A playlist is what turns a folder of karaoke files into an evening. vanBasco stores playlists as .vpl files, and a playlist is more than a running order: the settings you give each song — tempo, volume and key — can be saved with the playlist and recalled when you load it again. Add the player’s playback modes — Repeat all, Repeat song, Shuffle and Scanning — and the humble .vpl becomes the control centre for practice sessions and parties alike. This guide covers building, ordering, saving and actually using playlists well.
Create your first .vpl playlist
- Open vanBasco and add songs from one folder first, rather than hunting across the whole disk.
- Order them deliberately: an easy opener, stronger songs in the middle, a familiar closer.
- Play the first few seconds of each entry to catch corrupt or wrong-version files now, not mid-party.
- Save the playlist with a name that states its purpose, such as Practice-Slow or Family-Party, in the same folder as the songs where possible.
Keeping the .vpl beside its songs makes the whole set portable: copy the folder to another PC and the list still makes sense. A playlist that points at files scattered across five drives is fragile — moving or renaming one folder quietly breaks entries, and the failure only appears when that song is called for.
Save per-song settings, not just songs
The recall system is the reason to build playlists even for solo practice. Set the key that fits your voice, the tempo you are learning at, and a volume that balances this file against the others, then save the playlist. Next session, those decisions return with the songs. This matters because MIDI files vary enormously in loudness and difficulty by author. A playlist with saved settings removes the between-song fiddling that kills the momentum of a group session and the focus of a practice session.
The four playback modes, used honestly
Repeat all loops the whole list — the right mode for background singing sessions and for a party that will dip in and out. Repeat song loops one track, ideal for drilling a chorus or letting a child sing the same favourite three times without debate. Shuffle randomizes the order, which suits a large, well-known library and avoids arguments about running order. Scanning plays the start of each song in sequence — the fastest way to audition a new batch of files, remind yourself what is in a long list, or let a group vote song by song. Choosing the mode deliberately, instead of leaving whatever was last set, is a small habit that prevents most playlist confusion.
Organize a growing library
Build several focused playlists rather than one master list of everything. A practical minimum is three: a practice list, a performance or party list, and an inbox list for newly obtained files you have not checked yet. Only promote a file out of the inbox after you have heard it fully, confirmed it has lyrics if you need them, and set its key and volume. Back up the folder containing your songs and .vpl files together — a playlist without its files is just a list of broken promises, and a song collection built over years deserves the same backup care as photos.
Fixing a playlist that misbehaves
If a saved playlist loads but a song plays at the old key or tempo, re-set the values and save the playlist again, then reload it to confirm the recall worked. If an entry cannot be found, the file has been moved or renamed — re-add it from its new location rather than recreating the whole list. If every entry fails, the entire song folder has moved; restoring the folder to its original path is usually faster than repairing dozens of entries one by one.
Good habits that make this stick
Guides are only useful if the result survives the next session, so finish with three habits. First, test .vpl with one familiar song before you rely on it with a group — familiarity makes differences obvious instead of debatable. Second, save whatever you set up: a named playlist, a written note of a setting that worked, or the verified installer kept with its checksum, so a future you is not reconstructing tonight’s success from memory. Third, change one thing at a time from here on. Once a setup works, most later confusion comes from two well-meant tweaks made together, after which nobody can say which one helped. A karaoke library and a player configuration are both long-term assets for a household; the households that enjoy them for years are the ones that treat a working setup as something to protect, not something to keep redecorating.
Finally, remember the boundaries of the software itself. vanBasco’s Karaoke Player v2.53 is the final release from March 2004: freeware for personal, non-commercial use, Windows only, and focused on .kar, .mid, .midi and .rmi files with .vpl playlists. Working within those boundaries is not a limitation to apologise for — it is exactly why the player is still fast, predictable and useful. If a future need falls outside them, such as MP3+G or streaming catalogues, add a modern tool alongside vanBasco rather than forcing this player to be something it never claimed to be.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a .vpl file?
A .vpl file is vanBasco’s playlist format. It stores a list of songs and can store per-song settings such as tempo, volume and key so they are recalled when the playlist loads.
What does Scanning mode do?
Scanning plays the beginning of each song in turn. It is designed for auditioning files quickly — checking a new batch, remembering a long list, or choosing the next song as a group.
Why did my playlist entries break after I tidied my folders?
Playlist entries point at file locations. Moving or renaming song files or their folders breaks the pointers. Keep songs and their .vpl in one folder and move them together.