Version History

We are currently adding more new features to version 5.1 of Karaoke Builder Studio, so please check here again for news of the latest updates.


5.1.260
  • Bug fix: Error while saving after sync has been resolved.
5.1.258
  • Sync Screen: If the audio track finishes before you completely sync your lyrics, you are moved back one page, allowing you to complete the sync.
  • Sync Screen: While the audio track is paused you cannot now press the Space Bar to sync a word.
  • Both changes fix bugs which stored invalid (zero) times and caused problems with editing and building a project.
5.1.254
  • All screens: Keyboard shortcuts added for common tasks - New, Open, Save, Build, Reset
  • All screens: Tooltips upgraded - multi-line tips are now much easier to read
  • Export Lyrics: Timings for LRC/SRT files now take into account the Lyrics Wiping Offset in Studio Settings. CDG tracks always used this setting. Displaying lines a fraction of a second before they are sung takes into account human reaction times - you will see a line, read it, then sing... sometimes too late. Displaying text slightly before it should be sung lets you start singing on time.
  • Export Lyrics: The final time code for each line of LRC Enhanced tracks has been added.
5.1.224
  • Using the mouse wheel over any play/pause button will now change the audio volume. Applies to Main, Edit and Sync screens.
  • MP3 Options: Creation of MP3 files now defaults to Constant bitrate. A new button returns you to that default when pressed. Some third-party software players, and even some modern hardware players, do not correctly handle the timing codes for Variable bitrate MP3 files - the graphics may stutter or become badly out of sync. This is a fault with the third-party player, not with KB Studio, but if you create only Constant bitrate files it will avoid the problem.
  • Export Lyrics: Expanded to a new screen, providing support for LRC lyrics files and SRT subtitles files. Both formats are used widely on mobile devices, tablets, and in YouTube videos. You can quickly create a simple file which, when paired with the audio file (or added to a YouTube video), will display the lyrics when your music plays. This adds the ability to create karaoke tracks for Android and Apple devices.
  • The trial version now allows you to see the first ten lines of a track, before scrambling the other lines with letters from the words 'Karaoke Builder Studio'. This is less restrictive - previous trial versions allowed you to see only a single page of lyrics. Registered users will of course see the full, correct, unchanged lyrics of the song.
5.1.188
  • Edit Screen: Both the left and right mouse buttons can now be used to move words/lines/slideshows. Using the left button, the Sticky Borders setting will be used, as normal. Using the right button this is temporarily switched off, useful to create gaps between words, or when moving several words or lines at once. This is easier than using Alt-click, though that can still be used, as before.
  • Edit Screen: pressing the Esc key while dragging words/lines with the mouse will cancel any changes made.
  • Slideshows: minor changes to layout. Slideshow Size is now alongside the Build button.
5.1.164
  • Bug fix: Audio 'Jump' was not supposed to operate before syncing, and now does not.
5.1.162
  • Major improvements to the Lyrics Wiping tab (Edit screen):
  • Sticky Borders - moving the start/end of a word keeps the adjacent word 'stuck' to it.
  • Play Line - plays the current line only. Edit your timings, play the line while watching the preview, and repeat until you have the perfect sync.
  • Selecting any word displays a box showing the display/remove points for the whole line. If you see a yellow warning, telling you your words are out of bounds, you can now see where those bounds are, making it easier to move your text back inside them.
  • Display/Remove tab: selecting an embedded slideshow lets you click to play it with the Karaoke Builder Player.
  • Both tabs: Search for text in your lyrics. Forwards or backwards search - find the line you need and jump straight to it. Next and previous search. Option to jump to next or previous line.
  • Both tabs: Snap Both button, alongside Snap Start and Snap End.
  • Main screen: Export Lyrics now gives you two options: Save to File and Copy to Clipboard.
  • Bug fix: Font names starting with an @ symbol are now ignored
5.1.102
  • On the Edit screen, the Preview Window will change from normal size to 2x zoom (and back again) if you double-click it.
5.1.100
  • On the Edit screen, words which are out of bounds are displayed in yellow as a warning. Out of bounds is where the line will start to wipe before it's displayed, or where the line will be removed before wiping is complete. If you see anything in yellow you'll know it has to be corrected.
5.1.086
  • Special Effects screen shows all effects at 2x zoom
  • Drag and drop of colours for Styles and Slides displays a small square filled with the colour being dragged
5.1.084
  • Zoom tab on the Main screen lets you view all pages at 2x zoom.
  • Major updates to the Slideshows screen. Bigger, wider, better!
  • Layout changes provide more space - the old tabs have been removed to allow access to all settings simultaneously.
  • Slides are now shown at 2x zoom. Easier to see, easier to edit.
  • Text lines can be dragged around with the mouse. Left-click to move. Right-click to rotate. ESC key cancels changes.
  • Manage your slideshows more easily - the last 10 slideshows are remembered, for easier selection.
  • Prompt to save changes when using Load, Save and Exit.
5.1.068
  • New options on the Main, Build and Tools screens allow you to change the speed and key/pitch of any track you create.
  • Change the audio and listen as you edit your track, altering the speed and key/pitch on the fly. Create your track with these new settings with a click of the Build button.
  • All lyrics are automatically and seamlessly synced to match the new settings.
  • The Tools window now allows you to convert any track (even tracks you didn't make yourself) to a different speed and key/pitch.
  • Slider controls can now be operated with the mouse wheel - move over the slider and rotate the wheel. Hold Shift or Ctrl as you do so for more/less movement.
  • Improvements made to the Build and Tools screen for more effectively adding intro and outro slideshows to any track.
5.0.885
  • Extra options for building videos: Full Video, Video Length, 30-Second Test Video. Allows creation of videos of any length.

