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Backing Tracks


mbarsott

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I posted a thread on the studio forum asking questions about creating my own backing tracks. People was very helpful and another user suggested me a site where I could buy custom backing tracks for $2.99.

 

I thought this would be a more appropriate forum to ask if someone else knows of other sites that sell or give backing tracks.

 

Here is the post about backing tracks from the other forum:

 

 

Here:







Under --->
MP3 INSTRUMENTAL
---> all fixed stereo songs. (the song $199)


Under --->
CUSTOM ACCOMPANIMENT TRACK
---> you can download the individial musical instrument tracks, or mix online and then download. (the song 2.99)



We have over 30.000 songs.

 

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hi

 

i have mixed feelings on the karaoke version tracks.

 

some have gone well for me some are incredibly cheesy and dont work in a live setting for me... even removing some of the sounds i still cant get em right.

its th drums on some of them. too much reverb on them i think./..

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I've purchased probably my last 20 tracks at karaoke-version.com. I've probably kept about 5. Believe it or not Im OK with that. They're so cheap it doesn't bother me if they don't work out. OTOH if they do work out it's great because they ARE so cheap!

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I've purchased probably my last 20 tracks at karaoke-version.com. I've probably kept about 5. Believe it or not Im OK with that. They're so cheap it doesn't bother me if they don't work out. OTOH if they do work out it's great because they ARE so cheap!

 

 

I looked at that site, but this statement bothers me. " Without expressed permission, all uses other than home and private use are forbidden." Other than that, it looks fantastic that you can modify the track, even after you've purchased it.

 

I use Midi-hits.com. Their statement reads, " When you purchase a Midi Hit, you are actually purchasing a license to perform Midi Hits arrangements."

 

What I like about midi is once I have the track, I can mute instruments, change tempo, key, mix volume of each instrument, etc instantly, and in some cases even modify the midi tracks, or add audio tracks to the song.

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I just tried one track from karaoke-version and I absolutely loved it. I was able to download each instrument track individually, so it really is great for me... I can do my own mixing. I didn't like that licensing thing either, but I will use it mostly for home/private practice. Anyway, I am most interested in the drum tracks, because they are so hard to get right with midi ready files. I will also check on midi-hits.com. Thanks for the hint!

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...What I like about midi is once I have the track, I can mute instruments, change tempo, key, mix volume of each instrument, etc instantly, and in some cases even modify the midi tracks, or add audio tracks to the song.

 

I know nothing about midi, have only done live instrument multitrack recording, and am not clear on what exactly a midi file is and how it differs from a multitrack recording. Are the recorded music tracks included with the midi file? Can you just import it into ProTools or Audition and edit it as a multitrack recording, then mix it down to stereo when you are done?

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I'm not a lawyer, and I don't play one on TV, so this is not legal advice - check with a legal pro.

 

No matter who you get your tracks from, or if you make them yourself like I do, you are not allowed to play them in public in the USA unless you are at a venue that has paid for a blanket license to a performing rights association like ASCAP.

 

This is why you don't hear the traditional "Happy Birthday" song in so many restaurants. Without the license, it's illegal to sing it.

 

And this goes for whether anyone makes a profit or not. Technically you cannot sing or play a copyrighted song in a public park, and singing "Happy Birthday" at your house is a violation (although the men in black probably won't be coming for you if you do).

 

Notes

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I know nothing about midi, have only done live instrument multitrack recording, and am not clear on what exactly a midi file is and how it differs from a multitrack recording. Are the recorded music tracks included with the midi file? Can you just import it into ProTools or Audition and edit it as a multitrack recording, then mix it down to stereo when you are done?

 

 

Midi is just data that tells a synthesizer what sounds to produce, duration, pitch, ect. The audio comes from the synth. Depending on your synth, it can sound cheesy or pretty good.

 

You can import midi into pro-tools or most any DAW. There are softsynths and sound fonts to make the midi sound better than a PC sound card synth. In my case I use Cakewalk Sonar as my DAW, and Cakewalk TTS-1 synthesizer to produce the audio. Yes, you can export the midi as a wav file, MP3, or other audio formats. I use Sonar to play the midi tracks live, so I can also send commands to my TC voicelive play GTX to select presets, and toggle the harmony pedal on/off automatically.

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Thanks, Mike. Right now, I have no interest in learning about the whole synthesizer world if I can avoid it. Does anyone sell multitrack backing tracks that already contain the music content and would allow you to edit each individual instrument track in a DAW like ProTools?

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Thanks, Mike. Right now, I have no interest in learning about the whole synthesizer world if I can avoid it. Does anyone sell multitrack backing tracks that already contain the music content and would allow you to edit each individual instrument track in a DAW like ProTools?

 

 

I checked out the karaoke-version from the OP. I bought a song in custom accompaniment track mode and I was able to download an audio file for each instrument individually, then I will mix them at will, possibly together with my own recorded tracks, in my DAW. Is that what you want?

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For MIDI tracks i really like www.yamahamusicsoft.com --- it doesn't seem to come up on web searches but in my experience offers consistently good backing tracks (unlike midi-hits.com which is all over the map quality-wise). Unfortunately Yamaha has made their site a lot harder to get around than it used to be (including adding so-called "Premium" song files from some developers in Germany), so you may need to futz around a bit to get it to list the song you're looking for.

 

-Jimbo

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I checked out the karaoke-version from the OP. I bought a song in custom accompaniment track mode and I was able to download an audio file for each instrument individually, then I will mix them at will, possibly together with my own recorded tracks, in my DAW. Is that what you want?

 

Is there any problem time-aligning the tracks, or if there is any bleed of instruments from one track to another, phase aligning them? I was thinking more along the lines of an already roughly edited multitrack recording that would allow for some customization as well as overdubbing your own tracks.

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Is there any problem time-aligning the tracks, or if there is any bleed of instruments from one track to another, phase aligning them? I was thinking more along the lines of an already roughly edited multitrack recording that would allow for some customization as well as overdubbing your own tracks.

 

 

I didn't notice any bleed of instruments between separate downloaded tracks. I didn't really mixed the tracks myself, since you can just pick which instruments to mute in the resulting mp3 and the website does the mixing, so, for what I needed, I did let the website do the mixing. In that way it is a ready multitrack recording already.

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LOL...I think you guys are being a little paranoid about the use of these tracks and performing with them live.

 

 

While the probability of the men in black coming to take you away is indeed slight, it is also good to know the law so you can make an informed decision.

 

Notes

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This is why you don't hear the traditional "Happy Birthday" song in so many restaurants. Without the license, it's illegal to sing it.

 

 

"Happy Birthday To You" isn't public domain? Who owns the copyright?

 

Yes, venues have to pay ASCAP fees so copyrighted music can be played there. They have to pay this simply to be able to play recorded music as well. So there aren't too many venues that don't pay this. Certainly any venue with live music is paying it.

 

Where the band might be legally on the hook is performing cover tunes at private events for money where nobody else is paying a fee.

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"Happy Birthday To You" isn't public domain? Who owns the copyright?


Yes, venues have to pay ASCAP fees so copyrighted music can be played there. They have to pay this simply to be able to play recorded music as well. So there aren't too many venues that don't pay this. Certainly any venue with live music is paying it.


Where the band might be legally on the hook is performing cover tunes at private events for money where nobody else is paying a fee.

 

 

The fees aren't that expensive are they?

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The fees aren't that expensive are they?

 

 

For a band or for a club? I don't know what a club pays annually for ASCAP. I think I heard once it was in the range of $2-3K, but I don't really know.

 

ASCAP sent my band a letter awhile back because we A) have demos of us playing copyrighted covers on our website; B) use that website to make money. It had nothing to do specifically with live performance. They want a couple hundred dollars a year for the use of the material on the website.

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The fees aren't that expensive are they?

 

from ASCAP:

"The annual rate depends on the type of business. Generally, rates are based on the manner in which music is performed (live, recorded or audio only or audio/visual) and the size of the establishment or potential audience for the music. For example, rates for restaurants, nightclubs, bars and similar establishments depend on whether the music is live or recorded, whether it's audio only or audio visual, the number of nights per week music is offered, whether admission is charged and several other factors.

