How to use Backing and Click Tracks for a Live Performance
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- Опубліковано 30 тра 2024
- If you have a band or performance that requires the use of backing tracks or click tracks or both, then this video is for you.
HOW TO MAKE BACKING TRACKS
• How To Make Backing Tr...
0:00 - Intro
0:13 - Equipment Used
0:36 - Setting up the Backing Track or Click Track
2:46 - 1st example/method using Behringer MA400
7:37 - 2nd example/method using a small mixer
Behringer MicroMON MA 400
• Supercheap! Headphone ...
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You can also plug a cable in one of the outputs of the mixer to a laptop or IPad to record the performance. This will help you improve your next performance.
Very well done!
This was cool! Good job explaining. It reminded me of the show “How It’s Made.”
So thankful for your video ... incredible content and presentation!!
Great video and explanations! Thanks a lot for sharing 🙏
I used all my life just a split cable, laptop and an adapter for the drum, an extension for the front of house.
And i got the invisible keyboard player in MY DECEPTION. Done. I was considering laptop -> mixer -> drummer and front of house .
Hey awesome video.
Thanks for posting it is a great way to learn about backing tracks. Very helpful video
Great video and tutorial!!thanks for sharing im in NZ at the moment..love your country mate!!
Great info here!
Really well explained, thank you. You have shown me the way :)
Thank for the information ❤
Very helpful, thank you
Very helpful Thanks!!
That was such a EASY and CLEAR video, maaan you're awesome
Thank you for your feedback, I really appreciate that 😁
Awesome video, answered many questions including some I didn't know I had 🙂...thanks for this.
You're welcome😁
Excellent vid! Thanks for this. 🎶💻👌
You're welcome
I love the diagram and wish I could find more like it!
Thank you ❤
Hey fella - I've got an 802 and found this really useful. Do I really need the DI box(es) in that if the stereo output from the iPad was track-left, click-right, then once plugged into the 802 in two different channels, (click 3 & track 5) then I could take the track channel 5 to FOH from the Main out Left; it then becomes a mono track input onto the front desk, whatever channel
Or are the DIs needed to boost/compress/enhance the signal coming from the iPad?
Love your work and many thanks!
Nice video and explanation. I was curious about why bother using a DI box but I'm a solo performer and appreciate for bands and more than one or two there could be some loss of fidelity.
Now to look for a solution for wireless in-ear phones that don't use bluetooth! Bluetooth has an annoying latency
Hey man, thank you for sharing this. I do have a question. If I were playing duo, could it be just 1 DI box and headphone amp with extended channel like 4?
Hey thanks so much for putting this together. It dispelled some of the major misconceptions that I had about the back tracking. Before, I was deadset on doing stereo to give audience "the best live experience". After watching your video, I was like "that was STUPID" and I went on a google spree. Turns out that you are absolutely right. I found out that a lot of sound engineers at venues actually found stereo backing tracks to be problematic, not only from a technical stand point but also from an audience stand point. Super invaluable 👍🏻
I am considering doing some solo gigs, so it will only be myself doing vocals and also all of my own original songs in Studio One Pro DAW, and also use of three different Gtrs, not all at the same time----haha, with an AG, EG and a Classical Gtr depending on the song. And then thinking what Equipment I'd need, and how many inputs I'd need for everything. I'd also be my own "Soundie", with everything set up to my left on a table. Might need to contact my Super Duper Sales Rep from Sweetwater. I have an Allen & Heath ZED 60-10FX, and a Steinberg interface, 2 DI's, etc. Thanks, I thought the Video was very thorough based on what Equipment you used, and I liked the Color Coding of everything.
Is there a way to do this without the di boxes? What if the foh mixer is a stage box with Wi-Fi that is controlled wirelessly with an iPad? Is this even possible or usable?
Thanks
Thanks for the video! This is super helpful :)
Hi! I am really really new at this kind of stuff and don't really get what I'm supposed to do, I play with a couple of guys and we want to cover a song that uses some sort of Synth or Keyboard in some parts, we've tried finding an actual keyboardist but failed and we really want to rehearse this song. Can you help me? I've found a backing track online, the thing is we just need the synth/keyboard parts since we already play everything else, the rehearsal room in which we play has some sort of cable that I can plug into my phone and then plug it in to the Console but I'm pretty much lost. Sorry for my bad English :p
great video! just a question abt the second setup: wouldn't the aux send from the FOH to our little mixer also have the backing track along with the live musicians in it? wondering if it is necessary, can't the soundie control its volume once the aux send is given to us?
Yes the soundie can control it but lets say you need a bit more, its hard to get soundie's attention immediately when its as simple as just turning a dial yourself. The 2nd setup would work best for a stationary musician like keyboard and drums.
