Hey guys, I come to you today to offer a new service I seem to have been getting good at lately and that some of you might be interested in: Backing tracks for guitarists and singers!
What's that, you say? Allow me to explain myself. Have you ever as a guitarist or singer wanted to practice your skills by recording a cover of a popular (or not so popular) song, and so you search the web for "backing tracks" only to find static, boring midi based stuff that sounds more stale than your grandmother masturbating (Sorry for the mental image), and is also of no use if you want to practice your mixing skills as well? So for you, I am offering drum and bass tracks of high quality and performance to any song you choose.
Drums would be programmed and humanized from scratch BY EAR from the original song without the use of tabs, I will program what I'm hearing, emulating not only the "composition" but also the style of the performance as regards dynamics in velocity and timing.
Bass would be recorded by me with either my trusty Strinberg Clb-25 or my recent acquisition Warwick Corvette Proline ´92 Made in Germany, both of which can handle virtually any tuning from A to E and anything in between. I would provide a clean DI track through the instument input of my focusrite saffire pro 40, and would later reamp through my MXR M80 Bass DI+ and/or ProcoRat for a distorted or gritty tone as required for the song. I could also provide reamps through my Peavey FireBass 700 amp head for some killer clean but "amp" style metal bass tone, and I have access to an AXE FX II and plenty of other pedals on demand, so you will have several different bass tones to work with at your will. I am quite confident in my own bass skills, having played in bands for a few years, including progressive metal and very fast and technical goregrind, so even though complex songs will require more learning and practice time, I can guarantee a perfectly acceptable performance in any song I accept to do.
So the normal deal is that I would give everything raw: the midi file mapped to EZdrummer or general midi* with the tempo map embedded (in some cases the tempo map will have a lot of small variations, to make up for the "free tempo" nature of the original song if it has any, such as the samples posted below), and the separate bass tracks in mono 44.1Khz 24 bit .Wav files**. This will allow you to record guitars and/or vocals and ultimately mix it to your taste and for your own enjoyment/practice/experience.
For the price of this service, I would make an estimate of the hours it takes to do the work, taking into account the length and complexity of the song in drums and bass work, and giving a definite price before any work is done, based on said estimate. Also, I can offer different "versions" of the service, as listed below with average pricings:
- Backing tracks for mixing: This is the standard service described above, you recieve everything raw, to record and mix at will. For a 3 to 4 minute song with "normal" complexity (no blast beats, more of a "rock" than metal feel, although double kick is fine), it would be 70€ per song, but this can go up considerably if the length and complexity of the song is higher, because the time needed grows exponentially. Always ask for a definite price before giving a down payment.
- Pre-mixed backing track: If you simply want to have a "karaoke" track to play and record on top of without mixing, for a small extra fee I can give you a pre-mixed mp3 or .wav file of the drums and bass already mixed together on top of which you can start playing right away. For the basic 70€ pack, an extra 30€, bringing it up to 100€ which will get you the pre-mixed file, with the right to one "mix revision", if there's anything in the initial mix not to your liking. You will also recieve all the raw tracks if you want them.
- Backing tracks with real drums: If the song features no double bass, I can also offer a high quality recording of an excellent drummer that happens to be a good friend of mine and is looking to do some session work. In my honest opinion, this is one of the best drummers I've seen, his feel and groove are ridiculous, a great sense of rhythm (also a master in all types of percussion, he recorded some djembe percussion in my band's album), and he takes great care of his drums, and HE CAN TUNE HIS DRUMS PROPERLY. So apart from the bass tracks, and instead of a midi file, you would get an excellent acoustic drum performance recorded with as many mics as suitable for the project, for you to mix at will. The price of this service will vary depending on the song and availabilty of the drummer. I can also add the premixed backing track to this for an extra fee if wanted. I will soon have some samples of they guy's playing for anyone interested.
- Humanizing/programming/editing drums: For your own songs or covers, I'm doing a lot of this lately, standard rate is 40€ for a "standard" song as described above.
