SHOULD BANDS PLAY WITH A BACKING TRACK?
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- čas přidán 26. 11. 2018
- Hey Guys!
Should bands play with a backing track?
Leave your thoughts below?
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I don't have a problem with a basic track playing so long as the band is singing and playing live over it. Unless a band wants to employ outside help, sometimes it's needed, like when a band has one guitarist!. Problem is some bands out there are charging fans (good.money) for a karaoke show!..
All for backing tracks in the back when part of a well practiced act. Too often I see acts following the tracks effectively putting them up front and turning shows into bad karaoke.
Great video! Always useful information :)
Nothing wrong with that really, but better have a good soundman!
Yep
Im in a band a we do it, it actually can help you to learn timing really well, it think the key is don't over produce it, make sure your playing the song and not a track, the track should be kept to a minimum one or two instruments. We usually have a drum kit and maybe another instrument but we are the show.
How does this barely have 4,300 views after a year and a half? Damn you've grown a lot in the last year!
Hey Damo. Hope you see this
Just wanna get your opinion on a solo artist playing with backtracks?
E.g. a Guitarist, singing and playing along to a bass and drum backtrack.
Thanks
thank you! great video!
Thank u sir really learnt alot..
So is it safe for me to perform live with my band with backing vocal track
Hey Damian! So to continue the discussion, should a solo singer/guitar player use a backing track of the rest of the instruments? (second guitar, bass, synth and drums) or would you recommend using a looping pedal and make all of the music on stage like Tash Sultana or Ed Sheeran? What's your opinion on this? Still think you have a collection of great T-shirts XD
For a solo singer/guitar player, it's better to use a looping pedal. It creates a show.
Hey mate you are spot on
Brilliantly said. I was always a purist and felt 'ripped off' by live music when I thought (a) they didn't sound like their albums at all or (b) they sound too perfectly like their albums, which made me think I was seeing a complete mime act (*cough* RHCP).
You've just tipped me over to the other side. I'm inclined to think now that it's about giving a good show by any means possible. It still takes loads of skill to sing and play live with a backing track and if it sounds better, why not?
Great vid
Just watch a video produced by the band. That way they can edit until it is perfect. If the show is supposed to be live - it should be live.
you just said it, i don't wanna compromise on the show either, and as my tracks include synths sounds and percussion, i sacrifice everything to the song and without those synths and percussion that we can't play live as a three-piece-indie-rock-outfit, the songs just wouldn't work, so backing tracks are the solution. and, you know, it's 2021, some of the biggest festivals are headlined by djs that just play fully produced and mastered tracks and the crowd goes crazy, nobody cares because it's all about the songs. only some of those stick-in-the-mud musician nazis complain about this like "booh, that's not live" but who cares about them anyway?
A female vocalist/keyboardist/sax player/ flute/clarinet/guitar player who I play in a 5 piece rock cover band with teamed up to put a 2 piece duo with myself for small gigs to make some extra cash. I myself play electric and acoustic guitar, keyboards and bass guitar and also sing. I produce all the live keyboard sounds we play with in MainStage. We harmonize very well together and depending on where we play I have over 280 songs that I produced with drums and bass tracks that we play live with. I have the songs with the backing tracks stored inside my keyboard rig. We do alot of winery's and pubs and play alot of 80's ballads. I have a small home recording studio in my basement, where I use drum software to build the songs and then add the bass line and record it, and then play songs with real instruments and real vocal's. We let people that come to see us, know that we play with tracks right from the start of the gig. So they know it's just not karaoke. We've had people come up to us during a gig and ask to sing a song and tell them we don't do it, but tell them I can play it on piano if you want to sing it. I tell them they have to look up the lyrics on their phones as I don't have them and they do and their kinda stunned that we don't have a karaoke backing track for it. We've also implemented a " Name that Tune" type game where I play a snippet of a song and they guess the name of the song and artist, they get a drink from us if they get it. If you let people know what to expect before hand, I think they are more tuned to it, especially when you play Fleetwood Mac and your singer sounds like Stevie Nicks, or when she does the sax solo at the start of Overkill by Men At Work! And with that many songs we never play the same songs back to back gigs!
That’s an amazingly inspiring story… as a rapper singer I am going on tour and there is a debate about performing over the vocals or not… I was thinking that I like these hip hop festivals where the rapper performs over their vocals but the vocal track is a little bit softer than the live one…. Would you say that’s a good idea? What would the audience prefer most?
100% Live vocals is best, with backing and/or softer double vocals in the chorus if possible. Good luck with your performances
The Who uses a backing track for many of their tracks, especially Baba O’Reilly and Won’t Get Fooled Again...yet they’re still The Who. U2 use it for the opening of Where The Streets Have No Name, yet they’re still U2. Any DJ in the world rarely feature any live performance outside what they do with the desk to the pre-recorded track, yet they are still the DJ that they are. I agree that it’s really the overall performance. If the singer can’t sing in tune or the band don’t have stage presence, then having a backing track or not shouldn’t be the first problem a band should be contemplating.
exactly william..I have been doing this a long time... takes patience,time,and practice...backing tracks help so much...
The point here is how you consider a "great a brilliant show". For me it is not hearing a keyboardist or even a choir vocalist who's not on the stage, I probably can resist some little inserts but must be limited. I understand your point and the economic implications however if I go to a music concert I expect it to be real and not partially a fake.
We use tracks: rhythm guitars, synths, organs, pianos, vocals. I was a purist before, but the argument that brought me round was this: The bands that played before and after you on the same stage are probably using tracks, but the average punter doesn't know that; all they hear is your band sounding weaker than those other two.
It's funny you gave the example of BV tracks first though, because they're the ones I'd be most shy about using. People know right away that no one is singing that part! Fourth wall broken!
Everyone should sing.
no mate, in that case the band that didnt use backing tracks was utter trash, Play better, have better musicians, no one can fake virtuosity
If your band is good and you are all good musicians you dont need backing tracks and lie to your audience !!! thats wrong and you should be ashamed in doing it
!
@@gvibes69 thats a blatant lie. The fact that you cant simply recreate vital string parts etc in a usual band setting doesnt mean you lack talent. Thats simply not possible to do in many cases. That means you have two options. Either you hire an entire string section/ orchestra to play with you or you use tracks. The first option is financially and logistically impossible. So your only option is to use tracks
NO! I'm a musician and I want a concert to be truly live! Only if you are a one man band and you use a loop station like on leads that's Ok because you have played the tracks it's you playing to yourself.
MICHAEL DAVIS YES!
Thanks Damian Keyes.
😊 just kidding. The great thing about music and shows is it’s all subjective. Some bands work differently and are set up for extra track to fill out the sound as they can’t afford the musicians live... for example they might not be able to afford a string section or a choir etc.
I think as long as it doesn’t detract from the live show it can work although I agree with you I’m there to see a live performance ... I found this when I saw Aerosmith... far too much on track leaving the band sound lacklustre and boring. I guess every band is different 😊😊
As a musician you need to write the stuff you want to write. If that includes orchestral parts, synths and big production then so be it. You need that stuff live in order for the songs to make sense. But you simply cant hire all the extra musicians to play everything fully live. Thats financially and logistically impossible
Totally agree. My band use backing tracks live but not had anyone mention they don't agree with it yet, it's mostly synths, samples and sound effects. And it's much easier than dealing with another member in the band.
Hi Alex! My name is Catalina and I'm from Livetracker.com. You can download our free trial from livetraker.com/ in order to see how it works. As a resume, Livetracker is a software available for Windows and Mac Osx, specially designed to manage Live Band Performances on stage, which allows you to play and control Audio, Texts, Videos, Midi, Clicks …and much more! Mobile apps, basic media players and sequencers are not the solution because are not born for this purpose! LIVETRAKER will let you manage an entire Live show on consumer-level notebooks.
Sounds like you’re optimizing for yourself rather than the audience. Not a good long term business strategy. People are paying for a live show, not a pre-recorded show.
Of course it's "much easier". Cheating typically is much easier than doing something for real.
Is it just me or does this guy sound a like Richard Hammond?
Can be very helpful, but have to know your craft.
I saw Muse play in a stadium a few years ago. The show was huge, lots of performers, lights, screens, lasers but I was disappointed to learn they used backing tracks. I don't think selling 50000 tickets at £65 a time means they are tight on money. If it means having a few more musicians on stage and paying for them to tour, it would be worth it and wouldnt break the bank.
It absolutely would be stupidly expensive. I am not totally familiar with Muse songs but from what I have heard just a few extra musicians would not be enough to truly perform everything live. And as soon as you need a string section, extra synth players etc it absolutely becomes financially and logistically impossible. People are also already complaining about ticket prices. If every band would tour with all these extra musicians these prices would be 3 or 4 times higher at least. I think people like you would be the first ones to complain about that
31 seconds ago
If you are a Soloist or Duo act, that is fine. People can easily see that soloist at the coffee shop is flying in Tracks. And, it's viewed as such.
If you are a band, performing at a club or other event. You are Deceiving people.
Local Band or Otherwise. Sing your parts, play your parts. If you need to add members, then do it. That is what a band is all about.
It's not about deceiving the audience into thinking you are great. Achieve goals of perfection through work and rehearsing. Not to be able to pretend in front of people.
Agree 💯%. Like I said in another comment... Bands with backing tracks are optimizing for themselves, rather than for the audience. Not a good long term business strategy. People are paying for a live show, not a pre-recorded show.
@Incognito Inc. The answer is within our own band. We are very diverse Variety band with 3 keyboard players, performing on 5 state of the are Keyboards.
Not 20 hands, but many times throughout the night is 6. Still No tracking.
@@donsimpson12 Proud of you bro!! That is real musicianship
A lot of the times (in fact most of the times) you will not be able to afford all the extra musicians you would need to play everything fully live. And thats the case for small and big bands. Its just not possible financially and logistically to tour with a full orchestra, synth players, choirs etc. However many bands would need that because its a vital part of their sound. And they should absolutely NOT change their sound just so that they dont have to use tracks live. Restricting yourself like that as a musician is a recipe for burnout. In that case your only option is to use tracks. Everything you can see being played on stage is still being played 100% live. Its just the extra layers that are on tracks
@@metalpuppet5798 To me this is still unacceptable. Most of the people in the audience cannot distinguish between instruments. Some can't tell a difference between a Bass and a regular guitar, etc.
But they can distinguish between correct or incorrect sound.
Bottom Line, you are still deceiving your audience out of their own ignorance of instrumentation.
Band Size and stage size limits are a real thing. We encounter this and have to simply dismiss these fun little places to perform at. But at the same time, these smaller venues (9times out of 10) cannot afford to pay a band proper pay anyway.
Financial reasons are also a copout. If you want to do it right, then there is a way to reach the goals.
If you want to track, become a solo or duo and track everything. You will be considered an honest musician among true musicians with no deception. At the same time, you will make more money and perform the smallest of venues and stay happy.
In the end, it simply separates those that are dedicated to music recreation purity and those that are looking for gigging money with no real or genuine value in the art or the product of performing live music.
Nice!
Bands should hire a damn keyboard player. That's what samples and synths are for. Small bands would rather not have a keyboardist and save that wage and use backing tracks instead.
Very often one would not be enough. At that point its financially and logistically impossible for most bands to tour with all the extra musicians.
Karaoke . end of story.
Isn’t a backing track similar to lip-singing?