You don't have to use the little mixer but it does give you the option to EQ the click or backing track. e.g when I play drums I tweak the click so that i hear a certain frequency of the click better while drumming. Same goes for backing track if I want bass boosted for my mix without affecting everyone else's EQ.
In short, you don't need the 2nd little mixer. Its personal preference. And if you have multiple AUX sends then some will receive the click and backing track and other monitor feed direct from FOH while others using a small mixer will have a different send with more control over their mixes.
My advice, try out both methods to see which you prefer. Hope that helps
cheers mate, great video... currently i'm using a more simpler (and less budget) route, using an iphone as my click & backing tracks (and to show lyrics). If I use a TRS to XLR split cable, there's no need for a DI right? I can just plug it in to the MA400, and I use a wireless IEM to share the cilcks.
What about using two MA400 ? one for click and other for backing track so you can control each gain before going to your IEM and FOH? should be almost the same price as 1 xenyx mixer, but more compact.
thank you
@@BandOnABudgetNZ oooh SHOOT!.. many thanks for the heads up about the phantom power.. will make sure about that, good thing our first run on rehearsal nothing wrong happen because I told the mixer operator that the line is for backing tracks.
So will the DI box will secure the line for possible phantom power (just in case it was turned on) so nothing goes wrong to the source device.? If so, then I might change the TRS to TS splitter and add a DI
currently all the clicks , backing and lyrics are from me (attached to the mic stand) using an app Stage Traxx 3 .. an awesome app. not operated from the drummer yet. since we are old school band mates but they are happy with the clicks throught the wireless IEM. thanks again
Hi Thanks for the video, Im new to live performance.
So if I wanted to have a separate aux output (with a click track etc) sent to in-ear monitors and then the master output sent to the FOH, id have to use a computer with a DAW for this to work for stereo? Is there any disadvantages of having the output in Mono over stereo?
Yes you'd need a DAW and an audio interface with at least 4 outputs for a stereo setup.
Some people prefer stereo because they like to hear click in one ear and the track in the other while others prefer stereo to create a sense of balance and separation. Downside is more cables, more gear, and using up 2 AUX channels for a stereo mix.
With Mono it means you dont need a laptop or DAW, just an mp3 player with a stereo send which will have one for the track and the other for click/cues. Plus you only need to use one AUX channel.
Another thing to note is if you've used a foldback monitor or wedges on stage, those are always giving you a mono signal. I'd recommend trying out both to see which you prefer as each person will have a difference preference.
For me personally, Im happy with mono. However stereo is a "nice to have" if you have the gear to support that. I would only use Stereo if i have a production and sound crew working for me. If I'm doing most of the sound stuff then I stick with mono.
This is so clear, thank you so much for this breakdown! Just a quick question: Why, for option 2, do we also need to send the clicktrack to front of house if all they're going to do is turn it all the way down? I've seen multiple videos now describing this setup and they all seem to say to do this, but I'm confused why it's necessary. Wouldn't I just need to send it right to my mixer? Thanks!
Hey good question! You may not need to do this for every setup however lets say you're using a FOH mixer with multiple AUX sends and you also want to have separate monitor mixes for each musician. My video diagram would work best for a drummer so 2nd option will have the drummer sorted, but what about everyone else?
If the click is send to the FOH mixer, yes you would keep the fader down for the click so that its not going thru the main speakers but you could dial it in to AUX 2, 3, 4 etc and have that signal sent to an In-Ear Monitor system and have that sent to the other musicians along with their own band and backing track mix.
Hope that clears it up, thanks for the comment
Thank you, this is exactly what I have been looking for.
We have P16s set up for personal monitoring, so in this scenario what is that Behringer micro thing for?
I use it for personal monitoring if I want to control the volume of my backing track myself rather than getting the soundie to do it.
If Im on drums I usually use the micromon to monitor my own volume settings while the soundie focuses on controlling the volume of other musician's monitoring
Awesome information. Thank you. One question. On the second option with the small mixer, why send click to main mixer? I understand sending backing there but I don't understand why you send click there when the band can get click from the mini mixer. Thanks in advance.
Just incase other people in the band want to hear the click or if recording and need to sync post production. the click will help line up the waveforms
Awesome! Thank you! Can you do this without DI boxes? And are the DI passive?
The DI's are passive and you could also plug directly to the mixer if its close enough
Hello mate, one question! Can I use just one Mixer for all of that, of course with DI Box. Im looking to start gigging with backing tracks. And have one mixer. So how to connect all of that only for Mic Guitar and backing track, with some kind of in ear system? Thank you
Plug everything into your mixer, and run your in-ear system out through an AUX. Send your click track to only the AUX so you hear it in your ears but not out of FOH
I'm a newbie, this was a very good explanation! One question how does the band get piped through this? Are all instruments plugged into the large mixer?
