The reason I'm here

[CreepymcCreepers]

OK, let's get to it. I came here just to ask a question.
I joined a band and we're gonna play a show, but they have bass on the backing tracks the 100% full bass track. They don't want to mix my can or take a DI. The speakers were using for a PA are louder than my amp. Should I just tell them to use the backing track and just quit the band? Or do some bands use a backing track with the full bass track and still have a live bassist because it don't make sense to me. Let me know because I have a. I'm giving myself a week to take all of the opinions I can get from bass players around the world and then I'm gonna make my decision if I even wanna waste my time driving to the shows driving to practice and practicing the songs Because it seems like they're just gonna be listening to a record recording if they're not gonna make a cab or take a DI from my darkglass or amp. There are some parts of the parts in the backing track, but not the full guitar part. 

 

 For contacts, I've added a link to the YouTube short showing our practice. I had fun at practice. It's fun jamming with the tracks. We went from running all of our processors and pedals into one head rush to now having two head rushes on stand. And all of us have amps. So it is really fun, but what's the point if at the show they're literally just gonna hear the track because they're not gonna make or DI me and the headrush speakers that run the backing tracks are louder than me. 

[LowB_FTW]

Um, okay …

I guess the band doesn't want to openly be known as a band that uses backing tracks, so if anyone calls them out on it they can point at you and say "look, we have a real live bassist!"?

Who recorded the backing tracks? Can you sabotage the tape deck during playback on stage? Pretty sure they'd need you then.

How long have you been in the band, and when you rehearsed for them did nobody tell you that you'd not be miked up and playing to a backing track? It seems odd that they just sprung this on you a week before a gig.

If you've no real attachment to them, where's the harm in just walking? Although I suppose there's no harm in just standing up for a couple of hrs and getting paid for it, unless you really can't be arsed, then just quit.

 

Mark

[Downunderwonder]

Just a guess, but if they are all so sorted with tracks it may be that they have the facility to record your efforts at your jams. Maybe you compare well and they nix the bass track after you get up to speed.

 

It would have to be very well paid for me to put all the work in and still be expected to mime it.

[police squad]

sounds weird to me

I'd be out of there by now

[OliverBlackman]

That’s going to sound god awful if you hit a bum note. I’ve heard of synth backing but if it’s a pre recorded bass guitar then you might as well mime along.

[Bolo]

If everyone is having fun and the shows are good and the crowd is happy, great. Some bands are all about hosting a party, if it works it works.

[SumOne]

If the band agrees that playing Bass live while a backing track also has Bass is a bad idea (it is!) then there are a lot of ways to remove Bass from a backing track (e.g. Moises app). I suppose the other option is to remove the live Bass - mime, or don't bother attending.

[Beedster]

Are the whole band playing to pre-recorded tracks or just the bass? If the latter, accept that you’re not part of the band, if the former, ask yourself if you want to be part of the band/mime act in the first place 

[Happy Jack]

As far as I'm concerned this is a complete no-brainer. That's not a real band, walk away now and find some decent bandmates.

[Killerfridge]

Hard pass. Unless the backing track is doing something that requires doubling, I would ask to remove the bass track or I'm not doing it

[Hellzero]

If you think about it, that's what all the so called big stars are doing, a complete playback/mime show as they don't want to disappoint their audience, ... according to themselves or more surely the producer.

 

It's been discussed here before and some agree, some don't.

 

To me, a live show means taking risks and including mistakes in it and that's, again, to me, what people really want to hear during a live performance and not exactly the same thing perfectly in place without any of these tiny errors that make the show so alive.

 

And as The Human League used to sing:

 

I'm only human

Of flesh and blood, I'm made

Human

Born to make mistakes

[JapanAxe]

Are we right in thinking that this wasn’t explained to you before you joined?

 

What reason(s) have the band given for not wanting your bass in the mix?

 

Is the position likely to change, either over time or if you play different (larger? smaller?) shows?

 

And do you think the experience will be worthwhile to you in terms of fee and/or satisfaction?

Edited Sunday at 09:37 by JapanAxe

[Lozz196]

I’d leave, wouldn’t put up with that

[SpondonBassed]

Didn't BBC's Top of the Pops upset quite a lot of excellent musicians by making them mime to their own recordings?

 

I'd ask your band to look up pre-live performance YT footage of the show and compare it to when the show finally managed to broadcast live takes.  Then ask them which excites them more...

