How do I place my order?
Full details are provided on the website homepage or by clicking on the 'ordering tracks' section on the website homepage.
I am unable to proceed through the checkout facility, how can I resolve this?
Please clear/delete the browsing history (cookies/cache) from your web browser and revisit the website. This should resolve problems in most cases. Should this be unsuccessful, accessing the website using an alternative browser (Chrome, Microsoft Edge etc.) may resolve the problem.
I placed an order but the payment hasn't completed?
We offer alternative payment facilities, please try the debit/credit card payment option if you cannot use the online PayPal method. If a problem persists, please contact us via email and we can supply a PayPal payment request via email (a PayPal account is not required to pay by this method). If you receive a JRequest error during PayPal payment, please ignore this as the order and payment will have been received by us successfully and processed in the normal manner.
How do I listen to a backing track demo?
To listen to a demo, input your track title in the search box on the left of the homepage screen (or select an artist), then click on the title of the required track. You can also click on the titles in the 'recently added' section on the homepage of the website. A demo 'play' button should appear together with details of the track. If you fail to hear the backing track demo playing, please use an alternative browser or device, as this is likely to be a browser-compatibility issue. (Chrome browser users: In some cases Flash player may need to be enabled to hear playback of demos. Type chrome://settings/content into the browser address bar. Click 'allow' and add the website www.stevestrax.com to enable playback.
How do I download the tracks from the supplied download link?
Downloading Received Tracks
1. Click the 'View Files' box in the email notification that you have received (you may need to choose to display images and links, depending on your email and security settings). This will take you to the download website (Hightail).
2. On the download page, click on the 'Download All' box, or select the download icon at the side of each file to download individually.
MP3 purchases are supplied via a secure download link, and are available to download as often as required after initial purchase. Please ensure the email link has not been redirected to your alternative mail folders (spam, deleted etc.) Tracks and lyric sheets can be downloaded individually or as a contained .zip file. Please keep in mind that when downloading a zipped file, you will need to extract the tracks from the zipped folder once downloaded. The majority of devices/browsers incorporate a program that will automatically unzip the folder.
Transferring MP3 tracks to an Apple device (iPad/iPhone etc.).
As Apple products do not use a standard file/folder system, it may be necessary to either download the tracks to a laptop or PC and then sync both devices using iTunes, or alternatively transfer the tracks to an online storage facility (Dropbox, iCloud, Google Drive etc.) and download directly from there to your Apple device.
Should you have any problems downloading, please visit the following link for further instructions: Downloading A File
I cannot find my download link?
Please check all your email folders (including spam, deleted, junk) before contacting us to re-send.
Can I choose the key of the backing track?
Available key changes are listed underneath the title of each track on the demo player screen. Please click (or double-click) on the track title to see the demo player and track details. Additional information for ordering tracks in alternative keys is provided on the website homepage.
Although we do not charge extra for providing a song in an alternative key, if you require the song in more than one key each track is classed as an individual purchase and is subject to an individual charge (i.e. if you require a song in both the key of C and Bb, please ensure an order is placed for two tracks).
I would like lead/rhythm guitars, instruments or backing vocals removed. Is this possible?
I'm afraid we are unable to remove guitars, instruments or backing vocals from our existing backing tracks.
How are the remixed tracks arranged?
All remix versions provided by Steve's Trax are produced for vocalists. These are arranged and edited to ensure there are no unnecessarily long instrumental breaks and are provided with corresponding lyric sheets which follow the track comprehensively from start to finish.
The track I'm looking for is not in your catalogue, can you provide it?
If the track you are looking for does not appear in our online catalogue we will consider producing it, subject to popularity and licensing permission. Once produced, the track will be added to our catalogue and will be the same price as all other tracks. To enquire about non-catalogue tracks, please contact us at
I need one version in MP3 format and one version on CD - is there a charge for each?
Yes, each format required (MP3 or CD) is charged seperately and a new order should be placed for each format.
Are you able to remove vocals from an original CD?
We are unable to remove vocals from an original CD (there is no current product available that performs this task effectively).
Are you able to remove backing vocals that already exist on a backing track?
I'm afraid that there is no successful way of removing vocals from either a commercial release or a backing track.
Can I copy or duplicate the tracks?
All backing tracks supplied by Steve's Trax are subject to legal copyright restrictions, and a licensing fee has been paid for each supplied track. This ensures that the relevant royalty fees are paid to the original artists/producers. Restrictions include that recordings purchased from Steve's Trax must not be sold, hired, lent or duplicated without express permission from us. We do however allow the purchaser to make a backup copy for their own personal use. In most cases, permission is granted for artists to add their own vocals; enabling CD's to be sold at gigs etc. Please contact us for confirmation.
Can you change the key of my own MP3 backing tracks?
Yes, we can transpose your own track/s a maximum of 2 keys higher or lower than the current key.
