Whether you’re the next Whitney Houston or tone deaf, everybody loves karaoke. Hosting a karaoke party is the perfect way to get together with friends and have a good laugh, or show off your singing skills. So you’re looking to set up a karaoke machine system at home, but what exactly do you need? We’ll take you through this step-by-step so you know exactly what you need to get.

　　Don’t forget to have a look at our ultimate karaoke party guide for tips and ideas on equipment, entertainment, supplies, snacks, drinks, games and more!

　　If you’re looking for a fuss-free karaoke setup option, check out this All-in-One Karaoke Microphones on Amazon. It’s the perfect option that doesn’t involve any extra equipment at an awesome price. I was really surprised at just how cheap they were. What you Need to Set Up KaraokeWhat you need to set up karaoke at home depends on quite a few different things. What’s the purpose of your karaoke system? Is it a professional set up, or are you looking for a more casual home karaoke set up? How much do you want to spend? Do you want a simple system that’s easy to set up, or something DIY that you can fully customise to fit your needs?

　　Karaoke set ups can seem a bit complicated at first. There’s a minefield of equipment, and if you don’t know what you’re looking for, it’s easy to get confused and end up getting the wrong thing, or something you don’t actually need.

　　The very basics you need to set up karaoke at home, are an instrumental soundtrack, and a screen with the lyrics to sing along to. If you’re really stuck for cash, you can just get an instrumental version of a song played over a lyric video on YouTube on your laptop, smart TV or tablet and have a good old-fashioned sing-along. But you’re here because you want a great karaoke setup at home.

　　So what equipment do you need to set up karaoke at home?

　　Well, there are two options.

　　Easiest way: karaoke way

　　Customisable way: DIY setup

　　If you want to keep things simple, the best thing you can do is get a karaoke machine. All you’ll need to do is pick yourself up a decent karaoke machine, have a screen for the lyrics, and get a couple of microphones. Karaoke machines often come as a kit that includes everything you need to make things super-easy and quick that more often than not, you’ll be able to get your karaoke party started in under 10 minutes!

　　But if you want a proper karaoke system with separate gear, you can create your own DIY karaoke setup at home. This gives you more freedom to choose the right equipment for your needs, but is definitely more complicated to set up.

　　We’ll go into each option in more detail to help you choose, but to show the difference between the two karaoke setups, check out these diagrams.

　　If the DIY karaoke setup diagram looks a bit intimidating, don’t worry! We will go through how to set it up, and explain all the different pieces of equipment you’ll need, but if you want the easier option, let’s jump into it now.

　　Easiest Way to Setup Karaoke at Home

　　Okay, so you want to keep things simple. We don’t blame you! If you’re looking for a quick and easy way to set a karaoke system up at home, then getting a good quality karaoke machine is your best bet.

　　There are so many great karaoke machines out there with tonnes of different features. Some allow you to use YouTube to play your songs, others need CDs and some are compatible with apps and software made specifically to use the karaoke machine. Some karaoke machines come with screens attached so you don’t need to connect it to your TV, some are portable and others even have disco light projections to add some flair to your karaoke party!

　　But whatever karaoke machine you choose, the basic principles are the sample. You need something to play the music, a screen to show the lyrics, and some microphones to sing into. The best karaoke machines include all the wires, microphones and stands so you don’t have to purchase any extras and can just plug everything in and start singing.

　　How to Set Up a Karaoke MachineOkay, so you’ve got your karaoke machine, but what do you need to do to get it working. Hopefully you’ve purchased one with some clear instructions, but if you want a bit of info on how to actually set your karaoke machine up, then keep reading.

　　The best way to explain this, is to revisit the diagram we showed you earlier.

　　So the first thing you need to do, is to connect your karaoke machine to a screen. There are usually three wires, collectively called an RCA connector to help you do this.

　　Simple connect the wires supplied with your karaoke machine to the corresponding colours on your TV (usually at the back or on the side of the screen).

　　After that, you simple connect the microphone to the karaoke machine, turn your screen on and use the source button to find the right setting to display the lyrics screen.

　　The types of cable, colours and connections will vary depending on your exact karaoke machine. Always be sure to check the instruction manual.