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Post new topic Backing tracks
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Author Topic:  Backing tracks
Bob Thomason

 

From:
Georgia, USA
Post  Posted 9 Dec 2015 3:35 pm    
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I want to put together an all instrumental set for lap steel and make my own backing tracks. I have the gear to do it. Just looking for any experiences . Plan to have 15 or 20 songs. Looking to play out this spring.
Thanks
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Brisco Darling
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Dom Franco


From:
Beaverton, OR, 97007
Post  Posted 10 Dec 2015 5:24 am    
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I started doing this many years ago with a cassette recorder. Using a rudimentary drum machine I played the basic chords on my guitar. I could then perform with my steel guitar and vocal on top of that.

When I got a multitrack reel to reel I was in heaven!
8 tracks: Drum machine, Bass, Guitar, keyboard, even harmony vocals etc. Then Mixed down to Cassette.

Over the years I moved from cassette to Mini Disc and then CD's for my background tracks. I had to organize and make song lists to keep track of my Cd's It was cumbersome and I couldn't take requests because it was too hard to find a particular track quickly.

Then I started bringing a laptop computer with "windows media player" and instantly had all my songs available for gigs.

Then finally when Mp3 players became affordable I started using them, and it is much more portable than a computer.

I still use many of the old tracks I made a long time ago, but just last year I started using Band in a Box and I love it!

I still mix down and then make mp3's rather than lugging around a computer to a gig.

Hope this helps
Dom

Winking
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Bob Thomason

 

From:
Georgia, USA
Post  Posted 10 Dec 2015 6:18 am    
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Thanks for the reply
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Brisco Darling
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Papa Joe Pollick


From:
Swanton, Ohio
Post  Posted 10 Dec 2015 6:33 am    
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I no longer gig out live but I do make my backing tracks for home practice using BIAB..It's a great tool for that..
Now with the new 2016 upgrade of BIAB I'm seeing a possible upswing in the finished product..
Good luck with your project.....PJ..
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Keith Glendinning


From:
United Kingdom
Post  Posted 10 Dec 2015 7:18 am    
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I'm a Lap Steel "bedroom" player at the moment who attends bi-monthly gatherings with some PSG players. We decide on the tunes and myself and my buddy make up the backing tracks. BIAB is very flexible but doesn't work with an iPad!
If you are an iPad user, there's a programme called iRealPro which is also quite useful and very cheap. Like BIAB there are many tunes already available, which you can modify for Tempo, Key and Instruments.
You can also write your own arrangements into both programmes.
Hope this helps.
Keith.
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Kirk Francis


From:
Laupahoehoe
Post  Posted 10 Dec 2015 8:08 am    
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i use an iPad2 w/ a free program called auria and an apogee "duet" interface. it's like protools without all that proprietary B.S., and it's really compact. i just plug the audio out into my cube amp and slide away!

you can add tracks all day if you want, limited only by the size of the memory on the iPad. Use a 64G model and you'll never run low.
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David Matzenik


From:
Cairns, on the Coral Sea
Post  Posted 10 Dec 2015 12:46 pm    
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I don't have any Apple products. I don't even use a cell phone. For backings,I use a cheap mp3 player and BIAB. I quickly discovered that the cheap players don't have enough volume when used in conjunction with my roland street amp. It was easy to boost the volume of the files using Audacity.
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Larry Lenhart


From:
Ponca City, Oklahoma
Post  Posted 10 Dec 2015 2:03 pm    
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I just use my laptop computer with BIAB and it works fine. I was doing this using my ipod but I missed not seeing where I was during the performance of a song, if that makes sense, so i went back to the laptop computer. Played at an assisted living facility just this morning and had my first failure...for some reason my computer just shut down on me, so while I was rebooting i just thumb picked a few Chet tunes on my guitar and when computer rebooted, went back to the steel and the backing tracks. BTW I use a usb controlled foot switch to move from song to song on my playlist and to start and stop the songs. That way you dont have to fiddle with a mouse and appear that you are "doing your taxes" as a good friend of mine put it. Hope this helps.
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Zum Encore, Remington D8 non pedal, Hallmark Mosrite clone, Gretsch 6120 DSW, Gretsch G5210T-P90 Electromatic Jet Two 90,1976 Ibanez L5, Eastman archtop, Taylor Dreadnaught, Telonics pedal, Squire Tele, Squire Strat, Fender Tonemaster, Gold Tone 5 string banjo, Little Wonder tenor banjo, 3 Roland cubes 30s and 80, Carvin combo bass amp
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Papa Joe Pollick


From:
Swanton, Ohio
Post  Posted 11 Dec 2015 4:32 am    
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I like that foot switch idea Larry..Think I'll just set that up on my system..Thanks for the heads up..
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Larry Lenhart


From:
Ponca City, Oklahoma
Post  Posted 11 Dec 2015 5:45 am    
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It is really handy...I use it when I practice at home as well...this isnt the one that I have but it is very similiar:

http://www.amazon.com/Control-Keyboard-Action-Switch-Pedal/dp/B00B3PV47O
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Zum Encore, Remington D8 non pedal, Hallmark Mosrite clone, Gretsch 6120 DSW, Gretsch G5210T-P90 Electromatic Jet Two 90,1976 Ibanez L5, Eastman archtop, Taylor Dreadnaught, Telonics pedal, Squire Tele, Squire Strat, Fender Tonemaster, Gold Tone 5 string banjo, Little Wonder tenor banjo, 3 Roland cubes 30s and 80, Carvin combo bass amp
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Papa Joe Pollick


From:
Swanton, Ohio
Post  Posted 11 Dec 2015 6:35 pm    
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Thanks Larry..I'll try to locate one...Somewhere else rather that Amazon..Shouldn't be a problem.. PJ..
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