Yes all band instruments go into the main Mixer
Question: Do you need to use another DI box to send the click track to FOH? Or could you use a 1/4in and just send it straight to your personal mixer?
You can make do without the extra DI. I always use it to keep things clean by using the ground/lift switch
What would you send click from DI box to house mixer? The band could hear the click from the drummer's mixer (after splitting phones output for each band member, no?) I dont get it, pls explain 🤔
Yes i think it is a better solution, this way you can control the IEM or headphones outputs on your own without the help of the sound guy.
In general i think there can be many other ways to do it...
Your breakdown is amazing,Thank you!
We’re on an analogue mixer but I wanna be able to control each Individual band mix coming from the Aux send to my P2 then IEM. Is there a way to do this other than bothering FOH soundie?
Yes you could send the Aux channels to a secondary mixer or several headphone Pre amps (like the MA400 in the video) and have it placed on stage. For example:
lets say you have a main FOH mixer with 3 Aux sends. You would need to connect 3 XLR/Jack cables from the main FOH Aux sends and run them to the stage. From there plug each end of the cables into your secondary mixer that also supports 3 Aux sends. You then route those new Aux sends to your band.
Alternatively run the Aux sends from the FOH to 3 separate Headphone pre amps on stage and assign those to the band. Only downside is that you will be using a lot of cables and can get messy during setup and pack down.
A simpler approach that requires more investment from your wallet is to use a digital wireless mixer that supports Android/iOS tables and phones such as the Mackie DL16s which I have a video on here:
PART 1
ua-cam.com/video/vG7KyzVZBtc/v-deo.html
PART 2
ua-cam.com/video/36oLD8vMETU/v-deo.html
In the first example can you plug the click track cable from the laptop directly in to the behringer micro mon?
Yes you can. Sorry for late reply lol
The simpler way to do this is replace all the DI boxes, mixer and minimon with a Behringer XR18 mixer, connect your laptop via USB, load up Ableton Live with your backing tracks and cue the metronome to your monitor channel. You should always use balanced XLRs when possible rather than 1/4" unbalanced
Hey BOAB. I don't suppose you know much about the backing track/automation feature on the Voicelice 3 Extreme? If so, any brief response as to how to get the click going for the drummer to stay in synch with the Voicelive?
Can’t say I know much on it. I don’t use it at all but if you are loading tracks to the unit then still make your tracks with click to the right and music to the left side.
Then use the stereo outputs and send the click (right) to whoever needs it.
@BandOnABudgetNZ Roger that. Thanks man.
Great Video bros!! I have a question. If I want to here the the rest of the band instrumentals and play along with our backing track (from our Behringer mixer then output to wireless ear monitor).
The question is, How can i connect the FOH mixer to our Behringer mixer and can hear every instrumentals and the backingtrack tho?
Hey! You would use the AUX send from the FOH mixer to your smaller Behringer mixer, most likely channel 1. On your FOH mixer use thee AUX dials to adjust the signal for each channel to be sent to the smaller mixer. Now, on your smaller mixer bring the channel 1 fader/knob up, and then plug in headphones or IEMs to the master out..
In other setups with more than 1 AUX output on the FOH mixer, you could use AUX 1 for the small mixer and give that to the drummer and then use AUX 2 output directly to your wireless IEM transmitter. Hope that helps. Let me know if you have any more questions.
Hi, just watched this and you’ve made it so well - thank you for considering the detail and need for simplicity - I noticed that you answer the question only 10 days ago so I to I’m gonna pose you a question which I think you have already answered to be fair but I just want to clarify - and we are a three piece of guitar drums and bass and I have created a load of keyboards and backing vocals backing tracks for us to play over - at the moment I am going to use a MacBook and logic to do this - I understand I need to create the two tracks, one with the music and one with the click and cues - I have bought and not yet used a wireless IEM system with three packs - if I follow this method and buy two DIY boxes and one small mixer, where do I plug the transmitter for the IEM system into? Is it in an aux?
To clarify, what is the easiest way for all of us to use the wireless IEM packs so we can hear the music and the click?
Sorry if you have already made this clear but I’m looking for ultimate ease and clarification and so I know exactly what I need to buy to make this all work, thanks very much
Ok So there's a way you can do this without having to use an extra small mixer.
Take the stereo output from Logic and get both left and right channel to your main FOH mixer. Make sure to give them individual channels.
