Newbie Trying to add a solo sax to a backing track

I’ve tried reading the help with Audacity, but it doesn’t really “help” much. here is my situation: Windows 10; Audacity 2.x.x. Creative labs EXTERNAL OMNI sound card hooked up to EXTERNAL mic via 3.5 mm jack. I play sax and have extensive backing track library on my PC. I want to “mix” me playing along with some copies of these backing tracks, save the finished track & burn to CD to hawk around some local bars for “samples” for possible gigs, but the instructions are only for voice, guitar & for a specific external sound card using an internal mic. I have the .exe installer

Overdub recording is a big subject, but the general principles are the same for vocal as for guitar as for sax as for any other instrument.
There’s several tutorials here: http://manual.audacityteam.org/man/tutorial_recording_multi_track_overdubs.html

Start by importing your backing track into Audacity (file menu). If you get stuck, please try to make your question specific to the problem that you are having.

As I said, none of them REALLY seem to fit my scenario; do I somehow “import” the backing track, then record me playing a second track simultaneously while listening to the backing track on headphones & re recording it by “mixing it” with the live recording of me playing? If so, will I still be able to hear the backing track? Set up is: Windows 10 64 bit; Creative labs Omni external sound card connected via USB to PC; External Mic connected to External Sound card, mounted on mic stand. I’m a musician, not a PC tech, so I need this as simple as possible and I was told this software was just that…

Yes, I’ve already said that.
“File menu > Import > Audio”
See: File Menu - Audacity Manual

Do you like to record YouTube music or shows? Those sound settings are not compatible with musical overdubbing.


The goal, if everything is working OK, is to accumulate individual tracks one above the other as you record your instruments. Unless you stop it, Audacity will play them all at once and let you judge the mix and quality, but still have them separate so you can apply corrections and filters to each one individually. After you get it the way you want it, Audacity will mix it into one sound file on Export.

But, no, nobody said it was going to be a snap. Overdubbing piles up all the playback tools and all the recording tools into one job. Suddenly you need to be good at everything.

Did you go through the overdubbing tutorial? I wrote the original one, so I will be personally crushed if you don’t do that.

http://manual.audacityteam.org/man/tutorial_recording_multi_track_overdubs.html

Koz

OK; version is Audacity 2.1.0. Issue is I’m NOT a techie; I’m a jazz sax player; all i want to do is create a demo CD. I have a mess load of professional backing tracks on my WINDOWS 10 PC. The sound card is an external Creative Labs Sound Blaster Omni hooked up to an excellent and very expensive mic. The card itself is obviously connected via USB to the computer. The theory is I’ve been told is I SHOULD be able to import the MP3 backing track, and then with headphones on, just record myself playing simultaneously and the two tracks should mix. Problem has been with other software, and this has been a sudden development, there has been a latency with the sax track that was never there before. SO, is that going to happen with the audacity, if so, why? how do I overcome this etc. as I said, I’m a musician on a budget not a techie, lol. Oh and BTW, the link above doesn’t work anymore…

The link Tutorial - Recording Multi-track Overdubs - Audacity Manual is working as I write.

That’s old, so the online Manual we link to won’t match with the version you have. You can get the current 2.1.3 from us here: Audacity ® | Download for Windows.

If you are saying that the recorded track is laid down late, drag it to the correct place using Time Shift Tool (F5).

Or, do a Latency Test then set the indicated latency as a correction in Recording Preferences (read the link for how to do that). This will then keep newly recorded tracks synchronised until your computer latency changes again.

After using Time Shift Tool, don’t forget to press F1 to go back to Selection Tool.


Gale