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Regarding avoiding mini-jacks, I thought to look to see whether any modest-cost mixers have built-in layers and some do.
I wondered if there was a market for a player with jack and/or XLR outputs. Probably not if low-cost mixers would suffice. There are players with XLR and Line level outs They exist I'd never knowingly seen one, but I guess I've never looked ... my mixer has a player, so the need didn't arise. I sometimes use a little Logitech Bluetooth module where I'm amplifying video sound from people's laptops for presentations. Seems safer better behaved than trusting the mini-jack on the average laptop.
Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful.
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Steve,
A old style battery operated media player can do exactly what your asking for and you may already have one onhand sitting in a junk drawer. I'm thinking of something like a Microsoft Zune, Apple iPod or a generic MP3 player.
Every media player I've seen can playback MP3, WAV and MP4a and other audio formats. Almost all also can playback a playlist of audio files.
Plug a cord into the media player headphone jack and never unplug it so you don't have to worry about the jack wearing out.
Make sure you install a fresh battery before every gig. 😁 Jim, we are thinking similarly. A media player might be the way to go, don't have an old one sitting around but that's easy to solve. And capacity doesn't need to be huge, I can't see us playing more that 20 songs tops. As others have mentioned, mini output jacks also make me nervous, especially unbalanced ones. A USB connection might be more reliable and is what I use in my home studio. As far as fresh batteries, I'm thinking that if I design this right the player would be charging while playing its tracks.
https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677BiaB 2026 Windows For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
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<< "Right now, we have a keyboard player and myself on bass guitar but that could expand to include a percussionist, an acoustic guitar player and vocalists in the future." >>
Depending on the Keyboard you have, it may have a built in audio player. My inexpensive Yamaha PSR s670 has both a built in Midi player and an a separate audio player. They can play from internal memory or flash drive memory. The transport controls, file selection and mixer are all right on the keyboard.
You may have a free player that requires no external jacks or batteries.
BIAB 2026:RB 2026, Latest builds: Dell Optiplex 7040 Desktop; Windows-10-64 bit, Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz CPU and 16 GB Ram Memory.
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Steve,
A old style battery operated media player can do exactly what your asking for and you may already have one onhand sitting in a junk drawer. I'm thinking of something like a Microsoft Zune, Apple iPod or a generic MP3 player.
Every media player I've seen can playback MP3, WAV and MP4a and other audio formats. Almost all also can playback a playlist of audio files.
Plug a cord into the media player headphone jack and never unplug it so you don't have to worry about the jack wearing out.
Make sure you install a fresh battery before every gig. 😁 Jim, we are thinking similarly. A media player might be the way to go, don't have an old one sitting around but that's easy to solve. And capacity doesn't need to be huge, I can't see us playing more that 20 songs tops. As others have mentioned, mini output jacks also make me nervous, especially unbalanced ones. A USB connection might be more reliable and is what I use in my home studio. As far as fresh batteries, I'm thinking that if I design this right the player would be charging while playing its tracks. The one I was looking at has between 16-20 hrs of play time between charges. It take two hours to charge Just how long you planning to gig non-stop? <giggle>
Last edited by rharv; 02/10/26 04:27 PM.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Make your sound your own!
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You guys are working way too hard.
Keep it simple. It works better.
Last century an amazing technology was invented to help you solve the 3.5mm cable problem.
Bluetooth. Bluetooth operates in the crowded 2.4 GHz range (same as Wi-Fi, wireless mics, lighting controllers, audience phones, etc.). At gigs: • Packed rooms = tons of RF interference • Bluetooth can briefly cut out • Signal may stutter or mute • Devices may disconnect Bluetooth Interference Sounds risky and unreliable.
https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677BiaB 2026 Windows For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
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Depending on the Keyboard you have, it may have a built in audio player. My inexpensive Yamaha PSR s670 has both a built in Midi player and an a separate audio player. They can play from internal memory or flash drive memory. The transport controls, file selection and mixer are all right on the keyboard.
You may have a free player that requires no external jacks or batteries. Charlie, I had not thought of this option, nice piece of thinking. It so turns out that my arranger keyboard does have a built-in MP3 Player that you can route to various outputs. So technically, this is an option. My keyboard player is a bit overwhelmed with the capability of this keyboard and I'd rather place this added burden on myself rather than her. When I think of the workflow and the possible routing complexities of her configuring and playing the keyboard while managing the routing of the playlist, I can foresee problems. But this was a good idea nonetheless. So far, a small, single-purpose, media player that I would manage seems to make most sense.
https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677BiaB 2026 Windows For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
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I understand. Keyboards can add a lot to a band's overall sound and it takes quite a bit of work .
BIAB 2026:RB 2026, Latest builds: Dell Optiplex 7040 Desktop; Windows-10-64 bit, Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz CPU and 16 GB Ram Memory.