Then get your IEM transmitter and connect it to AUX 1 output. You can now dial in using the Aux1 volume knob the selected channels you want, in this case you'll want to add some click and backing track to the Aux1 audio feed.
You should receive the signal to your body packs. You may need to play around with volume levels because you'll have volume level control from multiple sources such as your Macbook, the FOH Mixer, the transmitter signal and the body packs. It can be a pain but finding the sweet spot for all takes a bit of practice. Rule of Thumb, Always start with the source.
Hope that helps. Lett me know if you have any more questions. There of course multiple variations of this kind of setup.
@@BandOnABudgetNZ thank you for getting back to me - almost went down that road of mixer but after speaking to a couple of music shops, we have bought an Audient interface with 4 ins and 4 outs - we can now send 2 stereo lines to the FOH and a third (click track) and hopefully (haven’t tried it yet) plug the IEM transmitter in there - hopefully should work
@@BandOnABudgetNZ thank you for getting back to me - almost went down that road of mixer but after speaking to a couple of music shops, we have bought an Audient interface with 4 ins and 4 outs - we can now send 2 stereo lines to the FOH and a third (click track) and hopefully (haven’t tried it yet) plug the IEM transmitter in there - hopefully should work
Quick question. What if everyone has an IEM (2 channel) and not just the drummer? Where does that get plugged into? The Xtuga RW2080 specifically
@@BandOnABudgetNZ aweosme. This answered every question I had. Thank you!
Why use DI box if the mixer has preamps ..?
Is click track containing only click sound. Or mix of click + backing track itself? Is it possible not to sacrifice stereo to in backing track for audience ?
For my setup I have made it for CLICK ONLY. Reason for this is so that I can blend my audio as needed as the click frequencies may overlap into other frequencies in backing track and adjusting volume would also affect the volume of the click track.
There is definitely a way to use stereo for the audience but this would require using an audio interface with 3 or 4 outputs. You'd also have to playback the backing track from a DAW like Pro Tools or Logic and assign the stereo output to your front of house (usually outputs 1 and 2) and then use and AUX send for your click and additional backing tracks (usually outputs 3 for mono or 3 and 4 for stereo)
Hi do you need one of those Micro mons to play backing tracks on a mixer via a comp? I thought you could just connect directly?
No you dont need the micro mon or any mixer for this. That is, if you completely give all control to your sound engineer in which case they will control your backing track and click track for you.
The micro mon or small mixer is for the musician/s if THEY want to be the ones in control of their own personal volume mix of the backing track and leave the front of house mix just for the Soundie.
Hopefully that makes sense. Let me know and I can try and explain it differently with a real world scenario that I experienced both with and without a small mixer on the side =)
Yeh we would just be using the mixer ourselves on stage and choosing the tracks live to play ongoing@@BandOnABudgetNZ
Hey brother, so do I run my transmitter for my wireless in ears to the same spot as the headphones
@Band On A Budget thanks for the quick and informative reply ! This is going to be for a drummer , a guitarist , bass and vocalist , we picked up the cad audio gxliem4 so we each have a wireless pack ,
Excellent video, thanks! Is it normal for there to be some crosstalk when the backing track is panned hard to the left and the click is panned hard to the right? I can hear a low volume of the backing track on the channel of the click.
No usually. This depends on the quality of the hardware you are using. For example in my Mackie DL16s i have true stereo when panned hard left and right.
Whereas my Phenyx Pro PTM-10 IEM system is 93% stereo separation so I get a tiny bit of bleed from the opposite sides that are panned.
If you are experiencing this issue always go back to the source to see if it is truly panned left and right. Its usually a hardware issue. Then work your way through the signal flow/chain one at a time to see where the issue lies.
Hi, Our band used to play live but we are now starting to run backing tracks and click tracks with mono iem. May we know what's your advice on how can we wire it on stage? Here's what we have minus the cables:
- Laptop with DAW software for backing and click tracks.
- our own mixer
- Xtuga IEM12000
How do we do it assuming that you don't have DI box in between the cables. We just want to know how to proceed with the gears we have referencing this video.
Thank you!
You can still use the same instructional video as a guide without the DI boxes. Just plug the audio cable from your DAW/audio interface directly into your mixer.
You may need to assign the left channel from your DAW to one of the mixer channels and the right channel with the click from your DAW to a separate channel on your mixer.
This is so you can assign the backing track and click track to your AUX channels as well as the FOH. Make sure the click track does NOT go to the FOH but you can send the click to one of the AUX channels or multiple AUX channels so your band can hear them in the IEMs.
Hope that helps =)
@@BandOnABudgetNZ This is a lot. Thank you so much for the help!
