KaraokeHost Studio Manual

Step-by-step help for creating MP4 karaoke videos from your own audio, lyrics, timing, and background visuals.

Version: 1.0
Current App Store build: Build 1.5
App: KaraokeHost Studio for macOS

Important Content Reminder

KaraokeHost Studio does not include songs, lyrics, music downloads, streaming, cloud song access, lyric lookup, or music licensing.

You are responsible for using audio, lyrics, images, and other materials that you own, created yourself, licensed, public-domain, or have permission to use.

What KaraokeHost Studio Does

KaraokeHost Studio creates polished MP4 karaoke videos from user-provided audio, lyrics, timing, and visual backgrounds.

It works locally on your Mac. No account or internet connection is required for normal app use, and your original audio and image files are not modified.

Exported MP4 videos can be used in KaraokeHost or other compatible video players and karaoke applications.

System Requirements

macOS 14 Sonoma or later
Mac compatible with macOS 14 or later
User-provided audio, lyrics, and background materials
Enough free disk space for exported MP4 video files

Quick Start

Create a new KaraokeHost Studio project.
Add your own audio file.
Enter, paste, or import your own lyrics.
Review and clean up the lyric lines.
Use the Timing section to time lyric lines as the song plays.
Choose opening-screen and lyric-screen backgrounds.
Preview how the karaoke video will appear.
Save your project.
Export the finished MP4 video.

Recommended Workflow

For best results, work through the app sections in order:

Audio: Choose and prepare the audio file.
Lyrics: Add and organize the lyric text.
Timing: Time each lyric line to the audio.
Background: Choose the visual style and opening screen.
Preview: Review the karaoke display.
Export: Create the final MP4 video.

Audio Section

The Audio section is where you choose the audio file for your project and prepare the basic song information.

Use this section to:

Import a supported audio file
Review the audio as a visual waveform
Trim the usable range of the song visually
Add fade-in and fade-out if needed
Adjust tempo non-destructively
Adjust key non-destructively
Enter song title and artist information
Preview audio while preparing the project

Tempo and key adjustments in KaraokeHost Studio are non-destructive. Your original audio file is not modified.

The audio file should be a file you own, created yourself, licensed, public-domain, or have permission to use.

Lyrics Section

The Lyrics section is where you add the lyric text that will appear in the final karaoke video.

You may type, paste, or import your own lyric text. KaraokeHost Studio does not provide copyrighted lyrics and does not look up or download lyrics from the internet.

Before timing lyrics, review the text carefully. Remove extra blank lines, fix spelling, and make sure each lyric line is broken the way you want it to appear on screen.

Lyric Line Tips

Keep lines short enough to read comfortably.
Avoid very long lyric lines.
Use natural phrase breaks.
Check capitalization and punctuation before timing.
Use only lyrics you have the right to use.

Timing Section

The Timing section is where you match each lyric line to the audio.

KaraokeHost Studio supports line-by-line timing along with Intro, Break, and Outro markers.

You can select individual lyric and marker rows, edit exact timestamps directly inside the selected row, retimestamp a selected lyric or Break using the current audio playhead, nudge timing earlier or later, and clear or delete applicable timing entries.

You can also review a selected entry and scroll to the current lyric while checking the timing.

Intro, Break, and Outro Markers

Intro, Break, and Outro markers help structure the karaoke video beyond regular lyric lines.

Break rows show the Break start time and approximate duration. During Preview and export, a Break shows its rounded duration and then a 5-to-1 countdown during the final five seconds.

Timing Tips

Do a first timing pass without worrying about perfection.
Review the timed lyrics in Preview.
Adjust lines that appear too soon or too late.
Use shorter lyric lines when timing feels crowded.
Use Break markers for instrumental sections or gaps between lyric sections.
Save the project after major timing changes.

Background Section

The Background section controls the visual look of the karaoke video.

You can choose included backgrounds or external images. You can use separate backgrounds for the Opening Screen and Lyrics Screen, or use the same background for both.

Background display options include Fill Screen and Show Full Image, along with zoom and positioning controls.

Choose backgrounds that keep the lyrics easy to read. High-contrast lyric text is usually better than a busy background.

Opening Screen

The Opening Screen appears at the beginning of the video. It can show the song title, artist, song length, and watermark.

