Click and backing tracks

[acewhistle]

Hi,

Newbie guy here. 

Simple question, when saving a song track that will allow me to play with a backing track and hear the click track, what must I do to ensure I will get those results once I connected it to my mixer?

Basically, I only want my click tracks and guides to be played via ear monitors but the backing track goes out to the main speakers.

I'm trying to follow this kind of setup and wondering if there is something I must do first when saving a song track using Cakewalk, 

 

Hope that makes sense.

[tonemangler]

If the backing track needs to be stereo you would need an audio interface with more than 2 outputs, however if the backing track can be mono then a 2 output interface will do.  I didn't watch the whole video, but what I did watch indicates a scenario where a mono backing track is used. 

Mono Backing Track : When starting a new CbB Project there is a default of the following busses; Master, Metronome and Preview.  Create a new bus called 'Backing Track'. Set it's output to 'Master".  Now all audio tracks that are part of the backing track should be sent to the 'Backing Track' bus.  Pan this bus all the way left and pan the 'Metronome' bus to the right.  In the 'Transport Module' in the 'Control Bar' make sure the metronome is set to sound during playback (a playback arrow icon).  Now feed the left (Backing Track) and right (Metronome) outputs of your interface to your in house mixer. 

Stereo Backing Track:  In the 'Metronome' bus set the output to 3 or 4 of your interface.  In Cakewalk that would be "left 'your audio o/p driver name' 3" or "right 'your audio o/p driver name' 3".  Now send outputs 1 and 2 to the mixer for a stereo feed of the backing track and output 3 or 4 for a mono feed of the metronome. 

If you are not using the metronome for your click and instead have an audio track with the click recorded,  simply send the click track to the metronome bus and do not engage the metronome to sound during playback.

These scenarios assume you know the tempo of the backing track. If you need to find the tempo there are various ways to do that in CbB.  I'll wait for a response if you need that info.  Cheers.

[acewhistle]

Thank you for that very useful info.

I'll try that settings this week and will come back to you.

Many thanks once again

 

[John Vere]

I play folk/ bluegrass style in a duo and we use backing tracks for bass. We only need the bass which we run to a bass amp. But I still use a simple drum track which I much prefer over a click track we run this to our monitors.  
To export the track in Cakewalk It’s a very simple matter of setting up 2  busses that feed the Master buss.  One is panned left the other right.  This is commonly called a  Split Track.  So all we need is a stereo wave file.  
 

At the gig I use a little notebook running WinAmp for playback I can use the laptops audio out, an interface or in our case our mixer is a USB interface   All work equally well.   
 

If using the 1/8 audio out I have a special cable that Y’s to the mixer and the bass amp.  With the USB mixer I don’t have the option of splitting the bass so I have to pan the USB channel In the mains to eliminate the Drums. I send both to the floor wedge using the pre fader option of the aux send   But you really only need a stereo wave file for backing tracks 

[acewhistle]

On 10/5/2020 at 2:26 AM, John Vere said:

I play folk/ bluegrass style in a duo and we use backing tracks for bass. We only need the bass which we run to a bass amp. But I still use a simple drum track which I much prefer over a click track we run this to our monitors.  
To export the track in Cakewalk It’s a very simple matter of setting up 2  busses that feed the Master buss.  One is panned left the other right.  This is commonly called a  Split Track.  So all we need is a stereo wave file.  
 

At the gig I use a little notebook running WinAmp for playback I can use the laptops audio out, an interface or in our case our mixer is a USB interface   All work equally well.   
 

If using the 1/8 audio out I have a special cable that Y’s to the mixer and the bass amp.  With the USB mixer I don’t have the option of splitting the bass so I have to pan the USB channel In the mains to eliminate the Drums. I send both to the floor wedge using the pre fader option of the aux send   But you really only need a stereo wave file for backing tracks 

Hi John,

Many thanks for your advice.

In regards with setting up 2 busses, would you have an example how will you do it pls?

[John Vere]

You insert 2 stereo busses. One is for the drums/ percussion  the other is any other synths like bass, piano etc. 

 

So you pan one bus hard left and to other hard right. It's a simple matter of sending the drums to the left buss and all other instruments to the right. 

You could even have a bunch of sub busses if you so desire and just by panning each buss create a custom split track wave file. 

I like this because sometimes we do want a full stereo track and all I need to do is un-pan the busses. These backing tracks also get used as our bed tracks for recording full albums too.  

In my tutorials I show how to get at the master buss in the buss pane

https://sites.google.com/view/cactus-studios/part-1-midi-and-cakewalk

To insert a new buss just right click in the buss pane to open the dialog. You can name the buss anything you want. Make sure it's output is going to the Master buss. 

 

[acewhistle]

19 hours ago, John Vere said:

You insert 2 stereo busses. One is for the drums/ percussion  the other is any other synths like bass, piano etc. 

 

So you pan one bus hard left and to other hard right. It's a simple matter of sending the drums to the left buss and all other instruments to the right. 

You could even have a bunch of sub busses if you so desire and just by panning each buss create a custom split track wave file. 

I like this because sometimes we do want a full stereo track and all I need to do is un-pan the busses. These backing tracks also get used as our bed tracks for recording full albums too.  

In my tutorials I show how to get at the master buss in the buss pane

https://sites.google.com/view/cactus-studios/part-1-midi-and-cakewalk

To insert a new buss just right click in the buss pane to open the dialog. You can name the buss anything you want. Make sure it's output is going to the Master buss. 

 

Hi John,

From your example above, sounds like I will send my drums to a bus that will be panned hard left and the other instruments into another bus that will be panned hard right.

If that what is I am thinking, is it safe to say that I should insert a bus for my click tracks and guides that will be panned hard left, and the rest of the instruments will be on another stereo bus that will be panned hard right?

Many thanks

[John Vere]

Exactly You got it. 

[acewhistle]

20 hours ago, John Vere said:

Exactly You got it. 

Many thanks for that John :)