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 hissy 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 caused a revolution on the live music circuit. Suddenly we had a facility to play back high quality backing tracks in any order we chose. Each disk could hold about twenty songs and each song was named so you knew exactly what track you were picking. This was sheer 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 fifty, 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 Walk man 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, dancey, balladry, 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 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.
At the time of writing I have recently been experimenting using an Ipod Touch to play my backing tracks which does a great job. I'm also looking into the possibility of using an iPad which will allow me to display lyrics in a larger window than is possible on the iTouch. My point is that you don't need to go out and spend a fortune on equipment to play your backing tracks. You can get a netbook for around £250.00 that will do a great job.
Getting the right 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!
Fifteen 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. 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. Lawyer - I've covered my arse.
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/) which is free to use and dose the job easily.
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 sound really, really crap when you use tracks that fade. Have you ever seen a live act fade a song? Really? No you haven't have you! 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.
Backing tracks and Karaoke (MP3+G) tracks are available from the following web sites:
http://www.karaoke-version.co.uk
This is a fantastic resource for both karaoke tracks and backing tracks. You can listen to and download tracks. They also allow you to change the key before you download the track. Prices from £1.50
http://www.sunflykaraoke.com/
The big daddy of UK and Australian Karaoke. This company has been producing karaoke tracks since the dawn of karaoke. Their older tracks can be a bit ropey, but in the last few years almost all of their tracks are fantastic. Some of the older tracks also have a tendency to fade. Prices from £1.99
http://www.selectatrack.com/
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
http://www.ameritz.co.uk
Another well established company with variable key downloads. Prices from £1.49
Feel free to comment and add any other suppliers that you would recommend.
Take That