 

The BBC had one of the best sound departments in the form of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.  I have never heard why they couldn't produce with live performers when others in Europe could and did just that.  The BBC's Old Grey Whistle Test redressed the balance somewhat but it got tucked away behind the 9pm watershed on what was seen then to be a cult channel (BBC2).

 

Has history taught us nothing?

[neepheid]

What's the point in it?  When I go to a gig, I want to hear the musicians, warts and all.  I don't care about wee mistakes, in fact I am reassured by the odd bloop because it means that A) they're human and B) makes me feel better when I'm up there and I make the odd bloop.

 

I would be utterly bored in a setup like this.  Hard no from me.

[Beedster]

1 minute ago, SpondonBassed said:

Didn't BBC's Top of the Pops upset quite a lot of excellent musicians by making them mime to their own recordings?

 

I'd ask your band to look up pre-live performance YT footage of the show and compare it to when the show finally managed to broadcast live takes.  Then ask them which excites them more...

 

The BBC had one of the best sound departments in the form of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.  I have never heard why they couldn't produce with live performers when others in Europe could and did just that.  The BBC's Old Grey Whistle Test redressed the balance somewhat but it got tucked away behind the 9pm watershed on what was seen then to be a cult channel (BBC2).

 

Has history taught us nothing?

 

I don't think the BBC were worried that their sound techs couldn't manage, they were more worried - correctly some/much the time - about that the acts themselves. But I suspect the economics of the show and the intended audience also lent themselves to non-live performances. IIRC they did do one or more live episodes that appeared to justify their earlier non-live position (I seem to remember T'Pau making a bit of a mess of things.....)  

 

It was always amusing watching bands like The Cure and Stranglers taking the piss by switching instruments/vocals, not playing in time or at all etc. 

[Beedster]

PS the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, working at which was something of a goal for me as an 18-21 year old student of Electronic Music Technology in the early 80's, weren't in live music sound production but were focussed on sound effects and entire soundtracks for BBC shows, where would Dr Who have been without them  

 

EDIT: Just checked out the Wiki page on them and having been closed in later 90's some of their original members still do live music/audio performances using some of the original equipment 👍

Edited Sunday at 10:28 by Beedster

[diskwave]

I thght BT's were something duos did. And as for paying 100's of pounds to see a "top" show completely mimed? No thanks, Its the looseness and rawness that maketh the fun.

The issue with ToTP was time and volume. It was impossible to prep evry single performance to perfection hence the miming. And just to ruin ur day OGWT  was 90% mimed also.  They managed to create a vibe that made it seem very...alive.

[SpondonBassed]

Does anyone else do this in Texas?

 

I can't see any audience enjoying a fake performance.  Texans though, aren't they all carrying sidearms?  I'd walk.

[Dan Dare]

Is there money or benefit to you in it? Is there a future in being in this band? If so and you have nothing better to do, I'd mime to the backing track for the show. You say you've "joined the band". Was it recently? If it wasn't long ago and they have bass parts on the backing track, are they just concerned that they will be right for the show? It's not unreasonable of them if you are still learning your parts.

[mcnach]

I wouldn't take part on that. I might suggest they send me my share of the fee while I stay at home 😉

[WinterMute]

Try doing a whole gig with the volume on your bass turned down, put on a show, if anyone notices tell them to shove it, if no-one notices, tell hem to shove it.

 

Yeah, tell them to shove it.

[Buddster]

I couldn't stand on a stage for 2 hours and mime. 

 

Re Top of the Pops. I belive it was the Musician Union who required that who ever appeared on TotP had to be playing on the actual audio.. 

I did a few 3 hour 'dummy' seasons in the 80s where the band set up as if re-recording the track incase the MU turned up (doing in 3 hours what could take a week, yeah right) and then switching tapes ie a copy of the master, that got sent to the BBC. 

[Doctor J]

Let's not beat around the bush, there are down sides to miming but, thinking less emotionally about it, your hands a free to do all kinds of other fun stuff and you don't have the pressure of hitting a bum note. If, say, you were attacked by a rabid bat during a song, you're the guy who's got two free hands to swoosh the bugger away. The other lads are going to hospital for a series of painful injections. Advantage: you.

[42Hz]

If its a paying gig then make sure you get your fair share. To mime or not to mime ... Follow your gut feeling about the band. I you feel it has a future take a discussion with the other in the band to get the concept clear and if playing direct instead of miming to backing track is impotant to you tell the other about it. If you disagree on such a fundamental issue - take money and run :⁠-⁠)

If the sound of you bass is important for convincing miming, take your signal to a set of in-ears.

Edited Sunday at 17:08 by 42Hz