5.0.875
  • Major Upgrade - version 5.0 - click here for more information.

3.0.390
  • Zoom screen (used by the main screen and the Slides screen) is now sized proportionally, so that the view on a wide screen is no longer 'stretched'
  • Karaoke Builder Player has changed in the same way.
  • Resolved a (rare) issue with displaying the Edit screen.
3.0.377
  • On the Edit screen, it is now much easier to grab and drag the edge of a word or line - there is now a 6-pixel margin, rather than a 1-pixel margin.
3.0.361
  • Fixed a minor/rare formatting problem.
3.0.360
  • You can now change the device used for audio playback. Go to the Settings tab and click 'Audio Device'. If you have more than one set of speakers, or want to use headphones, etc, select the alternative device here. There is a similar option for Karaoke Builder Player - go to the Player's Options window to change it.
3.0.354
  • BIN files can now be created from any type of audio file. You no longer need to use a 44100Hz, 16-bit stereo track - the conversion to this format will be done automatically.
3.0.350
  • Further updates to the sound system for improved performance.
3.0.346
  • Minor updates to the sound system for improved performance.
3.0.345
  • In the Edit window you can now click an empty part of the window and drag it across the screen to move through the track. Modify the speed of movement with Shift (faster) or Ctrl (slower).
3.0.333
  • Resolution of minor issues with Windows 8.
3.0.300
  • New global setting: you can now use one of the following characters to split your words into syllables: / * + ~ #.
3.0.282
  • Correction of spelling mistakes and minor visual changes.
3.0.280
  • Improved options for using the Mouse Wheel in the Edit screen - use Shift+Wheel or Ctrl+Wheel for fine control.
  • Home/End and Page Up/Down keys also added to the Edit screen.
3.0.275
  • Bug fix: Slideshow projects now save/restore their 'Slide Show Size' settings correctly.
  • Resolved and improved graphics display, giving wider compatibility with hardware CD+G players.
3.0.273
  • Help file updated to reflect the most recent changes to Karaoke Builder Studio.
  • Keyboard arrow keys can now be used to make small adjustments to words/lines on the Edit screen.
  • Resolved a minor issue with numerical 'spinner' buttons.
3.0.210
  • Time for a fresh coat of paint! All screens use tidier, cleaner buttons and boxes, plus an easier-to-read font.
  • You can now use the mouse wheel to move through your track in the Edit window.
  • Special Effects - preview animations now work for all 'Scroll' effects.
  • Audio files are displayed as wave-forms in the Edit screen, whatever format they are (wav, mp3, ogg, etc). Older versions only did this for wav files.
3.0.164
  • New sound system, giving vastly improved audio when you sync at low speeds (no more 'zombies in treacle' audio!)
  • Resolved problems for those unable to play certain audio files. KB Studio now works for all audio setups.
  • Version 3.0 of Karaoke Builder Player is now installed with Karaoke Builder Studio.
3.0.156
  • Bug Fix: in some cases conversion to AVI did not add audio to the video file.
  • Bug Fix: moving slideshows within a track caused occasional errors.
3.0.145
  • The Tools window is now clearer and easier to use.
  • Bug Fix: In the Edit window, when you want to drag the start/end points with your mouse, the mouse pointer changes to an arrow. This had been removed by accident in an earlier update, but has now been replaced.
3.0.136
  • We have now included a new Interleaving process to the Cue File Builder. This gives access to a much greater number of CD burners. If you were unable to burn CDG tracks before, you may be able to do so now, without buying a new CD burner.
