Singing is fun. Plenty of people like going out to bars and singing Karoake, or booting up one of the Rock Band games and letting their inner rock star out for a little while. If you and your friends enjoy singing, and may even want to have karaoke parties at home, you might be interested in Singtrix. Singtrix is a voice modulation system that can connect to nearly any music source and allow you to be a rock star in the privacy of your own home. In our Singtrix Party Bundle review I’ll tell you all about what Singtrix does to make you sound good. Keep reading to see why the Singtrix Party Bundle earned a spot in our Top Picks of 2016.
Specifications
Singtrix Studio Effects Console
• Music Input – balanced 1/8” mini stereo jack (3.5mm)
• Speaker Output 1 & 2 – balanced 1/8” mini stereo jack (3.5mm)
• Mic input 1 & 2 – ¼” phono jack (mic 1 becomes the lead mic when both inputs used)
• Weight: 440g
• Dimensions: L-7.25” x W-5.75” x H-2.25”
• Power Input: 5V 250mA Studio AC Power Supply
• Input 100-240V, 50/60Hz 0.2A; Output 5V, 1000mA
Singtrix Microphone with Built-in “HIT” Button
• Unique “HIT” control button
• Dynamic HyperCardoid
• Impedance: is 600+/-3% ohms at 1KHz
• Output Level (at 1KHz): -52dBV +/-4dB at
1KHz/Pa (1.99mV) – 1 Pa = 94 dB SPL
• Frequency Response: 60 Hz -15kHz
• Comes with attached mic cable
• ¼” phone connector plug (tip/sleeve/ring)
• Weight: 470g
• Dimensions: L-10” x W-2” x H-2”
Singtrix 2.1 Speaker
• 40 Watts
• 3” Left & Right Mid/High Range Stereo Speakers: 200Hz to 20KHz,
• Built-in Subwoofer 20Hz to 100Hz, Size 5.25”
• Signal Input: Left & Right RCA connectors
• Weight: 5Kg
• Dimensions: L-12” x W-13” x H-11”
• DC input 18V, 2.8 Amps
• Speaker AC Power Supply – Input 100-240V, 50/60Hz 1.2A;
Output 18V, 2800mA 15
What’s in the Box
- The Singtrix Plug & Play “Studio” Effects Console
- 40-Watt 2.1 Stereo Speaker w/ Sub
- Custom Mic w/ “Hit” Effect Control
- Pro-Quality Mic Stand w/ Boom Arm
- Device Holder – for tablets, smartphones & MP3 players
- Pre-loaded Std Effects Presets – 90+
- Cables: Mic, Speaker & Audio
- Preset Mega Pack – 300+ factory installed presets with premium bundle
Design
The Singtrix Party Bundle really gives you the complete package to have a Karaoke party at your house. The Singtrix console itself is just over seven inches long, just under six inches wide, and a few inches deep at its thickest point. The front has the control buttons/knob while the back has the various inputs and mic output. The sides are relatively ordinary, and the bottom has locking legs if you want to stand the Singtrix up on a table as well as an anchor point that can be used for the attachment allowing you to keep the box attached to the mic stand.
The 2.1 floor speaker included in the Party Bundle is solid. Measuring in at 12” X 13” X 11” the majority of that is speaker, though there are four small feet on the bottom to keep the speaker enclosure up off of the ground (and to give the bottom firing woofer a place to fire). The front of the enclosure has dual 3” mid/high speakers as well as the power button and volume, treble, and bass adjustment dials. The back of the speaker has the power and RCA inputs.
The mic stand has a telescoping design and boom arm. The entire stand folds down to a very manageable size when not in use, but when fully extended will have no problem accommodating singers of any height. The included microphone includes a button to activate the currently selected effect (more on effects later). It’s a full size microphone, and is weighted appropriately. Also included is a small stand that will easily hold your phone, tablet, MP3 player, or other small music sources.
Ease of Use
After the initial setup, which really only requires getting everything unpacked and plugged in, using the Singtrix is really very simple. Simply turn on the Singtrix console and included speaker (or your own speaker if you’ve chosen to hook everything up through your stereo), plug in your music source, and start singing. I’ll talk about the voice/sound options in greater detail in the Performance section below, but suffice to say there are tons of them.
You can hook up nearly any music source that accepts a 3.5mm input. I was able to test it with several Android phones, an iPhone, and a ridiculously old iPod. The easiest way to go is to simply search on YouTube for Karaoke versions of your favorite songs, and you won’t have to worry about recorded vocals getting in the way of your performance. If a Karaoke version isn’t an option, all hope isn’t lost.
