# Backing tracks and the gear ... what is needed? And, how much?



## JacquesP (May 23, 2019)

Hi again folks.

Seems I've been spending more time here lately than on any other website I regularly visit (photography).

So, I am getting a bit bored playing and practicing on my own here. Nothing wrong with that but it would be nice to have some background music which I could play along with.
I seriously miss having the old friends around for a little jamming session once a while. Either they are not playing anymore or have quit, moved, etc ...

So, I have no idea how to go about this:
1. Do I have to buy a "system" and break the bank? (not my favourite option, of course)
2. Set something up on my home PC? ... that would be a real PITA because of the computer room not in the same place as my guitar playing room. There is no way this can be changed (for now).
3. Get one of those "app" and try to make it work ... no idea if that would even work?

I've checked a couple of threads here:
https://guitarscanada.com/index.php?threads/anyone-used-a-trio.231016/#post-2373994
https://guitarscanada.com/index.php?threads/jam-accompanyist-pedals.230444/ This second one seems to have some of the info I need but I'm so lost!

Any information on what I need to have a decent but *not *outrageously *expensive* setup would be very welcomed.

Thanks in advance and
Cheers!


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## Merlin (Feb 23, 2009)

I gig with backing tracks I arranged and recorded myself. I run them from my iPhone via Bluetooth into a Yorkville EXM-70 portable PA.


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## Merlin (Feb 23, 2009)

Oh, and the app I use is Go Button. Free version will store one show; paid has unlimited set lists/shows


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

I bought an old stereo system (~$75.00 for speakers, and an amp) and an old iPad ($60.00) for my guitar/rec room in the basement. 

I run the iPad directly into the system from the headphone jack to the tape RCA connections on the back of the amp.

There are 1,000's of backing tracks on YouTube.


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## oldjoat (Apr 4, 2019)

even cheaper ... MP4/3 player (about 30 bux new)
1 patch cord 3.5MM stereo to stereo from the dollar store /tree ( about $1.50)
a 1/4" mono male jack and 2 resistors (1000 to 2000 Ohms each )
cut one end off the patch cord
solder the braided ground wire to the ground lug on the 1/4" jack
solder 1 resistor to each of the stereo leads , then connect the other 2 ends of the resistors together and solder to the Tip lug of the 1/4" jack

L-resistor-\
(just space) ----- to tip lug-----------
R-resistor-/

---------------braided ground --------


record backing tracks to the Mp player ...

plug the patch cord into your amp , adjust the sound level ( MP Player) to the level you want with your guitar.


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## JacquesP (May 23, 2019)

Great info! Thanks to all for the replies. 
I have "discovered" that I could try with the cell phone and connect it somehow to the amp?
Anyway, I need to get more teckie here... an old guy like myself not so good at anything of that sort.


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## JacquesP (May 23, 2019)

greco said:


> I bought an old stereo system (~$75.00 for speakers, and an amp) and an old iPad ($60.00) for my guitar/rec room in the basement.
> 
> I run the iPad directly into the system from the headphone jack to the tape RCA connections on the back of the amp.
> 
> There are 1,000's of backing tracks on YouTube.


Can you actually download "just the music" (no video) ? I'll go check this right now.
Thanks.

Edit: yes, tons of tracks there but can one save it somewhere?


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## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

JacquesP said:


> Can you actually download "just the music" (no video) ? I'll go check this right now.
> Thanks.
> 
> Edit: yes, tons of tracks there but can one save it somewhere?


Elevated JamTracks is my fav. You can save them to a list in YouTube or you can save them locally or to a cloud service like Google Drive.


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## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

The way I play to backing tracks away from the studio is by connecting my iPhone and guitar to the Vox Adio Air.


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## JacquesP (May 23, 2019)

1SweetRide said:


> Elevated JamTracks is my fav. You can save them to a list in YouTube or you can save them locally or to a cloud service like Google Drive.





1SweetRide said:


> The way I play to backing tracks away from the studio is by connecting my iPhone and guitar to the Vox Adio Air.


What I meant was:
can you save the tracks to an external device? (i.e.: cell phone, MP3 player ...)
What's this Vox AdioAir? Edit: OK ... just found it!
I am trying to find a way to at least download some backing tracks to the phone or MP3 player if that is possible.


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## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

JacquesP said:


> What I meant was:
> can you save the tracks to an external device? (i.e.: cell phone, MP3 player ...)
> What's this Vox AdioAir? Edit: OK ... just found it!


Yes. Use the PC to save the YouTube vids to your C drive, upload them to Google Drive, on your phone, go to the Google Drive app and choose “Make available off-line”. Voilà, your track is now on your phone. 

