Backing Track Basics Part I: How To Get a Great Track

So you’ve started your singing journey. Maybe you rock out a cappella or sing along with the radio when you’re making music at home. Your voice teacher might accompany you on guitar or piano during lessons, giving you a chance to hear your own voice while still having the harmonic support of an instrument. But if you don’t play an instrument, how do you get this experience at home? Even if you do play, you might not want to multi-task while performing or you may want a fuller or more electronic sound than you can create on your own.

Getting a great backing track used to be a much bigger challenge, but - thanks to the miracle of modern technology and the internet - a great track is just a click away!

Karaoke Tracks

If you’re looking for quick, easy backing tracks, karaoke is the way to go. While not the most professional option, they can give you a full sound without having to hire a band and backup singers. Let’s look at some of the best options below.

Sing King

Sing King started as a Youtube channel but launched an app on iOS and Android in 2020. They have well produced karaoke tracks available for you to use for free and let you create custom playlists of songs so you can keep rocking all night. Unfortunately, the app doesn’t allow you to change keys or record yourself singing along. We think this is a fun practice app, but you need your songs in the correct key if you’re going to perform live so don’t plan to take this on stage with you.

Karaoke-Version.com

The name may not be wildly catchy, but the service itself is. While you do have to pay for the backing tracks, the quality and customization options make it worth the expense. The ability to change the key, choose which instruments are included in each track, and mix the instruments make the $2.99/track fee worth far more than any “VIP” subscription on the iOS or Android karaoke apps. If you’re looking for quality tracks that you could potentially use at an open mic, this is the site for you. As an added bonus, you can download the customized tracks instantly rather than having to wait for a musician or producer to create them from scratch.

Spotify

Chances are you’ve interacted with Spotify before; it was the most popular music streaming service in 2020, after all. The seminal app is more than just a great place to hear your favorite top 40 songs or up-and-coming indie artists; it’s also chock full of karaoke tracks! A quick search for “karaoke” or “backing tracks” on Spotify will return a wide variety of karaoke versions of your favorite songs. You can build your own custom playlist of tracks to play for continuous singing, but remember that the free version of Spotify will occasionally play an ad between tracks (not ideal if you’re using this for a live performance). You also can’t customize your key making this a less than ideal tool for the stage.

Custom Tracks

Custom backing tracks are a more professional but less budget friendly option than karaoke tracks. Whether you’re looking for a version of your favorite song or your own composition, hiring a pro is a great way to go.

Fiverr and Upwork

Fiverr and Upwork are very similar services. Basically, you can remotely hire a professional to create a track (in addition to many other services). Clients leave reviews of the pros so you can hopefully get an idea of what the quality of the product will be like. The prices generally start at $50, so this isn’t a cheap option, but a great one if you're looking for a performance ready track.

Call a musician friend

Do you have a friend who’s a talented guitar or piano player? If you just need a simple instrumental accompaniment, reach out to them and see if they’re comfortable recording a track for you. Much like Fiverr or Upwork, you need to compensate them for their talents, but working with someone you know is a great opportunity to build a professional relationship. Maybe you’ll be calling them to provide live accompaniment in the future - or maybe they’ll be reaching out to you to sing vocals sometime! Just remember that not everyone with a guitar is comfortable recording themself or accompanying a vocalist; be ready to take “no” for an answer.

DIY Tracks

If you have a basic understanding of music theory and a smart phone, you can do some pretty amazing things. Building your own tracks no longer requires renting a studio and hiring a band; with some easy to use (and often free!) apps, you can build your own backing tracks.

GarageBand

If you have an Apple device, make sure you have GarageBand installed. While the mobile version is no where near as robust as the desktop edition, it still allows you to build a complete track with just software instruments. The app even features an automated drummer that allows you to customize the tempo, style, number of fills, and even what kind of percussion and parts of the kit are used. While you don’t need an instrument or midi controller to make a great track, GarageBand does allow you to record yourself if you’re ready to take your DIY track to the next level.

Medly

This free app has some pretty robust music creation options. You can record your own audio, but the real draw of this app is the wide variety of synth sounds. You draw your notes onto a grid, meaning that you neither need to read music nor play an instrument to make a full, complex track. The biggest downside to Medly is that many of the sounds are behind a pay wall; but, if you’re able to pay $4.99/month and looking for an easy way to create great sounding electronic tracks, the membership might be worth it!

The Ethics of Backing Tracks

Whether you’ve found your perfect pre-recorded karaoke track or phoned a friend to build you a custom track, there are some things you should keep in mind before you start using your sparkly new audio.

You Cannot Use Backing Tracks to Record Your Album

Unless you’re creating the tracks yourself, recording over karaoke tracks and releasing that as an album will get you into some serious legal trouble - even if you payed someone to create the tracks. Check the fine print on your agreement, but, in general, you’re only purchasing a license to use the tracks during live performances. The person who made the track still owns the copyright. If you want a backing track to record over, make that clear to the producer at the start of the project, expect to pay more, and make sure you get a work-for-hire or other appropriate agreement from the person you’re working with.

Don’t Share Your Purchased Tracks With Friends

While it might feel generous to share send your friend a copy of your amazing custom backing track, it can land you in hot water with the track creator. Sharing the track with friends is akin to buying one candy bar and shoplifting a second one for your buddy. Remember that just because you paid for the track that doesn’t mean you can do absolutely whatever you want with it. When you buy a track, you’re really purchasing a license to sing over that recording yourself - and by “yourself” we mean only you.

If you paid a musician buddy to record your track, send your friends their way to get their own custom recording. Your singer friends will be impressed with your connections and grateful for the recommendation, and your musician buddy will thank you for the business - and maybe even recommend you to others in the future!

More To Come In Part II…

We hope this helps you find the perfect track to upgrade your practice routine or support you on your next live performance. Next month, we’ll be talking going over the Do’s and Don’ts of using tracks in live performance to help you look like a pro when you take the stage. In the mean time, go find - or make - your dream track and don’t forget to love your voice!

Book a Lesson Today

Need help developing your repertoire or picking a key for your tracks? Set up a lesson with Zelda to take your singing to the next level.

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