check the hardware you want to run it on, to see if it meets our requirements. Since you can download the fully-functional package to test it on your own machine, you get to determine whether your computer has enough badonkadonk to run the package to run the package without having to guess. Er, sorry; Trace Adkins flashback there.

Remember: especially if you're using the system to do professional hosting for money in a public place, ''you should always reboot your computer before starting a show'', and you may want/need to do a [[clean boot]] to make sure no extra programs are being started up for your at boot time which will load your machine down.

= Basic Requirements =

== Hardware ==
These are the recommended specifications; you may be able to use some features with lesser hardware, though perhaps not all at the same time.

* A PC or Mac, or laptop, with at least a 2GHz CPU
* 4GB RAM (For < 15,000 songs, else 6-8GB)
* at least 10GB Free disk space (or room enough for your future music library)

== Software ==
* For Mac users: Mac OS X 10.4 or newer (including 10.10, yes)
** kJams 2 requires 10.7 or newer
* For PC users: Windows XP or newer
* QuickTime 7.1 or on either platform (you'll need to install it on Windows, obviously)

== Other ==
* An internet connection (at least temporarily) to the computer on which you plan to purchase and activate a kJams license

= Extended Requirements =
* To rip and/or burn, you'll need a [[Compatible_Drives|compatible drive]]. Not all drives are compatible! One of the reasons I provide a Tryout version is so you can see if your drive is compatible. More on this in the next section.
* To burn more than 3 songs you must already have purchased kJams Lite, Pro, or 2. (You can, and you SHOULD) test burning with a 2 song playlist using the free Tryout. That's why there's a free tryout.
* For the '''Producer''' plugin, a Macintosh, otherwise requirements as for '''Burning'''
* Don't add more than about 112k songs to kJams, it is only a 32bit program and the memory management scheme will make it run very slowly if you add more than that
* 2 core (or more) Intel CPU at 2GHz. It [[PowerPC|will work on a PowerPC]] computer, for a short while, but Apple is dropping support *very soon*

Edit

2014-12-03T08:06:08Z

Baylink: Extend the caveat; CHECKME

==Copy and Paste==
'''When the Source list is focused''' 
You can copy the column layout from a playlist, and paste it into another playlist.

'''When the Tracks list is focused''' 
You can copy all the visible meta data from a playlist, and paste it into Excel. From there you can [[Printing|print a Song Book]] if you like. Or you can edit the data in your spreadsheet, then select the same block and copy, then go back to kJams and paste, and kJams will update all the meta data that you changed. Note that you MUST have the EXACT same selection, in the EXACT same order, with the EXACT same columns showing, also in the EXACT same order. If you don't, you could destroy your data.

(Note that this almost certainly means that you need to select *just the data* in the spreadsheet when you're ready to copy it back, rather than clicking the corner box to select the whole sheet CHECKME)

Here is a [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4J5CuYPIdtM Tutorial Video]