Concert rates are based on the ticket revenue and seating capacity of the facility. Rates for music used by corporations ("Music In Business") are based upon the number of employees. College and university rates are based upon the number of full time students; retail store rates depend on the number of speakers and square footage. Hotel rates are based on a percentage of entertainment expenses for live music and an additional charge if recorded music is used.

Because ASCAP has over a hundred different licenses and rate schedules, one will likely fit your needs. ASCAP operates under the principle that similarly situated users should be treated similarly. This assures fairness and consistency in our licensing. For example, rates for restaurants of the same size, with the same use of music are the same regardless of whether the restaurant is in Oshkosh or New York City."

so it all depends on the venue size, etc.

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from ASCAP:

"The annual rate depends on the type of business. Generally,
rates are based on the manner in which music is performed (live, recorded or audio only or audio/visual) and the size of the establishment or potential audience for the music.
For example, rates for restaurants, nightclubs, bars and similar establishments depend on whether the music is live or recorded, whether it's audio only or audio visual, the number of nights per week music is offered, whether admission is charged and several other factors.

Concert rates are based on the ticket revenue and seating capacity of the facility. Rates for music used by corporations ("Music In Business") are based upon the number of employees. College and university rates are based upon the number of full time students; retail store rates depend on the number of speakers and square footage. Hotel rates are based on a percentage of entertainment expenses for live music and an additional charge if recorded music is used.

Because ASCAP has over a hundred different licenses and rate schedules,
one will likely fit your needs. ASCAP operates under the principle that similarly situated users should be treated similarly. This assures fairness and consistency in our licensing. For example, rates for restaurants of the same size, with the same use of music are the same regardless of whether the restaurant is in Oshkosh or New York City."

so it all depends on the venue size, etc.

 

 

Wow, I had heard it was a couple of hundred dollars or so.

 

I guess I need to check it out when I get time. I want to be able to play covers live, DJ, and KJ all under one business license. I guess paying the fee would also legitimize it as a business for tax purposes.

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"Happy Birthday To You" isn't public domain? Who owns the copyright?
<...>

 

 

From Wiki:

 

In 1990, Warner Chappell purchased the company owning the copyright for $15 million, with the value of "Happy Birthday" estimated at $5 million. Based on the 1935 copyright registration, Warner claims that the United States copyright will not expire until 2030, and that unauthorized public performances of the song are technically illegal unless royalties are paid to it. In one specific instance on February 2010, these royalties were said to amount to $70

 

I read somewhere that Warner Chappel makes over 2 million dollars per year in royalties for that song.

 

It was 'written' by two sisters to the tune of a previous song, and they have both been long dead (Patty died in 1946) which to me demonstrates the excesses of the US Copyright law. 75 years after the death of the author IMHO is absurd. But I didn't make the law, the huge corporations did.

 

"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the merger of state and corporate power." -- Benito Mussolini

 

Hmmmmmmmmm, is this where the USA is headed?

 

Insights and incites by Notes ?

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Hey friend...I wonder if you could help me out with understanding the backing tracks.  I was recently in a group that used them and the band sounded AMAZING.  The drummer was the person doing all the heavy lifting with the tracks. 

Now I am  in a another group and they are wanting to implement backing tracks but don't know how,...so they've asked ME to gather some info,  Like you I am buying the tracks from karoki-version and I like them a lot.  My problem comes in when I try to find a way to remove the click from the main mix and send it to the drummer.  I have tried everything I know and keep coming up short?  I see guys talking about "panning" the click to hard left to the drummer....but what the hell does THAT mean?..  I know what it means to "pan" ...but my question is;

Once I get the tracks mixed the way I want them on the Karoki-version site,...then I download them to my laptop....  HOW DO I GET THE CLICK TRACK "REMOVED" FROM THE MAIN MIX AND SENT TO THE DRUMMER?? 

I'm literally ready to slit my wrists over this!!!!!  LOL!!   Can ANYONE help me?  Please help me understand EXACTLY what I need to do "step by step" after I have the tracks downloaded to my laptop.  What do I do then?  What gear (if any) do I need?  Thanks!!

 

Kenny

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