How to Make a Karaoke CDG File

CDG (CD+Graphics) is the standard file format used by karaoke machines worldwide. If you've ever sung karaoke at a bar, party, or KJ event, the lyrics scrolling across the screen were almost certainly powered by a CDG file. This guide walks you through creating your own CDG files with synced, highlighted lyrics.

What is a CDG file?

CDG stands for CD+Graphics. It's a format from the 1980s that embeds simple graphics data (text, colors, and basic shapes) alongside audio on a CD. When a karaoke machine reads the disc, it plays the audio through the speakers and sends the graphics to a screen, displaying lyrics that highlight word by word as the song plays.

Even though CDs are less common now, the CDG format lives on. Modern karaoke software and hardware still read .cdg files paired with audio files (MP3, WAV, or OGG). A typical karaoke track is just two files: song.cdg for the graphics and song.mp3 for the audio.

The CDG screen is 300x216 pixels with a 16-color palette. That may sound limited, but it's exactly what you need for clean, readable lyrics on any display, from a TV at home to a projector at a venue.

How to make a karaoke CDG step by step

With Karadeo's CDG Maker, you can create a CDG file in minutes. All you need is an instrumental or karaoke version of the song without lead vocals. You can buy karaoke tracks from sites like Karaoke Version or Stingray, use a vocal removal tool, or record your own instrumental. You'll also need the song lyrics, either as plain text or in a timed format like LRC or VTT.

Step 1: Upload your audio

Go to the CDG Maker and upload your audio file. Karadeo supports MP3, WAV, OGG, M4A, and other common formats. Our AI will automatically separate the vocals and instrumental from your audio by default. If you already have your own instrumental track, you can simply delete the AI-generated instrumental from the editor timeline and use yours instead.

Step 2: Add and sync your lyrics

Paste your lyrics as plain text or import an existing LRC, VTT, or ASS subtitle file. If you paste plain text, click "Auto-sync" to let AI align each line to the music. The AI analyzes the audio and matches each line of lyrics to when it should appear in the song.

Select "Single" scope to edit one lyrics item at a time. Drag each line on the timeline to adjust when it appears and disappears on screen. This controls the line-level display timing: when the lyrics show up and when they clear for the next line.

The scope option controls how many items your edits apply to. Single lets you edit one specific lyrics item. Use this when you want to change the color, text, or timestamp for a particular line. Track applies changes to all lyrics on the same timeline track, which is ideal for setting a consistent font size, color, or style across an entire track. All applies changes to every lyrics item in the project at once.

For more precision, drag individual words to edit their start time and duration. You can also use the lyrics inspector to input exact timestamps for each word, giving you full control over when each word highlights.

Step 3: Customize your colors

CDG is a simple format, so there aren't many styling options compared to video karaoke. But color is where you can make it your own. The two main settings are:

• Fill color: the default color of the lyrics text before it's sung
• Highlight color: the color each word changes to as it's being sung

Pick colors with good contrast so lyrics are easy to read. White fill with yellow highlighting is the classic karaoke look for a reason. It works on any screen.

Step 4: Export as CDG

Export your project as a CDG file. Karadeo generates the binary .cdg data with word-by-word highlighting and packages it with your audio file in a zip download. The zip contains everything you need: karaoke.cdg and karaoke.mp3 (or whatever audio format you uploaded).

Load these files into your karaoke software or copy them to a USB drive for your karaoke machine.

Tips for great CDG files

Keep lines short. The CDG screen fits about 48 characters per line. Long lines will get cut off. Break lyrics into shorter phrases that are easy to read at a glance.

Use high-contrast colors. Stick to bright text on a dark background. Avoid light text on light backgrounds or dark text on dark backgrounds. Your audience might be reading from across a room.

Check your timing. Play through the entire song before exporting. Make sure each line appears slightly before it's sung so the singer has time to read ahead. Highlighting should hit each word right as it's sung.

Where to use your CDG files

CDG files work with a wide range of karaoke setups:

• Home karaoke machines: Singing Machine, Karaoke USA, and similar consumer players all read CDG files from USB drives or CDs
• Professional KJ software: OpenKJ, PCDJ Karaoki, Karma, and other DJ/KJ programs support CDG+audio pairs natively
• Karaoke apps: Software like Karafun and others can import CDG files for playback
• Karadeo's CDG Player: Test your files instantly with the CDG Player right in your browser

Most karaoke software expects the CDG and audio files to share the same filename (e.g., my-song.cdg and my-song.mp3) in the same folder. Karadeo's export handles this automatically.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use any song to make a CDG?

You need an instrumental or karaoke version of the song without lead vocals. You can find karaoke tracks on sites that sell them, or use vocal removal tools to strip vocals from any song.

How is CDG different from a karaoke video?

A CDG file is much smaller than a video because it only stores simple graphics data (text and colors on a 300x216 pixel grid). Video files offer more visual flexibility but are larger and not compatible with traditional karaoke hardware.

Is it free to make CDG files with Karadeo?

Yes, Karadeo is free to use with a watermark. Upgrade to remove watermarks from your CDG exports.

Conclusion

Making a karaoke CDG file is straightforward with the right tools. Upload your instrumental track, add synced lyrics, pick your colors, and export. The CDG format has been the karaoke standard for decades, and with Karadeo's CDG Maker, you can create professional CDG files in minutes, no special software or technical knowledge required.