SoundTech Vocal Trainer Kit

To use the kit, you hook the LightSnake cable, which is a garden-hose-size USB cord, to your PC on one end and to the microphone on the other. This took some doing. The cable's ends cleverly light up at the USB port and the microphone connector when sound is transmitted to let you know when the software is recording your voice. But, as I learned, the lights won't work if you plug the cable into a USB hub; it must be connected directly into a PC port. Also, the nearly-one-pound mic was too heavy for the spindly tripod, which broke in half within minutes of assembly.

After firing up the software, you sing a sample scale of notes from low to high so the software can analyze your vocal range (how low and high you can sing: bass to soprano). The results are displayed graphically by the software; it shows you where your voice is compared with the actual notes. The user interface is easy to understand even for complete musical neophytes. From there, you're guided through 20 tutorials that are designed to help you develop good tone, sing a range of pitches, and read music. You can go through all 20 lessons or pick and choose the ones you want.