Avyn
Get Avyn

GUIDES

How to sing karaoke with UltraStar songs on Windows

With Kantor you can turn your Windows PC into a karaoke machine with live scoring, several microphones and songs in UltraStar format. This guide covers what you need, where songs come from and how to let your guests join from their phones.

Updated

What the UltraStar format is

UltraStar is an open karaoke song format. Each song is a text file (.txt) with the lyrics, timing and notes, plus an audio file and, optionally, a video. The program uses those notes to compare what you sing with the melody and work out the score.

Kantor reads songs in that format from the folders you choose and never modifies your files.

What you need

  • A 64-bit Windows 10 or 11 PC.
  • Kantor, which is free and available on Microsoft Store.
  • One or more microphones. You can browse the library without them, but singing needs at least one.
  • Your own songs in UltraStar format.

Kantor does not include songs. Only use music you have the right to use.

Where songs come from

Since Kantor ships without songs, you provide them. Some options:

  • Create them from your own music and its lyrics with UltraSongs, a free, open source tool that separates the vocals, detects the notes and lets you fine-tune them in a visual editor. Everything is processed on your computer.
  • Use songs you already have in UltraStar format.
  • Use songs whose authors published them under a license that allows sharing.

Step by step

  1. Install Kantor from Microsoft Store.
  2. Point it to the folders where your UltraStar songs live. Kantor builds the library without touching your files.
  3. Connect your microphones. Kantor supports up to four at once, each with its own player, lane and on-screen input level.
  4. Choose the singers and a song. You can add songs to the queue.
  5. Sing. Scoring is calculated in real time, with three difficulty levels and support for duets.
  6. When you finish, check the results. Kantor stores players, games, history and rankings on your PC.

Let guests pick songs from their phones

Kantor has a guest mode, off by default. When it is on, the main menu and the song list show a QR code. Your guests scan it with their phones, search for songs, choose who sings and add them to the queue, with nothing to install.

It works only on your local network, with no Internet, using a shared access key. Guests can search songs and build the queue, and nothing else.

Run the party from Avyn

Kantor can also be controlled from Avyn, an optional integration that is off by default. When Kantor is open with remote control on, the Avyn app shows a Kantor tab with what is playing, the songs, the queue and the people, so whoever holds the phone can run the party without touching the PC.

Frequently asked questions

Does Kantor include songs?
No. You need to provide your own songs in UltraStar format.
Is it free?
Yes, Kantor is free.
How many microphones can I use?
Up to four at the same time, each with its own player.
Do I need Internet?
No. Kantor runs on your PC and your local network, with no accounts or cloud services.

Keep reading