Documentation

2014-12-03T05:32:36Z

Baylink: Patch in Sys Req, replace Installation with new Downloading from Temp

<div class="tright" style="text-align: right;">
{|cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"
|<iimg>https://www.facebook.com/karaoke.kjams!https://badge.facebook.com/badge/118990761462782.1682.949328135.png</iimg>
|-
|<iimg>http://internetdefenseleague.org!https://karaoke.kjams.com/resources/idl.png</iimg>
|-
|<iimg>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warrant_canary!https://karaoke.kjams.com/resources/fbi.png</iimg>
|-
|<iimg>http://www.twitter.com/kjams_karaoke/!https://karaoke.kjams.com/resources/twitter-logo.png</iimg>
|-
|<iimg>http://www.adfreeblog.org/!https://karaoke.kjams.com/resources/adfreesite_button.jpg</iimg>
|-
|<iimg>https://karaoke.kjams.com/wiki/Code!https://karaoke.kjams.com/resources/open_source.png</iimg>
|-
|<iimg>http://www.bestcovery.com/kjams-light-for-mac?whybest=4&best=76365!https://karaoke.kjams.com/resources/best_pick.png</iimg>
|-
|<iimg>http://kjams-lite.findmysoft.com/!https://karaoke.kjams.com/resources/findmysoft.png</iimg>
|-
|<iimg>http://jbum.com/cdg_revealed.html!https://karaoke.kjams.com/resources/cdg_logo.png</iimg>
|-
|<iimg>https://karaoke.kjams.com/wiki/KJ_Pro!https://karaoke.kjams.com/resources/kjpro.png</iimg>
|-
|<iimg>https://karaoke.kjams.com/wiki/freedb!https://karaoke.kjams.com/resources/freedb_logo.jpg</iimg>
|-
|<iimg>https://karaoke.kjams.com/wiki/CDPedia!https://karaoke.kjams.com/resources/cdpedia.gif</iimg>
|-
|<iimg>https://karaoke.kjams.com/wiki/Lamehttps://karaoke.kjams.com/resources/lame.gif</iimg>
|-
|<iimg>http://id3lib.sourceforge.net/!https://karaoke.kjams.com/resources/id3_logo.jpg</iimg>
|-
|<iimg>http://www.xiph.org/quicktime/!https://karaoke.kjams.com/resources/vorbis.png</iimg>
|-
|<iimg>http://www.surina.net/soundtouch/!https://karaoke.kjams.com/resources/soundtouch.jpg</iimg>
|-
|<iimg>http://www.zlib.net/!https://karaoke.kjams.com/resources/zlib_icon.png</iimg>
|-
|<iimg>http://www.esellerate.net/!https://karaoke.kjams.com/resources/eSellerate-icon.png</iimg>
|-
|<iimg>http://ffmpeg.mplayerhq.hu/!https://karaoke.kjams.com/resources/ffmpeg.png</iimg>
|-
|<iimg>http://zombo.com/!https://karaoke.kjams.com/resources/zombo.jpg</iimg>
|}
</div>
# [[Welcome]]
## [[System Requirements]]
## [[Downloading]] & Installation
## [[Getting Started]]
## [{{SERVER}}/purchase/ Purchasing] kJams or the Plugins
## Are you a KJ? Post your [[Shows]] online! Looking for a local venue to see kJams in action? [[Shows|View the map]]!
## Video [[Tutorials]]
# [[KJams_Lite_Karaoke_Software|kJams Lite]]
## Connecting a [[Microphone]]
## [[Preferences]]
## Getting songs into kJams
### [[Music Store|Music Stores]]
#### https://karaoke.kjams.com/resources/music_store_icons/kc.png [[Music_Store/KaraokeCloud|KaraokeCloud]] KJ streaming even when not online!
#### https://karaoke.kjams.com/resources/music_store_icons/tricera.png [[Music_Store/TriceraSoft|TriceraSoft]], including online streaming for KJs!
#### https://karaoke.kjams.com/resources/music_store_icons/vj.png [[Music_Store/Karaoke_Locker|Karaoke Locker]] for home use only
### Adding existing song files…
#### [[Add To Library…]] will add existing QuickTime, Windows Media, optionally zipped Audio+G, bin/cue, CAVS (MCG, NCG), MTU (KMA), Acesonic "CDG", and [[MediaStream]] (LRC, KTP, UltraStar) files
#### [[Reinterpret]] your song names from [Name:“Sc1234-04 - U2 - Desire”, Artist:“”, Album: “”] to [Name:“Desire”, Artist:“U2”, Album: “Sc1234”]
### Ripping from shiny media
#### [[Ripping]] from a CD+G, CD+GM, or Audio disc
#### [[Ripping Other Formats]] SuperCDG, NEO+G, DVD, LaserDisc, VCD
## [[Meta Info]] and File Tagging (name, artist, album, duration, etc) for [[Sorting]]
### [[GraceNote]] Access
### [[freedb]] Access (includes MusicBrainz and TrackType)
### [[KJ Pro]] Access
### [[CDPedia]] Database (including spreadsheet import)
### [[CAVS]] Meta data
### [[Edit#Copy_and_Paste|Copy and Paste]] to use a spreadsheet to quickly edit large volumes of meta data
### [[Reinterpret]] your song names
## [[Play Lists]]
## [[Target Mode]]
## [[Playing]] Songs
### [[Pitch and Tempo]] Shifting
### [[Vocal Reduction]]
### [[Slipping]] the Graphics
### Setting the [[Volume]]
### Playing with a [[Background Video]]
### [[Repeat]] Settings
### [[Auto-Cue]] to Skip Silence at Start of Song
### [[Trimming]] the start and end time
### [[Equalizer]] or audio enhancement
### [[Graphics Channels]]
### [[Launch Files]] and MIDI, KAR files
## The [[Messenger]] to show scrolling text messages
## [[Searching]]
## [[Remote Control]]
## [[Converting]] Audio+G songs to a different format
## [[Export Lite|Exporting]] PlayLists, Orignal Files or iPod Video
## [[Removing]] or Deleting Songs or Playlists
## The [[Video]] Window
## [[Printing]] CD Covers
## [[Burning/DVD|Burning DVDs]]
## [[Transferring]] kJams to another computer
# [[KJams_Pro_Karaoke_Software|kJams Pro]]
## [[Venues]]
## [[Singers]]
## [[Rotation]]
## [[Switchable Songs]] for Singers
## [[Export Pro|Exporting]] QuickTime
## The [[Artwork]] Panel and 2nd Video Window
## [[Scripting]]
## [[Server]] for Web Browser based Singer Login
## [[iJams]] or [[wtkJams]]: Song Book Searching / Singer Login / Queue management, on any iOS device (iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad)
## [[ShowScreens]] to show custom text and graphic messages
## [[Printing]] Song Books
# [[kJams 2]]
## [[Python]]
## [[Launch Files]] can run Python scripts
## [[Python/Crossfade|iTunes Crossfade]] (via Python)!
## [[Songless Singers]]
## Coming soon: [[kJams 2|The rest of the features]]
# Plugins
## [[Lame]] MP3 audio encoder (free!)
## [[Burning|kJams Disc Burner]] lets you burn custom mix CD+G discs
## [[Producer|kJams Producer]] lets you create new CD+G from scratch, or edit existing songs
#Third Party
##[http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=320214776&mt=8&s=143441 iSing Karaoke Locator] for iPhone and iPod Touch
##[http://www.shapeservices.com/en/products/details.php?product=idisplay iDisplay] lets you show your Video window on your iPad, wirelessly
##[[KaraokeAnywhere|Karaoke Anywhere]] lets you play karaoke on your iOS or Android device
# kJams Menus
## [[File]]
## [[Edit]]
## [[Controls]]
## [[Advanced]]
## [[Video]]
## [[Window]]
## [[Help]]
# Tasks & Tips
## [[Troubleshooting]]
## [[Consolidating]] your Library
## [[Moving]] your Library to another Volume
## [[Preset Playlists]] (Not "Smart")
## [[Tips|Did you know]]?
# [{{SERVER}}/contact/ Contact & Office Hours]
# [[Glossary|Index & Glossary]]
# [[Code|Free Code]]

Downloading Temp

2014-12-03T05:31:17Z

Baylink: Baylink moved page Downloading Temp to Downloading: UNtempify page after expansion and cleanup

#REDIRECT [[Downloading]]

Installing

2014-12-03T05:31:17Z

Baylink: Baylink moved page Downloading Temp to Downloading: UNtempify page after expansion and cleanup

Downloading kJams is simple. All versions of kJams and its plugins and accessories can be downloaded [https://karaoke.kjams.com/product_downloads/ here].

By the way, the download is the same for the trial version and the registered version. Why? Because you have to download the trial version first in order to purchase. This keeps it very simple in that once you install kJams, there’s nothing more to do to get the registered version. You already have it!

== For Mac Users ==
It's drag and drop! [Now, with even more drag-and-droppiness!] Don't you think all applications should install that way?
# Click the link of the version you want to download.
# The distribution DMG file should download into your Downloads folder
# Double click the DMG file, and it should open a window on your desktop, with the kJams icon on the left, and a shortcut on the right which points to your own Applications folder on your Mac
# In keeping with the big red arrow, click on the kJams icon, and drag it over the Applications shortcut icon, then let go. kJams will be installed. You can then...
# Drag it from your Applications folder to your dock. Now you can launch it from your dock with a single click.

== For Windows Users ==
# Click the link of the version you want to download.
# Respond Save to your browser's query "Do You Want to Open or Save this File?" (if it asks, or do whatever else is necessary on your OS and browser to get the file downloaded)
# Once the file has been saved, double-click on it to install kJams and follow the instructions.
# The kJams icon automatically appears on your desktop and in your Start Menu.

== Installing an encoder for ripping CDGs ==
In order to rip karaoke tracks from your CD+G or other commercial discs to your hard drive, the audio needs to be converted from the raw CD-audio format into a computer-file format. (This is known as “format shifting” or “encoding.”) This requires a specialized software library called an encoder. QuickTime (which you should already have on your Macintosh computer, but will have to install on a PC) includes several built-in encoders that are quite excellent, so you don’t need to download an encoder unless you want a file format that QuickTime does not support.

