Karaoke software for Mac and Windows: Kara Studio

Click ♪ Audio in the top bar (or drag and drop files into the app window). You need two things:

1. The song with vocals: you listen to it to time each word. If you use a video of someone singing (the video already contains the music and vocals) you can skip this file and just add that video in the video background step.
2. The beat (instrumental, no vocals): this is the audio people will hear in the final Karaoke.

The first audio file is the main track used for timing lyrics. To change it, right-click a clip on the timeline and choose Use as main track.

The two files are usually a few seconds apart (each starts with a different amount of silence). Kara Studio aligns them automatically by comparing their waveforms:

1. Select both clips on the timeline (hold Ctrl⌘ or Shift and click each one).
2. Right-click and choose Sync audio (or click the ⇆ Sync audio button that appears, or press Ctrl⌘+AltOption+Y).
3. Press Play and listen: the beat and the vocal version should be in step.

Every timeline track has small buttons at the start of its row:

• 🔊 Mute / unmute the track. While timing lyrics, keep the vocal version audible. When finished, mute the vocal version so the Karaoke contains only the beat.
• 👁 Show / hide a video or image track. Hide a track you do not want in the final video.
• 🔒 Lock the track: its clips can no longer be selected, dragged, cut or deleted. Lock tracks you have finished so you cannot nudge them by accident.
• The small slider sets that track’s volume.

Click ▣ Video / Image to add a background. Each clip sits on its own timeline track, so you can stack layers, remove a green screen and add transitions. If you use a video of someone singing, add it here and sync it with the beat as in step 3. Remember to mute that video before exporting if you only want the beat.

On the Create Karaoke tab, paste the lyrics into the lyrics box (the large text area at the top left), one line per sentence.

• Choose the marking mode (the drop-down next to Record): Word by word (precise) is recommended for Karaoke, so the lyrics follow each sung word. Line by line (fast) is for lyric MVs, voice-over and subtitles: each line appears once, and you tap once per line.
• Set the singer (Male / Female / Duet): every lyric line has a small dot at the start, before the first word. Click the dot to cycle the icon: Male, Female, Duet, then back to Default. Or right-click any word on that line and a list appears so you can pick Male, Female, Duet or Default directly. Following lines keep that voice until you change it. Default means a single voice with no icon.
• If you already have timed lyrics (LRC, SRT, ASS, VTT), import them with the LRC · SRT button.

2. Listen to the song and press Space once per word (right when that word starts).
3. Long note? Hold Space until the word ends, then release.
4. At the end of the lyrics Record turns off and Space goes back to play / pause.

The “Word tail” button: Smooth or Precise? This button next to Record decides when a word ends:

• Smooth (default, recommended): you only care about tapping when a word starts. The word automatically stretches to meet the next one, so there are no gaps. Best for most songs.
• Precise: a word lasts exactly from when you press to when you release Space (at least 0.1 s), so gaps between words are kept. Use it for songs with clear pauses, or for Rap and fast songs where you want to control each word’s end.

When you finish marking, click ✔ Done to lock it and avoid accidental taps. To change something, click Edit. You can still drag individual words on the timeline to adjust them.

• Drag a clip to move it, drag its edge to trim, drag the corner dot to create a fade in / fade out.
• Right-click to cut, duplicate, delete or extract audio. Split at the playhead: Ctrl⌘+B. Duplicate: Ctrl⌘+D.
• Words slightly off? Select them and nudge with AltOption+← / → (0.05 s) or AltOption+Shift+← / → (0.5 s).

A chorus or verse that repeats later (for example after an instrumental break) needs no retyping and no re-timing. Just copy and paste:

1. Press and drag to select the words / lines you want to reuse (in the lyrics track on the timeline).
2. Click ⧉ Copy (or Ctrl⌘+C).
3. Move the playhead (the vertical line) to where the passage returns, after the instrumental.
4. Click 📋 Paste (or Ctrl⌘+V). The words and their timing are pasted as they were.

Pick the font, unsung / sung colors, outline, shadow, lead-in effect, singer icons, title and countdown. Many presets are in the Style presets list at the top. The preview shows exactly what the exported video will look like, and you can drag the title, logo and lyric lines right on it. Happy with a look? Save style to reuse it on other songs.

Before exporting, double-check: mute the vocal version / singing video (the 🔊 button) so only the beat remains. Then open the Export tab (or Ctrl⌘+E), choose a format and a resolution of 720p, 1080p, 4K or original size, then export to MP4. To composite in another editor, export lyrics on a transparent background (ProRes 4444, WebM VP9, PNG sequence). You can also export lyrics as LRC or SRT, and batch export several songs (Ctrl⌘+Shift+E).