That Vox is a small little amp with big sound a connection to a phone via Bluetooth.


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## JacquesP (May 23, 2019)

1SweetRide said:


> Yes. Use the PC to save the YouTube vids to your C drive, upload them to Google Drive, on your phone, go to the Google Drive app and choose “Make available off-line”. Voilà, your track is now on your phone.
> 
> That Vox is a small little amp with big sound a connection to a phone via Bluetooth.


Thanks for the reply again.
I still cannot find how to save the vid (see here which one I tried to save: 



 ) to the computer C drive. 
Sorry about that.
I must be one of those old geezers who cannot use a computer that well.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

JacquesP said:


> Can you actually download "just the music" (no video) ? I'll go check this right now.
> Thanks.
> 
> Edit: yes, tons of tracks there but can one save it somewhere?


I just bookmark the specific tracks/sites I like and change them when I get tired of playing my guitar with any of them. 

I'm very old school...but it works fine. I also have some ancient technology called a CD player hooked up to the same system.


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## Guitar101 (Jan 19, 2011)

greco said:


> I bought an old stereo system (~$75.00 for speakers, and an amp) and an old iPad ($60.00) for my guitar/rec room in the basement.
> 
> I run the iPad directly into the system from the headphone jack to the tape RCA connections on the back of the amp.
> 
> There are 1,000's of backing tracks on YouTube.


You can run an older stereo system using bluetooth with this gadget. I bought mine on sale for $35 and it can be used for playing backing tracks from a phone or tablet. I use mine with my older PA system.


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

Most small practice amps have an input for your device. Something like a Voc DA5 or a Vox Mini 3 G2


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## Guest (Aug 12, 2019)

JacquesP said:


> I must be one of those old geezers who cannot use a computer that well.


I learned the hard way over the years through trial n' error.
I couldn't tell you how many times I had to reformat my computer. lol

Depending on what browser you use, go to 'tools/add ons' and look for 'download helper'.
You can choose the format of what you want to download.
This is the firefox example.


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## oldjoat (Apr 4, 2019)

JacquesP said:


> I have "discovered" that I could try with the cell phone and connect it somehow to the amp?


just build one of the patch cables above ... use with any player/ ipad/ phone / thingie with earphone jack ... then plug the 1/4" male jack into any spare input on the amp .


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

I use www.guitarbackingtrack.com, several CDs, or Garageband (for self made backing tracks), all from my computer. The computer's audio goes to either the home stereo or a small Yamaha PA simply because the fidelity is better than I get from a guitar or bass amp. I could use headphones but I prefer not to unless I'm recording.


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## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

JacquesP said:


> Thanks for the reply again.
> I still cannot find how to save the vid (see here which one I tried to save:
> 
> 
> ...


No problem, happy to help. Here's how you do it.

Launch YouTube and go to the video you want to save. Copy the link by clicking on the Share button.
Load up this site YouTube Video Downloader | Download music and video from Youtube free! and ignore all the ads and be careful what you click on and deny all requests to open pop-ups or to provide notifications
Where it says "Just insert a link", paste the YouTube link into that box
Once you paste the link, it will start parsing the link, you don't have to do anything but wait a few seconds at this point
Eventually, you see a green DOWNLOAD box, choose the format and click download. Save it wherever you want
Sometimes, the video will start playing in a small box. If it does that, just right-click on it and choose download
Now, to get it on your phone....

Sign up for Google Drive
Create a folder called Backing Tracks, create some sub-folders to categorize your music if you like
Upload your track to Google Drive
Within the Google Drive app on your device, navigate to where the file is located and touch on the three dots besides the file name and choose "Make Available Off-Line". It will download to your device and stay there.
There is a much easier way to do this if you want to pay for YouTube Red. With that service, you can download any video directly to your device. Costs $ though.

Also, keep in mind that artists get money from ads that will no longer play (a good thing as an ad for Viagra coming up in the middle of your jam is no fun). What I do is sign up for Patreon and donate a few bucks to the artist each month. I also buy collections from them that you can download as MP3s.


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## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

JacquesP said:


> What I meant was:
> can you save the tracks to an external device? (i.e.: cell phone, MP3 player ...)
> What's this Vox AdioAir? Edit: OK ... just found it!
> I am trying to find a way to at least download some backing tracks to the phone or MP3 player if that is possible.


The Vox is way better than the Yamaha TH series. I A/B'd them and bought the Vox. I even use the Vox to jam at a little gig I have. It's plenty loud for a good size room.


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## Guitar101 (Jan 19, 2011)

Just wondering why he needs YouTube to play jam tracks. Am I missing something? Can't he just copy an mp3 of the song onto his phone and play it from there.


