Backing Tracks

[turntable]

hello

Having had most of my experience working in studios im just interested understanding what needs to be considered when preparing a backing track for a theatre production.

 

Thanks

 

Moderation: Topic title fixed.

[paulears]

It depends what you mean 'backing track'. In the simplest form, it's just a karaoke track, mixed so that when a voice is added, it sounds 'normal'. On the other hand, we have click tracks - which are similar, but feature the missing instruments or voices that fill out the sound. So let's assume you have keys, kit, bass and guitar on stage, with a singer - a fairly common one, but some songs need backing vocals, and the band, although good musicians, don't have the right voices? Maybe there are also a few extra instruments in places - perhaps an extra guitar, or some strings. These are premixed, usually into mono on one track, and a clicl with a count-in is on the other - the drummer gets the count-in which he can play to and copy to give the count-in for the band. Some people like to get this through their monitors or in-ears, others don't want it at all - taking their cues from the drummer, who is keeping them in time with the track. Personally, I like the click, quite loud. I also like the name of the track for confidence, so "great balls of fire 1,2,3,4,2,2,3,in " works for me - but you can adapt to pretty well anything. I also quite like clicks where tempo changes are also spoken "slowing 1 ..2...3....4.....1......2.........3............4" - but many people don't bother with these and just write them in the score. I hate getting lost, so appreciate any help the click can give me.

 

So stereo karaoke style, twin track clicks, and then for the clever shows, clicks from a multitrack and mixed as live.

 

Is this what you had in mind?

[whisky-zulu]

Just to continue slightly from what Paul said, regarding multitrack backing tracks - it's vital that these can be mixed properly; I've seen some that have had tracks so hot on the desk input that even with PAD in and no gain on the desk they were still clipping the channel! This makes it a nightmare for engineers mix live. Apologies if this sounds patronising but laying down the tracks in some sort of "logical" order if it's not you going to be mixing it at the end of the day, i.e. start with the kit, then bass, the guitars etc. etc. really helps too, more so if there aren't any rogue instruments in there that are only used for one song, but appear on a channel for something else - if it's possible give everything their own channel.

 

Also reiterating what Paul said about click tracks it's useful to have some warning, opposed to just having, "1,2,3,4..." come through the cans - can also scare the hell out of the orchestra if you don't have comms down to the pit and they suddenly get jerked into working.

[turntable]

thanks guys

 

I have been struggling to find much usefull information online. Im basically trying to write a technical guidance sheet for people wanting to use backing tracks who havent use them before. So im particularly interested in how the use of backing tracks is different in the different forms of theatre like musicals which im not familiar with, and also basic things like how the tracks should be edited and put on a cd, which format is best and how to deal with timing references and cuing for which again im not familiar with.

 

Thanks again

[peza2010]

I'm a tad confused. Why are you writing a technical sheet on backing tracks when you haven't got all that much experience with them?

 

It just seems a tad backwards to me.

 

But you have had some good input so far.

 

One thing that is generally required for click track (when using mini disk etc) is that the hardware had auto pause on it. So it doesn't just play the next track instantly.

[whisky-zulu]

Most of my experience of backing tracks come from cruise ship musical theatre productions where we had limited band space and so much of the score had to be pre-recorded and played back, both through FoH and down Monitors (Aviom in this case) for the band (8 piece) including the click. In this case we had a number of FoH only channels and a number of channels that only got sent down the Aviom system. I can only assume that at one stage it was all recorded onto CD, but I only dealt with the final playback module - a piece of kit called RaDAR Playback. We did also have some stereo BTs come through, were we'd split the stereo channel down to two Monos and send (eg.) Left down to Monitors with the click, and Right to FoH PA.

[Doug Siddons]

Just to continue slightly from what Paul said, regarding multitrack backing tracks - it's vital that these can be mixed properly; I've seen some that have had tracks so hot on the desk input that even with PAD in and no gain on the desk they were still clipping the channel! This makes it a nightmare for engineers mix live. Apologies if this sounds patronising but laying down the tracks in some sort of "logical" order if it's not you going to be mixing it at the end of the day, i.e. start with the kit, then bass, the guitars etc. etc. really helps too, more so if there aren't any rogue instruments in there that are only used for one song, but appear on a channel for something else - if it's possible give everything their own channel.

 

Also reiterating what Paul said about click tracks it's useful to have some warning, opposed to just having, "1,2,3,4..." come through the cans - can also scare the hell out of the orchestra if you don't have comms down to the pit and they suddenly get jerked into working.

 

Agreed, it seems that nowadays mastering houses make tracks far too hot

[fincaman]

I have noticed that younger sound engineers tend to have the backing track in my opinion to loud for the live vocal in line with modern pop records.

[peza2010]

I have noticed that younger sound engineers tend to have the backing track in my opinion to loud for the live vocal in line with modern pop records.

Probably to drown out the lack of talent - by the "talent" haha

[whisky-zulu]

Alot of the time, Fincaman, that's because the "talent" is just miming along to the pre-recorded backing track - had that quite a few times, then they suddenly pipe in and sing a bit they know well and can get reasonably in tune, then their mic meter doesn't read anything until the next bit they decided to have a crack at.

[fincaman]

Now Now everyone let's not be too unkind to the "warm Props" because I do both and believe me it's not that easy no matter what your talent level is to go out in front of an audience and perform although I frown upon miming to someone else's voice (visual comedy numbers exepted) I have no problem when I have to pre record some one singing or playing because there's too much action in the number. I do think being a performer as well gives you an insight into what performers need and makes you a better sound-light man.

 

 

Regards

 

Kevin