What we do: the track is transposed using our own in-studio transposition equipment. Often a track will exhibit different characteristics when the key is changed, therefore we check to make sure there are no unwanted new high frequencies in the transposed track, using a limiter if necessary (this ensures any new frequencies will not cause clipping and damage your PA speakers). We'll even increase/decrease the blank space at the beginning of the track if you have a preference (just let us know how many seconds you require). The cost for this service is £1.99 per track. To use this service please email the MP3 track/s to
*Please note: key change quality is specific to individual tracks. MP3 backing tracks that comprise few or no backing vocals generally transpose better than those with lots of BV's. A track that's supplied in its original recorded key generally transposes better than one which has already been changed to an alternative key. The key change does not affect the original tempo of the track - this remains the same.
Do you supply backing tracks in MiniDisc format?
I'm afraid we no longer supply backing tracks in MiniDisc format. The primary reasons for this are that we can no longer source bulk quantities of blank media within the UK, and the parts for our high end MD recording equipment are no longer produced. We do however supply a guide showing a simple method of recording backing tracks from a CD onto your own consumer MD recorder, if required.
Why are backing tracks supplied at varying prices from different companies and of such differing quality?
We would always advocate purchasing tracks based primarily on quality. Affordability makes this choice a little harder; however the backing track is a major influence in determining your success as a performer. The best PA system in the world cannot make a mediocre track sound good. A track may seem a bargain at only a few pennies, or even free off the internet, however, many others are probably also using that very same track, unaware of the large difference in quality vs the original. When we consider that a popular track may be used at least 50 times, it would be false economy to buy backing tracks based on price alone.
We've heard many stories of people endlessly searching the internet (Youtube etc.) in an effort to find free tracks. YouTube is now inundated with alleged 'original instrumental versions' or 'karaoke versions'. The majority of these are not produced from the studio master versions (studio master versions are copyrighted and inherently difficult to obtain) and usually comprise of original commercial releases (including vocals) that have been subject to vocal remaoval via AI apps. You'll notice that these often sound somewhat muffled and the volume fluctuates at different parts of the recording. This technology almost always invariably removes remnants that should still be included in the track and unintentionally mixes some of the orginal vocals with the remaining instruments. The end result is what we call a 'muddy' track, sorely lacking in the clarity and dynamic range of the original recording. The reality is that almost all tracks that you can download free from non-commercial internet websites have been copied or amended numerous times before they're uploaded to YouTube. YouTube then also compresses (removes part of the tracks dynamics) further once it's uploaded to their platform. The track info. may indicate that it was recorded at a bitrate of 256kps, however this is simply a label and doesn't mean it's genuinely a 256kbps track. It also doesn't tell us anything about the quality of the source material. Your downloaded track could actually be a 96kbps file - well below CD quality. You may think this sounds acceptable using a mobile phone, laptop or PC speakers, but the quality defecit will become apparent once played through a PA system.
Think of your PA system as your car and the backing tracks as your fuel. No matter how good the car is, if you give it fuel of poor quality it will only perform to a fraction of it's real capability.
Tracks purchased from the same production company should also have a fairly consistent recording level, thus avoiding the need to keep adjusting the mixer volume/gain levels during your performance.
Please never consider converting an MP3 to a higher bitrate. This has the undesired effect of reducing the audio quality of your MP3. A track is compressed to MP3 format by a method which removes sounds that the human ear is perceived not able to hear. Our ears have a limited frequency range, hence the reason we can't hear noises and sounds that are quite clearly heard by dogs and other animals. By removing these unneeded sounds from a track, the file size can be made a lot smaller. The point to remember is that once a track is converted to MP3 format, the sound detail that was discarded in the process has gone forever. There is no magical process that can make an MP3 sound better by re-encoding and increasing the bitrate. Each time an MP3 is re-encoded (even to a higher bitrate) it loses more sound detail.
All our complete backing tracks are supplied at the high MP3 bitrate of 256kbps (comparable to CD quality). This provides what we believe to be the best quality vs. file size solution. We've done rigorous in-studio testing re 320kpbs vs. 256kbps, and have not yet come across anyone (including studio engineers) who can regularly identify one from the other at bitrates of 256kbps and above.
Online demos are uploaded at the lower bitrate of 128kbps, purely to allow for faster playback on mobile devices and slower Wi-Fi connections. At Steve's Trax we create backing tracks for the primary purpose of playing through a PA system, and produce these at a consistent volume/gain level and a high bitrate.
How do I burn MP3 tracks to a CD using MS Windows?
1. Save the MP3 files If you;re to your desktop or into a folder.
2. Open Windows Media Player and insert your blank CD.
3. Select 'Burn' from the top of the Windows Media Player screen.
4. Drag and drop the MP3 files into the right hand pane of Windows Media Player to create a burn list (it is easier if you reduce the size of the player to that you can view your files at the same time).
5. Select 'Start Burn', the system will now analyse and process the files and burn them to a CD. Wait for the burning to be complete before using your PC for other tasks.
Do you provide lyric sheets?
Comprehensive lyric sheets for all complete backing tracks are automatically supplied free of charge with your purchase. The lyrics are supplied error-free and follow the exact original artists recording (i.e. these are not simply downloaded from freely available lyric resource websites).
Is there a minimum quantity for backing tracks supplied on CD?
There is a minimum purchase quantity of 5 tracks for orders supplied on CD (UK orders). There is a minium puchase quantity of 10 tracks for international orders supplied on CD (these are delivered via Airmail with a subsidised shipping cost).