So in this example, where are the band members if there are any, plugging their instruments in. I am guessing one of the remaining channels of the larger mixer. Is this correct?
Thank you. That is what I figured. Whatever is available, depending of course on the size of the FOH mixer. @@BandOnABudgetNZ
Hello, Would you be able to help me set up my backing tracks on my Mac Book Pro computer and Ableton with my mixer. I used to play live years ago in a band as rhythm guitarist and lead singer. But, lately, I have found I play solo. I am very busy but I need to modernize my equipment to do live gigs. Would be able to help me. I am a one man band but I used backing tracks. Please let me know.
Hey there. Yes happy to help you but I need some more info. Feel free to send me more details and pics of your setup to help me understand. My email is under the channel details =)
Is it works if I use (in the 2nd example) one multi-line DI box, and not two separated?
Yes that will work too. The DI are optional if you want to ground the signal using the GRND/LIFT switch and if you also want to use the THRU output to send the signal elsewhere like another musician or audio interface
How to integrate in ear monitors with this set up?
Just feedback with my setup, may or may not be useful information:
Right now I'm using a small mixer at arms reach as a splitter which takes in kick from my own mic, and any other signals that only get monitored + backing track. Backing is sent to house on a separate output on the mixer, while everything else just goes to "main," which is just headphones in my case.
Best scenario for me, would be if my guitarists all had emulated outputs that I can just plug into my mixer, that way house doesn't need to be involved, otherwise it could be worth looking into micing your own cabs, split the signals for house, and also create your own monitor mixes, or record separate tracks if needed. In that case, it probably just depends on how much gear everyone feels like dealing with during setup.
Finally! Ignore the idiots who say this isn’t good. Thanks! But is there anything I can use instead of the DI box
you can plug direct into the mixer if its close enough or have a long enough cable
Which is actually better to use; active or passive DI boxes in this case????
Neither will matter. you can use either or
Couldn't you also use a dual channel DI box instead of using two separate DI boxes?
Yes you can. I only used 2 separate DI boxes in the video to illustrate 2 audio signals more clearly.
Great video for us umm... frugal people.
I want it STEREO?
Why use the DI boxes and not plug directly to the consoles ??
In case you get some ground/earth issues creating a hum, you can use the ground/lift switch to clean it up
So if you have 5 people in the band using IEMs, do they all have to share the same mix? Typically we want to hear our own instruments a little louder in our ears, and we always want our vocals louder in our own ears so we can pick our vocals out of the group. We have 5 IEM boxes we need this to go to.
This will depend on your main mixing desk and how many aux channels it supports. If your desk only has 1 Aux send then you'll have to use one transmitter and 5 receivers linked to that frequency.
If the mixing desk has 3 Aux sends you can use 3 transmitters each with their own mix. So 3 body packs will have their own mix but 2 will have to be shared with the others.
For example my Mackie DL16s has 6 Aux Sends. I can have 6 individual IEM mixes in mono.
Hope that helps
presonus studiolive series 3 16 mono 8 stereo linked as options the x32 rack mixer is another common iem rig piece would also give ability to do stereo mix i would love to see more into that method since i use it but ive never once played with a click track live. so would be funt o have that setup ready to roll if needed for future reference @@BandOnABudgetNZ
I play guitar. If my drummer is going to plug into the behringer, where would I plug in my Synheiser EW 300 wirless for my ear ins?
Isnt the EW 300 for wireless mics? I dont think they work for IEMS as the body pack/mic is the transmitter and the box is the receiver.
If you happen to have a EW IEM G4, which is an In-Ear monitor system, you can do this a couple ways:
1.) if your main mixer has multiple AUX sends, use one of the spare ones and create a separate mix just for you instead of using the drummer monitor channel. or...
2.) Use the mic output from the Behringer MA400 and share the same signal / mix as our drummer and connect to your IEM transmitter.
Hope that helps
@@BandOnABudgetNZ Thanks! Very helpful indeed
Active or passive DI box? Or does it matter?
Doesnt matter if its Passive or Active. Will still work the same
The backing track out sound stereo or mono?
@@BandOnABudgetNZ I am looking for answers and I think I'm close here. I do want to have a stereo backing track output sent to the FOH, whilst having a separate click track sent to my monitors (soon in ears haha). Next to that I need 2 inputs for my stereo v-drums, 1 input for my guitar and 1 input for the vocal mic. I see you're saying I should look for an audio interface. Could I do it with a Scarlett 8i6? How? Or what should I look for? Thanks alot, great video!
