Finding and using great backing tracks for solo singers and bands.
You can either listen to the podcast or read the blog below:
I've
decided to update this original 2011 blog. As technology has moved
on, so has the quality of backing-track sound-production and I'm
finding more and more 'newly created' versions of older songs...
Firstly, if you want to hear the quality of the backing tracks I use, have a listen here:
A bit of backing track history:
I
first started out performing without a band (just as a duo) back in
the mid 1980s. Back then all we had was a drum machine and a tape
deck. Owing to the fact that the drum machine had very little memory,
we would programme the drums for each song and record each song to
tape. The quality was crap but it was all we had. Guitar and bass
were played live over the top of the backing drums.
In
the early 1990's the development of midi and midi file players meant
for the first time solo performers could have control of something
approximating a full band. Midi files were stored on floppy disks and
each song would have to be loaded before it would play. This caused a
slight delay between songs but it was far easier than messing around
with cassette tapes.
By
the mid 90's DAT (Digital Audio Tape) appeared which gave superb
sound reproduction - especially compared to the old noisy analogue
cassette tapes. I found it easier to dump my midi backing tracks on
to DAT - the only downside being that you had no control over the
order of the set as tracks were recorded in a linear fashion. This
might have seemed like taking a step back, but I wanted to have a
show that moved quickly with no gaps between songs to keep the
momentum of the audience going.
For a
while I used CD's as a form of storing backing tracks. This was even
easier again than using DAT tapes because access to tracks was
instantaneous, however at that time tracks could not not named and
you could only get around 10 tracks on a disk.
Then
in the late 1990's Sony released the mini disk. This was quite a
revelation for people using backing tracks. Suddenly we had a
facility to play back high quality backing tracks from a form of
media that allowed to select a track instantly. Each disk could hold
about twenty songs and each song was named so you knew exactly what
track you were picking. At the time this was a luxury! However as my
library of backing tracks increased I found it more and more
difficult to use mini disks in a live situation. Having a set list is
fine, but if you turn up to a gig and the majority of the audience
are over 60 years old, they don't necessarily want to hear the latest
chart hits. I needed to be more flexible so each show could evolve
with its audience's tastes. A full dance floor rocking out to a
Beatles classic could be emptied by the latest hit from Take That and
I would cringe sometimes knowing that the next song was going to kill
the show if I couldn't change it. Even worse was sifting through
hundreds of disks to find the track I wanted.
Many
solo performers and duo's still use midi files and mini disks with
some degree of success - but we are not talking about 'some degree of
success' this blog is designed to make you the best at what you do,
and as a performer, if you want the best work, you have to be able to
perform almost anything at the drop of a hat.
The
answer to my prayers came in the form of mp3 files. A compressed
music format that when played through a P.A. sounded great with files
small enough to fit hundreds on a CD or even thousands on a hard
disk. Companies started developing dedicated stand alone mp3 players
and I was lucky enough to get hold of one of the very first from a
company called Creative. It had a tiny screen that displayed the
track name and songs could be indexed by genre and name and it was
possible to set up play lists. This first player looked like a
portable CD Walkman but had a small hard disk inside so it was
capable of storing a few hundred tracks. I built a number of play
lists; Rocky, dance, ballads, young, old etc. Searching for tracks
was a bit fiddly, but it did the job for a few years.
Over
time I went from working in pubs and clubs to doing more wedding and
corporate gigs and people were asking more and more for a disco or
karaoke at the end of my live set. I was also becoming frustrated
with the limitations of the old style mp3 players so in early 2000 I
purchased my first windows based laptop and set it it up to play my
backing tracks.
At
that time there were very few software options for using mp3's in a
live environment (now there are literally hundreds) so I decided to
opt for some free software called Winamp. I discovered that Winamp
had a plug-in that allowed you to play CD+G files - which are mp3
files with lyric files attached. CD+G is the format that most Karaoke
discs use and it is possible with the right equipment to rip CD+G
CD's onto a hard disc. I also started building my own MP3 backing
tracks using some simple music production software called Cubase.
However, these days there are so many companies producing MP3 Karaoke
and backing tracks it is possible to pay to download the tracks to
your computer with the minimum of fuss.
There
will always be a debate about which is best for music, Apple or
Windows. However, if you are just using a laptop to play back backing
tracks, you don't need much processing power at all. I still use a
very basic notebook (ASUS) which has a 160gig drive running windows
XP and Winamp and in all my years of using laptops I have never had
one crash on me. I also have a basic Advent Laptop running Windows
8.1, but I still use Winamp as my main sound engine.