If you are okay with AAC, AIFF, WAV, or AppleLossless encoding, then all you need is QuickTime.

However:
* If you want encode to MP3, then download LAME.
** Translation for non-techie types: if you want to copy songs from a CD and have them end up as MP3+G files, you will need LAME installed on your computer.
* If you want to encode to Ogg Vorbis, then also install XiphQT.

* Some formats require a QuickTime decoder:
** ffmpeg for MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 playback (free) Note: for MPEG2 you still need ANOTHER MPEG2 plug-in, below.
** MPEG2 for Lion (OS X 10.7 or higher)
** MPEG2 For Pre-Lion (Earlier than OS X 10.7) $20 required for MPEG2 playback, sorry
** Perian for AVI, DivX, FLV, MKV, GVI, VP6, and VFW
** Flip4Mac for KMA and WMA playback
** DivX
** AC3

If you want to install any of those codecs, it's likely you're technically inclined enough to know how to do it on your own, and we don't have to tell you. :-)

Don’t forget--Your drive may not be able to read CD+G disks.

== Other downloads ==
If you are a Mac user, and want to be able to create new karaoke songs by syncing lyrics, download the Producer plug-in. *If you would like to download sample songs, click here: [http://karaoke.kjams.com/downloads/samples.zip Sample Files]. (This download includes "Twist and Shout" and a test file from TriceraSoft.) Once the songs are downloaded, the songs are ready to be added to the kJams library (pick "Move").

= Uninstalling =
If you really want to utterly remove everything related to kJams from your system:
* Mac: just search for "kJams", and get rid of everything that is in the Applications or Preferences folders
* Win: Go to "Add / Remove Programs", click "kJams" then click "Uninstall"

Don’t delete the kJams folder that is under your "Music" folder, or you will end up deleting all of your music!

Installing

2014-12-03T05:29:02Z

Baylink: Refactor and cleanup - FIXME: it's still unclear where that folder is in the last section

System Requirements

2014-12-03T05:10:41Z

Baylink: Merge from temp, clean up

= Basic Requirements =

== Hardware ==
These are the recommended specifications; you may be able to use some features with lesser hardware, though perhaps not all at the same time.

* A PC or Mac, or laptop, with at least a 2GHz CPU
* 4GB RAM (For 15,000+ songs, prefer 6-8GB)
* 10GB Free disk space, in addition to room for your library

== Software ==
* For Mac users: Mac OS X 10.4 or newer (including 10.10, yes)
** kJams 2 requires 10.7 or newer
* For PC users: Windows 7 or newer
* QuickTime 7.1 or on either platform (you'll need to install it on Windows, obviously)

== Other ==
* An internet connection (at least temporarily) to the computer on which you plan to purchase and activate a kJams license

= Extended Requirements =
* To rip and/or burn, you'll need a [[Compatible_Drives|compatible drive]]. Not all drives are compatible! One of the reasons I provide a Tryout version is so you can see if your drive is compatible. More on this in the next section.
* To burn more than 3 songs you must already have purchased kJams Lite, Pro, or 2. (You can, and you SHOULD) test burning with a 2 song playlist using the free Tryout. That's why there's a free tryout.
* For the '''Producer''' plugin, a Macintosh, otherwise requirements as for '''Burning'''
* Don't add more than about 112k songs to kJams, it is only a 32bit program and the memory management scheme will make it run very slowly if you add more than that
* 2 core (or more) Intel CPU at 2GHz. It [[PowerPC|will work on a PowerPC]] computer, for a short while, but Apple is dropping support *very soon*

Documentation

2014-11-30T21:35:26Z

Baylink: Re-enabled the link to the Welcome page, now canonized

<div class="tright" style="text-align: right;">
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</div>
# [[Welcome]]
## [[Installation]]
## [[Getting Started]]
## [{{SERVER}}/purchase/ Purchasing] kJams or the Plugins
## Are you a KJ? Post your [[Shows]] online! Looking for a local venue to see kJams in action? [[Shows|View the map]]!
## Video [[Tutorials]]
# [[KJams_Lite_Karaoke_Software|kJams Lite]]
## Connecting a [[Microphone]]
## [[Preferences]]
## Getting songs into kJams
### [[Music Store|Music Stores]]
#### https://karaoke.kjams.com/resources/music_store_icons/kc.png [[Music_Store/KaraokeCloud|KaraokeCloud]] KJ streaming even when not online!
#### https://karaoke.kjams.com/resources/music_store_icons/tricera.png [[Music_Store/TriceraSoft|TriceraSoft]], including online streaming for KJs!
#### https://karaoke.kjams.com/resources/music_store_icons/vj.png [[Music_Store/Karaoke_Locker|Karaoke Locker]] for home use only
### Adding existing song files…
#### [[Add To Library…]] will add existing QuickTime, Windows Media, optionally zipped Audio+G, bin/cue, CAVS (MCG, NCG), MTU (KMA), Acesonic "CDG", and [[MediaStream]] (LRC, KTP, UltraStar) files
#### [[Reinterpret]] your song names from [Name:“Sc1234-04 - U2 - Desire”, Artist:“”, Album: “”] to [Name:“Desire”, Artist:“U2”, Album: “Sc1234”]
### Ripping from shiny media
#### [[Ripping]] from a CD+G, CD+GM, or Audio disc
#### [[Ripping Other Formats]] SuperCDG, NEO+G, DVD, LaserDisc, VCD
## [[Meta Info]] and File Tagging (name, artist, album, duration, etc) for [[Sorting]]
### [[GraceNote]] Access
### [[freedb]] Access (includes MusicBrainz and TrackType)
### [[KJ Pro]] Access
### [[CDPedia]] Database (including spreadsheet import)
### [[CAVS]] Meta data
### [[Edit#Copy_and_Paste|Copy and Paste]] to use a spreadsheet to quickly edit large volumes of meta data
### [[Reinterpret]] your song names
## [[Play Lists]]
## [[Target Mode]]
## [[Playing]] Songs
### [[Pitch and Tempo]] Shifting
### [[Vocal Reduction]]
### [[Slipping]] the Graphics
### Setting the [[Volume]]
### Playing with a [[Background Video]]
### [[Repeat]] Settings
### [[Auto-Cue]] to Skip Silence at Start of Song
### [[Trimming]] the start and end time
### [[Equalizer]] or audio enhancement
### [[Graphics Channels]]
### [[Launch Files]] and MIDI, KAR files
## The [[Messenger]] to show scrolling text messages
## [[Searching]]
## [[Remote Control]]
## [[Converting]] Audio+G songs to a different format
## [[Export Lite|Exporting]] PlayLists, Orignal Files or iPod Video
## [[Removing]] or Deleting Songs or Playlists
## The [[Video]] Window
## [[Printing]] CD Covers
## [[Burning/DVD|Burning DVDs]]
## [[Transferring]] kJams to another computer
# [[KJams_Pro_Karaoke_Software|kJams Pro]]
## [[Venues]]
## [[Singers]]
## [[Rotation]]
## [[Switchable Songs]] for Singers
## [[Export Pro|Exporting]] QuickTime
## The [[Artwork]] Panel and 2nd Video Window
## [[Scripting]]
## [[Server]] for Web Browser based Singer Login
## [[iJams]] or [[wtkJams]]: Song Book Searching / Singer Login / Queue management, on any iOS device (iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad)
## [[ShowScreens]] to show custom text and graphic messages
## [[Printing]] Song Books
# [[kJams 2]]
## [[Python]]
## [[Launch Files]] can run Python scripts
## [[Python/Crossfade|iTunes Crossfade]] (via Python)!
## [[Songless Singers]]
## Coming soon: [[kJams 2|The rest of the features]]
# Plugins
## [[Lame]] MP3 audio encoder (free!)
## [[Burning|kJams Disc Burner]] lets you burn custom mix CD+G discs
## [[Producer|kJams Producer]] lets you create new CD+G from scratch, or edit existing songs
#Third Party
##[http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=320214776&mt=8&s=143441 iSing Karaoke Locator] for iPhone and iPod Touch
##[http://www.shapeservices.com/en/products/details.php?product=idisplay iDisplay] lets you show your Video window on your iPad, wirelessly
##[[KaraokeAnywhere|Karaoke Anywhere]] lets you play karaoke on your iOS or Android device
# kJams Menus
## [[File]]
## [[Edit]]
## [[Controls]]
## [[Advanced]]
## [[Video]]
## [[Window]]
## [[Help]]
# Tasks & Tips
## [[Troubleshooting]]
## [[Consolidating]] your Library
## [[Moving]] your Library to another Volume
## [[Preset Playlists]] (Not "Smart")
## [[Tips|Did you know]]?
# [{{SERVER}}/contact/ Contact & Office Hours]
# [[Glossary|Index & Glossary]]
# [[Code|Free Code]]

