Free backing track and tab.

[tonybiker]

I have a son David who is disabled, although limited to what he can do, he spends a considerable amount of time with music software, and is now to a high standard. Knowing my wish to get back into instrumentals, he has been trying to find an easy way to make backing tracks not normally available using Reason 3.0, Mixcraft 4 and Guitar Pro.

His first track was completed within a few hours today once he worked out how to make a midi from a raw file, mix it and add the effects on Reason and then on to Mixcraft to get the backing track for the mp3. Then on to guitar pro which then makes the tab from the midi. I was stunned at the result. But I could do with some truthful second opinions.

If anyone would like to have a listen and have go at Enya's Amarantine, a freebe backing track (I don't think you will find anywhere) then email my son at [e-mail] and he will forward you the backing track on mp3 and the tab which is on a pdf file to print off.

He would be pleased to hear what you have to say and would encourage him to produce more.

Thanks in advance.

[bill]

Hi,
I'm interested in what you mean by "make a midi from a raw file" could you or your son give more details, please?

[tonybiker]

Hi Bill.

Using Guitar Pro, which is tab editing software, he wrote out the song track by track. So at this stage all you have is tab. There are instruments built into Guitar Pro so as you write out the tab you can listen to what you have done so far, although they are poor as far as sound goes, they are instrument sounds.

You can also write tab out in 'guitar tab form' and then change the instrument from guitar to say keyboards, vocal, bass or whatever.

It is important at this stage to name each track you have made up in Guitar Pro to enable you to know which track is for what. Once you have the full song in tab form and named you export it as a midi file.

What your doing is changing the tab to a song file, the song file being the midi file.

This midi file is then imported to Reason. But other software such as Cakewalk etc, as long as you can import midi, will do the same job. Although I stress that he only used/uses Reason.

On Reason, once imported, the midi files are shown as the same track names. Then one track at a time instruments are changed using those either supplied with Reason or from his 'refills' or what we know them as samples and loops. For example the terrible sounding keyboards were changed to a violin. Another keyboad track was changed to a choir. The same for the drums and so on.

Once your happy with the full song, you can either complete the song using the effects built in and save as mp3 or audio, or in our case Mixcraft was used to finish it off, but only because I know how to use Mixcraft.

What we will do within the next day or so is to load up to youtube the 3 different song stages so you can hear what can be done.

We have already been playing about with Guitar Pro and its built in instruments and then using that as a backing track. But this takes it a stage further by writing the song in tab form and in simple terms saving it as a midi file to use later. This one is already on youtube and the link is here:



However, rather than using the sound produced by Guitar Pro for a simple backing track which is what this movie relates to, we have used the 'information' rather than the sound to get the midi file.

Hope that helps but shout out if we can help in anyway.

[tonybiker]

This may help. The same method can be applied to any guitar pro tab or power tab available free off the net.

[bill]

Hi Tonybiker,
Much appreciated, pass on my thanks to your son.

I have Guitar Pro but haven't used it beyond running files to help me learn new tunes.

[5tratocaster]

Tony and David,
This is just great. I have been determined that someday I would find the time (and the brains) to be able to do something like this. You have spurred me on!
Can you just explain one more thing. I may be being a bit dim here, but I still don't understand how it all starts.
In your first post, you implied that Guitar Pro was used in the final stage to create the tab from a midi file (or presumably any sound file?), which was created using Reason. In your later post, you said that it started with David writing out the tab of the song in Guitar Pro.
To do all this, do you have to be able to write tab, or can you take an existing MP3 file (or WAV file) and use it to create a midi file, then change the instruments. I fancy experimenting in this way, but I'm not sure I have the musical skill to create a tab file from scratch.
Thanks again for this fascinating topic.

[tonybiker]

Hi. I will do my best to keep it as simple as I can. I do appreciate that it sounds complicated. Yet I think this post is going to be a long one! But keep shouting up on any part thats not clear.

What I didn't make clear is that you can not get a music track and turn that into a midi file to use. So we can forget about that.

This is about making a backing track either using a pre-made midi file and changing the instruments, effects and sound, OR by using Guitar Pro. For this you can either write out the tab yourself using Guitar Pro or import a ready made Guitar Pro tab.

So lets look at Guitar Pro first as this is the start of the process and I think the cause of the confusion. A lot of folk use it to read the tab for a song their learning and at the same time listen to the notes. In the old days you got your tab and read it, and learned the song that way. And likewise, it was not always accurate, but thats how we did it and some still do.

