Recording to a backing track : 1) Buy premade

There are loads of great instrumentals of well known songs available. You can find them in a variety of places such as itunes (search for "karaoke" versions or "instrumentals") or direct from a maker. When we're comparing quality we often find that Ameritz are a good choice. But we reccomend you listen before you buy and don't accepts a backing track that is substandard. When choosing, we suggest you do the following ...

1. Check you've got the right version by the right artist!
2. Double check you've got the right version in the right key
3. Triple check you've got the right version making sure you haven't got a lead vocal, or backing vocal mix
4. Listen to the instruments, do they sound real? (lots of them don't and it's awful!)
5. Compare the instrumentals to the original as well as amongst themselves.
6. Do not accept a poor quality version. It will make you sound bad.
7. Is the track the same length as the original? (a couple of seconds difference is generally nothing to worry about)
8. Buy it well in advance of your session so that you can practise to it.

The Pros & Cons

Pros - 

• This is usually the cheapest way to work
• Often achieve a high quality sound
• People enjoy listening to covers, so you can reach an audience quickly.

Cons -

• You don't own the rights to the songs
• They're never quite as good as the original (unless it's an official instrumental)
• Everybody else can do the same, you're not individual.

Move on to - Recording to backing track : 2) Using an accompanist