Backing Track - Equipment

Equipment

Prior to the advent of computers, backing tracks were generally employed through the use of audio tape synced with the live performance. In the 1980s, Timbuk 3 was one of the first bands ever to use backing tracks in live performances and helped to make the usage popular and with both artists and accepted with the general public by openly displaying the "boom-box" and usage of as art on stage, as the third (3) in the band. Singer songwriter Pat MacDonald wrote performed and pre-recorded all the tracks live. T3 was made up of Pat, Barbara K. and the Boom Box and started out as a cheaper way to play on the streets of Austin, Texas, to moving up to appearing on Austin City Limits, MTV, Saturday Night Live, and many other national shows. T3 was best known for the hit song "The Future's so Bright" and the band was nominated for a Grammy for Best New Artists. Timbuk3 could be considered an important transition and major impetus in music/backing track evolution. Digital sequencers afforded a new option for bands based in electronic music: a sequencer could be programmed with the MIDI control data to play back an entire song live, by generating the sound on the spot from synthesizers. However, it was not until the advent of the computer (and more specifically, the digital audio workstation) that musicians were given any real choice beyond the use of tape. Today, the methods used for backing tracks vary; smaller bands frequently use CDs, DAT playback, MiniDisc or even an MP3 player; larger acts more commonly use computers or standalone MIDI-and-audio playback devices with onboard sound modules.