Free online KAR to CSV converter

Karaoke and music-sequencing software may require a text-based representation of a KAR song for editing, inspection, scripting, or archival. Converting it to MIDI CSV exposes note, timing, tempo, instrument, and lyric events as rows that can be processed with ordinary text tools.

What the KAR format is

KAR is a karaoke file based on Standard MIDI data. It stores musical events such as notes, program changes, tempo, and controller messages, together with lyric or karaoke text events synchronized to the MIDI timeline. Karaoke authoring programs, MIDI sequencers, and karaoke libraries commonly create or distribute KAR files.

A KAR file is usually structurally close to a MIDI file; its .kar extension identifies the karaoke use rather than a completely separate note format. The exact lyric conventions and track layout can vary between authoring programs.

What the CSV format is

For music composition, CSV normally means MIDI CSV, not a spreadsheet of song titles or a generic audio format. MIDI CSV represents MIDI events as comma-separated records containing values such as track number, tick position, event type, MIDI channel, note number, velocity, tempo, and lyric text.

Its plain-text rows can be opened in a text editor or spreadsheet and processed with scripts. CSV is useful for inspecting event timing, changing selected notes or lyrics programmatically, comparing arrangements, and archiving MIDI event data in a readable form. A generic CSV reader cannot play the result; the rows must be converted back to MIDI before use in most composition or karaoke software.

How to actually convert KAR to CSV

Using MIDI CSV tools

1. Install the MIDI CSV utilities, including midicsv and, if you need a reverse conversion, csvmidi.
2. Check that the KAR file contains a standard MIDI header. On systems with the file utility, run file song.kar; a valid file generally identifies itself as MIDI data regardless of its extension.
3. Convert the binary KAR data with midicsv song.kar song.csv.
4. Open song.csv in a text editor or spreadsheet. Keep the output as comma-separated text and preserve quoted fields containing commas, line breaks, or lyric text.

If the utility rejects the extension even though the file has a MIDI header, copy it to song.mid and run midicsv song.mid song.csv. Renaming does not convert the data; it only accommodates software that filters by filename extension.

To turn an edited MIDI CSV file back into a playable MIDI file, use csvmidi song.csv song.mid. A MIDI or karaoke application can then open the resulting file, although it may require renaming the output to song.kar and may not preserve application-specific karaoke metadata.

Using the online converter

You can convert the file for free on the 101convert.com website without installing software. Upload the KAR file, select CSV as the output, run the conversion, and download the generated file. Verify that the service produces MIDI-style event rows rather than a CSV containing only file information.

Quality and compatibility limitations

The conversion changes the representation of the MIDI event stream; it does not render audio and does not create a recording of the singer or instruments. Timing is normally stored in MIDI ticks, so converting tick positions to seconds requires the file's division value and tempo-change events.

Standard note, tempo, controller, program-change, and lyric events generally survive the conversion. Some karaoke players use nonstandard metadata, proprietary lyric tags, embedded graphics, or additional text conventions; MIDI CSV tools may omit or flatten those elements. Inspect lyric rows and track names after conversion, especially when the KAR file contains synchronized syllables.

Spreadsheet applications can alter long numeric values, remove leading zeros, change character encoding, or interpret commas and quotation marks incorrectly. For reliable round-tripping, edit the CSV with a text editor or a script, preserve its original quoting and encoding, and test the reconstructed MIDI file in the target karaoke or sequencing software.