I'm looking to make my own custom backing tracks (for practice not performance) and was wondering what you would recommend in terms of equipment and software.

Rhythm guitar, keys, and bass I could play and record myself so the missing piece of puzzle is drums.

Thanks and Cheers!
BM

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This is the Blues. Are you listening?

I recommend - buy a stand-alone recording studio , such as the Zoom R8 ( many others to choose : Tascam ,Boss.....) The R8 includes drums and all the effects you need to make a proper recording + built in microphones. It also can serve as an audio interface , and it comes with Cubase LE , or something - if I remember it right I use the R24 + Logic with a Mac. If you've got a mac , you've also got Garage Band , which should be sufficient to make all the tracks that you want.
Good luck . This is the right way to go - make your own tracks ! makes you get a better understanding of what it takes. Cheers

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A-man

Hi asgeirman and thanks for your reply.

I checked out a few on line reviews and it appears that the Zoom R8 is a wonderful little recording studio. I also checked out its bigger brothers (R16, R24) and my impression is that if portability is not a major factor, then the R24 gives the greatest bang for your buck.

For my immediate needs - creating backing tracks for practice - I feel that the R8 may be way more than what is required. I already have a good microphone, amp, audio interface so I'm thinking what I really need is good drum sounds and a way to record them.

Cheers!
BM

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This is the Blues. Are you listening?

Hi BM ! I think I was a bit carried away yesterday - a good ? mood after a party Of course , you were asking about the software - whilst I was focused on the drum possibilities, assuming you also needed an interface.
Assuming you use a PC , I am not too much into those . You need a good recording program , and I can not recommend any as I use a Mac. Years ago I used PC with Cubase , and I think that is good even today. Pro Tools is also a popular one ,Reaper another ...
I guess they contain some kind of software based drum machine. Or you can find some drum loops / tracks on the web. Or you can get EZ drummer for making drum tracks . Sorry - that's all I can contribute with. Cheers !

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A-man

No worries, asgeirman. I appreciate your input and I think that your suggestion of EZ Drummer may be exactly what I'm looking for.

Thanks and Cheers!
BM

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This is the Blues. Are you listening?

Mixcraft
http://www.acoustica.com/mixcraft/

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Being able to play and enjoy music is a gift that's often taken for granted.

Don't leave home without it!

Thanks, Miami Mike. I'm downloading the demo.

Cheers!
BM

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This is the Blues. Are you listening?

I use FL Studio.
It's only about $100 for the full version. Here's the link for the free demo -
The full version allows you to convert (render) the files to mp3 and a few other formats.
http://www.image-line.com/downloads/fls ... nload.html

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Thanks! This will be next on my demo-to-download list.

I'm wondering if anyone here uses EZ Drummer or Addictive Drums to make backing tracks. ... They say that your guitar is only half your instrument and that the amp is the other half. True, but then we're still short a bass and drums.

BM

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This is the Blues. Are you listening?

I think there is a free version of Additive Drums. It is really good. EZ drummer is also very good. People argue all the time about which one sounds best. They both sound very good and it depends on the song and mix if there is any noticeable difference. And they are both easy to use. Also, for a sequencer Reaper is hard to beat. If you want to use your guitar to lay down bass lines use "pvtransp.dll" it is free and better than any paid solution by far for what it does.

Edit: Long story short, those are probably your best choices for easy operation and good acoustic drum sound. I would go with what ever I could get the best deal on. (they both run deals all the time)

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My ability to spell is in direct proportion to the amount of coffee I've had.

Firstly I'd like to thank everyone for their suggestions and recommendations. As always, this is very much appreciated.

@ Miami Mike: I'm not sure why but for some reason the installer kept shutting down so I wasn't able to download Mixcraft.

@ FrankieTheKid: Admittedly I haven't given FL Studio a fair chance but I got the impression that getting to know this software may involve a steep learning curve. Then again no one has ever accused me of being a computer genius so ... I'll give it another go.

@ Deluxe Matt: Reaper does indeed seem hard to beat and my first impression is that it may even be easy to use. As for the drum sounds, if I'm reading you correctly then either EZ Drummer of Addictive Drums will be fine for my needs.

Cheers!
BM

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This is the Blues. Are you listening?

My son (25 now) is the one who turned me on to it... and showed me how to use it. There are tutorials on youtube for just about everything these days... wait a minute.... here comes one now...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPxIk-nJvT0

There are a few simple steps you'll need to know to get started. Once you figger it out, everything's easy.
For drum tracks it's just composing something for a verse, something else for a chorus, and copying and pasting the patterns into a chain.

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Perhaps your computer doesn't meet the system requirements?

Try clearing cache and re-try.

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Being able to play and enjoy music is a gift that's often taken for granted.

Don't leave home without it!

Hi, I use FL Studio with Addictive Drums, heres a sample of my doodling with AD on FL Studio.
http://www.reverbnation.com/open_graph/song/15153858

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GUITAR: Fender USA JazzMaster.
BASS: Fender USA 58'AVRI
AMP: Fender USA SuperSonicTwin - Blonde.