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I understand. Keyboards can add a lot to a band's overall sound and it takes quite a bit of work . Absolutely. A good keyboard can add a strings section, a brass section, additional percussion, synths of various kinds not to mention various acoustic/e-pianos and even human voices. I wouldn't mind two keyboards in our fledgling band.
https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677BiaB 2026 Windows For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
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< I wouldn't mind two keyboards in our fledgling band. >
That's more practicable than most people imagine. I was the sound tech for a high end tribute band for several years and spent a lot of time studying what other bands were doing and several things jumped out that seemed to be common between the better bands and also all the pro -level bands - They all used a sound tech to run and monitor the board. The sound man for some bands also added effects, made and applied backing tracks, snippets of audio and everything needed so the performers on stage only ever looked as if they are playing. No, bending over making adjustments, no having to leave their position to swap instruments, no dead time as they flipped through their iPad song list.
Everything that needs to be done off-stage is literally done off stage. It doesn't take much imagination to see how much more a professional a band appears on stage. They also can sound far more versatile and pro-level without anything being obvious to the audience. A programmed keyboard located at the sound board, activated by the soundman, who doesn't even have to know how to play it, can push the right button at the right time.
As an example of even an inexpensive keyboard, my Yamaha PSR-S670 program essentially the same as all the other PSR series and other series of Yamaha that share Registration Buttons and Multipads. The 670 has 8 registration buttons that can store information for four multipads with internal memory storing ten sets of Registration/Multipads. This combination can store up to 320 songs/effects/ backing tracks - It can eliminate pedals and loopers or the sound tech can have pedals and loopers and keyboard all running out of site from the crowd. There was a band here at Myrtle Beach that appeared as a trio on stage but sounded like a five or seven piece band. The guitar player played a midi set up on his guitar and had an extensive pedal board, behind him on the speakers was another pedal board being run by the sound tech and another fellow changing out guitars and adjusting gear on stage as needed. Phenomenal to watch and hear them.
There are many opportunities having such a setup.
BIAB 2026:RB 2026, Latest builds: Dell Optiplex 7040 Desktop; Windows-10-64 bit, Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz CPU and 16 GB Ram Memory.
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You guys are working way too hard.
Keep it simple. It works better.
Last century an amazing technology was invented to help you solve the 3.5mm cable problem.
Bluetooth. Bluetooth operates in the crowded 2.4 GHz range (same as Wi-Fi, wireless mics, lighting controllers, audience phones, etc.). At gigs: • Packed rooms = tons of RF interference • Bluetooth can briefly cut out • Signal may stutter or mute • Devices may disconnect Bluetooth Interference Sounds risky and unreliable. Over a decade and hundreds of gigs, many of them in the environment you describe above, none of that has happened. So, fret not. Embrace the new millennia.
biab2026(Mac) Latest Build
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The OP asked for suggestions for equipment and suggestions to play backing tracks. He got lots of ideas. Is anyone arguing?
I’ve performed with backing tracks, recordings and devices of all kinds since 1965. At one point that included laptop computers running my string section writing in BIAB. Now it’s a Tascam Wave/MP3/Flac player with built-in Bluetooth.
BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
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Everything that needs to be done off-stage is literally done off stage. It doesn't take much imagination to see how much more a professional a band appears on stage. They also can sound far more versatile and pro-level without anything being obvious to the audience. A programmed keyboard located at the sound board, activated by the soundman, who doesn't even have to know how to play it, can push the right button at the right time.
There are many opportunities having such a setup. I had never heard of this "trick" . . . pretty cool!
https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677BiaB 2026 Windows For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
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Everything that needs to be done off-stage is literally done off stage. It doesn't take much imagination to see how much more a professional a band appears on stage. They also can sound far more versatile and pro-level without anything being obvious to the audience. A programmed keyboard located at the sound board, activated by the soundman, who doesn't even have to know how to play it, can push the right button at the right time.
There are many opportunities having such a setup. I had never heard of this "trick" . . . pretty cool! My old band did this all the time in the 90's. I had a Kawai Q80 sequencer that I sent a click track to the drummer for certain songs we needed piano or synth sounds and we played to the programmed track. Used to blow people's mind because they wondered who was playing the keyboards on that song since everyone else was real players.
BIAB 2026 Ultrapack- Fender Studio Pro 8, Windows 11, Mac Mini M4 with Logic Pro 11, Melodyne Studio, Luna Pro
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Yep done the same many times. A click was kind of required to sync synths, FX etc, (as well as keep the drummer in time)  Sometimes it was a computer, often a keyboard with a sequencer Problem was, then you felt you needed a backup for the keyboard too (perfect excuse for the band to buy another)
Last edited by rharv; 02/17/26 04:28 PM.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Make your sound your own!
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To wrap things up on this thread, we successfully held our 1st gig. The Tascam, laptop, backing tracks, keyboard and other equipment all worked fine. And I did bring a portable DAP as a backup which was not needed. The laptop and DAW works so well, including synced chord display that I'm thinking that Mario's idea of a backup laptop might be the way to go if we continue to gig.
As a matter of fact, when we meet to practice in my jam room I'm now using the laptop/interface/DAW method to play stem-separated elements of our chosen backing tracks; most often just the drums. And the icing on the cake is that we're instantly setup to record our practice sessions so they can be reviewed afterwards and emailed to potential bandmates.
Compared to 40 years ago, things are so much easier today.
Thanks go to everyone that supplied ideas.
https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677BiaB 2026 Windows For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
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