Copy Karaoke or Minus-one from YouTube or DVD player to Computer

Advance users: Transferring karaoke/minus-one songs from DVD player to PC

Sometimes you would be unlucky that you cannot find the minus one version of your favorite song in the Internet (YouTube, etc.).

But most of the time, there are DVDs karaoke disc that would most likely include that song. The problem is that this song is still in DVD format and you would still need to transfer the audio to your computer.

This can be a complicated work as you need to have an external audio interface to do this job. If you are not familiar with this equipment, it is recommended to take a quick look at the following posts:

Buying an audio interface tips and complete beginner guide

USB vs. Firewire Audio Interface

Cheapest 24-bit/96KHz USB Audio Interface

The purpose of the audio interface is to convert the analog audio output of your DVD player into a digital audio such as WAV or MP3 which you can then burn to a CD or put in your mp3 players.

Below are the steps:

1.) Install the audio interface to your computer. You can refer to the manual on how to hook up this gear to your PC.

Make sure you have installed the drivers.

2.) Put the DVD (containing the minus-one version of your song) on the DVD player.

3.) You do not need to hook up the DVD player to a TV or your computer screen because the song tracks number can be controlled using the DVD player buttons or the remote control.

Hook up the DVD player to your audio interface. You need an audio interface with at least two inputs. See screenshot below:

Connecting a DVD player to audio interface

Connecting a DVD player to audio interface

Most DVD player audio outputs are RCA labeled in red and white. You need a male RCA (red and white) to dual TS male plug cable to connect this to your audio interface; such as this one:

RCA to TS male plugs

RCA to TS male plugs

4.) Prepare the minus one track on the DVD player but do not yet hit the play button.

5.) Launch Reaper; go to Track – Insert New Track.
6.) Configure the track to record in stereo (the DVD output is stereo; it’s why you are utilizing the two inputs in your audio interface). If you use the first and second inputs, it would look like this way:

Stereo recording in Reaper

Stereo recording in Reaper

7.) Switch the recording level to moderate. You can do this by switching the gain input on your audio interface; make sure it does not hit red (or clipping).

8.) Hit the record button on Reaper.
9.) Play the DVD player, the track would now be recorded to your computer. You can then export the recorded audio as wav file and burn it to a CD.

Content last updated on July 25, 2012