[Closed] Removing vocals from a song

I'm sure I did this before using Movie Maker. Google has over 2million results on the subject though 🙂

You can get instrumental versions of most songs for karaoke machines on CD/download. Also check on YouTube as there are loads with the lyrics too if he needs them.

What is it that is so difficult to get hold of?

Not really. It's sometimes kind of possible by messing with the phasing of the stereo channels. Something like if the vox were panned left and right you can invert the channels and it cancels them out... or somefink. I never had any joy with it, but technology keeps on bounding on so...

Worth a shot though. You'll need an audio editor like Wavelab or Audacity.

In theory you could find the accapella version that matches a recording you have. Invert it, combine it with the recording you have and then you get a 'sort of' instrumental. But that's theory. You could play around in Audacity to see if you can do it, but the inverted vocals will affect the music too, so it won't be a perfect instrumental version.

What is the song ?

I'm sure someone will be able to find it.

You'll need an audio editor like Wavelab or Audacity.

Or just use windows movie maker?

Dunno Gary, no idea what that is. I've just advised what I know.

Audacity is great for fiddling with audio but I think it might struggle with this task. Another vote for finding a version without vocals. I'm sure its out there even if its not the original artist. For example there are loads of guitar and piano covers on youtube

Well, I've got Wavelab so what's the song? I'll have a quick crack at it.

What is the song ?

I'm sure someone will be able to find it

It's not a well known tune

 

[url= http://www.soundonsound.com/sound-advice/q-can-remove-vocals-track-using-phase ]http://www.soundonsound.com/sound-advice/q-can-remove-vocals-track-using-phase[/url]

Jesus! That's singing?

I've just been playing about in Abelton, can get rid of most of the vocals (using utility), but it destroys the rest of the audio and still leaves some of the chorus in, it's just widening the stereo field as far as I can see til the vocals phase out..(a quick google pointed me in that direction.) Sounds awful basically, removes the bass too, tried to bring it back with the EQ8, but no joy, utility is pretty destructive there.

Just a quick play around, I've never tried anything like this before. If someone knows a better process let me know and I'll give it a go.

as good as I can get it. As per article above, duplicated the track and filtered out the highs till the vocals disappears, then phased the other track.

still no great. got some horrible white noise where the vocals should be in the verses.

There appears to be a lack of a song in that You Tube clip. I can hear some music and some bloke shouting but not a hint of a song. In fact, I believe my ears have been severely abused by being subjected to that noise and I'm now on the phone to Injury Lawyers For You 😉

slightly of topic but i once was asked to help a friend remove a song from a digital recording of an beat up old 7" single just to leave the scratches. it was art school man! and it was almost impossible!

Without access to some pretty sophisticated multichannel editing 'ware, and possibly access to a multichannel studio recording, it's difficult to see how the vocal could be edited out without wrecking the whole thing.
I've got a copy of a song with all the instrumentation removed, just leaving the vocals, which worked very well, but I've no idea how it was done, and the song was more... [i]structured[/i], I guess is the best way to put it.
It's a version of The Turtles [i]Happy Together[/i], and shows off the harmonies.

zinaru - Member
slightly of topic but i once was asked to help a friend remove a song from a digital recording of an beat up old 7" single just to leave the scratches. it was art school man! and it was almost impossible!

Surely you just record the runout groove?

seosamh77 - Member
>

as good as I can get it. As per article above, duplicated the track and filtered out the highs till the vocals disappears, then phased the other track.

still no great. got some horrible white noise where the vocals should be in the verses.

Ruaridh says thank you, chorus is ok as "everyone shouts at that bit" But he missed the bagpipes

Thank you for taking the time to go that Seosamh77

No bother, it was just a quick play as I was finishing work. Curious as to how to do it. Im out now, but I'll probably play with it a bit more see if I can improve it. Dunno though. Will post up if it do.

I don't really think that one I posted is good enough for sticking through a PA.

[i]Jesus! That's singing?[/i]

STW: Like a parallel universe where punk never happened 😆

Loved that, great stuff. Bagpipes!! 🙂

bad religion
but with bagpipes.

awesome.

I know this might sound crazy, but do you/laddo have the song? Ie; a high quality wav or CD rather than just a Youtube rip. Might get better results, can't polish a turd and all that. And if he's gonna be playing it loud it's gonna sound like garbage. No matter what you do with it.

jambourgie - Member
I know this might sound crazy, but do you/laddo have the song? Ie; a high quality wav or CD rather than just a Youtube rip. Might get better results, can't polish a turd and all that. And if he's gonna be playing it loud it's gonna sound like garbage. No matter what you do with it.

