Nightingale – open-source karaoke app that works with any song on your computer
This free app uses AI to strip vocals, transcribe lyrics, and score your pitch in real-time.
Nightingale is a feature-rich, open-source karaoke application that transforms any song file on your computer into an interactive singing game. Developed as a single, self-contained binary, it bootstraps all necessary components—including ffmpeg, PyTorch, and machine learning models—on first launch, requiring no complex installation. The core AI magic happens via stem separation models like UVR Karaoke or Demucs, which cleanly isolate vocals from instrumentals. For lyrics, it first checks the LRCLIB database and, if needed, uses OpenAI's WhisperX for accurate transcription and word-level alignment to the audio. The app supports MP4 and MKV video files, automatically extracting and processing the audio.
Beyond basic playback, Nightingale turns singing into a scored game. It provides real-time pitch scoring as you sing into your microphone, complete with star ratings and per-song scoreboards to track progress. The experience is designed for social use, featuring multiple player profiles with separate histories and full gamepad navigation for menus and playback. Visually, it offers dynamic backgrounds powered by GPU shader effects, Pixabay video loops, or the source video. The application is fully cross-platform, running on Linux (x86_64 and ARM), macOS (Intel and Apple Silicon), and Windows, leveraging CUDA or Metal for GPU acceleration where available.
- Uses AI models (UVR Karaoke/Demucs) for high-quality vocal separation from any local audio or video file.
- Provides real-time pitch scoring and game-like features including star ratings, scoreboards, and gamepad support.
- Fully self-contained, cross-platform binary that works offline on Linux, macOS, and Windows with GPU acceleration.
Why It Matters
It democratizes high-quality, AI-powered karaoke by offering a free, private, and feature-complete alternative to streaming services.