Custom Yamaha Backing tracks

[DrakeM]

I just stumbled across this Yamaha video this morning. Has anyone used this app?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IakGvBBNiFw

I don't have a device (iphone) to download these custom made tracks but was wondering if anyone has made use of them. I am thinking about making my own backing tracks now. I am seeing and hearing online that it is the lastest thing for bands to use a CLICK track now a days.

Heck with an arranger keyboard, we can make what ever we need to produce quality backing tracks, including the back up singers.

Regards
Drake

[DrakeM]

I can't find the actual page to download these custom Yamaha backing tracks. Here is another page of info but the link no longer works, the video is active however.

http://blog.yamahamusicsoft.com/2013/01/custom-audio-backing-tracks-at-yamaha.html

Does anyone know where an active link to this material is now located on the Yamaha site? Or is this backing track material no longer supported by Yamaha?

[Janus]

That's the wrong way it makes your keyboard useless
I do it on a other way
I make the backing tracks in xgworks in midi format
Load them in the keyboard
I have made sets with midi setups
Use the setups to mute or activate tracks
mute te tracks you want to play yourself
Like the piano or guitar
or only ativate the melodie
and play piano with the file
You have both hands free to play in piano mode or with a spit to play bass and acc
Or mute the melodie when you want sing or play with a singer
Also you can add lyrics or chord lyrics
In that way one file is enough to play in these modes

[DrakeM]

I would prefer to ditch my keyboard and play my guitar once again. I have been working on making custom song styles for years and now I see that guitar players and bands are using Click tracks to play along with LIVE these days.

I can create on my arranger what I am currently doing live as a midi file, SAVE it. Then delete the rhythm guitar player and sing to the track LIVE. I can even add to the track the BACK UP SINGERS using the vocal harmonizer (VH2) when recording the midi file into a WAV file. Then convert the WAV file to an MP3 file using Audacity (or similar product).

I just need to go back and relearn my guitar leads that I haven't played in over 14 years. But that I can gradually relearn and in the mean time I can use my keyboard leads.

It is a much better act to watch seeing the guitar player, than the keyboard player, as you can stand and move around.

Heck most people think I am playing to a track now on my arranger, so what would be the difference?

[DrakeM]

I just called YAHAMA service center and these backing tracks have been DISCONTINUED.

Then why haven't they taken down their videos at YouTube? 

[Janus]

I would prefer to ditch my keyboard and play my guitar once again. I have been working on making custom song styles for years and now I see that guitar players and bands are using Click tracks to play along with LIVE these days.

I can create on my arranger what I am currently doing live as a midi file, SAVE it. Then delete the rhythm guitar player and sing to the track LIVE. I can even add to the track the BACK UP SINGERS using the vocal harmonizer (VH2) when recording the midi file into a WAV file. Then convert the WAV file to an MP3 file using Audacity (or similar product).

I just need to go back and relearn my guitar leads that I haven't played in over 14 years. But that I can gradually relearn and in the mean time I can use my keyboard leads.

It is a much better act to watch seeing the guitar player, than the keyboard player, as you can stand and move around.

Heck most people think I am playing to a track now on my arranger, so what would be the difference?

It is better to play with a backing track and play with both hands on the keys
when you play with an arranger your left hand is bussy to serve the keyboard with press buttons
the left keys off the keyboard are also buttons to let the keyboard plays the chords
you play no notes on those keys

[panos]

"The one I love" from R.E.M. it's a really nice idea for a keyboard cover though, Drake

Good idea also to use your guitar along with your arranger.
Maybe you could begin with just a few songs played that way.

[Graham UK]

Drake. (I would prefer to ditch my keyboard and play my guitar once again.)

Your answer is Band In A Box to very quickly make backing tracks. It can generate within 60 seconds, just enter your preferred chords.

[music by allen]

Drake,

Have you ever checked out this website?  They have a ton of very usable tracks that can
be customized.(volume and delete tracks like the old Yamaha tracks) Once you purchase a track
on this site it's stored on site and you can go back and remix and download at any time and
they only charge $2.99 per song.

I think it's a pretty good deal. Check it out.

Allen
https://www.karaoke-version.com/custombackingtrack/

[markstyles]

There are a lot of karoake songs floating around and quite cheap..  With a good Yamaha arranger you can make very decent back up tracks. I used to do it for singers here in NYC. 

It depends on your tastes..  You might want to have the fun of playing your guitar, recording like the old days.

If you make them MIDI however..  you can custom change the key, tempo for various artists. If you use a DAW and record the chord Detect chords, you can change the whole style of the song very quickly.

A lot of the small clubs pay little to nothing for entertainment, the singers, artists are doing it for exposure and to be discovered.  If you find some good clientele, with decent gigs, they will be willing to pay more to class, and something unique, 'their own sound, style'

Good luck with it.

[Salleke]

Hello,

I see that this is an older post, but maybee it can still help.

Take a look at the Song Galaxy website. They have remixable songs,
rearranger songs, multi tracks, backing tracks and more.

https://songgalaxy.com/

I am not affiliated whit them in any way.

Greetings, Salleke.

[Amwilburn]

Just for the benefit of those who haven't heard them (Yamaha had us demo these back in 2013), it's not a simple midi. They're actually full remixable audio tracks *with* midi scoring; meaning you get singing on them as well (that's removable); so yes an audio karaoke backing track would serve the same purpose for Karaoke, if you wanted to play along with the singing (and have the piano part removed, so you can play along as the pianist), you'd be out of luck.

I didn't even realize they'd been discontinued; they were pretty cool, but covers (not original singers, obviously)

You *can* get backing with the piano part removed (as a midi) on Yamaha's Disklavier Radio (now Disklavier TV) subscription; you can also still purchase them as piano plus audio tracks for disklavier (full audio with the piano part as midi). And as mentioned above, if you wanted to remove the vocal / sing your own, then the midi backing tracks or karaoke audio would be the simplest.