Rotation

2014-11-30T21:32:19Z

Baylink: /* "KJ Rotation" Playlist */ - fix punctuation

The "Rotation" is the list of singers who will sing tonight. It is primarily intended for professional show hosts, though people running karaoke for private house parties and the like may find it useful as well.

[http://karaoke.kjams.com/screenshots/rotation.mp4 A Tutorial Video]

The most common approach to rotation in professional shows seems to be what's called 'Straight Rotation'; each singer is added to the end of a list when they arrive, and the singers are called up in list order until the list has run out, and then the host starts over at the top. This is the sort of rotation which kJams directly supports, though there are others; the most common alternative is that each rotation is constructed '''from the request slips''' in the order that they're handed in; each singer brings a new one up with them when they sing. This can have effects on which
order singers sing in due to where new singers are placed in the rotation, and to whether a singer actually brings a slip up with them -- they will slide down later in the rotation if they forget.

In the 'straight rotation' system which kJams supports, if there are two singers, A and B, and A requests four songs and B requests two, and A is first, the list will go:

'''A-B-A-B-A-A'''

The host has control over the contents and order of each singer's "Tonight" list. The singers can control it as well, using the [[wtkJams]] app for iDevices, or the built-in webserver from an Android phone/tablet, or a laptop. They simply search the library for songs, add them to their list, and order it to suit.

The KJ has control over the order of the singers via the "KJ Rotation" list.

=="KJ Rotation" Playlist==
The "KJ Rotation" lists each singer who has declared themselves "here" for the evening, in the order in which they were added -- or the order the KJ has placed them in. Each singer appears once. This list always shows the entire rotation, starting with first, and listing up until last. A singer will stay in the rotation even if they don't have a song currently in their "Tonight" queue. That way, they won't lose their place if they forgot to add another song by the time they sing. (You can set a ''pref'' to kick them out if they do this, forcing them to re-enter at the bottom of the rotation when they add another song, but that will likely make them sing *sooner* than they otherwise would have, so be aware). Note that the KJ Rotation will NOT warn the host that a singer has no more unsung songs in their Tonight queue.

The current singer in the rotation is marked with a Person/Speaker icon in the KJ Rotation, so you can see where you are. If you don't touch anything, you'll see the highlight change (naa-speaker). The list only changes when singers are added or removed, or when the KJ changes the order manually. If a singer goes home or is no longer singing, the KJ can simply "delete" them from this list, it does not actually delete the singer from the system or venue, it merely un-checks their "Here" check box in the Singer list, so any songs in their "Tonight" list remain there for the next time they show up at the venue. Note: If the singer had been "sent home" (ie: no longer "Here") but then on the same night they return (say from a long cellphone call out on the porch) and you mark them "Here" again, they have lost their position, and kJams will place them at the end of the list. You are free, of course, to re-position them as you see fit.

=="Rotation" Playlist==
The "Rotation" list is different than the above; this will be the one you want to show the audience. The current singer is always at the top, and the list scrolls up when that singer is finished. It also "wraps around" when it gets to the end: singers may appear more than once (if they have more than one song in their "Tonight" queue). Once a singer is out of songs, they will no longer appear in the "Rotation" list, even tho their place is reserved in case they do add another song.

This list is maintained automatically for you, so you really don't have much control in this view, since it depends on the contents of other lists. To change what you see in this list, you manipulate the Singers list (to change which singers are "Here"), the individual singer's "Tonight" list (to change the order in which a singer's songs appear) or the "KJ Rotation" list, to change the Rotation order. Note that to change or replace the CURRENT singer you must first STOP the current song (using either the ESC key or ⌘-. [command-period]) When you do, kJams will fade out the audio and video from the current song over a few seconds, to make for a smoother looking show.

==Manual Rotation (kJams 2 only)==
Manual rotation gives you total control over the Rotation playlist. You'll find [[Rotation/Manual|more info here]].