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## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

Guitar101 said:


> Just wondering why he needs YouTube to play jam tracks. Am I missing something? Can't he just copy an mp3 of the song onto his phone and play it from there.


A lot of really good backing tracks are on YouTube. No way to save them to the phone (normally).


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## Kerry Brown (Mar 31, 2014)

I don't bother to save YouTube videos. I plug my iPad or iPhone into the aux input on my practice amp (every decent practice amp has one) and search Youtube for an appropriate track then click on the play button. This way I don't get stale playing the same tracks over and over.


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## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

Kerry Brown said:


> I don't bother to save YouTube videos. I plug my iPad or iPhone into the aux input on my practice amp (every decent practice amp has one) and search Youtube for an appropriate track then click on the play button. This way I don't get stale playing the same tracks over and over.


When you find a favourite track, I save them just in case the creator leaves YouTube.


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## CathodeRay (Jan 12, 2018)

The IRealPro app can provide backing tracks on a phone, incredibly flexible re setting the tempo, key etc:
iReal Pro - Music Book and Backing Tracks

If no stereo / bluetooth available, then send guitar & phone into a passive mixer, into the guitar amp.
SPLITMix4 – Four Channel Passive Splitter/Mixer – ART Pro Audio

Together for under $100


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## Guitar101 (Jan 19, 2011)

1SweetRide said:


> A lot of really good backing tracks are on YouTube. No way to save them to the phone (normally).


I use Videoder to save any YouTube videos I want to keep. When you save it, you have the option to save the video or an mp3. If you save the mp3, you can save them to your phone.


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## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

Guitar101 said:


> I use Videoder to save any YouTube videos I want to keep. When you save it, you have the option to save the video or an mp3. If you save the mp3, you can save them to your phone.


Cool, is that a phone app or a desktop one?


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## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

CathodeRay said:


> The IRealPro app can provide backing tracks on a phone, incredibly flexible re setting the tempo, key etc:
> iReal Pro - Music Book and Backing Tracks
> 
> If no stereo / bluetooth available, then send guitar & phone into a passive mixer, into the guitar amp.
> ...


Can the iReal app analyze an existing song for chords and key?


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## Guitar101 (Jan 19, 2011)

1SweetRide said:


> Cool, is that a phone app or a desktop one?


Both I think but I only use it on my PC. Works great.
If you think that's cool, I store my backing tracks on the free version of google play music and play them using my google home mini. Once it's set up, I just ask Hey Google? Play _Song Name_ and it starts playing. It's great.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Guitar101 said:


> Both I think but I only use it on my PC. Works great.
> If you think that's cool, I store my backing tracks on the free version of google play music and play them using my google home mini. Once it's set up, I just ask Hey Google? Play _Song Name_ and it starts playing. It's great.


Bill Gates is looking for you. He has a job opening.
Well done!


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## Frenchy99 (Oct 15, 2016)

In the past, I just looked at the: Bass player needed section to go and find a new place to jam ! I too would be lost in this new age tech.

Things might have changed today but still prefer the real band experience...


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## JacquesP (May 23, 2019)

knight_yyz said:


> Most small practice amps have an input for your device. Something like a Voc DA5 or a Vox Mini 3 G2


yes, they do !
*Update:*
I went and borrowed a small practice amp from a friend (he's not using it) and there is an input jack where I can plug the cell phone and play music through it.
Works OK.
Then I still have to find some good backing tracks so I can play along.
So, I found this site: FREE Guitar Backing Tracks @ GuitarVoice.com! but once I've loaded tracks from there, it seems that a lot of them are not in tune with my guitar(s). Trust me, I've taken the time to tune the guitars properly.
I'll look and see if I can find another site for backing tracks (free ones that is, as most of them seem to be on a pay basis).


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## JacquesP (May 23, 2019)

laristotle said:


> I learned the hard way over the years through trial n' error.
> I couldn't tell you how many times I had to reformat my computer. lol
> 
> Depending on what browser you use, go to 'tools/add ons' and look for 'download helper'.
> ...


Great idea ... I'll give this a go.


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## JacquesP (May 23, 2019)

1SweetRide said:


> No problem, happy to help. Here's how you do it.
> 
> Launch YouTube and go to the video you want to save. Copy the link by clicking on the Share button.
> Load up this site YouTube Video Downloader | Download music and video from Youtube free! and ignore all the ads and be careful what you click on and deny all requests to open pop-ups or to provide notifications
> ...


Thanks a bunch!
I appreciate the time you spent explaining this to me.


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## Guest (Aug 13, 2019)

JacquesP said:


> Then I still have to find some good backing tracks so I can play along.


Try Youtube.
In their search bar, type '(song) backing track'.
Then follow my previous posts instructions re; download.


