Azrael LenGraden
Lake Of Fire
Well Dam if Circus Maximus didn't sound AWESOME...When you got five guys that can sing like that live you dont need backing tracks...If you can't do it live...dont do it on the record...
Keep live music live!
- Thread starter acidbasement
- Start date
Yngvai X
Dark Emperor
I'd actually rather a band use backing tracks than hire an extra load of session musicians to join them onstage. When a band just grabs a bunch of session guys I feel like Im watching "band X plus session musicians"...at least when they use a backing track it still feels like just "band X".
AngraRULES
Member
Yngvai X said:
Are you talking about a New Jersey based band that finishes its name with X and has a big guitar player?
Yngvai X
Dark Emperor
AngraRULES said:Are you talking about a New Jersey based band that finishes its name with X and has a big guitar player?
no just trying to use a generic band name to prove my argument.
AngraRULES
Member
Yngvai X said:
I got that and was being ironic, cheesedick.
Yngvai X
Dark Emperor
AngraRULES said:I got that and was being ironic, cheesedick.
Go spear some fish, you jungle monkey.
My 2 cents: I actually like the idea of having a hired guy if you need it. It can be cool. Or having the off-stage guy (like Derek Sherinian). That kind of stuff can be fine. At the Necrophagist/Arsis/Alarum/Neuraxis tour earlier this year, Arsis had a hired bassist and 2nd guitar, they were the only band with session musicians, and they were (IMO) the best band of the tour. I've seen Hypocrisy with session guitarists and they always bring the house down. Morbid Angel killed with a guest guitar player last year when I saw them.
To give a non-death metal example, Blind Guardian's bassist is basically a hired gun, and they played on stage with him and a guest keyboardist no problem (although their stage presence is questionable).
To give a non-death metal example, Blind Guardian's bassist is basically a hired gun, and they played on stage with him and a guest keyboardist no problem (although their stage presence is questionable).
Heavenly Call
Member
If you want to talk background vocals, then give props to Circus Maximus...those guys can flat out sing.
Count me in the group that prefers no/limited backing tracks.
Count me in the group that prefers no/limited backing tracks.
saucywench
property of acidbasement
I'm throwing my lot in with acidbasement- let's keep it live! So much as is possible. At the very least, individual samples could be mixed in by hand- leaving the musicians with more freedom of performance, and being exceedingly cool into the bargain. When I hear a show where all the band does is hit "play" before each track, I'm generally quite disappointed. Look at Therion last year- another band that you'd expect to "require" backing tracks to support their style of music. Did they need them for an awesome show? Absolutely not. And I think their performance was better for it.
No-Mercy
Feanor
well...epica fuckin rules. and they are brilliant to create such music.
ovbiously the songs require choirs and orchestra in it. although, if im not mistaken, didnt the keyboardist play some of the orchestral parts? either way they kicked ass.
i will agree with savage circus though. only cos during many of the recordings nobody was playing. unlike epica where all musicians were constantly playing during some choir/orchestral backings.
ovbiously the songs require choirs and orchestra in it. although, if im not mistaken, didnt the keyboardist play some of the orchestral parts? either way they kicked ass.
i will agree with savage circus though. only cos during many of the recordings nobody was playing. unlike epica where all musicians were constantly playing during some choir/orchestral backings.
Andy Laudano
Member
As long as it's kept to a minimum, I dont mind having some backing tracks. What we need to remember is that 1) They were all doing stuff for either the ProgPower DVD/CD or even a full DVD for themselves. Unlike a regular more spontaneous rock show, DVD quality needs to be perfect before you can mass market it because that's what people will expect and 2) bringing along an extra couple of back up singers or a keyboardist wouldn't be so bad in these bands were living in the US, but most came in from other countries. Think of all the added costs and hassles bringing extra members would create.
scottie2024
53% velociraptor
The only thing about this that pissed me off:
During Evergrey's set. When Solitude Within came on, and it reached the string solo midway through.
There's a freakin' string quartet on stage, right then. Doing nothing. While a recorded solo comes through the PA.
I love that part, and was incredibly disappointed that the quartet didn't oull that off. Like, almost pissed.
Thats my only beef.
During Evergrey's set. When Solitude Within came on, and it reached the string solo midway through.