==Tips & Tricks==
Tip for KJs using Pro in a real-world setting for the first time: {contributed after my first weekend hosting with kJams. -randyj }

If you're in PANIC MODE because the wrong song is playing for the singer, it's due to "user error". (You're learning the hard way.) So you go find the right song but you can't get it to play! Grrr! Take a deep breath. Just remember this: To get a song to play quick-n-dirty, press ESC to stop the rotation, click ONCE on the song, press the space bar. Done! This will work even if you're in "[[Target Mode]]".

You probably go into that situation because you had a singer in [[Target Mode]]. To turn it off, double-click the singer or playlist name with the red target on it's icon.

To take advantage of Pro features: first add a song to the correct singer, then double-click the '''Singer''' in the '''KJ Rotation''' list. Check out the shortcuts here: [[Singers]]

Another tip for "what do i do if the next singer stepped out for a minute"? Say your Rotation looks like this: Singers A, B, C, D. Say you have Singer A, just finishing, and now Singer B is up, but they've stepped outside for a smoke or something. That means you want to get Singer C going while B is busy. Okay, in that case, just press right arrow to get singer C to start singing. The next time thru the rotation, the singer B's song will still be there, it does NOT move to their History until they actually sing (60% of) it. If you want B to now come right AFTER C, then, while C is singing, go to the "KJ Rotation" and drag B and drop them ON TOP of D. When you let go, they will be inserted *before* D, so your new rotation looks like: A, C, B, D. When C is done, B is up!

If this is a common issue in your show hosting, you may want to log into the kJams Bugzilla site, and vote for [https://karaoke.kjams.com/bugs/show_bug.cgi?id=3|Bug 3].

=="Who's Up Next" ShowScreen==
The ShowScreen that comes up between songs can be turned off with the "prefs->advanced->Show Rotation at End of Song" pref. For some, it comes up too late and stays too long, cutting into the next song. You can help this a lot by making sure "prefs->general->Skip Silence at Start of Song" is turned OFF. If you still need more time, you can adjust when it comes up and how long it stays up. Edit your [[Secret_Prefs|secret preferences]] file and find these:

<key>Show Rotation when less than time remaining (seconds)</key>
<real>3</real>

<key>Show Rotation Duration (seconds)</key>
<real>10</real>

Change the first one (the "3") to say "4", then it will come up 4 seconds before the end of the previous song, rather than 3. Then, change the second one (the "10") to say "8", then it will stay up for 8 seconds, giving you a total of 3 more seconds at the start of the next song.

If you prefer to see only singer names, rather than both the singer name and the song they want to sing, go to preferences->advanced, and where you can enter the "Rotation ShowScreen" text, put this in: "Rotation (only singer names)". If you'd like to try an alternative screen with some nice graphics, enter "Lava Lounge Rotation".

==Changing the Background Picture of the "Custom Picture" ShowsSreen==
[[ShowScreens#Changing_the_background_picture_of_the_.22Custom_Picture.22_ShowsSreen|See this section]].

==Changing the Background Picture of the Rotation ShowScreen==
If you just want to get rid of the "kJams Logo" in the rotation showscreen, do this:
# run kjams
# help->reveal preferences
# quit
# in the prefs folder that is revealed, go into the "Producer Templates" folder
# in there, find the "Pix" folder
# in there, delete the file "rotation_background.png"
# run kJams
--> now the Rotation will no longer have the kJams Logo

If you want to replace the background with your own:
# Find the picture "rotation_background.png", as above
# edit the picture to your liking
# save it back in place
--> now your picture shows up!

If you want a different picture PER VENUE:
# Find the "Pix" folder as above
# copy it into each venue folder (in /Users/<you>/Music/kJams/kJams Library/Venues/<each venue>) that you want a special picture for
# edit the picture that is now inside that venue folder
--> each venue has it's own pic!

==Meta Tags==
You can use meta tags in a Rotation showscreen definition to show meta data for each song and singer. [[Xattr|Here is a list]] of supported tags. To use them, place them inside of square brackets. For example, to show the current singer, you type [SNGR], and to show the current singer's song, you type [name]. To see an example of this, simply edit the Rotation showscreen.

There are *special* tags you can use as well. Some only work in a Rotation showscreen, some only in "showscreen message", and others in any showscreen
[+sgr] - increments the "current" singer to the next one, so the next set of tags will come from the next singer and the song associated with them
[msg ] - show whatever message is currently "saved" as the "showscreen message"
[venu] - the current venue name
[eCrT] - how long until, and the exact time of, the "end of the current rotation"
[eArT] - how long until, and the exact time of, the "end of all rotations"

User:Baylink

2014-11-30T21:24:11Z

Baylink:

Jay Ashworth is a 20 year singer and sometime host in and around Tampa Bay, Florida. He's also a wiki specialist (having written and edited documentation for MythTV, K9-mail and a number of other opensource projects) and a software designer/kibitzer type, and hopes to contribute to the project in both those ways.

User:Baylink

2014-11-30T21:23:07Z

Baylink: First cut.

Jay Ashworth is a 20 year singer and sometime host in and around Tampa Bay, Florida. He's also wiki specialist and a software designer/kibitzer type, and hopes to contribute to the project in both those ways.

Moving

2014-11-30T21:17:15Z

Baylink: Add a lede; otherwise minor tuneups and expansions and some reformatting

This article is about moving your library of ripped or downloaded music files from your startup drive to a different drive, usually an external drive.

If you're trying to move your entire kJams installation, including your license, to another computer, see the article on [[Transferring]].

==Preliminary==
These instructions, as noted above, are for moving your music files from your 'startup' drive (usually an internal drive) to a different drive, which I will call "external" since it is usually an external drive, tho it may be a second internal drive (for example, in an adapter bay replacing an optical drive). So, if you're moving from an external to a new external, just clone the external drive and that's it.

Also keep in mind that the below only applies to music files inside your "kJams Music" folder. This includes:
* songs you have ripped from your CD collection
* songs you purchased through the built-in stores
* songs that you manually added to your library using the "Copy" option.

It does not work for files you added to your library using the "Reference" option. In other words, if you have imported pre-existing MP3+G files using "Reference", this procedure will not help you. In that case, use the "[[Moving#The_Symbolic_Link_Trick|The Symbolic Link Trick]]" below

= How to do it =

==Just The Music==
* '''Advantage:''' All your actual music files are on an external volume, saving space on your internal drive. You can run kJams even if the volume is offline, creating playlists, setting pitches, creating / editing singers, edit meta info, or any other editing or management.
* '''Disadvantage:''' You can't rip, play or burn, and your settings (songs & meta info, playists, singers etc) won't transfer automatically if you plug the external drive into another machine; that information remains on your internal/startup drive.

