노래방 - Korean Karaoke (and its complicated remote)

Karaoke Room in Indianapolis
Korean karaoke, or 노래방, is really popular among Koreans of all ages. Friends, family, or colleagues use karaoke as a sort of social gathering, usually drinking beer at the same time. 

Some of the etiquette rules governing 노래방:

  • Do not queue several songs at once, but let other people queue their own songs.
  • Avoid looking at your phone frequently, as it is considered rude.
  • If you see that you do not know a song as much as you thought, skip it (press 취소 followed by 시작 on the remote)

One of the barriers of entry to 노래방 for foreigners is probably the seemingly overly complicated remote. Learn the various features of the remote prior to going to 노래방 so that you can make the most of your time there! Check the picture (divided by zone) and the corresponding vocabulary below. You can also download this information and print it to take it with you to your next 노래방 session! If you live too far from a karaoke place, you can also buy a Korean karaoke machine for home use.

 

Korean norebang (Karaoke) remote

Tips

To play a song, search a song using the buttons in Zone F (navigate the list with the controls in Zone D), or enter a song number and press 시작 to start the song.

While a song is playing, search and queue another song by pressing 예약 instead of 시작. Press 우선예약 instead of 예약 to put the song at the start of the queue instead of at the end.

Press 예약 확인 to display the song queue. Once the list is displayed, select a song with the arrows and press 예약 취소 to delete a song from the list.

Press 점수제거 to disable the score display at the end of each song.

Press 한/영 when typing to switch from 한글 to English when typing song information.

Zone A: Music Controls

음정 pitch adjust
템포 tempo adjust
멜로디 melody adjust
뮤직 music (volume)
마이크 microphone (volume)
에코 echo adjust
리버브 reverb adjust

Zone B: Misc. Controls

남/여음정 man/woman pitch
리듬변환 rhythm change
메들리 medley
악보표출 music sheet display
정밀채점 precise grading
박수 applause
음성검색 voice search
애창곡 favorite songs
신곡연습 practice of new songs
신곡안내 list of new songs
인기차트 popular charts
테마곡 songs by theme

Zone C: Playback Controls

간주 점프 interlude jump
육성제거 voice removal
점수제거 grade removal
1절연주 first verse performance
영상선택 background video choice
절 점프 verse jump
마디점프 bar jump
일시정지 pause

Zone D: Navigation

선택 search
쪽이동 scroll direction
이벤트 event
녹음 recording
퍼펙트 스코어 perfect score

Zone E: Song Management

취소 cancel
시작 start
예약 확인 reservation list
예약 취소 reservation cancellation
우선 예약 priority reservation
예약 reservation

Zone F: Song Search

제목 title search
가수 artist search
가사 lyric search
국가별 country change
한/영 writing system switch

Download the sheet with the 노래방 controls here

Korean Karaoke Machines on Amazon US

Finding good karaoke machines in the US can be challenging. Below are links to some Korean karaoke machines available on Amazon, as well as a certification card to receive new songs on Taejin machines. If you buy a machine online, make sure it is designated for home use (가정용) like the machines linked below, as machines for business have different inputs/outputs, making their use in a home environment more challenging.

Popular Norebang Pages for KPOP Artists on KoniKorean

The pages below include the norebang machine numbers for the artists' most popular songs. Print them and sing to your heart's content!

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