There's a freakin' string quartet on stage, right then. Doing nothing. While a recorded solo comes through the PA.
I love that part, and was incredibly disappointed that the quartet didn't oull that off. Like, almost pissed.
Thats my only beef.
saucywench
property of acidbasement
Andy Laudano said:
Again, many bands pull off bringing in one or many more additional members for a tour- living outside the US is a piss-poor excuse.
Recording a DVD is all the more reason for NOT using backing tracks- for pity's sake, I've already bought the album once, why on earth would I want something that's the same, only with visuals? I'm far less inclined to buy a concert DVD if I know it contains backing tracks. To me, perfection does not entail using material that has already been recorded and sold as part of another feature.
AngraRULES
Member
saucywench said:
No it's not. Do you have an idea about how much more per person that would cost to the promoter?
saucywench
property of acidbasement
AngraRULES said:
Of course it costs more. But the cost to send one additional person (e.g., a keyboardist) with an entire band, is a small proportion of the rest of the cost of the tour. I'd argue that in many cases sending that lone extra person would increase the quality of the show exponentially. Again, in many cases, that additional person could be hired in the US (if that's where the tour is), even cutting down further on expenses (if that's all one cares about).
What is it with metal fans? The message I'm getting off this thread is that most fans don't care that they're seeing a live show where the majority of the instruments/vocals being played aren't actually live. Is the visual experience all you want? This is an anomaly in the larger music community. And don't say it's because metal bands need the extra backing for that "fuller sound"- maybe they do, maybe they don't. Many, many bands manage quite well without recorded samples, either by rearranging music or by hiring additional artists.
Two years ago, I flew to Finland and schlepped myself across the country to Kitee for Nightwish's CD release. After the show, I wondered why I'd bothered- the entire show sounded *exactly* like the album, with some banter and visuals thrown in. How is that providing me, or any audience member, with a memorable concert experience?
scottie2024
53% velociraptor
There's a very good chance I'd kill a man to see that performed with a proper symphony.Nightmare1z said:
Yo, Marietta? Whereabouts? I work at Ken Stanton Music (by the Big Chicken) if you ever need anything instrument-related.
saucywench
property of acidbasement
Nightmare1z said:
I expected a band, who in turn expected 3000 people to travel to rural Finland, to make more of an effort.
I could forgive them Ghost Love Score if they hadn't done every single other song from Once with backing as well.
saucywench said:
Yes, but to not track the vocalists, they do track the keys.
I would say Haggard is one of the few bands that play music with multiple singers and several classical intruments that actually play all of it live . I don't count TSO in this since they actually have touring bands.
And I do know that Nightwish was working on getting a performance at the Royal Albert Hall. However, at the time it was booked at least 2 years in advance and they still had a singer. I'd imagine if that ever happened, it'd involve a full orchestra.
KingsGene
God of Thunder
Thank you for this thread.....I hate it. I don't mind a pre-recorded intro, but the rest of it should be performed live, especially vocals.
Kudos to Circus Maximus - they got my vote in the favorites poll for this reason.
Some of the bands feel it's more important to recreate their studio sound no matter the musical integrity. Perhaps they feel it's more important that people say "they were great; it sounded just like the CD" rather than "they were great, but too bad they don't sound like their CDs". I suppose the only way to change this is to let them know via discussions, e-mail, forums, etc.
I believe the weapon of choice is a sequencer, computer or ipod device with all the backing tracks already recorded with click track or some other timing mechanism. The drummer will either start it and/or count the band in. I think I remember the VD singer giving props to their extra member, the computer. Pyramaze was definitely using something like this, as opposed to a harmonizer as someone mentioned earlier.
Kudos to Circus Maximus - they got my vote in the favorites poll for this reason.
Some of the bands feel it's more important to recreate their studio sound no matter the musical integrity. Perhaps they feel it's more important that people say "they were great; it sounded just like the CD" rather than "they were great, but too bad they don't sound like their CDs". I suppose the only way to change this is to let them know via discussions, e-mail, forums, etc.
I believe the weapon of choice is a sequencer, computer or ipod device with all the backing tracks already recorded with click track or some other timing mechanism. The drummer will either start it and/or count the band in. I think I remember the VD singer giving props to their extra member, the computer. Pyramaze was definitely using something like this, as opposed to a harmonizer as someone mentioned earlier.
