Frequently Asked Questions.

Standard delivery means your song joins my production schedule and is recorded when its turn comes. Expedited delivery is for projects that need to move faster, usually within one or two weeks, depending on the song and current availability.

If you have a performance, audition or recording deadline, please tell me before placing your order. I know how important those dates can be, and I'd rather give you a realistic timeframe than make a promise I can't keep.

Absolutely! Tell me the key you sing in, or how many semitones you need to move up or down from the original. I'll plan and record your backing track in that key from the start, so it's comfortable for your voice.

The actual recording and production work usually takes me about four to eight hours, depending on the song. But I suspect what you're really asking is: when will I receive my finished track?

Because I'm working on several projects, I keep a production schedule. Standard orders are recorded in the order they enter that schedule. Booking a place doesn't mean recording begins immediately; it means your song is in line for its turn.

If you have some flexibility, Standard delivery is a good choice. If your date is approaching, please ask about Expedited delivery instead.

Let me know your deadline when you request a quote. Expedited delivery is designed for urgent projects and generally aims for a turnaround of around a week, subject to availability and the complexity of the arrangement.

It has an additional cost because I need to set aside extra production time. Please check with me before counting on a specific delivery date.

Yes. I put the same care into every production, regardless of the delivery option. Expedited delivery changes the schedule, not the attention I give to the recording, arrangement and mix.

Yes! I can provide the separate instrument stems as audio files, so you can open them in your preferred DAW or recording studio and build your own mix. My current custom production deliveries include a ZIP of individual 24-bit WAV stems.

You'll also receive the finished backing track, so you don't have to mix anything yourself unless you want to.

Of course. If you'd like to play the guitar, saxophone or another instrument live, tell me which part you want left out. I'll arrange the track around your performance, just as I leave the main lead vocal open for a singer.

I offer quantity discounts to established, regular clients who order at least ten songs per month and have maintained that volume for a minimum of six consecutive months. If that's the kind of ongoing project you have in mind, feel free to ask me about it.

Yes, but each additional key is normally quoted separately. Since I record the instruments rather than simply pitch-shifting the final audio, another key may involve recording several parts again.

Some arrangements are easier to adapt than others, so send me the details and I'll explain the options for your particular song.

No, I specialize in finished audio productions rather than MIDI files. My goal is to give you a musical recording that sounds and feels like a performance, with carefully produced instruments and a complete mix.

Yes! Visit Superbackings.com, where you can search for songs and artists, listen to previews, and purchase tracks that have already been produced.

If you're looking for a specific arrangement made just for you, that's where my custom production service comes in.

You can listen to real production examples on my Projects page and in the demo player on the Nico Backing Tracks home page. I always recommend listening before requesting a production so you know what to expect.

Backing vocals are supporting parts, such as harmonies or short responses behind the main singer. If two, three or four singers perform the entire song together, those parts are generally considered lead vocals, even when they're singing harmonies. A duet is also a lead-vocal arrangement, not simply backing vocals.

If you want those lead parts recreated for your track, please mention them in your request. Recording additional lead vocals is a separate service and may affect the quote.

When you order a fully custom backing track from my studio, my approach is to recreate the music from scratch. I don't take instruments extracted from the original commercial recording with AI separation software and assemble them into a supposedly new production.

There is a separate vocal-removal service for people who specifically want to work with the original recording, but that's not the same product as a newly recorded custom backing track.

I provide the individual instrument stems so you can hear how the arrangement was built. And yes, Nico Studio also has an AI Mix Assistant, but that's a tool for checking your mix, not a shortcut for copying someone else's recording.

It's your own browser-based mixing room for a custom production. Instead of hearing only the finished stereo track, you can work with the individual instrument stems, adjust their levels and panning, and experiment with EQ, compression and effects.

Take a look at the Mix & Mastering Suite.

Yes. Access is included at no extra cost with eligible Nico Studio custom productions that have the compatible individual stems needed for the Suite. When your order is ready and the mixing files are available, you'll see the option in your Client Area.

Yes! That's one of my favorite uses for it. If the guitar was delivered as its own stem, simply mute it and export a mix without that part. The rest of the arrangement stays in place, ready for your performance.

Absolutely. You'll receive the finished WAV and MP3 as usual, plus the separate 24-bit WAV stems supplied with your custom production. The Suite is an extra way to work with those instruments, not a replacement for the finished mix.

No. You can use the Suite in a compatible desktop or tablet browser. You don't need to install a separate DAW or buy expensive plugins just to make an alternate mix. If you already work in a DAW, you can download the stems and use them there too.

Yes. You can save your settings and export your own finished version in WAV or MP3. That makes it easy to prepare one mix for rehearsal, another for a live show, and another for recording.

Not automatically. Think of it as an extra pair of technical ears: it can flag possible clipping, excessive compression or EQ choices worth checking. You still make the creative decisions and decide what sounds right to you.

That's perfectly fine. You can start by changing one instrument's volume or muting a part. And if you don't want to touch a single fader, you don't have to: the finished WAV and MP3 are already there for you.

No. Nico Studio's Mix & Mastering Suite is for compatible custom productions recorded with separate stems. Superbackings sells pre-produced catalog tracks and has its own Audio Lab for eligible purchases.

Use the Request a Quote form. Tell me the song title and include a YouTube link or an MP3 reference. You can also explain the key, instruments, arrangement changes and deadline you have in mind.

Yes. You can send your first request using the public quote form. We'll take it from there and organize the details of your project through the Client Area.

Your Nico Studio Client Area keeps your quote, order status and available delivery files together. It's much easier than searching through old email conversations.

When your order is completed, you'll receive an email and can open your delivery in the Client Area. That's where you'll find the available audio files for download.

Delivery files remain available for 181 days from the date your order is marked completed. Please download and back up your WAV, MP3 and stems during that period. Your order history is kept even after the delivery files expire.

It's simple: Nico Studio makes a new recording for you. Superbackings lets you browse and buy backing tracks that have already been produced. One is a personal production service; the other is a music catalog.

Of course. Search the Superbackings catalog, listen to the previews and choose an available version of the song you need. If you can't find it, come back and ask me about a custom recording.

Audio Lab is a separate browser-based editor for eligible individual tracks purchased on Superbackings. It lets you adjust the key, EQ and dynamics, then export a customized version. It doesn't offer the individual instrument mixing of the Nico Studio Suite.

Yes. The Superbackings Free Online Pitch Shifter lets you try an MP3 up to four semitones higher or lower while keeping the tempo. You can preview your changes in the browser; downloading a processed MP3 requires a free account.

Definitely. That's exactly why I offer custom production. Send me the song and your preferred version using the quote form, and I'll review what it would take to record it for you.