With Guitar Pro you get the same, but you can also edit the tune or make a new tune. In its basic form, you simply click new, and a fret board shows up complete with strings. You put your cursor over the fret/string you think is the correct note and click on it. That note will then appear on the blank tab. And on to the next note. So as you move from one note to the other you end up with this:



You can print it off or save it as a PDF file to email to mates etc.

And if you so wish, you move on to other instruments.

A lot of users just use it for reading tab and to listen to what the tab sounds like. If you look through the internet tab sites you will see lists of available tab, there you will see 'guitar pro tab'. But of course you need the software to open it.

You can source most tab in guitar pro format for free.

My cousin who plays bass finds it helpful to get the bass tab from it. Plus you can mute bass and lead guitar of say Wonderful Land and record that for a backing track. So we have just drums and rythem guitar for a backing track. But the sound quality was not that good. Which is the main reason we started to experiment.

With whatever you use, if its the already made up tab or something you have done yourself, you can either use that if your happy with it or export and save it as a midi file. Guitar Pro in its current form does not have good sounds. This is the reason why Reason 3.0 was used to handle the midi file made from Guitar Pro.



Hope this expands on your questions a bit better?

Tony

[tonybiker]

Mar 5, 2009 18:05:52 GMT 5tratocaster said:

Can you just explain one more thing. I may be being a bit dim here, but I still don't understand how it all starts.
In your first post, you implied that Guitar Pro was used in the final stage to create the tab from a midi file (or presumably any sound file?), which was created using Reason. In your later post, you said that it started with David writing out the tab of the song in Guitar Pro.

On this point I think I need to explain a bit better. You can start with writing out the tab OR by using tab already completed. And then saving this as a midi file to work on using Reason, Cakewalk or whatever.

But you can also take a midi file and open it up with Guitar Pro. I have just tried this using a song David completed on Reason 3.0 and saving it as a midi file. It opened up in Guitar Pro and I was then able to use a guitar on one of the tracks, therefore it produced the tab for it. So its yes on both counts.

You have to look at midi as a 'file of data' not as a sound.

So as an example.

1. David makes a full song up on Reason 3.0. The one he is doing at the moment is Bon Jovi's In These Arms but with a keyboard as lead and not vocals. I then think I want to use that as a backing track and want the tab for it.

2. Its saved as a 'midi file'. I open it up in Guitar Pro. Pick the track I want to play lead on, this being keyboad, and change that track instrument to a guitar. At the same time, the tab for guitar comes up. I copy that off.

3. I can then mute the guitar track or delete it and save it as a midi file again.

4. Open it back in Reason 3.0 and now the keyboards have gone.

5. Save as audio or mp3 and I have the backing track.

6. I could also at the same time mute out the bass so my cousin can play that part.

I will again stress that we are not using a sound file. You can not take an audio song and make a midi file from it. Othewise we would get every original tune and take out the lead guitar then use the rest as a backing track.

As far as ability goes. Guitar Pro really is simple to use as far as producing your own tab is concerned. You sit in front of the PC with your guitar, pick the note, lets say 4th fret on the 3rd string. Look at the fret board on guitar Pro and click the same string position. You will then see the note in tab form appear on the blank tab thats under the fret board on Guitar Pro. You then click the next note and so on until you have the song. At anytime you can press play and listen to it, and if need be edit it at a click.

How many of us have sat with a guitar writing down on bits of paper our own version of tab when listening to a tune Hank is playing? Most of us!

The difference here is that you can listen to what you have written.

(If anyone wants Guitar pro can PM me and I will explain how to get it. I shall say no more than that.)

[Deleted]

Hi Tony,

This is amazing and I am quite fascinated by the way you're putting this together. I've wanted to make my own BT's for a while but have failed miserably, achieving only the skill to covert a decent midi file first into an mp3 with appropriate instruments and then finally mixing in the melody. So with that said, I hope I've made it clear that I understand the second part of your process .. the arrangement of tracks and instruments. I have Sonar Home Studio, also a Roland Workstation which I use for this purpose.

I am looking at your example of Theme for Young Lovers ..

What astounds me is how the midi file is prepared initially. OK, I can understand how a simple melody line for lead guitar or bass guitar can be entered note by note, but how do you manage to add the rhythm guitar and the drum sections. Moving Theme For Young Lovers on, you might also want to add a string accompanimnent too.

How do you deal with these sections in Guitar Pro ? I don't have this software, but as soon as I have written this post I intend to go and have a look.

To have put these examples together in such a short time, your son has a remarkable talent - I wish him every success - and I thank you for sharing this expertise with us.

