Pre-recorded music during live performance

[MDEW]

   I have been playing music the last few months with a friend who was former leader in a band I was in years ago. He started doing a solo act and uses a computer with backing tracks that he recorded, some he played all the instruments and some which were downloaded.

   I have used a drum machine before in other instances where their are only 2 band members so I realize that having some kind of backing track can be beneficial. 

   All the music is already there and even the lead singing and harmonies. A mixer is used to add whatever instruments and vocals we are providing at the time to the prerecorded tracks.

    He has been told that many bands do this but it seems somewhat wrong to me. I could understand maybe having drums, rhythm guitar and Bass prerecorded for a 2 man band  and providing Lead guitar, extra rhythm guitar fills and vocals live, but having everything prerecorded and playing along with it?

   What are your thoughts? Is this a common practice and I am just living in the past and need to get with the times?

   My own thoughts are to drop the prerecorded cuts and do everything live with just the two guitars or Bass and guitar. Then you would be judged on your own merits not on recorded music that never changes from day to day.

[Silly Little Man!]

Its perfectly normal to use backing tracks if a musicians is not present to play the required instrument.
Solo singers do it all the time. Lets face it, most of the audience would not have a clue who or what is playing what (unless it was open mic night)

[MDEW]

  The problem is that the musician is there to play the required instrument and sing. What is the point in singing live and playing guitar to an audience if the singing and music is already there?

  Didn't we already condemn singers for lip syncing? 

[Silly Little Man!]

Im not 100% sure what you are doing MD. But if you are singing and playing guitar (vox) and you have a drummer drumming then I dont see a problem to the rest of the cover being a backing track

[MDEW]

39 minutes ago, Silly Little Man! said:

Im not 100% sure what you are doing MD. But if you are singing and playing guitar (vox) and you have a drummer drumming then I dont see a problem to the rest of the cover being a backing track

    We do not have a drummer. 2 guitar players 1 lead vocal and 1 harmony. The problem is that all parts are already recorded and the recorded vocals and guitar parts are not turned down. We might as well sit there and do nothing. It would still sound the same.

   If all the vocals were left out of the mix and the guitars, I would feel OK about it but they are not. I feel like I am cheating the audience.

 

[Silly Little Man!]

Sorry I misunderstood!

Then you would be mimicing your instument, sound like a bad idea to me after all

 

Is this a famos cover song your doing or something ells?

[MDEW]

24 minutes ago, Silly Little Man! said:

Sorry I misunderstood!

Then you would be mimicing your instument, sound like a bad idea to me after all

 

Is this a famos cover song your doing or something ells?

3 hours worth of cover songs.  And getting paid for it. We are actually playing and singing live. It is blended with the recorded songs. It still seems like cheating to me. I would rather just do everything live. Then when you get applause or boo's, either way you deserve it.

   We have played without the prerecorded stuff and got more response from the crowd. The backing tracks are not needed but my bandmate is convinced that everyone does it like this now. 

[Silly Little Man!]

who recorded them?

[MDEW]

8 hours ago, Silly Little Man! said:

who recorded them?

My band mate. played guitar,  sang lead and vocals, programmed bass and drums, etc. It is him performing on the recordings. But still when playing live, it is not live. My own harmonies and guitar playing are not on the recordings but his voice and lead and his harmonies are prerecorded.

[Silly Little Man!]

So your supposed to mimic to his voice; ow dear!

take it they where not recorded indervidully and mixed and mastered together then

 

But Elvis used to do blue swade shoes on stage with his guitar turned off, he also never used to compose, but there again he could get away with it because he was an ilumanarti reptilian shape shifting being in weighting really (after he passed out on the bog)

[MDEW]

2 hours ago, Silly Little Man! said:

So your supposed to mimic to his voice; ow dear!

take it they where not recorded indervidully and mixed and mastered together then

 

But Elvis used to do blue swade shoes on stage with his guitar turned off, he also never used to compose, but there again he could get away with it because he was an ilumanarti reptilian shape shifting being in weighting really (after he passed out on the bog)

   I am not supposed to mimic his voice. I am adding harmony to his voice. He is singing what is on the recording. 

Elvis was famous for his looks,voice and his hip swaying, not his guitar playing. The guitar was a prop.  The iluminarty shape shifting was a hobby/ side job not part of his career.