| A SINGERS TECHNICAL GLOSSARY |
| Burner |
A common term that refers to a disk drive that will record on a CD/DVD from information such as recorded songs stored on the PC’s hard drive. |
| CD Skip |
CD skip is normally caused by a dirty, scratched or otherwise damaged CD. CD skip is extremely bothersome and will completely disrupt a singers performance. CD skip is easily recognized when the player begins making horrendous sounds and stays in one place. Frequently the song will suddenly begin to play normally again only to begin “skipping” later in the song. pcSongster completely eliminates CD skip. |
| CD’s |
The common term for a Compact Disk. May also be a DVD which compresses data more efficiently than a CD format. |
| CD+G |
Karaoke songs have two files. One is the music and one contains the lyrics. The +G is the lyrics' file. The CD is the music file. pcSongster reads and displays the words and lyrics in a coordinated manner. Most Karaoke CD’s are in this format. |
| Computer Hard Drive |
The basic data storage device contained in a personal computer. |
| Digital |
The format by which a computer stores data. Digital data is a series of binary 1’s and 0’s that can be understood by a computer. Digital data can be video, audio, letters, numbers and a host of other types of data. |
| Dongle |
A small external hardware device that connects to a USB port on the singer's computer. A Dongle normally contains a license file that allows the software to operate. Dongles are bothersome because they can get lost, broken or malfunction. The software will not run without them. pcSongster does not use a dongle. |
| Dual Screen Support |
This is a very important capability that allows your PC to display the song lyrics on a separate TV screen. The TV is connected to your PC with a standard cable. The lyrics are displayed on the PC and on the connected TV. |
| DVD’s |
A compact format for storing a large amount of music or video data. Very popular for movies and some Karaoke Songs. |
| Formats |
There are many formats throughout the world for storing music and lyrics on the computer hard drive, compact disks or DVD's. Some of theses formats may require less hard drive storage space, while others may produce the best sound quality. Different formats are not generally compatible. pcSongster will store, retrieve and play most variations of these formats for the singer automatically. |
| Graphical User Interface (GUI) |
The way pcSongster is operated by the singer. The GUI contains the buttons and commands to operate the system. pcSongster contains the most modern GUI technology available. Another term commonly used to describe the GUI is “Look and Feel.” |
| Karaoke Machines |
Antiquated Karaoke players with limited ease of use and functionality . They are expensive and hard to transport. Karaoke Machines require CD+G’s to be used and have no way to easily find a song to sing. Sound and lyric quality is marginal. |
| Linux |
Refers to the Linux operating system (OS) for a PC. Linux is an alternative for Windows. |
| Look and Feel |
Another term for Graphical User Interface. See GUI above. |
| Lyric Quality |
The quality of the reproduction of the lyrics on the TV or computer screen. pcSongster reproduces the song lyrics using the highest quality digital technology available. |
| Mac |
The common term for an Apple Computer. Technically speaking, a Mac is also a personal computer, but most Mac enthusiasts refuse to use the term PC to describe a Mac. |
| Megabyte - Gigabyte |
The method for measuring digital data storage capacity on a PC. A Gigabyte is 1000 Megabytes. |
| MP3+G |
The format that is most popular to play Karaoke songs on a PC. In this case, the music is the MP3 and the Lyrics are the +G. When the singer “rips” the music onto the hard drive, pcSongster automatically changes the format to MP3+G (or other singer defined choices). |
| Multi Language Support |
The software commands, icons and Help files are written in more than one international language such as French, English, Hindi, Japanese, etc. |
| On The Fly |
A general term that means that an activity can be changed while another activity is in process. A very powerful capability which helps make using a computer easy. |
| Operating System (OS) |
The basic control program for a PC. A PC will not operate without an OS. |
| PA System |
A common term for a “personal address” system. It is normally a sound system used by a band, DJ/KJ, or other performer. |
| PC |
A Personal Computer (PC) normally Microsoft Windows based. It may be a “desktop ”, laptop or notebook. |
| PC Minimum System Requirements |
The minimum capability of your PC. Usually stated in the amount of hard drive disk space, memory and Central Processing Unit (CPU) speed. If the singer’s PC doesn’t have the minimum system requirements, then the software will not run properly or at all. pcSongster has very low minimum system requirements. If your system falls below the minimum, then it is probably time to upgrade to a new more modern PC. |
| PC Monitor - Lyric Viewing |
The ability to view the Karaoke lyrics on the PC’s standard monitor. All pcSongster products give the singer this important capability. |
| pcSongster |
The most powerful, easy to use personal computer software developed especially for singers |
| Play from the PC CD player |
The process of playing the CD+G Karaoke Disk directly from the PC’s CD Read Write (R/W) drive. The singer inserts the Karaoke Disk into the CD drive and uses pcSongster to play the music and display the synchronized lyrics. The song is not saved on the hard drive. Available on pcSongster PlayerPLUS and Personal Versions. |
| Rip (Copy) |
The process of copying karaoke songs from a CD (CD+G) to the computer hard drive. This process also changes the format to MP3+G or other supported format. This functionality is contained in the pcSongster PlayerPLUS and Personal Versions. Ripping requires a compatable CD Drive. |
| Search by “lyric Stream" |
An exclusive pcSongster capability that allows the singer to find a song on the computer by simply knowing several of the words. If the singer knows a few lyrics of the song such as “start spreading the news.” pcSongster will search all songs on the computer until it finds songs that contain those words in a string. (New York, New York) This is extremely useful functionality since many people remember a few words to a song but not the name or who originally performed the song. |
| Software Functionality |
The common term to describe the capability and function of a computer software system. The more functionality a system has the more capability the system contains. pcSongster is full of powerful and exclusive functionality. |
| Software License |
Software is never actually purchased. All software is licensed for a fee. This fee and resulting license gives the singer a reasonably unrestricted ability to use the software (use limitations are contained in the license agreement which is agreed to when the software is actually installed on the PC). In order to protect the software from piracy (theft) or other unauthorized use, a “License Key” is issued to the singer. When the singer purchases pcSongste,r a simple step-by-step procedure is followed to install and license the software. This process is very easy and only requires a few minutes. pcSongster’s licensing capabilities protect your investment by allowing us to constantly improve our software functionality and performance. pcSongster requires no dongle. |
| Software Performance or “Response Time” |
Performance is a general term normally used to describe the speed or quickness of the software response to a command entered by the singer via the GUI. “Response Time” is another term associated with speed and performance. Generally, the faster the computer responds to a command the better. |
| Song List Management and Searches |
The method by which the software finds a song on the hard drive, retrieves it and plays your song selection. pcSongster’s PlayerPLUS product and above contains powerful and easy to use song searching capabilities. |
| Sound Quality |
The quality of the reproduction of the music. pcSongster reproduces the music using the highest quality digital technology available. |
| Sound Systems |
There are many ways to hear your music played. Some examples are directly off you PC’s built in speakers, a wire from you PC’s “ear phone” plug to your home stereo amplifier and speakers, a wire from you PC’s “ear phone” plug to any size Public Address (PA) amplifier and speakers, a wire from you PC’s “ear phone” plug to your device “mixer”, Headphones and a microphone |
| Upgrade |
The process of moving up in the capability of the PC singing system that you license. “To Upgrade” normally means that you purchase a higher level system than the one you currently use. An example is the “upgrade” from pcSongster Player to the pcSongster Personal version is a smart choice. |
| USB Port |
A high speed connection plug in on a PC that allows devices such as printers, dongles, external disk drives and a host of other hardware to be connected to the computer. |