Opening Screen elements can be selected and dragged:

Song title
Artist
Song length
Watermark

Song title, artist, and watermark text can be edited. Song length is derived from the imported audio and cannot be manually rewritten.

Lyrics Screen

The Lyrics Screen is the main karaoke display. It shows timed lyric lines over the selected background.

Lyrics Screen elements can be selected and dragged:

Lyrics block
Watermark

Selecting the Lyrics block provides an Edit Lyrics action that returns to the structured Lyrics editor.

Selected Elements and Watermark Controls

A contextual bar identifies the selected element so you know what you are editing.

Watermark controls include font, color, size, opacity, rotation, inset, visibility, and position controls.

Editor selection outlines, hints, contextual bars, and editing controls are for editing only and are never included in the final MP4 video.

Preview Section

Use Preview to check how the completed karaoke video will look before exporting.

Opening Screen and Lyrics Screen proportions are designed to match Preview and Export more consistently, so what you review in Preview should better represent the final MP4.

Review:

Opening Screen appearance
Lyric readability
Line timing
Intro, Break, and Outro behavior
Break duration and countdown display
Background choice and positioning
Title, artist, song length, and watermark placement
Overall visual balance

If something does not look right, return to the related section, make adjustments, save the project, and preview again.

Export Section

The Export section creates the finished standard MP4 video file.

Every export opens the standard macOS Save panel. Choose the filename and location there.

If the chosen filename already exists, macOS asks for replacement confirmation.

The existing MP4 remains in place unless the new export completes successfully.

After export, play the MP4 video to confirm that the finished file looks and sounds correct.

Editor outlines, hints, contextual bars, selection indicators, and editing controls are never exported into the final MP4 video.

Exported MP4 videos can be added to KaraokeHost or used with other compatible video players and karaoke applications.

Saving Projects

KaraokeHost Studio projects can be saved as .khstudio files for continued editing.

Saved projects preserve timing, text, design settings, and references to imported media.

KaraokeHost Studio warns before replacing, opening, or closing a project with unsaved work.

Save your project regularly while working, especially after major changes to audio, lyrics, timing, backgrounds, or preview settings.

Project Media Access

Saved projects can restore access to selected audio and active external background images while the original files remain available.

Moving, renaming, deleting, disconnecting, or leaving a file cloud-only may require selecting it again.

For best reliability, keep project media in local folders on your Mac or on connected external drives rather than relying on cloud-only placeholders.

KaraokeHost Studio does not modify your original audio or image files.

Using Exported MP4 Videos in KaraokeHost

KaraokeHost Studio and KaraokeHost are separate apps that work well together.

To use a Studio export in KaraokeHost:

Export the finished MP4 video from KaraokeHost Studio.
Save the MP4 file in a folder used by your KaraokeHost library.
Open KaraokeHost.
Refresh or reload your karaoke library if needed.
Search for the exported MP4 video and add it to the singer queue.

KaraokeHost Studio does not require KaraokeHost. The exported video is a standard MP4 file.

Troubleshooting

The lyrics do not appear when expected

Return to the Timing section and review the lyric timing. Adjust lines that appear too early or too late, then preview again.

The lyrics are hard to read

Try a simpler background, larger lyric size, stronger contrast, or shorter lyric lines.

The exported video is not where I expected

Check the export location you selected. If needed, export again and choose a folder you can easily find, such as Desktop or Movies.

The project does not look finished in Preview

Review each section: Audio, Lyrics, Timing, Background, and Preview. Make sure the project has audio, lyrics, timing, and visual settings before exporting.

The MP4 does not play correctly in another app

First test the MP4 in QuickTime Player on your Mac. If it plays correctly there, check the other app’s video playback support and settings.

Privacy

KaraokeHost Studio works locally on your Mac. User-selected audio, lyrics, image, project, and export files remain under your control.

KaraokeHost Studio does not collect personal information, does not require an account, does not use advertising, does not use third-party analytics, and does not upload your files to a KaraokeHost server.

Support

For KaraokeHost Studio support, email:

support@karaoke-host.com

When requesting help, include:

Your Mac model
Your macOS version
The KaraokeHost Studio version and build number
Whether the issue involves audio, lyrics, timing, background visuals, preview, saving, or MP4 export
A short description of the issue