We have the itunes download and it has been burned onto a CD, not sure on the bitrate from a Itunes issue though.

Long shot but maybe try sending a message to the band (agent / whoever or via official Facebook/twitter if they've got one), and see if they'll let you have the instrumental track.

Likely they'll ignore it or tell you to do one, or their management will.

alexandersupertramp - Member
jambourgie - Member
I know this might sound crazy, but do you/laddo have the song? Ie; a high quality wav or CD rather than just a Youtube rip. Might get better results, can't polish a turd and all that. And if he's gonna be playing it loud it's gonna sound like garbage. No matter what you do with it.
We have the itunes download and it has been burned onto a CD, not sure on the bitrate from a Itunes issue though

I've been playing around with the MP3 I ripped from youtube, the information above 3k is very noise on it(horrible sounding if you just listen to that, I know noise at that level is harsh on it's own, but it's very phaser-y not nice, it's where the white noise if coming from once the vocals dissappear, filling that hole, you can hi pass it out, but makes for an even more muffled recording..). Dunno if it's just a poorly recorded song or it's just the youtube upload, could be the later, but it's very difficult to isolate anything even below that(where musical part on that MP3 lives).

The vocals are sitting in a range of about 700 to 2k,and the bagpipes are sitting no too dissimilar hence why you lose them (both have lower fundamentals, but that's roughly where most audible bits are sitting on both parts.) So the problem there is having to scoop out a large section of the song to make those disappear, you lose a lot of important elements.

are the bagpipes playing at the same time as the vox?

Can you chop the tune into sections and only apply the processing to the parts where the vocals are in?

Not really. It's sometimes kind of possible by messing with the phasing of the stereo channels. Something like if the vox were panned left and right you can invert the channels and it cancels them out... or somefink

The idea is based on the vocals usually being panned centre and everything else being pretty much left or right. The vocal waveform will be the same on both the right and left channels. So you invert one side and now the one side has an inversion of the vocals. When the unaltered side and the flipped side are mixed back together it should cancel the vocals out.... at least that's the theory

And the easy eay to check if it works is swap the pos and neg cables over at one end of one speaker.

deadkenny - Member
Long shot but maybe try sending a message to the band (agent / whoever or via official Facebook/twitter if they've got one), and see if they'll let you have the instrumental track.

Likely they'll ignore it or tell you to do one, or their management will.

Tried Twitter yesterday but no reply, they only have 6.5k followers and no post since the 7th of this month.

seosamh77 - Member
alexandersupertramp - Member
jambourgie - Member
I know this might sound crazy, but do you/laddo have the song? Ie; a high quality wav or CD rather than just a Youtube rip. Might get better results, can't polish a turd and all that. And if he's gonna be playing it loud it's gonna sound like garbage. No matter what you do with it.
We have the itunes download and it has been burned onto a CD, not sure on the bitrate from a Itunes issue though

If you want to try and rip a copy of that at the highest quality you can, I'll give it a go with that.

Will do when i get back tonight, many thanks again 🙂

doris5000 - Member
are the bagpipes playing at the same time as the vox?

Can you chop the tune into sections and only apply the processing to the parts where the vocals are in?

I wonder if there's enough non vocal music just to chop iy and repeat. could look it that if a higher quality recording appears.. dunno doubt it. You could just use certain sections with the phasing and stuff on it, but it'd be a bit over the shop sonicly i think. could maybe fade it a bit.

Loads of karoke songs on spotify - what's the track - might even be a version on youtube?

The CD rip is 256 kbps- is that a higher quality?

Might be easier to contact the band and get them to send you an instrumental version (or record one!) 😉
I'm sure they'd be willing to help knowing they have a fan...
https://www.flatfoot56.com/contact

@Jujuuk68 - good job of skipping the whole thread there fella!

My son wants to sing a solo song in his performance club show but needs an instrumental version of the track. Everybody else has chosen songs with available instrumental/karaoke versions. He could choose another but will probably end in tears

Form the OP was anyone else not expecting something a little bit more 'dainty'? 🙂

as for the question itself, as has been mentioned its nearly impossible. I use to try to strip out vocals for remixing and they are so embedded in the rest of the track you never have much success.

Dez B has the solution, ask the band to send you a copy. Its not as if you are going to remix it and make millions off their back..

alexandersupertramp - Member
The CD rip is 256 kbps- is that a higher quality?