I
have experimented with iPads, iPhones and the old iPod touch but I
always seem to come back to a laptop based system. I often change set
lists on the fly and I find it easier to edit a list with a keyboard.
However, if you have a SET 'set list' then it would be just as easy
to use a small mp3 player or phone to play your tacks.
Getting the right backing tracks.
Please don't think that
you can jump on the internet and download a stack of tracks without
paying for them. You will just end up with a load of rubbish. If you
are serious about being a singer, spend some money. They are not
hugely expensive, some sites charge as little as £0.24 for a track.
But really you should be budgeting around £5.00 - £10.00 per track.
Once you've got them, you've got them for life! The pay-off will come
when you do gigs and people are not only in awe of your great voice,
but of your great sounding backing tracks!
The
backing tracks you use are just as important as your voice. If you
had a really terrible voice no one would want to book you, and the
same goes for crappy backing tracks. The advent of the internet means
it is now easy to purchase and download individual very high quality
backing tracks for a few pounds each.
I
despair when I see artists performing with General Midi tracks that
sound like they are being played on an old Bontempi organ. A guitar
should sound like a guitar, not like something pretending to be a
guitar! There is no excuse; and if you are one of the culprits, get
with the real world and sort your backing tracks out now!
20
years ago people would put up with the soulless sound of a General
Midi sound card, but these days everyone expects perfection and you
should give them nothing less. If you can't find backing tracks that
are spot on - then don't bother using them. An entire set can be let
down by slipping in a track that is out of kilter with the rest of
your songs. Don't take the risk.
Backing
tracks come in all manner of formats (CD, midi files etc.) but by far
the quickest and simplest method is to download (legally of course)
MP3s or WAVs. A word of warning here. Don't go downloading from file
sharing web sites - you are asking for trouble. Many tracks are
corrupt, of low sound quality, contain viruses and most importantly -
it's illegal. Thank you Mr. Copyright Lawyer - I've covered my
backside.
There
are a number of web-sites and companies that are worth visiting. If
you don't have the internet, find someone that does and spend time
finding the best tracks. I usually spend two or three hours a week
looking for and checking out the latest tracks.
I've
included the web addresses of some of preferred suppliers at end of
this blog.
Once
you have chosen your backing tracks you should spend time making sure
that they are 'topped and tailed'. Some tracks - especially those
designed for karaoke have a 10 second leader at the beginning of the
track. This can be very annoying if you are performing and you have
to wait for ten seconds before a songs starts. You will end up with a
deathly silence and the natives will become restless!
The
best way to do this is to import the files into a basic music editor
on a computer and chop of the silence at the start and end of the
track. Some music production software is very expensive and contains
a bunch of bells and whistles that you will never use, therefore a
quick search on the internet will turn up open-source software such
as Audacity (http://audacity.sourceforge.net/) It's a free, easy to
use program..
A
quick note here:
Please,
for the sanity of me, your audience and yourself - DON'T USE BACKING
TRACKS THAT FADE AT THE END. I know by using capital letters during
that last sentence that I am shouting, but honestly it looks and
sounds really, really crap. In my mind it's a sign of a lazy backing
track producer if they let the songs fade at the end. The original
record may have had a fade at the end but you can bet your bottom
dollar that when the artist performs it live that they don't fade it
- and neither should you.
Most
backing tracks these days have been put together by production
companies who specialise in the solo entertainer and karaoke market
so the volume levels have been 'normalised' to make sure the volume
is consistent throughout the track. However you may have some older
tracks where the volume is too loud or too quite. Again use something
like Audacity to adjust the track level to make it balanced and
relative to your other backing tracks. You really don't want to be
running back and forth to your mixer between songs because volume of
your backing track is too loud or too quite!
In
addition to allowing you to top and tail sound files, software like
Audacity will also allow you to adjust the tempo and pitch of a
track. This can be really handy if you have downloaded a track that
is not necessarily within your vocal pitch. However, don't go
overboard whilst using functions such as pitch and tempo adjustment
otherwise the track may end up sounding a bit strange.
So
let me re-iterate once again (I know you think I'm going on... but
trust me), spend time getting the best backing tracks you can find.
Get rid of all your old crappy ones and update them - it really will
make all the difference to your show and people will be impressed. I
am constantly getting people complimenting me on my tracks and asking
me where I get them from - so now you know.
Where can I get great backing tracks?
