BackTrax app for iPhone and iPad

4.8 ( 7248 ratings )

Music
Developer: Aisle4 Software

8.99 USD

Current version: 2.9.2, last update: 7 years ago
First release : 15 Dec 2009
App size: 2.86 Mb

BackTrax is the easy, fool-proof way to run backing tracks on stage from your iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch. If youve shared the frustration with the built-in Music app shared by thousands of other musicians out there, BackTrax is going to be a welcome relief!

* NOTE that BackTrax only works with music that is directly synched to the device from a computer using iTunes, or content directly downloaded from the iTunes Store to the device.

FEATURES

* Background playback, so you can switch to a mixer app or guitar amp app while the backing track is playing.
* Auto-scrolling lyrics display. Its calibrated for the best possible fit with most songs, but more improvements are coming.
* (iPad) On-screen volume control and AirPlay support.
* Support for AirTurn BT-105, PageFlip Cicada and similar Bluetooth pedals that act as a keyboard.
* Displays lyrics stored in the mp3 files.
* Font size options for lyrics and song list.
* Displays song count and total running time for setlist
* Stops playback after every song automatically, or optionally continuously plays straight through your setlist.
* Single screen interface means no flipping between screens to start a new song.
* Dark color scheme minimizes the illumination it creates on stage, and its less harsh to look at in the dark.
* You can manually select any song to play next without it automatically starting, even while theres another song still playing.
* Theres no pause button, its a stop button. That means you can preview a track, stop it, and know that it will still start at the beginning when you push play.
* It loads songs from your iTunes library, so you use the same convenient music sync feature you always have, no special file loading for BackTrax.
* Big, colorful Play/Stop/Next buttons at the bottom that are hard to miss, and its hard to accidentally hit the wrong one.
* The song list displays the running time of each song.
* Total set time display.
* A progress bar and countdown timer let you know when the end of the currently playing song is coming.
* (Option) It can select the next song when the current one finishes and wait for you to hit the Play button before continuing.
* (Option) It can remove songs from the setlist after theyre played, so you can work from a list of songs you havent played yet.
* (Option) Custom start and stop times for each song.

HOW TO USE

1) Sync your backing tracks to your device using the normal iTunes music sync feature.
2) In BackTrax, hit the Load button (on iPad its Load Songs or Load Playlist) to load the tracks from your iTunes library.
3) Select a song in the list by tapping it.
4) Tap the big green Play button and the selected song (highlighted in blue) will play.

FEEDBACK

Questions? Problems? Requests? Please hit the support link below or go right to http://aisle4.com/support.html . Your feedback is always appreciated! Reviews are great, but I cant answer your questions or handle problems here.

NEITHER THIS BACKTRAX MOBILE APPLICATION NOR AISLE4 SOFTWARE ARE IN ANY WAY AFFILIATED WITH THE RADIO PROGRAM BACKTRAX USA WITH KID KELLY, DIAL GLOBAL, INC. AND/OR ANY OF DIAL GLOBALS AFFILIATES, AND NONE OF THEM HAVE ENDORSED THE BACKTRAX MOBILE APPLICATION OR AISLE4 SOFTWARE.

Pros and cons of BackTrax app for iPhone and iPad

BackTrax app good for

This is a quite good app for those who need an auto cue or auto pause function for their playbacks. Its great that you can use your playlists or titles from itunes! One update idea: For rehearsals, a fast for-/backward function would be great!

... love it, Im a professional musician playing from pubs to weddings alone with my guitar and BackTrax on my iPhone. Feels great to know it stops at the end of the Song and preloads the next Song so I can relax and enjoy the applause ;) Its great that it shows the lyrics! My suggestions for the future: - scrolling lyrics - fullscreenmode (for the lyrics) - airturn

This app does exactly what I need it to and nothing more. Perfect! My band was struggling trying to cue backing tracks quickly and accurately with an older iPod nano. This will work so much better. There is only one feature missing for iPhone use - if the phone rings the music is interrupted. Cant risk that live, so my workaround will be to call forward the phone before the set. It would be great if the phone went straight to voicemail automatically while a track is playing (uninterrupted).

Notified support of an functionality issue after updating to iOS 10.0 not able to drop edit in app once songs are loaded! Responded within two hours and had a fix created and today its done...that was 4 days ago!! BRAVO!!

My iPhone is now complete. I am a pro drummer working with a number of acts that require backing tracks. This eliminates having to search for a track, que it up, check it and stop it all whilst playing with one hand. I have to wear reading glasses so I would love to see a touch zoom feature to see titles a little larger. Thanks for creating this great little utility.

Ive searched for weeks, and from my research, this is the ONLY app designed for musicians to simply play pre-loaded backing tracks. No it doesnt do Karoke lyrics, or chord changes (thats what sheet music or memorization is for!), it doesnt do looping or multisampling, but there are other programs out there designed for that. BackTrax is designed for live musicians... that is, people who are going to be busy playing keyboards, guitars, bass, violin, or whatever. It plays back audio files (wav or any type that the iPhone plays), that you create. And for serious instrumental musicians like us, its essentially perfect, easy 5-stars. It just works. Before getting BackTrax, I was using a soundboard app ("Resounder"), which is really designed for playing goofy movie SFX. Problem was, it didnt do well with longer tracks, and had about 500ms latency, which is a deal-breaker for starting a drum track in the middle of a song (like I often do). I even messed up a drum cue live on a gig, and my fiddle player was totally lost. The one caution is that the play button works on "mouse up", which means that it wont start playing a track until you lift up your finger. If youre looking for precision like me, you will want to hold down the button a moment before hand, and then lift it up on the down beat (or whenever you need the track to start). This would be my one suggestion to the developer, to have an option to set the track to play on "mouse down". Until then, though, those who need precision will just have to get by with the hold & release method. The next step will be creating a foot pedal for this thing. If the developer was to do that, they would literally print money.

Some bad moments

Where are the backing tracks? You cannot save mp3s to iTunes on your phone so how would you even get any? App Appears worthless. Thank goodness I dont really care about $6.

DO NOT BUY!!! Terrible app. Will not play songs from iTunes as they are DRM protected and it rejects them. That is 99%of all songs. Terrible app

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