# In the location where you want to put your music (which may be on an external drive, or network folder), create a folder called "kJams"
# Now go to ~/Music/kJams/ (on your internal drive), inside that you'll find "kJams Music" folder
# Drag that folder to the newly created "kJams" folder from step 1. If this is on an external volume, it will be copied, so be sure to delete the original "kJams Music" folder after you make the copy.
# Run kJams. Once the application is running, go to preferences->advanced, and click the "Change..." button to set the library location to the new place (pick "kJams Music" from the kJams folder created in step 1).

==Music Plus All Library Settings==
* '''Advantage:''' You can take your drive to a different machine and plug it in, and the installed copy of kJams on THAT machine will now be up to date with all your playlists, singers, venues, rotation, songs and related meta info. (This approach is probably better for professional hosts who have a backup computer for running shows.)
* '''Disadvantage:''' You can not run kJams at all with the external drive disconnected.

# Run kJams at least once, then quit
# In the Finder, go to [[~|<User Folder>/]]Music/kJams/
# Drag that entire folder (the one called "kJams") to your external volume. Delete the original afterwards.
# On the external volume, select the newly copied "kJams" folder and make an alias.
# Drag (copy, not move) that alias into your [[~|<User Folder>/]]Music/ folder, make sure you rename the alias so it just says "kJams", not "kJams alias"
# Now, on all the machines you plan to use this library with, plug in the drive, then do steps 4 and 5
# you can now delete the alias from the other volume, you don't need it any more

Here is a [http://karaoke.kjams.com/screenshots/Consolidate_on_External.m4v Tutorial Video] for [[Rebuild|Rebuilding]] while Moving to the external drive

==Preferences==
If you want to keep your preferences also on the external drive (which includes your serial number license file), do this:

# if your external drive does NOT have a kJams folder already on it (ie: you did NOT do the above procedure, then create a "kJams" folder now on the external drive and leave it open
# run kjams
# click "help->reveal preferences"
# quit kJams
# in the Preferences folder that was revealed, you will see the name of that revealed folder is called "kJams"
# drag that "kJams" preferences folder INSIDE the "kJams" folder on your external drive
# delete the "kJams" folder from the Preferences folder you just drug it from
# The Preferences folder should now NOT have a "kJams" folder in it, and the external drive should now have the folder "kJams" with another folder called "kJams" inside it. I know that's a little weird, we'll fix that in a second
# select the "kJams" folder that is inside the "kJams" folder on the external drive
# create an alias / shortcut of that folder
# drag that alias / shortcut back to the "Preferences" folder
# in the preferences folder, rename the alias so that it does NOT have the word "alias" or "shortcut" at the end. BE VERY CAREFUL that you remove the extra space at the end. eg: when you start it will be "kJams_alias", note i made the space look like an underbar to make it clear. you must NOT rename it to "kJams_", that will not work. Be sure to get rid of the space too!
# delete the alias shortcut from the kJams folder

all set! when you run, kJams will now use the preferences on the external drive. If when you run it seems your preferences have been reset to default, and kJams is in tryout mode, then you probably named the alias wrong, so check that again.

==Cloning a setup==
'''WARNING:''' this process does not work cross-platform. Must pick one platform (mac or windows)

*'''Advantage:''' You maintain a fully working ready-to-run backup of your entire setup
*'''Disadvantage:''' You must manually maintain sync between the two systems.

To see the instructions see [[Cloning]].

=Serving Music Remotely=
You can serve your music from one computer to another. Using either of the above methods, you can mount your music volume from your network before you launch kJams. If you store your music on a FAT32 or DOS volume (which is reasonable if you share your karaoke library with a Windows computer), you will need to share your music with [http://www.hornware.com/sharepoints/ SharePoints] using SMB, and mount the volume using smb:// in the connect dialog in the finder.

=The Symbolic Link Trick=
This now works on both Mac and Windows! Use this trick if you need to tell kJams where you have moved your files. You basically create a link from where they were (where kJams thinks they are) to where they actually are now (where you want kJams to find them).

# Quit kJams
# if you haven't moved them yet:
## drag and drop the folder from the source location to the destination location
## delete the folder from the source location (if you wish to keep the original folder/files, e.g. if you are transferring from an external to an internal, and want to keep the external for a backup, move all source files/folders to another location, such as hiding them in another folder)
## on Mac: empty the trash. <-- critical step! if you don't do this, you'll be in for another headache
# select the folder where the files are at the destination (new) location
# go to the File menu and pick: on Mac: "Make Alias"; on Windows: "Create Shortcut"
# drag it to the source (original) location
# rename it to remove the " alias" or " - Shortcut", so that is has the EXACT same name as before. That way it *seems* that the files appear to be in the source location, at the same path. Be CAREFUL to remove the trailing SPACE!!! <-- critical step
# if the alias / shortcut is still there next to the dest location folder, you can delete it
# run kJams, open your "Activity" window, wait for any tasks to finish
# do a Forced Save (Mac: ⌘⇧⌥-S, Windows: Ctrl+Shift+Alt+S) -- this will update all the paths in the DB to the new location
# you may now delete the new alias / shortcut

Add To Library…

2014-11-30T20:55:56Z

Baylink: Clean up and expand lede

In addition to letting you rip the CD+G discs you own, kJams will also let you 'import' a library of discs you've already ripped, possibly for a software package which you are replaing with kJams. That process is called "Add To Library..."

Ripping will copy files from a CD onto your hard drive then automatically add them to your library. You only use "Add to Library" when you ''already'' have files copied to your hard drive, but kJams does not already know where they are.

You can NOT move your songs once kJams imports them (unless you [[Consolidating|know what you are doing]]). You can add song files from an [[Moving|external volume]], but that volume must be online for kJams to be able to play them.

(Note for technical people: Keep in mind you can not manually place song files into the "kJams Music" folder before you "Add to Library…" them; you do not 'own' that folder, kJams does. In fact don't mess with that folder at all (You really should [[KJams_Music_Folder|understand exactly about this]]).)

'''DO NOT''' go into preferences and change the "kJams Music" folder to point to your folder of already ripped songs. If you do you will cause the world to explode, since that is not what it's for.

