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The song I want to sing has no karaoke version

The most common problem for anyone singing outside the top 100 — and it is solvable, with caveats.

Why it doesn't exist

Karaoke catalogues are built on commercial demand. That predictably leaves out:

• musical theatre — cast recordings almost never get a karaoke version, the market is too small;
• hardcore, alt-metal and independent scenes;
• specific live versions, even of famous artists;
• regional music and older catalogue outside the major labels.

The options, cheapest first

1. Ask. Karaoke communities have people who make tracks on request for free. It's slow and depends on a stranger's goodwill, but it costs nothing and the results are usually good.

2. Do it yourself. Separate the vocals with UVR and time the lyrics. Costs time — about an hour per song — and no money.

3. Automate it. A system that separates and transcribes on its own. Saves time, loses accuracy on the lyrics, and you end up editing.

When to walk away

If the only recording that exists is live, with an audible crowd and heavy reverb, the instrumental will have audible artefacts and the lyric transcription will get a lot wrong. It's doable, but go in with the right expectation: you will be fixing a lot by hand.

If the lyrics are the problem

A distinction that confuses a lot of people: separating the vocals and having timed lyrics are two different jobs. The first is automatic now. The second, if you want the syllable highlighting on the beat, is still the hard part.

Frequently asked questions

What can I do if a song has no karaoke version?

Three routes: ask in a karaoke community (free and slow), do it yourself by separating the vocals with UVR and timing the lyrics (about an hour per song), or use a system that does both automatically, accepting that the lyrics will need correcting.

Can you make a karaoke track from a live version?

You can, but it is the worst case. Crowd noise and room reverb hurt both the vocal separation and the lyric transcription. The instrumental comes out with audible artefacts.

Is there karaoke for musical theatre songs?

Rarely. Cast recordings almost never have karaoke versions because the market is too small to justify one. The route there is separating the vocals from the cast album itself — and the clear diction of that kind of recording helps a lot.