Is Playing With Tracks Live Cheating? #livemusic #musicproducer #soundengineer #shorts

[jxckfruit]

when streaming services start paying me more than 0.0003 cent a stream, ill hire a

[lentzintl]

We Ableton live for our backing tracks. So, since it is not pro tools, I guess we are good to go! 🙌

[dburt]

Been to so many concerts where it’s obvious the band is playing along to a pre-recorded track. Another reason why the setlist remains static from city to city.

[mariodriessen]

I would always prefer real players, BUT…. if you take a band like Nightwish for example, they (Tuomas mostly) write whole orchestral pieces, recorded by the LSO. You can’t take the LSO with you on tour, or any other big orchestra for that matter, so they use the original recordings of the orchestra and the choir, but the band itself are the ones playing everything live. As they should. And man, do they sound great! 😊

[audibletapehiss]

Just, whatever you do or think, understand that there is not ONE black and white answer to this. Many people need to use tracks for practical/financial reasons, while many people do it out of laziness, and many do it out of a sad need to "control" the "product." It's not a make up your mind once and for all issue.

[carterruff]

Love the pearls! Nice touch.
I personally think it's very context-dependent. I recently saw Andy Summers perform using backing tracks for some of his material. The guy managing them was onstage and clearly visible to the audience, and most of what he added in was for Police songs that were fan favorites. And even with that material, Andy had developed fresh arrangements of his own. He wasn't hiding anything, and he did plenty of material solo.
For folks who are inclined to use tracks for the entire set, I'd suggest instead hiring a multi-instrumentalist and developing new arrangements. It does not have to sound like the studio recording. In fact, it's better if it doesn't!
I don't want to see someone propped up on the stage, rehashing note for note what they recorded years ago; I want to see someone who is alive and creative, and even if they're playing familiar material, I want to see it made immediate and vibrant in a new way.
If someone can achieve that with restrained and limited use of backing tracks (as I feel Mr Summers did with his multimedia show), great. But it's a very small window of exception. I pay to see a performance, not a name. If I wanted to see the artist in their former glory, I'd go to a wax museum instead.

[gpeddino]

The Stones themselves play over backing tracks in certain songs, such as the extra percussion in Sympathy For The Devil.

[ericmyrs]

There's also the other side of the spectrum, with bands like Sungazer, where the computer support is part of the expression and a key part of the music. It's not all cut and dried.

[swamphead]

Good music is good music, no matter how it's produced or recorded.

[Aaron-zhkj]

I think the band Rush solved this question better than any. Even their tracks for abstract keyboard sounds were initiated by one of the three members on stage via a pedals/pads, so that even in their use of tracks and abstract sounds, you were still withessing a live performance.

[mikal]

He's right. The big problem is when people are pretending to play something on stage that is actually a recording. If there's a horn, but nobody's on stage pretending they're playing it, I don't have an issue with that. But they should also disclose that and not lie.

[blnehcn]

Remember kidos, it's not how good you play, it's how good you SOUND.

[stanislasjaskiewicz]

Let me quote as much as I remember Billy Corgan (no, really): "I do not go see an artist live to hear their album".
On an album you should have, if you can, real musicians. Live, I think it is at the very least interesting to hear an artist try to play something different, something "real" with what they have.
Ok, I've read comments and I agree, Bohemian Rhapsody is an exception.

[gitgeronimo]

My band recorded an album. We had over 40 tracks on some songs with overdubs. We performed everything ourslves. We had a budget of a couple thousand dollars. I supplemented it by cleaning the studio every week in return for more studio time. It turned out great. Had it not been for ProTools it would have never happened.

[RobbyKing]

The worst is when a band has keys or horns on one song, so they hire touring musicians and add those instruments to EVERY song in their set. Lucero did it for Overton Park and it was abhorrent.

[andrewschliewe]

I have to agree with the first band Dave talked about where the band doesn't have a keyboardist, but they put a keyboard track on one song. It clearly doesn't make sense to hire a keyboardist for the entire tour to work for 4-5 minutes a show.

[threepe]

The line is arbitrary. Everyone has their rationalization as to where theirs is. Hearing non-musicians explain where theirs is is sometimes amusing and baffling, and hearing where musicians’ lines are is a bit tiring as a lot of them make sense if you’re open and honest, but people don’t listen enough before judging.

[MrTyk]

If you have full orchestral parts and choirs then you have to use tracks or its simply not economical to gig. We all sing the harmonies anyway. There are ways to be able to play different sets every night. I use Studio One's Show Page and it's brilliant.

[claudiasolomon]

I will forever be amazed at people in the music industry, who are opposed to technology & dont realize their aversion is very arbitrary. The context of how technology is being used is what matters.

[lavatar]

I’ve been playing with backing tracks since the mid eighties partly out of necessity because band members would constantly let me down.
It’s limited and less fun but also less stressful!