Backing track

[ClydeMcAllister]

So my keyboard/synth player has quit the band.

We're going to put all the synths and whatnot on a backing track, most likely run off of the drummer's laptop, since he plays to a click now also. It'll most likely be set up with the click in the left channel and the backing track in the right, but in doing so, the backing track ends up being in mono.

Any way we can configure this to run in stereo? Some of the parts have stereo effects on them (delay, panning) and we'd prefer not to lose them, as long as it's not uber comlicated to run it stereo.

[Tristan Needler]

So my keyboard/synth player has quit the band.

We're going to put all the synths and whatnot on a backing track, most likely run off of the drummer's laptop, since he plays to a click now also. It'll most likely be set up with the click in the left channel and the backing track in the right, but in doing so, the backing track ends up being in mono.

Any way we can configure this to run in stereo? Some of the parts have stereo effects on them (delay, panning) and we'd prefer not to lose them, as long as it's not uber comlicated to run it stereo.
What software are you using for this? Why don't you just use separate tracks for the click and the synths?

[ClydeMcAllister]

I'll be using Fruity Loops to make the actual tracks, not sure what to use to play them though. I'm thinking what we need is something with multiple audio outputs for the laptop or something.

Honestly, I have very little clue as to what I'm doing, so please excuse me if I don't make sense.

[Tristan Needler]

I'll beusing Fruity Loops to make the actual tracks, not sure what to use to play them though. I'm thinking what we need is something with multiple audio outputs for the laptop or something.

Honestly, I have very little clue of what I'm doing, so please excuse me if I don't make sense.
I'd say use fruity loops to play them back too. And yeah, something with at least two outputs would be necessary. I forgot about that bit, I guess I just kind of assumed you had some sort of interface haha.

[alex.parent]

I saw a band do this once, and they ran it from an iPod into a mixer, then the signal went from the mixer to in-ear monitors and to the board. I'm not exactly sure where the audio was split and stuff, but I think their mix might have been mono going out of the house system.

[asillustratedby]

If you're dead set on having those stereo effects stay stereo, and also dead set on panning it to one side of the audio spectrum, then good luck. It may-or may not- sound like ass. My advice would be one of the following:

1. if you don't have access to real audio software (logic, pro tools, etc) find some kind of software than can convert audio Stereo to Mono. this could help.

2. re-record the keyboard parts in mono and apply said effects in mono to them. Not sure if this is possible, but it probably wouldn't be too hard...

3. leave the backing track as is in the stereo field and pan the click elsewhere, or center?

4. deal with it..?

Also, I'm quite confused...you made it sound as though you're actually playing the click track out in the overall live mix? I just don't see how that would be logical/sound good at all...? Hopefully I just misinterpreted that, haha...

I saw a band do this once, and they ran it from an iPod into a mixer, then the signal went from the mixer to in-ear monitors and to the board. I'm not exactly sure where the audio was split and stuff, but I think their mix might have been mono going out of the house system.

Wow, playing back mono through a real sound system? I bet that sounded like shit.

[ClydeMcAllister]

If you're dead set on having those stereo effects stay stereo, and also dead set on panning it to one side of the audio spectrum, then good luck. It may-or may not- sound like ass. My advice would be one of the following:

1. if you don't have access to real audio software (logic, pro tools, etc) find some kind of software than can convert audio Stereo to Mono. this could help.

2. re-record the keyboard parts in mono and apply said effects in mono to them. Not sure if this is possible, but it probably wouldn't be too hard...

3. leave the backing track as is in the stereo field and pan the click elsewhere, or center?

4. deal with it..?

Also, I'm quite confused...you made it sound as though you're actually playing the click track out in the overall live mix? I just don't see how that would be logical/sound good at all...? Hopefully I just misinterpreted that, haha...



Well we haven't set it up yet, so this is all hypothetically speaking. But we would have the click in the left channel, which would just run to the drummers in-ear monitors, and the right channel with the bbacking track would be in the live mix.

I dunno, me and my drummer are going to go mess with some of this stuff today and see what we can do. If we can't get it stereo then tough shit. It'll still be better than having to find another keyboard player.

[Tristan Needler]

What kind of outputs do you have?

[remoteCONTROL]

i posted about this under the click track forum i think. running samples mono doesn't sound bad. unless youre listening for a specific stereo effect or all your samples are stereo like AVA then it won't really matter. in order to have your drummers click track line up with the samples, do this.

