Play-O-Matic: Backing Track Player for Guitar
Load a backing track. Loop a difficult section. Adjust the tempo. Play.
PLAY-O-MATIC is the integrated backing track player for guitar within GIT-O-MATIC.
Instead of using an additional audio player, a DAW, or a plugin host in parallel, your practice playback runs directly in the same audio workflow as your guitar signal, CAB-O-MATIC, CLICK-O-MATIC, and CHECK-O-MATIC.
Play guitar, listen to the track, repeat the passage – without leaving your practice setup.
Backing tracks directly in your guitar setup
PLAY-O-MATIC wasn't developed as a music library or media player. The focus is on what you actually need when practicing:
- Load and play backing tracks
- Start, pause, and stop playback
- Manually loop difficult passages
- Use different speed levels
- Control playback volume directly in the integrated mixer
This keeps your practice workflow compact and clear.
Easily loop difficult sections
Some passages don't need further explanation. They need repetition. With PLAY-O-MATIC's manual loop function, you mark the area you want to work on and play exactly that section repeatedly.
Ideal for:
- fast runs
- rhythm passages
- difficult transitions
- solo phrases
- complicated chord changes
- synchronizing right and left hands
Instead of rewinding the track over and over, the problematic section stays right where you need it.
Speed levels for controlled practice
A passage works at 70%, but falls apart at the original tempo? Then your actual training range lies between those two points.
PLAY-O-MATIC offers various speed levels, allowing you to practice difficult sections more controlled at first and then gradually bring them back up to the original tempo. This turns:
“I can do it slowly, but it doesn't work fast.”
into a logical practice process.
PLAY-O-MATIC becomes particularly interesting in combination with CAB-O-MATIC.
For example, your setup could look like this:
Amp / Preamp → Audio Interface → CAB-O-MATIC → Cabinet IR
and simultaneously:
PLAY-O-MATIC → Backing Track
Both signals then converge within GIT-O-MATIC.
So you can:
- play your real amp or preamp
- select a suitable cabinet IR
- compare between up to four IRs
- play along to the backing track at the same time
without having to open an additional DAW or a separate plugin host.
The looper section of Play-O-Matic
Find the right cabinet sound for the song
Not every guitar cab fits every backing track equally well. With CAB-O-MATIC and PLAY-O-MATIC, you can try out different cabinet IRs immediately while the track is running. For example:
IR 1 → warmer and fuller
IR 2 → more attack
IR 3 → more aggressive in the mids
IR 4 → more open and modern
Use keys 1–4 to switch directly between the loaded cabinet IRs.
This way, you don't just hear an IR on its own – but exactly where it needs to work later: in a musical context.
The integrated mixer
The mixer in the ConfigScreen
PLAY-O-MATIC has its own playback channel within GIT-O-MATIC. The various signal components can be adjusted separately via the integrated mixer. Depending on the setup, separate levels are available for, for example:
MIC · CAB · PLAYBACK · CLICK · FX · MASTER
This lets you decide for yourself how loud your guitar signal, the playback, and the metronome are in relation to each other.
Especially practical with ASIO
On Windows, ASIO drivers can take over direct access to the audio interface. Similarly, on Linux, JACK or PipeWire configurations can mean that parallel audio applications cannot easily use the same signal path.
This can result in a browser or external media player started in parallel not being played back through the same interface without further effort.
PLAY-O-MATIC solves this problem easily:
The playback runs directly within GIT-O-MATIC and thus in the same audio workflow as your guitar signal.
No additional audio routing. No second player. No unnecessary driver tinkering.
No forced practice routine
Play-O-Matic Loop In / Loop Out
PLAY-O-MATIC doesn't decide for you where you should practice.
The loop is set manually on purpose.
You determine:
- which passage is important
- where the loop begins
- where it ends
- what speed you work at
The software remains a tool – the musical decision stays with you.
Play-O-Matic speed control knob
More than just a backing track player
PLAY-O-MATIC is part of GIT-O-MATIC. This means you also have access to:
CAB-O-MATIC – cabinet IRs in real-time and direct 4-way comparison
CHECK-O-MATIC – visual timing analysis
CLICK-O-MATIC – metronome and tempo training
TUNE-O-MATIC – chromatic tuning and alternative tunings
This turns a backing track player into a complete practice workflow for guitarists.
PLAY-O-MATIC – play instead of managing players
A good practice player should require as little attention as possible while playing.
Load track. Set loop. Choose tempo. Start playing.
PLAY-O-MATIC – your backing track player directly in the GIT-O-MATIC workflow.