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A "for dummies" question about using laptops/backing/click tracks live

D

Dan Mee

Mar 2, 2007
265
3
West Midlands, U.K.
#1
Okay guys, really quick one.

I've been asked to arrange the music for a 5 piece function band. Basically they have guitar/bass/drums/keyboard/vox(plus a couple backing vox) and need a couple things to boost the sound. I want to put in a few horn parts/synth parts, and possibly some percussion as well.

I'm currently using a 2009 Macbook Pro, running Logic Express, and Finale 2010. I'm now on a fairly tight budget for reasons I don't need to go into, and I don't have any kind of audio interfaces.

I've read all about panning stuff left/right to achieve a click track, and I'll have that sent to everyone in the band, with a count in at the start of each track.

Basically I'm trying to find out whether I need any kind of interface to run my laptop with the backing tracks on, whether I'd need to keep it all in the same file or if there is a way of changing them quickly between songs (probably not a safe idea I'm assuming), and whether it would in fact be better to run it from say an iPod as an mp3 of the entire gig, or use logic on my Mac so I can at least have some control starting and stopping tracks on stage.

What do people recommend as the most K.I.S.S. way of approaching this?

Cheers guys,
Dan
 
#4
Blonde Bassist said:
I'd just be concerned about starting stopping tracks/accidentally changing the volume using an iPod, I'm happy using my Macbook, with everything else closed down, only running logic so I can have a slightly safer control over the track.
Click to expand...
fair enough. just remember to make sure all your volumes are well preset and even so you can keep your hands off the track fader as much as possible.
 
#7
yep, ipods can play higher rez files.
you want to make sure the sound enhancement feature is off, it colors things considerably, in a bad way.
you'd also want to make sure there is no auto volume adjustment enabled.
you can actually hear the difference between a 16 bit and 24 bit file through a large concert pa, if using a quality converter.
one of my clients is using logic mainstage, it works well but isn't quite as solid as a simple setup in ableton live (we've been running into occasional inexplicable cpu spikes with mainstage).
that's a plus about an ipod, it just works although it's capabilities are one dimensional.
 
#8
D.A.R.K. said:
that's a plus about an ipod, it just works although it's capabilities are one dimensional.
Click to expand...
can't argue with that. still, i know a handful of single and duo acts who do it. good enough for playing to people who aren't paying attention ;) but i'll agree it's not good enough if you're a concert act. couldn't picture u2 using an ipod ;)
 
#9
Bounce them all to their own stereo track (click L track R). Open all the tracks individually in Quicktime and run them that way. Each track, when it reaches the end of the quick time file, will stop automatically. Then its just a mouse click away to start the next track.
Plus they're all .wav files and will sound the best. Just send the FOH guy your right channel (or wherever your track line is)
 
#11
JimmyM said:
can't argue with that. still, i know a handful of single and duo acts who do it. good enough for playing to people who aren't paying attention ;) but i'll agree it's not good enough if you're a concert act. couldn't picture u2 using an ipod ;)
Click to expand...

U2 doesnt control the backing tracks themselves from the stage either. If your talking about a local to regional band, doing thier own sound, Ipod is the way to go. We've used it for 3 years 60+ shows a year without a hiccup.
 
#12
I know a lot of the time the audience has no clue, but obviously, I do! So I want it the best possible quality I can get, in the simplest possible way. I know if I use my mac then it means I have to be on the gig. I've used an ipod feeding a track through before, doing the dreadful backing track thing. I think I might try writing the tracks in logic, getting all the timing right, and then finalising it as a set 1 track and a set 2 track, and see how that works with an ipod. I'm going try using logic for some rehearsals and see how it goes, a couple people have mentioned ableton. Can you give me an idea of how this would be better than logic, and would it be worth me buying?

Many thanks,
also, as a positive for the ipod, and negative for the mac, the mac is currently at a repair centre due to hard drive issues at the weekend... dun dun duuuuh...
 

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