Is Using Backing Tracks Cheating?

With certain bands and artists getting a lot of press attention over their alleged use of backing tracks recently; some acts are feeling the need to defend their use of them, other bands are absolutely repulsed at the very thought of them, and some bands are trying to hide their blatant use of them for fear of seeming inauthentic. I'm going to open up the discussion here at LickLibrary: is using backing tracks cheating?

For some, they are musical embellishments which help to augment the live sound, parts that simply cannot be replicated live, but essential to the song’s sound. For others, it seems to be a way to hide behind a wall of sound, or dare I say it…mime.

There used to be a time when backing tracks weren’t even a thing. To be a great live band, you had to be exactly that: live. There was no burying your playing under pre recorded guitar parts, choirs, orchestras, and 808 sub bass drops. Just 100% live, plug your instruments in, the drummer counts it off, and go! But as technology improved with multi tracking in the studio, even as far back as Les Paul recording multiple guitar parts and overdubbing Mary Ford’s vocal harmonies in their kitchen, the concept of being able to replicate these studio embellishments live has been an exciting prospect for performers.

For me, whether or not backing tracks are needed at all is something that depends on the musical situation you are in. There are pros and cons to performing with backing tracks. The biggest pro is having elements that were on the recorded version of a track heard in a live setting. Imagine having an orchestra on the record that was essential to the song’s performance, and the live version just sounding empty without it. The biggest con, being that you’re locked into that performance of the track, playing along to a click track, meaning the tempo will never ebb and flow in a natural humanistic way. The structure of the song could never change on the fly as the backing track would not line up with the live musicians.

Certain things simply cannot be performed live because it is literally impossible to replicate on stage. Imagine Queen not adding ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ to the live set because they couldn’t do the opera section live. That would be a shame for the audience, and for me, a very valid reason for the use of backing tracks. However, Queen walked off stage, making it abundantly clear that it was a backing track and also allowing time for elaborate costume changes. They were not augmenting their live sound by trying to play along with, or hide behind, it. The same for The Who performing ‘Baba O’Riley’, strapping a pair of headphones on Keith Moon and expecting him to play to a click track. But, The Who playing that classic song without those classic synth tracks would just sound empty. Those synths are an integral part of the song, and are as essential as the vocals, bass, drums, and guitar.

I have been fortunate enough to perform live in many different settings in many different styles. I have performed with a band who needed orchestral and choir elements for practically every track. There is simply no way those songs could be performed live without those elements augmenting the sound in a way that the audience will be familiar with. It would be impossible from a budget perspective, the costs would be absolutely astronomical! But even if the band could tour with all those extra musicians and expenses, where would you put them on stage without having to perform in venues that were too big for the size of the band.

Another band required electronic and hip hop elements, with no live keyboardist, DJ, or sampler in order to do the songs justice. I performed as part of a band for a pantomime, playing pop and musical theatre hits during the festive season. The band comprised of guitar, drums, and keyboards. The budget simply wasn’t there for a full orchestra or even a full band! But on the other side, I have also performed in rock, metal, musical theatre, funk, reggae, pop bands, and orchestras that were 100% live. Backing tracks simply weren’t needed, and when we did try the songs to a click track, the natural ebb and flow in tempo and feel was essential to the performance and vibe of the band.

I feel that YouTube is to blame for a lot of artists beginning to rely heavily on backing tracks. Everyone seems to be on social media these days, and they will judge a band on one out of tune note recorded on a phone speaker. Not at the show, in the moment, having a great time. Ageing rockers are starting to feel the need to keep up with their younger counterparts, and are constantly being compared to younger up and coming acts. Using backing tracks almost like an ‘audio face lift’. Instead of accepting that their voice won’t hold up like it used to, they will resort to miming. In the 80s, 90s, and even the early 00s, careers were ended when certain artists were exposed, miming on live TV. What has changed for it to be perceived as more acceptable now? I know some huge arena filling rock and metal bands who have cancelled shows because their laptop wouldn’t work, but that wasn’t the official reason given to the fans. In my opinion, that is crossing the line between live performance and studio trickery doing the work for you. Not only was the performance inauthentic, but so was the reason for the cancellation.