@@BandOnABudgetNZ Thank you! That's very helpful! I was wondering if this is a reliable way to do it or if it could cause a latency? Because if it it doesnt, this could really be the solution! (i want to use daw reverb plugins and eq's for vocals)
Also forgot to ask you this, since it was not mentioned. What MIXER did you use in the lower LEFT corner?
I don't see the need to run the click track to the main front of house mixer though,
Just in case you want to send the click to the rest of the band.
It's ridiculous! I need my backing track to sound "stereo". Then what should I do?
@@BandOnABudgetNZ The songs actually are in my Cubase, but I have only two output from my "RME Babyface" audio interface.
@@BandOnABudgetNZ I hate any sound called "mono".
I must change my audio interface.
Maybe it is possible to get more output from my Babyface if I use digital connections (ADAT-SPDIF).
question, in the 2nd example, why send the click track to the main mixer at all?
Good question. It's more for "what if..." for example let's say you don't have enough small mixers or pre amps but want to send the click signal elsewhere on stage. Having the click sent to the main FOH mixer doesnt mean you have to use it but it could be re-routed elsewhere.
One example could be if you were recording live performance into a multichannel interface. You then have a click track to help sync up any post mixing and production in your DAW.
In short, you don't need to if you have enough equipment on stage for everyone to hear the click. The FOH mixer is just an additional source of audio if needed.
why use di why not just plug into board. whats the benefit ?
Grounding switch, or adding an additional THRU output to send a second signal elsewhere for separate monitoring, or converting Jack to XLR.
I can imagine how good a mono mp3 will sound in a gig …sigh…
EASY
as 1234!
has anyone every seen a drummer/vocalist doing a solo gig using only backing tracks with no guitarist etc....
Yes I saw a guy on the fisherman's wharf in San Fransisco doing that
This connection does not make sense at all.Why all those DI boxes and all those cables?Using too much unnecessary items for only 2 channels?Make things easy by using an Audio Interface.4 Audio output Interface will do.
This stuff makes no sense... why DI box and why all those cables for 2 channels?? you just need an audio interface... if you want to do things cool you can buy a 4 output audio interface so you can also use stereo backing tracks and send the click only in the headphones without using all that cables and bad mixers...
I was watching this and saying the exact same thing.
@@calvary8075 there are a lot of audio interface with 4 outputs under 200€/$. The quality Is much better, the audio Is balanced, you can play stereo and you can also use the inputs as a monitor
Funny it say under budget .. but I don't do not see where this is budget friendly
@@AlessandroLesignoli I use a Behringer UMC404HD with a Behringer Xenyx X1222 USB mixer, that! is budget friendly, not what was described above. I've been doing the "backing track" thing since the late 80's, programming my own tracks and patterns using MIDI and adding live musicians as they became available.
@@BandOnABudgetNZ Agreed with you. If you play on a stage, audio interface are the last thing you would use to run the backing track. I use Behringer UMC202. It really sucks. Better to use a simple splitter cable and a DI
Infact,all this is an old way of Audio Technics.Use Dante controller and Q-sys.Not this
Don't need Dante nor Q-Sys to run backing tracks correctly.
I am used to Dante and Q-Sys and I do all my projects with Q-sys.
12:14 who would want to have clicks only on one side? it would literally hurt my ears xd
I know a drummer who does this and have seen some drummers on You tube say they have done this before because its easier to differentiate the sound when everything is playing. Me personally I wouldn't pan hard left or right, that's not my preference, but maybe a slight left or right to make it easier to pick out or distinguish if I'm having a hard time hearing the click
Or just buy an digital mixer for the same money.
Why would you run backing tracks in mono? It will sound horrible.
It won't sound horrible by default, it depends on the track. Hundreds of bands that don't have money for a multi-output interface just render the backing tracks out as mono so that they can pan it to the opposite side of the click. If these bands had multiple outputs (as the expensive acts do) then they could use stereo tracks, but if they don't then it's best to run them mono *if* you're wanting to use a click as well. If not you don't plan on using a click, then stereo is fine. But if you do, you need to make sure that the click and backing tracks *aren't* both stereo otherwise everyone in the audience will hear the click.
In a live setting, with a live band (drums, keys, guitar, bass, vocal etc) the audience won't even generally notice whether the track is mono or not. If the track has a proper mono mix, it can sound fantastic
Running stereo in a live setting is grossly overrated (in my opinion). I want my audience to hear the same thing no matter where they are in relation to the FOH speakers. I understand stereo can be cool, ping-pong delays, etc…, but that is mostly lost on the listener.
It will only sound "horrible" (depends on what one means by horrible), if the mix is bad. One check I make before mixing down, is to listen to it in Mono. It will reveal relative levels between the instruments and vocals and let you know if they are balanced, or if something is really weak (which could be too low a level or phasing issues).
