Looking for a quick and simple way to make awesome sounding backing tracks? You are in the right place.
Today, we’ll show you how to make a professional sounding backing track in just a few minutes using high quality loops recorded by some of the biggest names in music.
But first…
Why Use A Backing Track?
Practice
One of the most common reasons musicians like to use backing tracks is for practicing their instrument. Maybe there’s a certain key, tempo, style or time signature you’ve been passionate about improving, but you don’t know where to start. A backing track is the perfect solution.
Writing & Production
Backing tracks and loops are amazing tools for helping you write and produce new music. Often times, it’s easier and more enjoyable to write music to an existing drum, guitar, keyboard, or bass track instead of starting from scratch. For example, you might be a guitar player and have a drum beat in your head but you can’t actually record it yourself. Using a loop played by someone that can is your best bet.
Loops and backing tracks are also great sources for new musical inspiration. If you are in a creative rut, a backing track might just be the thing you need to write your next hit.
It’s Fun
Let’s face it, playing with other musicians is just flat out fun. You might not always be able to have physical musicians in the same room as you, but loops and backing tracks are the next best thing.
If you are like most musicians, there are probably artists you’ve always wanted to play with, but weren’t sure how to get in touch with them. Well, now you can, and we are going to show you how.
Yurt Rock has recorded professional loops with some of the world’s most talented musicians like Clyde Stubblefield, Charlie Hunter, Antonio Sanchez and many more so you can create the ultimate backing tracks made up of a dream team of musicians.
How to Make A Backing Track Using Loops
Follow along with the steps below or watch this video made by RJ Ronquillo using drum loops recorded by Victor Indrizzo to learn how to make a groovy drum backing track:
1. Ensure you have a DAW Installed
You’ll need a DAW in order to drag and drop your audio loops into to begin creating your backing track. There are endless Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs) to choose from depending on your needs. Here is a list of some of the most popular:
Free
Paid
2. Download A Loop Pack
There are many options available for downloading music loops, but Yurt Rock provides drum, guitar, bass, keyboard and saxophone loops recorded by some of the world's most respected musicians. Many of our loops include multitrack and MIDI files as well so you have complete control of your mix.
Here are a few of our recently released loop packs by instrument:
Drums
Guitar/Bass
Keys
3. Open a New Audio Project
Once you've chosen a loop for your backing track, open up a new audio project in your DAW of choice to get started making your very own backing track.
4. Drag & Drop Loops into Your Project
Open the folder containing your loops and simply drag the desired audio file from your desktop into your DAW.
Note: Your DAW may ask if you’d like to change the sample rate of your project and import the loop's tempo information. This is up to you depending on your recording needs. Import the loop’s tempo settings to hear the loop at its original tempo.
Logic Sample Rate Example:
Logic Tempo Change Example:
5. Add Layers to Your Track
If you want to take your backing track a step further, record additional tracks over the imported loop or combine other loop packs to create a dream team of backing musicians. The possibilities are endless.
For example, if you are a funk guitar player, maybe combine Clyde Stubblefield on drums, Charlie Hunter on bass, and Will Blades on keys all into a single project.
Interested in another example of using a backing track?
Here’s a video of guitar virtuoso Tim Pierce using the Charlie Hunter & Carter McLean Loop Pack: