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using backing tracks and click

S

shibaku

Guest
Jul 3, 2013
38
1
#1
Hej Guys i need some help to set this up,

I need my drummer to have click track + monitor mix + he needs to send out backing tracks.

How would i set this up?

I was thinking about having a mixer that has 1 input for the monitor mix from the FOH + having 1 send from the laptop with the click that goes into the mixer and 1 send from the laptop with the backing to the FoH.

could anyone help me out?
 
#2
Would this work:

Behringer xenyx 302
macbook with logic pro x

in logic i would have:
1 track with the backing panned left
1 track with the click panned right
1 track with the incoming monitor mix panned right

using a splitter to attach headphones to the right and send the left to the FoH

Also, what kind of cable would i need to send the backing to the FoH?
 
#3

What exactly are you trying to accomplish? Typically the signal source (instrument, vocal, computer track or whatever) is plugged into the FOH mixer (i.e. via the snake on stage) and then sent back to the stage as a monitor signal. Are you needed something beyond this? Your post gives us no clue.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt


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#4
Is the laptop on stage near the drummer? If so stereo click/FOH and a Y cable into the snake as mentioned above should do the job.

But... sending the backing track back into the monitors may not work so well if the backing track contains too many elements that obscure the click track. If this is the case then it gets tricky. If you rack up the volume of the click track over the monitors so it can be heard over the backing track the audience can hear it. One option is click+modified backing track. Best is a laptop that can do maybe 4 outs - one click, 3 backing track elements you can mix for FOH and monitoring. But that eats up channels.

Ideally the drummer would have a dedicated monitor mix and headphones so that is where a sub mixer might be useful, sending one FOH mix to the main board, if that can also work back in the main band monitors, and run the monitor mix from the main board into the sub mixer purely for sending to the drummer along with the click track via the sub mixer's monitor mix to the drummer's phones. But there's a chance of feedback since the submixer is sending the backing to FOH and then receiving a monitor mix back containing the FOH. If the submixer has individual track outs this risk can be reduced.
 
#6
seamonkey said:
If you have a PC, your interface may have 4 or more outputs.
You can send a separate cue/click track to the drummer.
Click to expand...

I haven't tried it, because the need hasn't arisen*, but under Windows might allow using the standard stereo out along with one of the cheap Behringer USB audio units (under $40) via Asio4All. You can trim delay on the Asio4All interface so you should be able to get them synchronised.

Definitely headphones for the click/cue for te drummer if possible else it will be audible for the audience.

* I have used cue tracks but 2 tracks (FOH and monitor) have been sufficient. In that case the monitor track just had a different mix to accentuate elements required for timing, but hopefully not too obvious when bleeding through to the audience. In this case headphones weren't an option and IEMs not affordable but otherwise ideal.
 
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#7
My band has click and backing track for every song. The drummer, guitar player and myself all wear earphones. In those go the click and also some track. Track also goes into the wedge monitors which also carry vocals. Track goes to the FOH as well.

What I'd really like is to do away with the wedge monitors and get vocals into the earphones too.
 
#8
-Asdfgh- said:
I haven't tried it, because the need hasn't arisen*, but under Windows might allow using the standard stereo out along with one of the cheap Behringer USB audio units (under $40) via Asio4All. You can trim delay on the Asio4All interface so you should be able to get them synchronised.

Definitely headphones for the click/cue for te drummer if possible else it will be audible for the audience.

* I have used cue tracks but 2 tracks (FOH and monitor) have been sufficient. In that case the monitor track just had a different mix to accentuate elements required for timing, but hopefully not too obvious when bleeding through to the audience. In this case headphones weren't an option and IEMs not affordable but otherwise ideal.
Click to expand...

Yes ASIO4ALL will let you combine many interfaces including the built in audio ports on the PC into one big looking interface. It's very useful.

I also find Odius ASIO drivers very useful O Deus ASIO Link Pro - Linking Windows Audio to ASIO and the network
It's like the ultimate ASIO patch bay, works great with ASIO4ALL and other ASIO dedicated drivers.
Get output from multiple DAWs or native apps and mix them together.
 
#9
Logic via Firewire to Mackie Onyx channels 1/2 carrying the backing track, channel 3 carries the click and is not routed to the main mix, channel 3 AUX routed to Roland TD20 MIX IN, drummer monitors drums direct from the brain and adjusts his click to suit. A bit of a waste of a channel strip for a click, admittedly, but in exchange for what you gain from the backing track/not having to lump keyboards/keyboard player around it's a fair trade. Plus we actually make our own backings in order to preserve what smidgeon of "artistic integrity" we have left. At least I think that's how we do it....
 
#10
Rob Lewis said:
we actually make our own backings in order to preserve what smidgeon of "artistic integrity" we have left.
Click to expand...

As opposed to what? Using samples? We sample stuff, but it's usually just for scratching. I'm gonna go ahead and say that a sampled saxophone note used for a scratch solo still counts as integrity.
 
#11
seamonkey said:
Yes ASIO4ALL will let you combine many interfaces including the built in audio ports on the PC into one big looking interface. It's very useful.
Click to expand...

Back in 'the day' I did a few backing tracks via a 4 track, which allowed things like bass drum to be on a dedicated out for mixing.

Recently I've been using QLCPlus to control sound in conjunction with DMX lights and it doesn't allow you to route out so flexibly, unfortunately, so just stereo mix with FOH and monitor version. For those who do want to combine audio and DMX an alternative it to use a DAW like Reaper to do the audio side, and then a MIDI track via a virtual MIDI interface internally to route that to QLCPlus and trigger lighting sequences. It's rather more work, though, but connecting Reaper to more than 2 channels of audio is straightforward.
 

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