Adding pedal steel to demo

[-Guitarvin-]

Hi, I was wondering something since I can't find any information on this anywhere other than one source. I'm doing some home recordings by myself of songs I have written and arranged. I have drums, electric and acoustic guitars covered (the genre is classic country), but I'd like to add pedal steel.

Despite my intense self-employment schedule, I'm fairly poor financially due to cost of living, so I don't have the $$$ to seek out and hire a pedal steel player, which would be optimal, but for my purposes, canned PS would work. There doesn't seem to be a readily available way to do this. I did come across a software called Band in a Box, and that SEEMS like it may do what I'm looking for, but I'm not fully versed on how the software works yet. I'd like to do something like plug in the chords to the song and have the software generate a canned PS part I can drop into my DAW as a track.

I'm using Cakewalk on Windows 10 for my DAW but I don't have a midi controller. I'm also pretty ignorant about working in a DAW as I've only been recording this way in the last year and started out with Audacity and freeware plugins.

Does anyone have a suggestion that would help me add this instrumentation to my demo recordings? Thank you!

 

[suthol]

Hi, I was wondering something since I can't find any information on this anywhere other than one source. I'm doing some home recordings by myself of songs I have written and arranged. I have drums, electric and acoustic guitars covered (the genre is classic country), but I'd like to add pedal steel.

I did come across a software called Band in a Box, and that SEEMS like it may do what I'm looking for, but I'm not fully versed on how the software works yet. I'd like to do something like plug in the chords to the song and have the software generate a canned PS part I can drop into my DAW as a track.

I'm using Cakewalk on Windows 10 for my DAW but I don't have a midi controller. I'm also pretty ignorant about working in a DAW as I've only been recording this way in the last year and started out with Audacity and freeware plugins.

Does anyone have a suggestion that would help me add this instrumentation to my demo recordings? Thank you!

The easy way to do this using BIAB is to plug your chords into BIAB, choose a style that matches your song and then add the PSG as an instrument, the options will be chording, chords with fills or soloist

You will have to "audition" various styles and players to find what you want and then mute all but the PSG and export the song as a wav file, this will give you the solo track that you can import straight into your DAW.

Make sure you match the tempo of your DAW and the BIAB project.

From there you can cut and paste sections to suit your taste, maybe do one track with chords and fills and another as a soloist and pick the bones out of it.

From BIAB 2022 onwards the quality of the PSG tracks has improved immensely over what it was but still isn't a live player, we have a couple of friends who are excellent PSG & Dobro players so don't use BIAB for that instrument.

For one song I exported the MIDI for a BIAB piano track ( drag & drop ), dropped it into the DAW and applied a concert harp VSTi to get something different in the arrangement.

 

[-Guitarvin-]

Okay, thank you. Man, that's exactly what I was looking to do, just what you said. I didn't want to drop the $130 on a software to only find out it wasn't what I was hoping. Thanks for your explanation, I'm going to get that software for sure now, my expectations are not for it to sound as good as a real player, but I'd be happy with "good enough" for demo work. I'd also like to explore to see if that software has banjo and mandolin parts as well. Thanks again, and from up here in Texas, have a good 'un.

 

[suthol]

I found the base version of BIAB limited and went to the next version up which really opens the world up

 

[suthol]

As for other instruments, Julie wrote a very angst filled Alanis Morrisett styled song.

The fundamental backing is from BIAB with bodhran & cello, we have added acoustic & electric guitars

 

[soul-o]

There is also a really fun Pedal Steel app that I have on my iPad that was around $20, I think. It’s called Steel Guitar and the icon is yellow on the App Store. It sounds really good and is a lot of fun to mess around on.

 

[-Guitarvin-]

So how limited is the base version? I saw on Sweetwater the base version is $99 and the next version up is $219. I can't do $219 right now, but if it's not worth it to buy the base version, I'll just have to do without for now until I can afford the higher version.

 

[claytrelecaster]

Learn some pedal steel licks and throw in some volume & tone swells! It’s free! It worked for me on my demos!

 

[mrgeeze]

I've been using Band in a Box for about 30 years. I make a lot of backing tracks. I use them to play out live as an instrumental guitar player.

Here's a couple of my tracks using a pedal steel. Everything on these tracks is BIAB save my guitar (not a telecaster).






You want what BIAB calls "Real Tracks". These are high quality audio performances by the best of the best. How they make it so you can punch in a set of changes and have a solid performance is their secret sauce. It just works.

You can mess with midi if you like but then you'll need some pedal steel libraries which are available. Some are very high quality. But midi is something all to itself.

With BIAB using real tracks I punch in the chords, select a key and tempo, Select a style (there are thousands of them) and then add/subtract instruments as I like. I often mix an accordion with a pedal steel. My track of Miles Davis "All Blues" has a pedal steel on it.
Its friggin amazing what you can do. If you work.