Take all your samples on Fruity Loops (or whatever program, i did it on Sound Studio) and pan them to the right. take the click track, add 8 or 16 stick counts to the beginning and pan it to the left. bounce all the songs onto an ipod so it's easier to shuffle through the setlist and not as expensive if it gets stolen. get a stereo splitter from radio shack (1/8" to 1/4 left and right...sometimes has red and black tips on the input) and plug it into the headphone jack on your ipod. run the drummers click track through the left output on the splitter. run a direct line to the mixer board through the right. start the songs on the 16 beat so they line up with everything. thats what we do. we got it from the dudes in the starting line. they've all had inear's tho so they were all on the same page but really only your drummer needs it

[patrickhowell]

i posted about this under the click track forum i think. running samples mono doesn't sound bad. unless youre listening for a specific stereo effect or all your samples are stereo like AVA then it won't really matter. in order to have your drummers click track line up with the samples, do this.

Take all your samples on Fruity Loops (or whatever program, i did it on Sound Studio) and pan them to the right. take the click track, add 8 or 16 stick counts to the beginning and pan it to the left. bounce all the songs onto an ipod so it's easier to shuffle through the setlist and not as expensive if it gets stolen. get a stereo splitter from radio shack (1/8" to 1/4 left and right...sometimes has red and black tips on the input) and plug it into the headphone jack on your ipod. run the drummers click track through the left output on the splitter. run a direct line to the mixer board through the right. start the songs on the 16 beat so they line up with everything. thats what we do. we got it from the dudes in the starting line. they've all had inear's tho so they were all on the same page but really only your drummer needs it

Also, make sure when you bounce the tracks that you don't use "Joint Stereo" If you do that, some of the click will bleed into the other channel.

[ClydeMcAllister]

i posted about this under the click track forum i think. running samples mono doesn't sound bad. unless youre listening for a specific stereo effect or all your samples are stereo like AVA then it won't really matter. in order to have your drummers click track line up with the samples, do this.

Take all your samples on Fruity Loops (or whatever program, i did it on Sound Studio) and pan them to the right. take the click track, add 8 or 16 stick counts to the beginning and pan it to the left. bounce all the songs onto an ipod so it's easier to shuffle through the setlist and not as expensive if it gets stolen. get a stereo splitter from radio shack (1/8" to 1/4 left and right...sometimes has red and black tips on the input) and plug it into the headphone jack on your ipod. run the drummers click track through the left output on the splitter. run a direct line to the mixer board through the right. start the songs on the 16 beat so they line up with everything. thats what we do. we got it from the dudes in the starting line. they've all had inear's tho so they were all on the same page but really only your drummer needs it

I did this last night for 3 of our songs. I'm going to try it out at practice today to see how it goes. Thanks.

[patrickhowell]

Well we haven't set it up yet, so this is all hypothetically speaking. But we would have the click in the left channel, which would just run to the drummers in-ear monitors, and the right channel with the bbacking track would be in the live mix.

I dunno, me and my drummer are going to go mess with some of this stuff today and see what we can do. If we can't get it stereo then tough shit. It'll still be better than having to find another keyboard player.

If you really want stereo effects, you could try running the effects live on a recorded sample - i.e. plug the right channel into an effect processor and then run stereo to the PA.

[ClydeMcAllister]

If you really want stereo effects, you could try running the effects live on a recorded sample - i.e. plug the right channel into an effect processor and then run stereo to the PA.

I think we've firgured out how we're going to run it. My drummer has an interface that we can use to play the backing track with his laptop and have everything in stereo.

[thedubside08]

Hi ive got the exact same problem, could you tell me the name of the interface your drummers using, coz i want the backing track in a proper stereo mix whereas at the moment im sending it out the right channel and its not a real stereo mix its the same stuff on left and right. thanks

[ClydeMcAllister]

Hi ive got the exact same problem, could you tell me the name of the interface your drummers using, coz i want the backing track in a proper stereo mix whereas at the moment im sending it out the right channel and its not a real stereo mix its the same stuff on left and right. thanks

My drummer had a Lexicaon interface, something like this one:

http://www.music123.com/Lexicon-Lambda-USB-Desktop-Studio-245506-i1126258.Music123

It's made for recording, but it works fine for the backing track.

Our band has been lucky enough to have our keyboard player rejoin us, so no more backing track for us! Though the drummer will still play to a click, and I'm working up on setting up a MIDI rig of my own to allow me to play some synth parts and put my bass down and play synth bass on some songs.