Imbedding MIDI commands onto “backing tracks” - Anyone doing this?

M

Marshall30thAnn

Member
I play to backing tracks, and use the TC Helicon Voiceworks to control my AXE-FX.

Synchronizing the vocal and guitar processors has greatly reduced the tap dancing I do with my feet, but my dream is to put my backing tracks into some software with a timeline, and then add a 3rd track of imbedded MIDI commands to controller vocals, guitar and lights. (Then I just sing and play and maintain eye contact with audience….no more looking at feet and stomping) (Since with backing tracks you may never slow, speed, lose your place, or make any mistakes, anyway)

For this to work I would need to create mirror copies of many presets on both AXE and HELICON and make slight tweaks (in many cases, just the relative volume)

Anyone have any experience with this sort of thing. I was looking t a product call liquid tracks, because I really want a rack mounted appliance and not an open laptop or IPOD.

Also: I see that many people do not use presets this way. Seems like many AXE users use the MIDI controller to add in their favorite effects to a given sound, by assigning an effect to a button on the controller.

Does anyone have any thoughts on the pros and cons of both methods?

Thanks in advance.
 
Thank You both : bobbo_x88 and NothingButInitials !

I have ultra AX-FX so I had to get "MIDISPORT 4x4 Anniversary Edition" to use AXE-EDIT, so hopefully this is my USB to MIDI. Sounds like I need to come up to speed on all these DAW's before plunging in.

It looks like liquid tracks makes a controller called “liquid foot “similar to Fractals MFC-101. This could be a cool way to kick off songs (or humorous sound bites or prerecorded introduction or “whatever)

Does this sound accurate?

1) Laptop or IPOD using "audio out" allows stereo playback but no midi

2) Laptop with MIDI/USB adaptor allows midi commands to come of the recorded file and go to the various vocal and guitar processors (AXE and TC-HELICON) . I guess if mixer has USB in, then audio can go via USB, but would not” headphone-out” on the laptop also send audio over that simultaneously? Here I would need a DAW to build the files which would have stereo backing tracks in with imbedded MIDI commands and I would need an open laptop on stage to control everything.

3) Liquid tracks (or other appliance): here we would still need to use DAW to build the file with the audio and imbedded MIDI commands, but al gear fits into rack with no open laptop to attend to.

Thanks for the help. I imaging that there is probably some freeware that would allow just imbedding the MIDI, but the more I read about the DAW’s, the more it sounds like they would be useful for other things like recording originals and creating clever SoundBits and whatnot.

Is there a good/better forum for these types of discussions and questions?
 
I do exactly this with Reaper. One track is the backing track and I use it as the top folder item and then place tracks within it for midi. I add midi items in separate tracks, one for the Axe and one for my GCP. No tap dancing for programchanges or ccs! The GCP midi is a redundant mechanism that keeps it synced to my Axe and allows me to override the preset or add a boost etc if I feel the urge. I set up switches on the GCP for cc's for play/pause, fwd, back and record. Once I turn Reaper on, I load the Backing tracks and the rest is done with my feet to activate, pause, skip or repeat the backing tracks. I also use vsts for my piano on a song where I play piano and guitar. Also, have a preset eq that I can switch on if I'm playing through headphone to compesate for the different sound from the phones when I play after the kids are asleep.

Jon
 
blueherdim7 (Jon)-do you have an open laptop onstage, or do your tracks and midi data come out of an applinace of some kind? It sounds like a great setup wth the GCP being used as an overide for guitar as well as kicking off songs.
 
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