Kind regards,

Ian

[Deleted]

HI TONY & thanks for son's effort's etc I don't myself understand it all but its nice to see your explanation of how it comes together ,,goodonyer -''david & tony'' all the best to you's two from ''OZ''......cheer's barry..

[tonybiker]

Hi guys.

There are many guitar protabs available to edit or you can simply use any midi file to change that midi into guitar pro.

Because a guitarist is only used to understanding guitar tab makes it difficult to understand drums. But if you look at what guitar tab looks like in guitar pro format, its looks just like normal guitar tab except the numbers on the lines differ. They look similar to a chord, for example: 44.63
56

You right click on that number and it tells you what it is: Tom, hi.hat etc. So you soon learn the beats. So you place a number on the tab line and thats the first drum beat and you move onto the next. Rhythem is done exactly the same, click on the chord and copy that to the tab and place in the number of strums and again on to the next chord. Its just a question of clicking on the hightlighted box's.

Bass on Amrantine was taken from a keyboard midi. Changed that to bass 4 string and the system transcribed it. However, the tab did it with a 29 fret bass, which does not exist, so just changed to a lower octive and presto.

We are far from understand all its benefits, but once you have you raw midi and exported to your own chosen recording software, in our case we used Reason and Mixcraft, your options are limitless.

Anyone new to Guitar Pro is best just using an already made up guitar pro tab or midi and playing about with it.

As already noted, I do know how to get the full version of guitar pro with the full RST effects, just send me a PM.

[UK Brian]

Dont you just register it and pay the small price, which is well worth it

Brian

[tonybiker]

Mar 15, 2009 9:37:59 GMT UK Brian said:

Dont you just register it and pay the small price, which is well worth it

Brian

Thats correct. Its approx £55 (50 euro). But there are alternatives.

[joeboy]

I have already had a dabble using this method, as I already have both Guitar Pro & Mixcraft, the problem I encountered is that I can't seem to get the instruments sounding realistic enough for the backing tracks.

Maybe my investing in better quality software will give more realistic instruments?

[tonybiker]

May 29, 2009 18:04:51 GMT joeboy said:

I have already had a dabble using this method, as I already have both Guitar Pro & Mixcraft, the problem I encountered is that I can't seem to get the instruments sounding realistic enough for the backing tracks.

Maybe my investing in better quality software will give more realistic instruments?

What we did and do is to use two software programmes. Mixcraft and Reason whcih my son david uses, and to import the midi file depending on what we are looking for. I agree that Mixcraft does not have a shed load of instruments but Reason does. I am sure others are just as good.

Reason have also just brought out Reason Record which takes the Reason software to a different level.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=oe7Iapsu_38&feature=related

[joeboy]

I shall checkout Reason, I looked on their website & the Premium Edition is 499 Euro so it looks like it's the basic package for me, Demo first methinks ;D

[tonybiker]

Hi Robert.

You have to remember that a lot depends on the quality of the midi data. You can get good results with Mixcraft. Reason Record is very similar to Mixcraft, but Mixcraft is a whole lot cheaper.

All you need Reason for is to introduce the instrument, and if you wish, effects. This is where Reason stands out. But only if your producing something complicated. A standard Shads number can be done on Mixcraft 4 without any problems and you can get good results. In a way, these software programmes are like multi effects units, you end up with a few because you like parts of them all.

I really would keep your money in your pocket and stick with Mixcraft if all you want to do is record your guitar with a backing track. If you want to produce your own backing track, then you may need more flexability, we need this because my cousin plays the bass so i don't need that in, then you will need a bit extra and thats why we use Reason 3, but not to record guitar, its not built for that and thats why Reason Record has been produced. Reason 3 was produced to work with sound samples like midi. But you also have to be prepared to buy the add on samples/refills, and they aint cheap. But like I have stressed, Reason 3 is very complicated, but if any member does venture into Reason then my son is very willing to lend a hand and help in any way he can.

To get the right sound you are looking for, you can hold of Reason 3 off the well known auction site cheap, you don't need Reason 4.

We finished this track a few weeks ago, Eve of the War. It had a total of 23 midi tracks to work with. So this shows how far you can go. The track suits our needs and sound, so it may not suit everyone.

The midi tracks were re-worked on Reason 3 and when completed exported as a wav file. Wav is far superior than mp3 and the best format to use, when like we did, to then use Mixcraft to add the effects before saving as an mp3.

What I have done is to upload TWO tracks to youtube. The first is the basic midi sound. Its important to listen to all of the track before listening to the second track which kicks in at 4.40. This is the completed track.