Nope. Extremely different. When using backing tracks every musician on stage is performing 100% live. Tracks are exclusively used for additional layers like orchestral parts etc that simply cant be performed fully live for financial and logistical reasons
Backing tracks and live music contradict each other. This guy is basically saying miming is ok if you cant afford a full sized band.
Miming is completely different - miming is where you're deliberately creating an illusion that you're making the sounds "live" yourself, but you're actually not. Using a backing track is where you're introducing additional instruments that you are obviously not playing at the time.
As the person before me said, backing tracks are exclusively used for additional layers like orchestral parts etc that simply cant be played fully live because of financial and logistical reasons. You simply cant tour with all these extra musicians
if only it were a string section or whatever- its not just that! They are playing to 4 guitar tracks-thats not live music @@metalpuppet5798
If you can perform it then don't put it in your album, my opinion.
Or just cut it out of the live show
WRONG. As a musician you need to write the stuff you want to write. If that includes orchestral parts, synths etc then so be it. You should never restrict yourself. That only leads to burnout. That means you need a way to have that stuff live. You cant just leave it out or the songs wont make sense. However its financially and logistically impossible to tour with all the extra musicians to play everything fully live. At that point using tracks is the only option
@@camilomontoya7412 many bands have vital parts being played by extra instrumentation like strings etc. You cant just cut that out. The song will stop making sense then.
While I totally agree with you on this, I believe people's problem with backing tracks is when they become excessive. I saw a band a few days ago, where (although they had 2 guitar players) had additional recorded guitars, a bass (because they didn't have a bass player) and also additional drums/cymbals. All in all more than half the sound that was coming out of the PA was not played live. I'm paying to see a band perform, not a band play along to a prerecorded song. Add onto that, their laptop was causing issues and they had to start about 15 minutes late.
Aside from cases like this, I am all for backing tracks. There are songs that just don't sound the same if you don't have the full sound which was intended for them.
Who on earth would to additional cymballs. Like Why?
if you have two "guitarists" you should need guitar backing tracks unless they are sheer trash players. You wont even be able to compete for the frequencies at that stage
Should bands play with backing tracks? Yes unless they want to hire a full orchestra or horn section and stop using a synth...
I have a problem. I have no band. And I can't play all those instruments on my recordings in the same time. Is it going to be stupid to use backing tracks of studio recordings without my voice and without rhythm guitar to play concerts like that?
I can't stand Karaoke Musicians. I'm not against tracks for bands or TV.. it's the Solo or Duo people that s_ _ _ in my mind.
I would rather hear some bad notes than listen to a recording. Maybe bands should actually have to have talent and not just be studio creations. I am not paying $100 to watch some posers lip sync.
Using tracks and lip syncing/playback are two WILDLY different things. When using tracks every single musician on stage is 100% performing live. The tracks are exclusively used for additional layers like orchestral parts etc that can not be performed fully live because of financial and logistical reasons
Totally disagree. No musician with integrity uses tracks. There are 2 types of music: live and recorded. I would rather hear a less perfect REAL version than watch some guys who cannot really play it stand up there and fake it. @@metalpuppet5798
But the problem is, using tracks DOES lower the quality of the show. No matter how well you play, you will be less genuine, and in my eyes, worse.
Subjective
@@DamianKeyes Sorry, I got a little frustrated in moment, but I do agree with that. I guess from my perspective, I listen to music for artistic enjoyment reasons and am personally really moved by spur of the moment, improvisational movements in music (not necessarily like a jam band, just organic/raw like say extending a lead section 4 bars because the crowd is really buying it). I completely understand the economics of using tracks because at the end of the day, it is a business. BUT for me as a consumer, I don’t enjoy it all and am much less interested in buying tickets to a show that uses them. I’d honestly rather see “scaled down” version of your songs, because to me that makes it more genuine. Again, you’re right, my personal opinion, but I feel like I’m not alone.
@@rhotone3413 you're not mate,. Sure most consumers at a "live" show won't have a clue but when you point out to them the 3/4 tracks going on in the show that no one on stage is playing, they aren't happy, trust me ive pointed this very thing out to various people at shows, they never say "oh who cares, it just adds to the performance", its more like "really?! I though they were playing live hmmm" . That should show you right there even "laypeople" dont like backing tracks, they just werent aware that it was going on. Fucking sham "artists", get the fuck off the stage if you cant play
Well when you're a solo artist I think backing tracks are better than playing acoustic all night, it allows you to play almost any song you want to play and being a lead guitar player I can show off my skills that I can't show off on an acoustic guitar. And people do enjoy tracks better because I've done polls and they all like tracks better in my case probably because of my guitar playing and singing. I actually do both at my show but keep the acoustic playing to a minimum
@@camilomontoya7412 do you expect them to play their usual band parts (which they VERY MUCH ARE playing 100% live) and at the same time play string parts, synths etc?!?! That is fucking impossible. Backing tracks are exclusively used for additional layers like orchestral parts etc. They are NOT used for things you can see being played on stage. No band could hire all these extra musicians that would be needed to play all these things fully live and tour with them. Thats financially and logistically impossible. But they need those parts in their music otherwise it doesnt make sense. So their only option is to use tracks
Woodstock would have been a much better concert with backing tracks.
I Dont like backing tracks,
Audience is suspiciois about it, sounds unnatural and if yu're busker, crowd not gonna respect you that much. Johnny Cash did album, alone.with acoustic guitar and its all times classic. If you're lacking confidence in yourself, then you go for fake music in a background. But also it really depends whos your audience.
Rock Fans gonna ban you, fat McDonald's tourist package, ok
.. They like it, but then letsndp karaoke its more fun!
Hey, here's an idea - STOP over-producing everything. Make music like Tom Petty did.
As a band you NEED to write the shit you want to write otherwise you may as well just hang it up entirely because you will burn out if you restrict yourself. If that means you want to make for example symphonic Metal or some other style where for example strings or other additional layers play a vital part then so be it. You will need a way to have that stuff live. Touring with a full orchestra etc is financially and logistically impossible. That means your only option is using tracks
Not buying what you are selling. You can get symphonic sounds out of keyboards and synths. And who are these groups that need orchestras? LOL. I would love it if a lead singer got up before every show and said, "Our promise to you the audience is that - good or bad - this is really us."@@metalpuppet5798
If you can’t play it live, don’t play it.
That’s just my opinion.
BIngo!
The early 1960s called, they want their attitude to music back. Saying that an artist can only play a single instrument at one time really limits the creativity in what sounds they can create. It might be great for folk, but it's not going to work for other genres quite so well.
@@jeremybean-hodges6397
It’s like instant mashed potatoes or pre-made pie crust. Yeah, it’s good and it’s easier…but it’s not the same thing as entirely from scratch…. And it’s not the early 60s it’s like “the beginning of music - 2000”
@@minnesotajack1 Sure, it's not as good as having the musicians in the room playing together - but if you're just starting out, you can't exactly afford it.
And in terms of the year - the mid-60s was the point at which bands starting creating music in the studio that they couldn't replicate with a limited number of acoustic instruments on stage, hence that reference.
So, if you do have some great backing vocals or synth lines, and you don't have enough musicians to replicate that live, why not do it? Something is better than nothing.
@@jeremybean-hodges6397
I’d rather hear what they can do live. Example: I saw ZZ Top in concert and they closed the night with Legs. You can’t get that sound without synth on a click track and Billy can’t sing that high live.
I was disappointed, but 40% of the crowd wanted to hear that as the final number.
It’s not a “live” show. At some point why don’t we just listen to the album and the artist walks around signing autographs.
Putting the show amazing cutting costs and cheating and lying to the public is wrong!!!
Using tracks isnt cheating on anyone. The musicians are still playing and singing everything thats on stage 100% live. Backing tracks are exclusively used for additional layers like orchestral parts etc that cant be performed fully live for financial and logistical reasons