3.0.132
  • Cue File Builder now provides full support for burning with Nero. No need for any other burning software!
  • We didn't like the floating window, so it's back in position. The whole display looks a lot better we think you'll agree.
3.0.120
  • The Preview Window can now be hidden. Those with slower computers will find that this reduces jerky motion in the Edit Screen.
  • The main screen has been changed so that the preview window 'floats' and can be positioned wherever you want. We are doing this so that several new features can be added - more about those features will be revealed at a later date.
3.0.097
  • A Preview Window is now available on the Edit screen of Karaoke Builder Studio. Now you can see exactly what your finished track will look like while you edit it (WYSIWYG - what you see is what you get), and preview the track before you build it. This is a great feature and will save you time because now you can instantly see what effect your changes will have.
3.0.080
  • Extended the moving video tutorial to include the use of Ulead MediaStudio Pro.
  • Loading of audio files into the Edit Screen is now faster.
3.0.079
  • Extended the moving video tutorial to include the use of Video Magic Edit, significantly less expensive than Adobe Premiere.
3.0.077
  • In the Tools window, converting CDG to AVI Video, you can now select a Background Colour as well as a background image. This is useful when used in conjunction with Adobe Premiere - the background colour can be made transparent in Premiere so that the lyrics can be overlaid onto a moving video background.
  • Added a tutorial explaining how to superimpose your karaoke lyrics onto a moving video background using Adobe Premiere.
3.0.071
  • Settings: you can now change the amount of time between the displaying of a line and when it starts to sweep (the default is 3.0 seconds). This gap is used when you first sync a track, or when you press Reset.
3.0.070
  • Important upgrade:
    In the Edit screen you can now drag words across the screen (left button to change the start/end times, right button to move the whole word/line). You can select multiple words/lines and move them simultaneously. This makes the whole editing process much quicker and easier.
3.0.062
  • Bug Fix: The fairies spirited away a small section of code! We managed to recover it and anyone with wings is now banned from using the computers!
3.0.058
  • Added support for Ogg Vorbis (.ogg) files. Note that you will also need the Ogg Vorbis Support installation - see under Useful Software, above.
3.0.057
  • Bug Fix: Replaced the audio playback slider, which would sometimes 'stick' (sliding even when the mouse button was released).
3.0.050
  • Added AVIzlib Compressor, a lossless video compressor. Essential for high quality encoding of AVI Video when you intend to convert it to MPEG (for VCD/SVCD/DVD)
  • Help file contains a guide to creating VCD/SVCD/DVD karaoke discs
3.0.047
  • CDG to AVI Video conversion can now add a drop-shadow to the text. This works with all Karaoke Builder Studio tracks and can even make commercial discs look better than the originals.
  • Can now add a photo-quality background and shadow to all CDG tracks, even those not created with Karaoke Builder Studio.
3.0.030
  • New Conversion Tools:
    Convert CDG to AVI Video and add a photo-quality background
    Create a BIN File (combine .cdg and .wav together)
    Extract from a BIN File (extract .cdg or .wav)
3.0.014
  • Some audio files introduced a 'click' when built into a BIN file. This also caused the program to crash on (very) rare occasions. This problem has now been removed.