In fact, I was mixing a bit on a song last night and when I flipped to mono, the left/right panned heavy guitars disappeared. Whoops, adjusted the submix for the heavy guitars up until they reappeared then flipped back to stereo: "ah yes, this IS a guitar based song..."
If the mix is good, relative levels are set, etc, it should sound good in mono. You may not get all the neat left to right delay ping pongs going on but most people listening to an act *live* are not going to be like "You know, these guys suck because the music isn't in stereo."
@@michaelwill7811 Honestly, I was speaking more from the bands perspective. We don't split the click into one side, instead the click is on a separate channel as are the cues. We use a four-output audio-interface. Everyone gets a stereo mix in their ears + click + cue. Each person can then mix however they wish. More click, less click, no click, but the music sounds so much fuller in stereo, especially the big, orchestral backgrounds, harmonies, etc. FOH gets the two channel stereo feed. I suppose these can be combined to a mono channel if needed/wanted.
It may not sound horrible, but it can definitely be missing some elements, mainly anything that is panned to the opposite side. If you're going to go this route, you'd be better off summing and bouncing your original track to a mono file.
Great vid. You're backing music is toooooo loud and made it hard to follow.
@@BandOnABudgetNZ I think it's perfectly fine lol
Just don’t
I'm an acquaintance of a couple that are not musicians. They show up and pantomime.
Essentially that is what you are doing.
Every year thousands of musicians graduate from college or high school.
HIRE THEM.
I'm going to give you an "E" for effort, and as they say, there's more than one way to skin a cat. But, this is not productive. I build and run playback systems for some of the biggest artists, and there are much simpler ways to do this correctly. The click track should never be embedded in the audio file.
please explain the right way how to do it.
Actually you can have whatever you need to be embedded with the click to help you play along. Maybe some of the backing track is what you want, maybe there are other cues. Probably there should be a whole separate mix that the band agrees should be on there for cuing purposes. Otherwise yes, once you are at a higher professional level you should have a full IEM system with separate mixes for everyone.
why cant bands just play live and be done with it this is so complicated man😞
I get you if it's just a regular rock band with no synths or other extra elements. I personally play in an industrial rock band which uses many sonic textures in the background in addition to live playing, and my drummer way prefers to have a clicktrack. But honestly, I feel you in that I wish something like this could be made more simple.
it can be done the key is have talented musicians with superior attention to detail
@@BandOnABudgetNZ Just play with the four of you! Less is more. Check out Redd Volkaert's band at the Floyd Country Store for examples of this. I write as a gigging guitarist, who's played hundreds of gigs in a power trio, and even with just an acoustic guitar and mic. As long as what you do is _entertaining,_ the audience won't care what technology you use. And I've seen plenty of people who have failed to engage with the audience while they slavishly play and sing along to their karaoke tracks. Which of these musicians do you think get the most gigs, and the best paid ones? It's the karaoke acts that end up being underpaid! Play live, raise your self-worth, and charge accordingly.
You can't find the right players all the time, you can't get the amount of money in a gig to make it worth the time and the extra members sometimes.
I wholeheartedly agree that it'd be great not to ever need or have to mess with backing tracks.
I only ever play with real musicians whenever possible.
But if you ever had booked gigs you had to honor and the rest of the group depends on that pay.....
Having a flaky or less than dependable bandmate who (drinks/uses/doesn't show when his girlfriend fights with him etc.) means a setup like this can be a useful tool for having a plan B when it's an hour before the gig and nobody can get the bass player to answer his phone.
It also means the other members stay in good gigging form in between full rosters and the band can keep its booking and performance reputation intact (ironic isn't it?) 🤔....
when "Drummer Steve" finally implodes and hocks his drums and starts hitching a ride to California out of nowhere one day.
I don't think it should be overused, but in the world of "pick-up" musicians and contract work etc.
It's also a good system to have in place to orient new members musically .... especially if you're trying to fill the roster with quality, like minded people.
Hard to achieve ideal group dynamics a lot of the time, nearly impossible to hold onto.
I wish I never had to think about backing tracks, but they have a crucial, (but temporary IMO) use for working musicians.
I'd rather play with solid, people in a group exclusively, every time.
It isn't always doable, and the show must go on and such.👍
Be Well ✌️
Rock on.🤘
The tempo of music should be 'fluid'....not constricted by click tracks....
FLICK
the click
OFF...
I hear this all the time... from people who cant stay in time or practice in time to a metronome. Sorry the answer is no.
You can still be fluid with a click. You can push and pull the click and come back without issues if you practice... with a click.