After you add any songs to your library, DO NOT MOVE OR RENAME the songs or their containing folders, EVER, using the File system (Finder or Windows Explorer). It's fine to rename things within kJams, because kJams itself keeps track of where the songs are and what they are named. You will cause the universe to implode if you change things out from under the kJams database, using the file system. That means for example:

DO NOT DO THIS: "stick in a USB thumb drive with some files on it, Add it to your library, using "reference", eject the thumb drive" Guess what? the songs is gone. You can't play it any more.

DO NOT DO THIS: "Add a song to the library, using "reference" Then in the finder, rename the folder that the song resides in, or rename the hard drive that it is on, or rename the song file itself." Guess what? The universe will implode.

kJams requires write access to the disk where your music is. If you use an external drive it can NOT be formatted NTFS. If you're not sure, [[Reformat|YOU NEED TO CHECK]].

== Copy or Reference? ==
when you “reference” something, you refer to the original
when you “copy” something, you make a copy (so now you use the new one, leaving the original behind)

if you reference songs on the external drive, they stay there, being used in place, on the external drive. the external drive must be present to play the songs.
if you "copy" the songs, they get copied into your "kJams Music" folder, and they are used from there.

When you use the "Add to library..." function, kJams will ask if you want them either "copied" or "referenced". If the files are on your desktop or in the downloads folder, your answer will be ignored and the files will always be "Copied". "Referenced" is what you want if you have an external drive filled with your music files, and you want kJams to just use them "in place" (left on the external drive and used from there, the drive must be available for them to work). "Copied" is what you want if you just downloaded some music files from a web site, and they now reside in your downloads folder (they will be copied to your "kJams Music" folder).

==Acesonic==
If you have Acesonic ".cdg" files, these are in fact .bin files with interleaved CDG streams (aka "raw bin" files). Why on earth it is labeled ".cdg" is beyond me, and why they leave the CDG stream interleaved is another technical misnomer, as .CDG files "traditionally" are pre-deinterleaved. Anyway, to add them to kJams, you will first have to rename them to have the ".rbin" file name extension. [[Bulk_Name_Changer|There are tools]] for this. After you rename them, just add to library like normal. You can then convert them to whatever format you want. The only problem with this solution is that kJams can't import Acesonic metadata files. To solve this problem, [[user:11rcombs|11rcombs]] has written [http://php.net/ PHP] script to convert all the metadata from the Acesonic format a format [[CDPedia]] can import (a tab-delimited [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CSV CSV]), and complete the required batch-rename. The script can be downloaded at [http://rodgercombs.tk/files/acesonic http://rodgercombs.tk/files/acesonic], and is distributed under the [http://sam.zoy.org/wtfpl/ WTF Public License].

==KMA & WMA==
These files require the free [[Flip4Mac]] plugin

==AVI, DivX, FLV, MKV, GVI, VP6, and VFW==
These files require the free [http://perian.org/ Perian] plugin

==Bin/Cue Pairs==
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cue_sheet_(computing) What is it?] 
A pair of files with .bin and .cue extensions can be added as if it were a CD, making it easy to either rip or burn bin/cue on your mac. Simply "Add to library" the .bin file, and kJams will automatically find the .cue file next to it (it must be named '' exactly'' the same, except for the file extension). kJams will then query the freedb for meta data, and mount the BIN file just like it was a CD, then you are free to rip the songs from it. A naked .bin file does not have a corresponding .cue file to go with it, kJams assumes it contains only one song, so it is added directly to the library.

If you want to mount a particular .bin file every time kJams starts up, create a folder called '''"Mounted Disc Images"''' in the kJams folder. Put an alias / shortcut to the bin file in that folder.

==Tagged Songs==
If the songs you are importing are tagged (eg: they have ID3 data, Vorbis Comments, or QuickTime Metadata (or if you've used kJams to [[Xattr]] tag them)) then you may simply go "File->Add to Library…", navigate to the root folder, click okay, then click the "Tags" button in the next dialog (if it shows up). kJams will then import everything and you're ready to go.

However if you are importing untagged music, and you hope to glean some meta-data out of the file names directly (and optionally the enclosing folder names) then please read the next section.

==Untagged Songs==
This works for importing pre-existing Audio+G, Zipped Audio+G, QuickTime, MPEG, naked BIN files 

First, make sure you've got preferences->tags->conform song names: set to "L-T - R - S". This is important. You can change it if you know why you want to change it, but i recommend against it 'till you know what you're doing.

In the following explanation, I am going to use these conventions: 
<tt>R</tt> - artist name 
<tt>S</tt> - song name 
<tt>L</tt> - album name 
<tt>T</tt> - track number 
<tt>I</tt> - Ignore this bit of information 
<tt>/x/</tt> - stands for "folder named <x>" (without the brackets), eg: "/R/" is a folder who's name is the artist's name, or "/L/" is a folder who's name is the album name. To extend the idea, "/R - L/" is a folder who's name contains both the artist and the album, separated by a "space dash space".

Okay. As you know, pre existing songs can be named a variety of ways. eg:

LEG086-07 - U2 - Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me.zip 
SC8397-13.zip 
AH2003-03 - Pink Floyd - Time.zip 
BL21-04_-_Every_Breath_You_Take_-_Police,_The 
Adams, Bryan - Cuts Like A Knife - SC-1.zip 

Now, the problem is, it takes a human to interpret these names. Some are laid out "L-T - S - R.xxx", some are "L-T - R - S.xxx", some could be "T S.xxx. Some songs have "pretty" names in the names of the folders enclosing the song!

If you've got all your songs from one source, then they're probably all named the same way. However, if you got your songs from many sources, then you will probably want to sort them into like-minded folders before continuing. If this is the case, you should see below for info on pre-sorting, before cointinuing.

So to get started, just pick File->Add To Library and navigate to the root folder of your songs, select it and hit okay. Go have coffee if you have a lot of songs.

Now, you will spend some time "fixing" songs in batches. Select a group of songs that are similarly broken and right click "Re-interpret names" and pick the right interpretation, or make a new one (with the edit button). Watch the tasks window, after about 10 seconds kJams will attempt to update what is on the disk (renaming the files and updating the tags). Don't get too far ahead of the tasks, you may want to do a batch then let kJams finish pushing the meta out to them and then let it complete saving the database again. Then go on to the next batch.

If you get thru your whole library, and now all the meta is correct, YOU WILL NEVER GO THRU THIS PROCESS AGAIN!! That's because as you went kJams updated the actual files on the disk. If you ever need to rebuild your library from scratch, all the meta is already there, and it will all import in one fell swoop. Yeah!!