3.0.008
  • Major Upgrade - version 3.0

    Click to see a full-screen preview:

    Styles
    Each line can now have one of 20 different styles, which you control. Change the font, colours, outline, shadow, even the type of sweeping for each and every line in your track.
    Fonts
    Use any font, anywhere on screen, as many different fonts as you like. Different fonts for male and female, or fancy symbol fonts to show who should be singing, or what guitar chord is playing.
    Free Movement of Text
    Total control over your text: move it across, up, down and even rotate it at an angle (yes it will still sweep as you sing, even at 45 degrees).
    No commands to learn
    Other CD+G software makes you type in complex commands to have this much control, but in Karaoke Builder Studio just decide what you want to do, click a button and it's done.
    Better duets
    Duets have always been easy in Karaoke Builder Studio, but if two singers sing different lyrics at the same time, what do you do? In version 3.0 it's a piece of cake - make another copy of the line for the second vocalist and type in new words. They'll already be synchronised together, and your karaoke track will show them changing colour on screen both at the same time.
    Countdowns
    So that your singers can be ready to begin, add a countdown to count them in. 2 mouse clicks and it's done.
    Special Effects
    Not only have we added more special effects, we've made it possible to use them in more places. Now you can make each page of lyrics appear and disappear using any of 70 great effects. Want to fade in a page and spiral it out? Scroll the words in from one side and wipe them out once they've been sung? Karaoke Builder Studio lets you do it all.
    Easier to use
    We added more, but we made it easier to use. There are dozens of changes - so many we can't begin to list them here - all designed to make the job of creating great karaoke tracks quicker and easier, even for the beginner.
    Create AVI Video
    Convert ANY CD+G track to AVI video, and (a first for Karaoke Builder Studio) add a photo-quality background to the whole video for a stunning, professional effect.

1.1.502
  • Minor changes to the look of the software.
  • Documentation completed for all features.
  • Now available for download from Simtel.net
1.1.491
  • Complete set of commands for editing lyrics AFTER they have been synchronised with audio: split, join, delete for words, lines and pages. These commands provide you with a flexible way to change the format of your track, while still keep the synchronisation of the words intact.
1.1.471
  • When you create/copy a slide it now appears just after the current slide. Same for text lines.
1.1.469
  • Add text to your slideshows - useful for building standard intro screens where only the title/artist will change.
1.1.436
  • Bug Fix: where pages contained a gap between lines, Reset sometimes added an inappropriate Clear Screen command
  • Large reduction in the amount of memory/resources used by Karaoke Builder Studio
1.1.432
  • Better editing of colour palettes - you can now copy the palette between your lyrics and slideshow, to use one palette for the whole track. Palettes can also be saved/loaded in the lyrics screen as well as the slides window.
  • First stage of editing lyrics AFTER they have been synchronised - you can now edit words, and split, join and delete them. Line gaps can be created/deleted to move lines up/down on the screen. More to follow (split/join/delete/add lines and pages will be here soon).
  • Scrolling effects are now available for removing your lyrics.

1.1.402
  • Major Upgrade - version 1.1
    Slideshows can now be created from within Karaoke Builder Studio and instantly added to your track.