I see it as sort of a compromise, you're losing some of that natural push and pull you get with live music, but it allows you to do way more with backing tracks, especially if you are a solo artist or use a lot of electronic elements in your mix. I respect this take but I see it as just 2 different ways to create 2 different live experiences, I don't think one is inherently better than the other. I've seen amazing shows using both methods.
@@jmarmusic5702 Many modern artists are using clicks and backing tracks in their shows. Bring Me the Horizon, 21 Pilots, Falling in Reverse, Motley Crue, and even Van Halen.
if you search it up on TikTok - keyword backing tracks live, sometimes musicians will show a "What we hear in our IEMs" then cut to "What the audience hears." and these are massive big time shows and festivals.
"Backing tracks" and "live" do not belong in the same sentence (other than this one).
Hard disagree
@dave Dotwww Wrong
Would you please advise how the heck should I perform my songs live, if they're having like 6-8 synthesizer tracks and also guitars?
If you're on a budget, forget the click tracks, follow your drummer, and enjoy playing in a band. You're humans! Humans are imperfect!
Get over it!
If you want a backing track you NEED a click. If you just want to do it live so be it don't get any of this. But then why even watch the video? Lol
@@BandOnABudgetNZ
Your channel is called Band On A Budget. Your video title includes the phrase "Live Performance".
If you're using backing tracks, what you're involved in is hardly a band. There may be people with instruments, but it's not a band in the true, traditional definition of the word.
And it's also something less than a performance. You're using someone else's performance as a foundation to engage in something akin to karaoke, which is a sing-a-long with provided music and lyrics. And you're going to great pains to setup a click track just to pull that off, my dude.
It seems word meanings mean nothing to you except a way to get clicks.
If you'd invest the energy you're putting into figuring ways to exploit the work of real musicians, for your own benefit, into learning to play an instrument, I guarantee you'd get FAR more fulfillment than you're getting trying to reinvent the wheel.
@@BandOnABudgetNZ You're absolutely right. I don't get it!
What you describe is NOT a band, nor is it a LIVE performance. And you have the nerve to compare yourself to a busker.
While there are rare exceptions to every rule, a great busker CREATES his or her own PERFORMANCE of either original or cover material LIVE, right in front of the listener, applying his or her OWN TALENTS, ACQUIRED SKILLS, UNIQUE INTERPRETATIONS, CHOICE OF ARRANGEMENT, EXECUTION OF TECHNIQUE, SENSE OF TOUCH, EFFECTIVE USE OF DYNAMICS, ABILITY TO UNDERSTAND AND EXECUTE A FULL ACCOMPANIMENT, AND A DESIRE TO USE THIS AND MORE TO EFFECTIVELY HOLD THE LISTENER'S ATTENTION LONG ENOUGH TO ENTERTAIN.
While loopers and harmonizer pedals are often used skillfully to great effect, I use them myself, they are used LIVE, RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE AUDIENCE, to build a full rendition of a song. This is a FAR cry from playing back a recording of parts you recorded earlier in pieces and manipulated via computer software to form a song.
Sure, MANY great and very successful recordings and albums have been made by artists who single handedly produced and created every aspect of a complete, classic, work. Artists like Tom Sholz, Gary Numan, and Thomas Dolby, to reference just a few.
But unless they're lipsyncing a current hit on a promotional TV show to satisfy record executives, they actually hire a full BAND to PERFORM their music live. Of course they utilize the best tools of their trade in doing so. But if ANY musician of ANY level of ability or accomplishment stands before a group of people and plays parts with one instrument or voice while playing back a full backing track... at least where I come from, an audience is not likely to listen for very long. They quickly discern exactly what they're seeing and hearing and they move on to something more interesting.
Surely you're familiar with Bob Dylan, James Taylor, and Ed Sheeran...
Now do you get it?
@@tlb2732 I think you have a completely wrong idea what a backingtrack is. It's not playback. For example, If I put Synths over 3 Riffs of a whole set, why should I get a Keyboarder for those parts? Or if I want some bassdrops or stuff like that. All the Instruments are still there and played by human beings.
@@Stratocasteroa I think YOU have a completely wrong idea. Recorded music, by whatever means, digital or analog, is recorded music. And the recording, file, patch, or whatever name you pin on it, is played back, not performed live.
Singing, playing, or both to recorded music is no different than a singalong to the radio or karaoke.
If you can't pull off a full sounding arrangement of a song with just your instrument and your voice, any embellishment you add to pull it off is a crutch.
As far as I'm concerned, having been a live performer for 43 years, if you need backing tracks, you havn't put in the work to be a live performer. I wouldn't pay to see someone singing to canned music.
Do the work. Learn your trade. Anything short is mailing it in.