[bballe336]

Is there any way to remove the vocals from a song to get just the instrumental track? Also vise versa, is there a way to remove the instrumentals and end up with the vocals?

I've downloaded the adobe soundbooth trial but I can't really figure out how to do it, or if it's possible. I've read that sound forge can do it, can anyone confirm this or suggest a piece of software that can?

Thanks for any help!

[Spheric Harlot]

Point 1:
http://www.cnet.de/downloads/mac/108...ke+jukebox.htm


Point 2:
Eliminating the soundtrack and keeping just the vocals would be a neat trick.

If I claim that there's no sensible way to approach that, and that it's probably impossible, I know that some weirdo in some basement is going to come up with a way.

After all, the guys at Melodyne do at least three completely impossible things before breakfast each day, so what do I know?

(I don't think that this is possible.)

[ballison]

well, there is a way to do it...sort of...
if you split the stereo track into two tracks, flip the phase in one track, and pan both to the center. what you are doing there is eliminating anything that is panned dead center in the stereo field, including the vocals (usually).
now, this isnt going to sound very good, and if there is some sort of stereo effect on the vocals like a doubling, chorus, or reverb, depending on the level of the effect, it may do absolutely nothing as far as the volume of the vocal. as far as I know, thats how its done

[Spheric Harlot]

That's what the software I linked to in Point 1 above does, except it probably uses bandpass filtering so that the bass and kick drum, which are also dead center, AREN'T eliminated, which your method would do.

Japanese stereos have implemented this function as "karaoke pon" for decades.

What can NOT be done is to eliminated everything ELSE BUT the vocals.

[larkost]

There is actually some research going in this direction, but I am not aware that it has been commercialized (or is even ready for that yet):

http://www.musicresearch.com/blog/?p=8

I can imagine some yeas down the road that this will be possible, or even common, but for the moment it should be considered undoable except at a low quality level.

[ibook_steve]

I think I was able to do this at one point with Audacity, but I think the files I was working with had vocals and music on separate tracks.

Steve

[B Gallagher]

I tried this out years ago with Cool Edit Pro or Sound Forge, and I remember that a track which this worked really well on was Santana Feat. Rob Thomas - Smooth.

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by B Gallagher 

I tried this out years ago with Cool Edit Pro or Sound Forge, and I remember that a track which this worked really well on was Santana Feat. Rob Thomas - Smooth.

What? Removing vocals, or isolating vocals?

[B Gallagher]

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot 

What? Removing vocals, or isolating vocals?

Oops sorry - removing the lead vocals. In this track the lead vocals appear to be right in the center, with some backing vocals (particularly those in the second verse) panned.

[bballe336]

Thanks for the link Spheric Harlot, I'll try it out.

So I guess there is no way to eliminate everything but vocals from a track, but is there a way to make them more pronounced and have less emphasis on the instrumentals? Ideally I'd like to be able to isolate just a rappers voice in a track.

Thanks for the input guys.