Nearly free backing tracks?

[Carey Carlan]

Where do I find CD, mp3, etc. of public domain backing tracks? Looking for
a jazz or rock upbeat instrumental style.

I'd gladly consider original stuff from RAP'ers. Just keep it subdued to
go under a voiceover.

Doing a 'commercial on hold' for one of my programming customers. They're
supplying the voice and I need to put something behind it. Playback medium
is cassette into telephone, so quality is not much of an issue.

[Ethan Winer]

Carey,

As dt said, Band-in-a-box is a good way to make lots of music quickly. Even
cheaper - like free - is to download MIDI files and record them as audio.
Search Google with the song name in quotes plus the word midi. It helps to
have a good MIDI sound module or soft-synth for best quality, but you'd want
that with BIAB too.

--Ethan

[Scott Dorsey]

Carey Carlan > wrote:
>Where do I find CD, mp3, etc. of public domain backing tracks? Looking for
>a jazz or rock upbeat instrumental style.

The Hollywood Edge has a free CD of royalty-free production music. It's
nothing amazing, but it's fine for the job. They will try and sell you their
regular library after you get it, and you know, if you do this a lot their
regular library is worth buying.
--scott


--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

[Dave Martin]

"Ethan Winer" <ethan at ethanwiner dot com> wrote in message
...
> Carey,
>
> Even
> cheaper - like free - is to download MIDI files and record them as audio.
> Search Google with the song name in quotes plus the word midi. It helps to
> have a good MIDI sound module or soft-synth for best quality, but you'd
want
> that with BIAB too.
>
I don't know that doing that would meet the need for 'public domain' tracks;
theoretically, licensing fees should be paid for anything that isn't public
domain.

--
Dave Martin
Java Jive Studio
Nashville, TN
www.javajivestudio.com

[LeBaron & Alrich]

"Ethan Winer" <ethan at ethanwiner dot com> wrote:

re: BiaB

> Dave,
>
> > I don't know that doing that would meet the need for 'public domain'
> tracks; <
>
> Yeah, but I was mainly thinking about finding MIDI files for old standards
> and the like.
>
> --Ethan

You'd have to pick a song for which the copyright had expired. Would you
then have to license the arrangement from PGM? <g>

--
ha

[Ethan Winer]

Hank,

> You'd have to pick a song for which the copyright had expired. Would you
then have to license the arrangement from PGM? <g> <

Even better, pick any song you like, then in a sequencer make a new melody
keeping just the changes which can't be copyrighted.

--Ethan

[Dave Martin]

"Ethan Winer" <ethan at ethanwiner dot com> wrote in message
...
> Dave,
>
> > I don't know that doing that would meet the need for 'public domain'
> tracks; <
>
> Yeah, but I was mainly thinking about finding MIDI files for old standards
> and the like.
>
Sure, but most old standards are still under copyright. Unless you're
thinking about standards like Stephen Foster songs. Depending on the
business, "Camptown Races" and 'The Old Folks At Home" may be perfect!

--
Dave Martin
Java Jive Studio
Nashville, TN
www.javajivestudio.com

[Carey Carlan]

"Dave Martin" > wrote in
:

> "Ethan Winer" <ethan at ethanwiner dot com> wrote in message
> ...
>> Dave,
>>
>> > I don't know that doing that would meet the need for 'public
>> > domain'
>> tracks; <
>>
>> Yeah, but I was mainly thinking about finding MIDI files for old
>> standards and the like.
>>
> Sure, but most old standards are still under copyright. Unless you're
> thinking about standards like Stephen Foster songs. Depending on the
> business, "Camptown Races" and 'The Old Folks At Home" may be perfect!

It's a construction software product, so some barn raising music might be
just the thing! <g>

Thank you, gentlemen, but I wasn't looking to create the music. I leave
performance to others. Scott's suggestion of the Hollywood Edge is
reasonable, and I've received other offers via email.

The interesting part is going to be converting this to cassette and seeing
how much fidelity I can get out of a telephone. It's a balancing act of
taking out just enough to let the remainder come through clearly.

My home answering machine message sounds better than the message they have
now, but that may just be the worn out cassette tape (several years old)
and dirty player.

[Ethan Winer]

Carey,

> how much fidelity I can get out of a telephone. <

Remember that a telephone has no real lows or real highs. So for maximum
headroom and minimum distortion, roll of below maybe 200 Hz and above 3-4
KHz. Then you can EQ some within the band that remains.

--Ethan

[LeBaron & Alrich]

Carey Carlan > wrote:

> It's a construction software product, so some barn raising music might be
> just the thing! <g>

"Turkey in the Straw", "Arkansas Traveler".

Call Mike Rivers and get him over to your shop with his banjo.

--
ha

[jazzman]

ACID Pro would be perfect for this. All of the loops are royalty-free.


"Carey Carlan" > wrote in message
. 203...
> Where do I find CD, mp3, etc. of public domain backing tracks? Looking
for
> a jazz or rock upbeat instrumental style.
>
> I'd gladly consider original stuff from RAP'ers. Just keep it subdued to
> go under a voiceover.
>
> Doing a 'commercial on hold' for one of my programming customers. They're
> supplying the voice and I need to put something behind it. Playback
medium
> is cassette into telephone, so quality is not much of an issue.