Backing
tracks and Karaoke (MP3+G) tracks are available from the following
web sites:
Paris
Music Limited specialise in producing sound-a-like Backing Tracks for
license to professional singers and performers. They use real
instruments and backing singers to re-create very realistic tracks
that are hard to distinguish from the original recordings. All songs
have definite endings.
They
offer up to 4 versions of each title:
Instrumental
- Full Backing Track featuring all instruments and no vocals.
Backing
Vocals - Full Backing Track featuring all instruments & all
relevant backing vocals.
Record
Mix - A complete mix including a lead vocal for guide purposes.
MULTITRACK
- Each Instrument group supplied as it's own WAV file. If you use
studio software such Cubase, Logic or ProTools you can mix our
Backing Tracks yourself. (See FAQs for breakdown of separate
instrument groups).
Prices
range from £50..0 - £18.00 depending on song format.
Order
3 tracks and receive a 10% discount
Order
5 tracks and receive a 20% discount
Order
10 tracks or more and receive a 25% discount
London
Arrangements specialises in the production of professional backing
tracks, ranging from stage and screen, swing and jazz, to classical
and easy listening genres.
Most
of their tracks are with real instruments and great backing singers.
The tracks have a great 'live feel'.
They
currently have just under 1500 songs in their catalogue (and
counting).
The
majority of their backing tracks can be ordered in any key at no
extra charge.
They
also produce bespoke backing tracks, piano rehearsal tracks and piano
/ vocal sheet music transcriptions.
Prices
range from £8.00 - £12.00 with a 10% discount on orders of 5 or
more.
The
tracks supplied by Teddy Nasr are all re-arranged by him and are
quite stunning. I have not yet heard any singer using them (apart
from myself). His currently library is not huge but what is there is
breath taking.
They
supply different genres of original music tracks for Films,
Short-films, TV, Radio, Advertising, corporate videos, commercials,
games, dance, theatre, backing tracks and Podcast.
The
music genre spectrum extends from epic, romance and suspense music
-for crime and thriller- as well as trailers and advertising, to
house, trance, electronica, chill-out, jazz, funk and world music up
.
Amazing
prices for what you get.
Prices
start at $2.99 - $5.99
If
you are looking for Les Miserables backing tracks, these are probably
about the best you can lay your hands on at the moment.
It's
a very small site but it contains mp3 files which are extremely
realistic and authentic. Amazingly the mp3 files are available for
download for $1.00 USD each.
This
is a fantastic resource for both karaoke tracks (with CDG graphics)
and backing tracks. They also offer a 'Custom Backing Track' service
which allows you to mix the individual instruments online before
downloading.
This means you can remove instruments
altogether (great if you are a keyboard player or guitarist and you
want to play an instrument over the track). You can also change the
key of the track. Overall quality is very high, but there are a few
'lame' sounding tracks – so look out! Prices from £1.50
They
also offer a 'Loyalty point' system which allows you to accrue points
every time you buy a song. 3 points gets you one free song.
The
big daddy of UK and Australian Karaoke. This company has been
producing karaoke tracks since the dawn of karaoke. These are Karaoke
tracks and you will hear a lot of singers using them. A word of
warning, their older tracks can be a bit ropey, but in the last few
years their tracks are fantastic have improved drastically. Some of
the older tracks also have a tendency to fade (Which is a big No
No!). Prices from £1.99
This
company has a huge collection of tracks available to download from
many different producers. You can also get hard copies sent out if
you don't want to download. Prices from £2.00
Another
well established company with variable key downloads. They claim to
be one of the first suppliers of audio backing tracks in the world. I
haven't used Ameritz for quite a while as they have many tracks that
were obviously constructed a number of years ago which are now
sounding quite tired. However, yhey quite often have a sale on with
prices from £0.24 per track!
Andys Tracks was
established in 1992 and manufactures and supplies premium quality
backing tracks for singers and musicians. The company has gone
through a couple of name changes over the years, starting out as
Metronomix, and also known as Tracks4you. They have a comprehensive
collection of David Alexander backing tracks, and the chances are, if
you've every hear anyone singing a David Alexander song, it came from
this site!
A special note if you are
looking for both English and Welsh backing tracks...
Based at hp studios
Holyhead, traxVault has been producing backing tracks since the mid
80's. They started producing tracks for local amateur productions,
soloists and duos. Since then the library has expanded it now
contains many rare songs and musicals which are not covered by other
similar sites.
Prices £3.00 - £10.00
Feel
free to comment and add any other suppliers that you would recommend.