Basically this new way lets you do all your work in kJams not in the finder. No sorting necessary. But it helps to read below to understand the reasoning behind this madness.

Click Here to learn more about [[Reinterpret|Reinterpret Names]]

==Song Name Interpretation Dialog==
https://karaoke.kjams.com/screenshots/interpret.gif

The dialog shows the file name to be interpreted (labeled "File:"), plus the two enclosing folders ("Folder" and "Grandfolder"). The interpretations that are available for the file are shown in the "Interpret As:" popup. The box shows what happens when applying the interpretation to the file (and possibly it's enclosing folders). If there is no interpretation that makes the meta info as shown in the box come out correctly, you can edit what appears in the menu by pressing the Edit... button, which will launch your default text editor (likely TextEdit).

The format of the text file is just the interpretation styles, one per line. The ONLY things you should type into a style are the letters <tt>"R", "S", "L", "T", "I"</tt>, the separator <tt>" - "</tt> (that's a "space dash space"), or just a plain space <tt>" "</tt>, or a dash <tt>"-"</tt>, or parentheses: <tt>"("</tt> or <tt>")"</tt>. That's it. If you need something more, let me know. I won't try to predict what will happen if you type something else, you might crash. Anyway, add your new style, then save the file and switch back into kJams, which will update the menu, now you can select the new format you added.

I recommend against using the radio buttons, unless you know what you're doing.

Ripping

2014-11-30T20:18:42Z

Baylink: add link to Add To Library. The ellipsis character is a PITA.

kJams makes it easy for you to rip karaoke discs you already have.

What is [[Glossary#Rip.2C_Ripping|Ripping]]? 

This page is about ripping CD+G discs. There's another page about [[Ripping Other Formats]].

If you have a library on disc of files already ripped from your discs, you should go read [[Add To Library]] to find out how to make those available to kJams.

== How to Rip: Hyper Simplified Instructions ==
# first time only: [[Turn off AutoPlay]] in your OS
# run kJams
# stick in your CD+G, NEO+G, SuperCDG, or audio-only CD
# the disc will appear as a playlist in the left pane of the main kJams window, with the tracks in the right pane. If the program was able to match the disc with an online [[Glossary#Metadata|metadata]] library, then the disc title and track titles will be accurate
# make sure the tracks you want [[Meta_Info#Editing_Disc_Info|have at least rudimentary meta data]] (song name, artist name, album name), editing them by hand if necessary. See below for info on why you need to do this before you rip.
# select the tracks you want in the right pane of the window, and drag them from the CD to the Library playlist in the left pane

How simple is that?

If you want all the tracks on the disc, you can simply drag the CD icon itself (in the left pane) atop the Library playlist.

== Details ==
Take Note: [[Compatible_Drives|Some drives]] ''not'' capable of reading CD+G discs!

Do not change your "kJams Music" folder in the Advanced prefs. If you think you know what you're doing, [[KJams_Music_Folder|make sure]].

Also, to Rip to MP3, make sure you've installed the [[Lame|LAME]] encoder, and to rip with Ogg Vorbis, make sure you've installed the [[Vorbis|XiphQT]] package.

Now, you must select the format you want your songs to be converted to when you rip, in the Importing Preferences pane: 
https://karaoke.kjams.com/screenshots/prefs/importing.png

First pick the encoder you want, then under that, pick the preset you want, or create a new one. You can edit the preset by pressing the "Edit…" button. kJams ships with several presets defined for each encoder, (or just one when only one really makes sense). You can pick the encoder and preset only once if you like, and never worry about it again, until you want to rip a different format. The four buttons, "New…", "Duplicate", "Rename…", and "Delete" apply to the Preset files. Your presets are stored in the kJams preferences folder (~/Preferences/kJams/Import/).

== Caveats ==
* Meta info is stored inside MP3 (ID3v2 tags, Unicode), QuickTime.mov (QT Meta Info, Unicode) and OggVorbis (Vorbis Comments, Unicode) files. If you rip to any other format, currently, no meta info is set inside the files '''that other programs will read'''. I do set [[Xattr]] info for '''all''' files that don't otherwise easily support tagging, and third parties are welcome to read that info if they wish, but those programs must be re-coded to take advantage of my [[Xattr]] format.
* Due to a couple bugs not yet fixed, it is critically important that you set the '''correct''' meta info on the CD itself before you rip. In other words, do NOT rip first and then set meta info. [[Why_meta_before_ripping|Here is why]].
* If you must play a song from the CD in order to find out meta info (ie: to see the song and artist name in the graphics), then, after you '''do''' set the meta info on the disc, but before you rip, you '''must''' clear your cache (preferences->audio)

== Ripping vs Encoding ==
When ripping, if your machine is slow to process the data, the rip can complete before the encoding, EG: stick in a disc, select all, drag to your library. The rip will proceed at full speed, while the encoding goes along two at a time in the background. Shortly you will hear the "Boop-doop-blink!" sound, indicating the rip itself -- the reading of the data from the disc -- is finished. At this point, you can eject the CD. Depending on the speed of your machine and your compression settings, the encoding may still be going on in the background. Open the "Activity" window to see what's going on.

If you quit kJams before the encoding is finished, it's a bit risky, because the only full copy of the song is in the cache, it has not yet been encoded and stored in your library. When you next run kJams, it will notice there are songs in the cache that haven't been encoded and it will start converting them, which you can see in the "Activity" window. Although kJams is smart enough to pick up encoding songs that it didin't finish before the previous quit, it's best to let all the encode "Activity" finish before quitting.

==bin / cue ripping==
Ripping to bin/cue files is recommended for experts only. If you need a bin/cue file, you know it, and if you don't know what that is, then you don't need one.

First, please make sure you've set all the meta info, as described above. Then simply select the CD in the sources list (making sure that no songs are selected in the tracks list). Then in the File menu, you'll see the option now reads "Rip to bin/cue…". Easy! You'll get a warning asking if this is what you really mean. If you say you really mean it, then it will ask for a storage location. Please select it's '''permanent''' location, ie: you can't move the file after you rip it, or kJams will lose track of where it is. (Well, if you did move it you ''could'' just re-link every song to that same bin file, but that's a hassle).

kJams will then proceed to rip the bin/cue files and then [[Importing#Bin.2FCue_Pairs|mount the bin/cue disc image]]. You can then [[Ripping#Hyper_Simplified_Instructions|rip them]] to whatever format you want, or [[Burning#Burning_bin.2Fcue_files|burn a copy]] of it.