Free karaoke backing tracks are something most singers might look for on the internet whether they wish to perform with them or use them simply as a practice tool. Sure there are sites that have them available but their quality and the completeness of the song might leave something to be desired. These days it's possible for you to make your own tracks in the comfort of your own office and for not too much money, especially when compared to buying the tracks individually.
You need to have some kind of music editing program at home and be a little bit familiar with MIDI files to make it happen but you can make quality backing tracks at home that will rival anything you can get online, especially the free ones.
The program I use is called Cubase. It's a software program that is MIDI compatible but was originally designed for multi-track recording, which is to say, recording different instruments in a band at different times. Along with this program I use what are known as VST instruments. VST stands for virtual studio technology. You can acquire many of these instrument sounds for free by simply "Googling" them.
The first thing I do is decide what song I wish to put together. I go to one of my favorite sites, www.musicrobot.com to find the files I use. Their little robot will find and return all kinds of MIDI files of varying length. I usually choose a file that is larger because I assume it to be more complete. You can search either by band or artist. I will check out several files usually to ensure I'm using the one that will give me the best results. Once I have selected a file I then save it in a file on my PC.
The next step is to open up Cubase or whatever program you are using. I import the MIDI file into Cubase and it usually opens up so that you can see all of the individual tracks. By highlighting each track I can assign an instrument to each one but with Cubase in particular I find that if you are using a sound from one synth, that particular synth can only be used once, which is to say that you may not use it for another sound at the same time. If I require the use of use two sounds from the same synth what I do is export the track I want to an audio mixdown and save it to my desk top. I can then go back and change the synth to the other sound I wish to use. Usually I import each track to audio mixdown and save them on my desk top one at a time.
When I have all of the tracks I require I open a new project and insert the number of tracks that I need. If you highlight a track you can then import the audio files one at a time from your desktop into Cubase. Do this for each track i.e. Track 1 will be Drums, Track 2 will be bass guitar etc. until you've added all of your tracks.
The volume levels will likely be OK but you can tweak them at this point if you wish to have one instrument louder than the others or whatever. Now you can export this project to an audio mixdown and save it either on your desktop or a folder somewhere. Wherever you like really. With Cubase you can save the songs in various formats, not just MP3.
There are other programs that you can use to make your own free karaoke backing tracks. I have also used Acid Music with limited success. Because I'm not that familiar with I find it to be somewhat cumbersome but it does have really good instrument sounds so it could be worth the effort. The only real issue I have with using Acid Music is that when you need to adjust the tempo of the song you end up adjusting the pitch. With Cubase I can adjust the two independently.
You may think that a couple of hundred bucks is a bit of money to spend on a multi-track program. Acid Music is a cheaper way to do it but it does seem more difficult although it always gets easier the more you do it. However if you had to buy a repetoire of backing tracks then even at a few bucks per tune the cost would add up quickly. The advantage to the multi-track software is that you could not only record the music but you could add your voice to it as well should you ever have the need for a demo of your voice. This is worth considering if you're thinking about pursuing a band or singing competition or something to that effect.
You may find that you have to "drag" your parts a little bit to make the musical timing line up. This is because of "latency". Depending on how much memory you computer is using, Latency could be a small problem. Basically it makes the parts sound as if they're coming in a little late. If you have loads of memory then it shouldn't be an issue.
This is the exact method I use to make backing tracks for the bands I play in and I use these tracks in live applications consistently. They sound great and I have even had soundmen comment on the good quality of the tracks so it is possible to get quality free karaoke backing tracks anytime you want. All you need is the right set of tools.
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