Frequently Asked Questions

What are learning tracks?

Learning tracks are a series of different mixes of the same recording, each one mixed to bring out a particular voice part in the arrangement, which makes it easy for a singer of that voice part to hear and learn their part of the arrangement. Visit our demo page to hear for yourself.

Where is the sheet music?

We don't offer sheet music here. Sheet music publication rights are very difficult to acquire, especially since the vast majority of popular songs are held by only a few large music companies. This is exactly why new arrangements have been so hard to find, at least prior to the launch of MACH 1!

Unlike publishing sheet music, releasing an audio recording of a cover song is handled through compulsory mechanical licensing, and is pretty easy to do. You will be very hard pressed to find arrangements like these in sheet music form, which is why we're hoping a cappella groups around the world will embrace the use of learning tracks.

How much does an arrangement cost?

A set of tracks for one song is $50.

Isn't that a lot?

Well, we don't think so. If you consider that it would cost $200-300 to hire a professional arranger for just one arrangement of a quality similar to ours, our learning tracks are a bargain. Most groups have a dozen or more singers, meaning the cost is less than five dollars per member. Even if your group had only six singers, each singer would have to pay more to see a movie than get an arrangement from us.

How high is the recoring quality of the learning tracks?

The Learning tracks are recorded at CD quality (44.1/16 bit) and compressed to standard mp3 format for quicker downloads. We have found that very little is lost in the process, and the time saved downloading more than makes up for it!

What about DRM (Digital Rights Management)?

DRM is a four-letter word around here. We believe that programming schemes and tricks to keep our buyers from fairly using the products they buy from us are a bad idea. Of course you're going to put these tracks on mp3 players and CDRs; that's the whole point.

That being said, we rely on the integrity of our customers to keep purchased arrangements for your own use and not file share them with others; we actually are paying the royalties on these songs to the songwriters and copyright holders, and they deserve to be compensated for their creative efforts. We'd also like to be able to make an honest profit, and stay in business producing new arrangements for you to enjoy!

How good are the MACH 1 singers?

The MACH 1 singers are all professional recording and performing artists. Check out their bios, and more importantly, listen to the clips and decide for yourself!

Do you multi-track or record all at once?

We multitrack (record each part separately), which gives us maximum flexibility in producing each learning track.

Can I request an arrangement?

Yes! We love requests (email Mike to request a song!), and we add them to our list of candidate songs. Obviously it is in our best interests to make available songs that you want to order from us!

Do you ever use pitch-correction?

We dont like to use pitch correction in any recordings. Most of our tracks are straight performances by our singers, with very little punching or editing of the track. That said, we will use it very sparingly if we've missed something in the original session.

Can we still learn your arrangements if we don't have a Vocal Percussionist?

Sure, the vocal percussion tracks are always optional... but why not give it a try. Keep checking the site, we plan to offer Vocal Percussion training tracks soon!