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## JacquesP (May 23, 2019)

Guitar101 said:


> I use Videoder to save any YouTube videos I want to keep. When you save it, you have the option to save the video or an mp3. If you save the mp3, you can save them to your phone.


I've just downloaded this app ... once loaded, it says that you cannot download You Tube videos (copyright restrictions) "use another app".
So, off it went from my phone.


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## JacquesP (May 23, 2019)

laristotle said:


> I learned the hard way over the years through trial n' error.
> I couldn't tell you how many times I had to reformat my computer. lol
> 
> Depending on what browser you use, go to 'tools/add ons' and look for 'download helper'.
> ...


Thanks ... just tried it ...
Got a response as: (see attachment)
and .. a anti-virus warning !!


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

https://www.guitarbackingtrack.com


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## JacquesP (May 23, 2019)

*Thank you all for the very kind replies and your time spent here helping me out - Much appreciated.

Further update:

Seems like I might have found an "easier" (not faster) way to do this:
*
1. Go directly online from the PC at "*YouTube Downloader HD*" 
2. The "app" opens.
3. Find/select a YouTube video (for me it is : Blues in A minor - Backing tracks ...) -- the same as I had posted here a few posts earlier.
4. Download the video on the computer.
5. Copy the file to my cell phone.
A bit of a problem here: the file size is huge (26 MB) !! Probably because I have downloaded a "video" rather than just the "music;
So, I am now with a great sounding track that works on the small amp from the phone, however, as I mentioned, it is a huge file MP4 type.
6. Next step: go online at "*Audio Extractor*" ( Audio Extractor) and convert this MP4 to MP3 and it reduces it to 10MB ... still large but half of what it was originally.
Another problem: this site is "not secure" according to a little red warning at the beginning of the address bar. My AV did not return a warning though.
I have checked several audio extractors but this one I mention here seems a lot user-friendly.

The MP3 converted file works fine/sounds just as good as the previous huge MP4 file.

Now, remains to be seen (heard) whether the backing track(s) obtained in this fashion will be in tune !!
As I also said before: some backing tracks are not quite in tune with my guitars. 

Cheers for now!







*
*


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## JacquesP (May 23, 2019)

knight_yyz said:


> https://www.guitarbackingtrack.com


Unless I am mistaken, you have to submit a backing track of your own before you can continue on with downloading backing tracks from there.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

JacquesP said:


> Unless I am mistaken, you have to submit a backing track of your own before you can continue on with downloading backing tracks from there.


I use it all the time and have never submitted anything.


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

Pretty sure you just have to register. Or use a laptop and play that through the aux port. don't have to download anything. Just play the file


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## JacquesP (May 23, 2019)

I did register, just to find out how this works
It said "You have only 3 downloads left" and then the next page (see picture):
Anyway, not really what I was looking for.


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## Kenmac (Jan 24, 2007)

Here are a couple of websites you can use that allow you to convert YouTube videos directly to mp3s. Just copy and paste the video link into the search bar.

YouTube to Mp3 Converter

YouTube to MP3 Converter - Convert YouTube to MP3 in seconds


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## Guitar101 (Jan 19, 2011)

JacquesP said:


> I've just downloaded this app ... once loaded, it says that you cannot download You Tube videos (copyright restrictions) "use another app".
> So, off it went from my phone.


I just tried it on my android phone and got the same message. Works well on my PC. If you don't use a PC you may be out of luck. Try some of the other tips and if you can't get any to work, PM me a list of say 10 songs and I'll see if I can get them for you and email them to you.


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## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

JacquesP said:


> *Thank you all for the very kind replies and your time spent here helping me out - Much appreciated.
> 
> Further update:
> 
> ...


That's great. I'm sure this thread has and will help a lot of people. Don't forget to subscribe to Elevated Jam Tracks. Best backing tracks I've found. 

Oh, there's also a weirdly named site called Karaoke Version. Ignore the Karaoke part. You can buy a track for a popular song and take out the parts you don't want. I use it to practice lead and rhythm parts to popular songs. Custom Backing Tracks - Create your Custom Background Music - Karaoke Version


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## JacquesP (May 23, 2019)

Frenchy99 said:


> In the past, I just looked at the: Bass player needed section to go and find a new place to jam ! I too would be lost in thiI would s new age tech.
> 
> Things might have changed today but still prefer the real band experience...





Frenchy99 said:


> In the past, I just looked at the: Bass player needed section to go and find a new place to jam ! I too would be lost in this new age tech.
> 
> Things might have changed today but still prefer the real band experience...


I wished I could: pretty tough finding some players around here in a small town.
The guys I used to play with (in a band) have either moved away, quit playing altogether or have gone MIA.


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