- Session Bass recording: Same as above, rate will vary depending on length and complexity, but a standard would be 50€ per song, could be lower if it's a really short and simple song, and could be cheaper per song if it's an EP or full length instead of just one or two songs.
So, with no more to say, I will give some samples of what I offer:
A cover of "Ritual" by Ghost, drums, bass and mix/master done by me:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/954292/Music samples-stems/Ghost Ritual Final (maybe) Mix.mp3
Here are some samples of recent work I did for James Holloway, user jvanman here in the forum, bass is compressed and eq'd, almost raw, drums are default NY Avatar kit in Superior Drummer:
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/954292/Backing Track Service/Samples/Anti Nowhere League Sample.mp3
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/954292/Backing Track Service/Samples/SYL Love Sample 1.mp3
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/954292/Backing Track Service/Samples/SYL Love Sample 2.mp3
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/954292/Backing Track Service/Samples/World Of Promises Sample.mp3
I also recently started working on a youtube channel that will feature some covers, mixes I've done and some bass playthroughs. Here's a song from my band BLOODHUNTER with a completely live, one-take playthrough:
If you're interested, hit me up here through a PM, or at lightsoutstudios@gmail.com
http://www.danlightsaudio.com
http://www.facebook.com/lightsoutstudios
http://www.instagram.com/danlightsaudio
*= I don't own Steven Slate drums or Addictive Drums but I could map it if needed, I just can't guarantee the velocities will "feel" as intended because different drum libraries seem to work better at different velocity levels so auto-mapping after the fact isn't guaranteed to work as well as programming from scratch in the intended library, as I would do with EZdrummer 2, which I do own
**= Sample rate, bit depth and file type can change if wanted, of course, this is just the standard I work with
UPDATE: Pics and a short video of my drummer:
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/954292/Backing Track Service/pics and videos/Drumming around.mov
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/954292/Backing Track Service/pics and videos/2013-02-08 23.34.15.jpg
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/954292/Backing Track Service/pics and videos/2013-02-08 23.47.22.jpg
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/954292/Backing Track Service/pics and videos/2013-02-08 23.34.37.jpg
What's that, you say? Allow me to explain myself. Have you ever as a guitarist or singer wanted to practice your skills by recording a cover of a popular (or not so popular) song, and so you search the web for "backing tracks" only to find static, boring midi based stuff that sounds more stale than your grandmother masturbating (Sorry for the mental image), and is also of no use if you want to practice your mixing skills as well? So for you, I am offering drum and bass tracks of high quality and performance to any song you choose.
Drums would be programmed and humanized from scratch BY EAR from the original song without the use of tabs, I will program what I'm hearing, emulating not only the "composition" but also the style of the performance as regards dynamics in velocity and timing.
Bass would be recorded by me with either my trusty Strinberg Clb-25 or my recent acquisition Warwick Corvette Proline ´92 Made in Germany, both of which can handle virtually any tuning from A to E and anything in between. I would provide a clean DI track through the instument input of my focusrite saffire pro 40, and would later reamp through my MXR M80 Bass DI+ and/or ProcoRat for a distorted or gritty tone as required for the song. I could also provide reamps through my Peavey FireBass 700 amp head for some killer clean but "amp" style metal bass tone, and I have access to an AXE FX II and plenty of other pedals on demand, so you will have several different bass tones to work with at your will. I am quite confident in my own bass skills, having played in bands for a few years, including progressive metal and very fast and technical goregrind, so even though complex songs will require more learning and practice time, I can guarantee a perfectly acceptable performance in any song I accept to do.
So the normal deal is that I would give everything raw: the midi file mapped to EZdrummer or general midi* with the tempo map embedded (in some cases the tempo map will have a lot of small variations, to make up for the "free tempo" nature of the original song if it has any, such as the samples posted below), and the separate bass tracks in mono 44.1Khz 24 bit .Wav files**. This will allow you to record guitars and/or vocals and ultimately mix it to your taste and for your own enjoyment/practice/experience.