As I said BIAB hires first class musicians to build its real tracks. But you will spend $$$. I currently own the UltraPak+. I spend $2-300/year to keep current with all the new tracks and features. Either you're in the game or your not.

Attached find the 40-50 different pedal steel tracks available to me in BIAB. There's also a bunch of lap steel and slide tracks if you like.

Honestly I think the UltraPak may be where you should start. If you're going to go this route you'll need to get good on a DAW. Normally I build my arrangement in BIAB, add a pile of instruments and export each track (flat,dry) as an individual wav file to my DAW. From there all the mixing , effects, mastering, etc gets done. At least that's my workflow

BIAB is a professional level solution to your needs. It is not an automagic thing. You'll have to get good at it to make it work.
Not trying to scare you off

 

[-Guitarvin-]

BIAB is a professional level solution to your needs. It is not an automagic thing. You'll have to get good at it to make it work.
Not trying to scare you off

Thanks for that detailed explanation. I get it, too. You make perfect sense. Like most things, you get sucked in by the low entry cost, but then you're hamstrung into upgrading. I guess that's the way to make money, lol. Your examples sound awesome, by the way. My solution right now is to go without. But I'd like to explore it down the road. It does seem like there is a lot to learn about BIAB, but I'm no stranger to rolling up my sleeves and figuring out the nuts and bolts of a software. I'm really getting into making the most out of budget level recording and I'm a victim of wanting everything "now." But my mortgage company is teaching me how to have patience...

 

[-Guitarvin-]

Learn some pedal steel licks and throw in some volume & tone swells! It’s free! It worked for me on my demos!

That's a great idea. I'll see if there are some resources for faking it 'til I make it. Thank you!

 

[suthol]

BIAB do Christmas specials every year, generally about 50% off.

It also is a VST the will plug straight into your DAW

 

[suthol]

This track along with all their other tracks is created in BIAB, Shelley actually plays bass as you see in the clip just hammer ons and pull offs, she had a stroke / seizure very young and lost the use of her right arm so couldn't play guitar anymore and taught herself to play bass.

Her husband Lester is a fine singer guitarist

 

[T Prior]

BIAB for over $200 ? You can get a real Steel player to do a track for $50! Send files back and fourth over the net !

Ask me how I know ! lol

I do own BIAB and Its a fine program but limited unless you are proficent with the software . I use it for simple arrangements , then as mentioned above, I send the WAV files that I want to Pro Tools. Its worth the money but you do have to spend time "seeking" the styles, instrument phrases that you like and fit what you are doing. Learning how to use it is required . The results are directly proportional to the time spent with the program.

 

[johnny k]

The cheapest option is get a bottleneck and fake it yourself. You can also fake it without a bottleneck.

Bending Steel with Your Bare Hands: A Pedal-Steel Primer

Let’s face it folks, pedal-steel is a pillar of the country music sound. It’s one of my favorite instruments—not just in country, but all music genres. The ability to play complex chords, the range of the instrument, the way you can manipulate bends (with knee levers and pedals), and the lyrical...

www.premierguitar.com

It is probably not going to sound like the real stuff, but you can say i did it myself with my own 2 hands for 0 dollar.

 

[-Guitarvin-]

This track along with all their other tracks is created in BIAB, Shelley actually plays bass as you see in the clip just hammer ons and pull offs, she had a stroke / seizure very young and lost the use of her right arm so couldn't play guitar anymore and taught herself to play bass.

Her husband Lester is a fine singer guitarist

Sounds like she's doing just fine with her playing style! Beautiful voice, too. World class song and video. Sounds like a real band playing. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Sparky472]

Hey OP, I play a a little pedal steel. I’m no virtuoso, but if you’re interested, I’d love to try adding to a track and seeing how it goes, just for fun. PM me If you like. If you like it (and I like it) maybe we can do more. If not, well, no harm done. But it’d be fun to try at least.

 

[-Guitarvin-]

Hey OP, I play a a little pedal steel. I’m no virtuoso, but if you’re interested, I’d love to try adding to a track and seeing how it goes, just for fun. PM me If you like. If you like it (and I like it) maybe we can do more. If not, well, no harm done. But it’d be fun to try at least.

That would be awesome. I'm in the process of re-recording some stuff I wrote - new arrangements and better equipment, etc. Can I contact you when I'm ready to add tracks? Thanks, and I think it'll be fun. I'm no Alan Jackson or George Strait on the mic, but I like to write stuff with a good hook and catchy lyrics.

 

[claytrelecaster]

That's a great idea. I'll see if there are some resources for faking it 'til I make it. Thank you!

Tons of great lessons on TrueFire… check Jason Loughlin, Johnny Hiland and many others!