The Singtrix box includes a “Song Voice” button that is used when there is a recorded vocal track on the music you’re using to sing. Singtrix lowers the volume of that vocal track significantly, allowing your performance to shine through. Recorded vocals aren’t completely muted, but they are dropped to a level where they won’t be heard over your singing.
After you’ve plugged in and found your music source, you can get singing! While you’re singing you can simply press the button on the included microphone, or use the “Hit Effect” button on the Singtrix console itself to use the currently selected effect.
Performance
From the first time I turned on the Singtrix I was very impressed. I mentioned at the beginning that there are plenty of people that like to go to bars and sing Karaoke… My wife and I are two of those people. As soon as I hit the effect button while I was singing for the first time my jaw dropped. The default setting just kind of gives you an idea of what Singtrix is capable of. It uses your own voice and your own singing in real time to layer harmony on top of what you are singing. So if you’re singing by yourself, the default effect will make it sound like there are two of you. It’s a really cool effect, and if you’re a fan of singing you really should check it out.
The Singtrix box itself has several buttons on the front including: Song Voice, My Voice, Mic Volume, Hit Effect, Main Volume, and an Effects scroll wheel. Singtrix recommends leaving the Main Volume where it is set, and only adjusting it if you are using headphones. Mic Volume can also usually stay at the default setting. My Voice allows you to adjust the amount of pitch correction that Singtrix will provide. The three settings are Enhanced — a lot of pitch correction, Semi-Pro — only minor pitch correction as needed, and Pro — very little pitch correction. I mentioned Song Voice earlier, but it really is pretty cool. I was able to throw some songs from Google Play Music at it, and it dropped the vocal track out of the way enough that it really couldn’t be heard at all when I was singing, and only very minimally when I wasn’t.
I eluded to the large number of available effects and I wasn’t kidding. There are over 300 different effects that will enhance your performance. From the aforementioned harmony (even going up to a three part harmony), to choral singing, monk chanting, robot, and many others. There are even song-specific settings for many popular karaoke songs. A lot of these settings sound somewhat similar, but there are definite standouts. Who would have thought that one person could sing the beginning of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody (with all of the harmonies) by themselves? You can find a complete list of all presets here to get an idea of the type of effects you can expect with the Singtrix.
I’m not going to lie, the first time I fired up Singtrix, I went through and just babbled random stuff while trying out the various effects to see what they did. Think something akin to Will Ferrell in Elf, proving that he is able to sing inside of the store (though with better overall pitch). And yeah, I had to try and recreate Jimmy Hendrix’s rendition of the Star Spangled Banner on the Guitar effect setting, like the guy in the video below. I’m sure I still sounded dumb, just singing nonsense to no one in particular, but I was having fun and couldn’t wait to try out some of the settings on actual karaoke songs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAJQdedX4nY
Most of the song specific effects are self-explanatory, but you should be able to find some of the other effects that work with most any song. The harmony effects will work a bit better on slower tracks overall, but there are enough effects that you’ll be able to find something that works with nearly anything you can throw at it. Worst case scenario? Just turn off the effect and keep singing your song if you don’t like how the effect sounds. You can always go back and pick a new one later. Just experiment and have fun.
Singtrix suggests that it will make bad singers sound good and good singers sound amazing. With the huge number of effects and various levels of pitch correction I’d say they’re pretty spot-on with that assessment. I’m not one to toot my own horn, but I’m a decent singer — not the greatest by any means, but I can carry a tune. I found on the default settings that Singtrix did a great job of adding harmonies and effects, though if you stray too far off pitch it will not sound quite so good. There are higher levels of pitch correction though, so if you find that your notes are a bit sour, just crank up the pitch correction for a little extra help.
Price/Value
The entire Singtrix Party Bundle, including the Singtrix console, speaker, mic stand, and microphone is priced at $350, which definitely isn’t cheap. For the price, you’re getting a quality machine in the Singtrix console, with a decently powerful floor speaker, mic stand, and Singtrix microphone with integrated “HIT” effect button. There are bundles available including only the Singtrix box and a microphone for $199, though supplies are apparently limited.
Wrap Up
If you like singing, and frequently go out to sing Karaoke, this is a machine that will provide endless hours of entertainment in your own home. Shoot, if you work as a Karaoke Jockey, you might want something like this for your singers. The Singtrix can enhance the voice of strong singers, which they will love. It can also help out less confident singers, bringing more people into the fold. While $350 is definitely pricey, the Singtrix Party Bundle is worth it if you’re really into singing or Karaoke.
[rwp-review id=”0″]*We were sent a demo unit of the Singtrix Party Bundle for the purposes of this review.
Last Updated on April 28, 2016.