For the price of this service, I would make an estimate of the hours it takes to do the work, taking into account the length and complexity of the song in drums and bass work, and giving a definite price before any work is done, based on said estimate. Also, I can offer different "versions" of the service, as listed below with average pricings:
- Backing tracks for mixing: This is the standard service described above, you recieve everything raw, to record and mix at will. For a 3 to 4 minute song with "normal" complexity (no blast beats, more of a "rock" than metal feel, although double kick is fine), it would be 70€ per song, but this can go up considerably if the length and complexity of the song is higher, because the time needed grows exponentially. Always ask for a definite price before giving a down payment.
- Pre-mixed backing track: If you simply want to have a "karaoke" track to play and record on top of without mixing, for a small extra fee I can give you a pre-mixed mp3 or .wav file of the drums and bass already mixed together on top of which you can start playing right away. For the basic 70€ pack, an extra 30€, bringing it up to 100€ which will get you the pre-mixed file, with the right to one "mix revision", if there's anything in the initial mix not to your liking. You will also recieve all the raw tracks if you want them.
- Backing tracks with real drums: If the song features no double bass, I can also offer a high quality recording of an excellent drummer that happens to be a good friend of mine and is looking to do some session work. In my honest opinion, this is one of the best drummers I've seen, his feel and groove are ridiculous, a great sense of rhythm (also a master in all types of percussion, he recorded some djembe percussion in my band's album), and he takes great care of his drums, and HE CAN TUNE HIS DRUMS PROPERLY. So apart from the bass tracks, and instead of a midi file, you would get an excellent acoustic drum performance recorded with as many mics as suitable for the project, for you to mix at will. The price of this service will vary depending on the song and availabilty of the drummer. I can also add the premixed backing track to this for an extra fee if wanted. I will soon have some samples of they guy's playing for anyone interested.
- Humanizing/programming/editing drums: For your own songs or covers, I'm doing a lot of this lately, standard rate is 40€ for a "standard" song as described above.
- Session Bass recording: Same as above, rate will vary depending on length and complexity, but a standard would be 50€ per song, could be lower if it's a really short and simple song, and could be cheaper per song if it's an EP or full length instead of just one or two songs.
So, with no more to say, I will give some samples of what I offer:
A cover of "Ritual" by Ghost, drums, bass and mix/master done by me:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/954292/Music samples-stems/Ghost Ritual Final (maybe) Mix.mp3
Here are some samples of recent work I did for James Holloway, user jvanman here in the forum, bass is compressed and eq'd, almost raw, drums are default NY Avatar kit in Superior Drummer:
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/954292/Backing Track Service/Samples/Anti Nowhere League Sample.mp3
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/954292/Backing Track Service/Samples/SYL Love Sample 1.mp3
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/954292/Backing Track Service/Samples/SYL Love Sample 2.mp3
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/954292/Backing Track Service/Samples/World Of Promises Sample.mp3
I also recently started working on a youtube channel that will feature some covers, mixes I've done and some bass playthroughs. Here's a song from my band BLOODHUNTER with a completely live, one-take playthrough:
If you're interested, hit me up here through a PM, or at lightsoutstudios@gmail.com
http://www.danlightsaudio.com
http://www.facebook.com/lightsoutstudios
http://www.instagram.com/danlightsaudio
*= I don't own Steven Slate drums or Addictive Drums but I could map it if needed, I just can't guarantee the velocities will "feel" as intended because different drum libraries seem to work better at different velocity levels so auto-mapping after the fact isn't guaranteed to work as well as programming from scratch in the intended library, as I would do with EZdrummer 2, which I do own
**= Sample rate, bit depth and file type can change if wanted, of course, this is just the standard I work with
UPDATE: Pics and a short video of my drummer:
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/954292/Backing Track Service/pics and videos/Drumming around.mov
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/954292/Backing Track Service/pics and videos/2013-02-08 23.34.15.jpg
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/954292/Backing Track Service/pics and videos/2013-02-08 23.47.22.jpg
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/954292/Backing Track Service/pics and videos/2013-02-08 23.34.37.jpg
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