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removal of vocals
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Subject: removal of vocals From: joseph Date: 07 Apr 08 - 08:38 AM Can any one help me with regards to this subject.Is it possible to remove the vocals from a cd or mp3 player to leave just the backing track. I have found it almost impossible to get tracks or midi files for irish songs.The ones I am looking for in Particular are Isle of Hope Isle Of Tears: Love the Dearest: Limerick your a lady: For Ireland I'll not tell her name |
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Subject: RE: removal of vocals From: Bonnie Shaljean Date: 07 Apr 08 - 08:46 AM For Ireland I'd Not Tell Her name is often listed in Irish, Ar Éireann ní Neosainn Cé hÍ and this air also goes by the name Tweedside. That might help widen your search. Is Love The Dearest the same song as Love Me Dearest? If so, it's quite well known and should not be too hard to find. Both would be in the public domain, though Limerick You're A Lady almost certainly isn't. Best of luck - |
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Subject: RE: removal of vocals From: GUEST,Bob L Date: 07 Apr 08 - 08:53 AM Pretty well technically impossible, even (I would think) with fancy digital methods. You might remove a lot of the voice part by filtering, or by differencing between stereo channels, but whatever was left would be horribly distorted, and any resemblance between it and a backing track would be minimal. |
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Subject: RE: removal of vocals From: Geoff the Duck Date: 07 Apr 08 - 09:06 AM If a recording is in stereo, it is sometimes possible to remove the main vocal using freeware programme Audacity. The trick only works if vocals have been recorded or mixed as the centre of the stereo (the sound appears to come from half way between the speakers). It's at least a couple of years since I did it, but recall that you record the track as a *.wav file and import into Audacity. I can't recall the precise process, but you made a copy of the track, converted one to the equivalent of a mirror image and subtracted one from the other. The result was that the left/right bits of the stereo were still there, but the middle bit (hopefully including the lead vocal) was removed. The process is probably described in Audacity's help files, but I currently don't have it on my computer. I found it easy to do and had a fairly good result where the main vocal was very quiet, but the backing singers were still there at their original level. Obviously, if you start with a copyright material, you could be on dodgy legal ground if it goes anywhere beyond your computer. Quack! Geoff the Duck. |
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Subject: RE: removal of vocals From: pavane Date: 07 Apr 08 - 09:20 AM The suppliers of professional backing tracks will make one, for a fee of course, from any music, as long as you can find a performance or the sheet music. Note also the following when using backing tracks (in the UK, at least): If they are NOT specifically licenced for public performance, then it is illegal to use them. Tracks made by yourself or a friend will obviously NOT be licenced. If a PRS agent should happen to visit your gig and hear some, he may give you a large bill. Tracks supplied by the professional suppliers ARE licenced for public use, as the fee is included in the price of the track, but KARAOKE tracks are NOT licenced (surprising as it may seem). The PRS guy will recognise them easily because they fade out, and proper backing tracks do not. |
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Subject: RE: removal of vocals From: pavane Date: 07 Apr 08 - 09:21 AM Obviously, that does not apply to music which is in the public domain, you can make your own tracks for that. |
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Subject: RE: removal of vocals From: GUEST,Jonny Sunshine Date: 07 Apr 08 - 01:35 PM This is the audio equivalent of removing salt from soup. All that any "voice remover" effect can do is filter out certain frequency ranges in the centre of the stereo image. However if there are any stereo effects such as reverb on the vocals (which is the case in virtually all recordings released in the last 20-odd years) you'll hear a "ghost" echo, which severely limits the use you can get. The best you'll achieve is something that sounds like you singing over a somewhat quieter original vocal, which may or may not be adequate for your purposes. |
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Subject: RE: removal of vocals From: Art Thieme Date: 07 Apr 08 - 01:57 PM Alas, I have received this same request from MANY (at least a thousand) old friends and fans who, long ago, got tired of, fed up with, or just plain sick of my voice. Since all of my records were recorded when musicians just stood together in front of the microphones and sang and played, unbelievably, together, there is no way to divide the one from the other. Such is life. My advice to them was to learn to pick like me and recreate those desired instrumental solos themselves. Good luck though... Art Thieme |
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Subject: RE: removal of vocals From: BTMP Date: 07 Apr 08 - 05:38 PM There are some pieces of equipment that attempt to remove the vocal sounds, e.g. Behringer MIX800 MiniMIX Karaoke Machine with Voice Canceller and FX. This is item# 182042 at Musiciansfriend-dot-com. I have never used anything like this, but for what it costs (about $40), it may work for you. The reviews from users were pretty mixed, but to do what you really want to do probably would take some very expensive equipment. Please let us know what you come up with, ultimately, because I think a lot of folks would be interested in vocal removal. |
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Subject: RE: removal of vocals From: GUEST,Geoff the Duck Date: 08 Apr 08 - 03:15 AM Here is a link to information about what Audacity may be able to achieve. Audacity How good or bad a result you get depends on how the original track has been recorded or mixed. I know, after having tried it, that it can be fairly effective. It does not produce horrible distortion of what sound remains. It just removes the "centre" of the stereo (which is where the vocals are often placed). As for vocals with reverb. I do not see why that should be any different from vocals without. As long as the reverb is located in the centre of the stereo effect, it will be removed with the rest of the vocal. Of course, anything Pavane has said about copyright and public use still applies. Quack! GtD. |
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Subject: RE: removal of vocals From: GUEST,Geoff the Duck Date: 08 Apr 08 - 03:20 AM Oh, and once again I will point out that Audacity is totally free to download and use. It is a powerful sound recorder and editor which a lot of mudcatters use for serious work. It is free and there are versions for Windows, Linux and Mac. It doesn't cost you anything to try it out. If it will not produce what you need, it will only have cost you a little time, no cash! Quack! GtD. |
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Subject: RE: removal of vocals From: GUEST,Bob L Date: 08 Apr 08 - 04:37 AM This may be of some interest |
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Subject: RE: removal of vocals From: wysiwyg Date: 08 Apr 08 - 09:16 AM Making backing tracks from FOLK music for folkish karaoke?!?!?!? Instrumental "accompaniment" is an intrinsic element of any folk performance I've ever heard that wasn't unaccompanied singing. I agree with Art. ~Susan |
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Subject: RE: removal of vocals From: Doc John Date: 08 Apr 08 - 11:39 AM Interesting. I'd like to be able to do the opposite: remove the backing and leave the voice as I have many good recording which are ruined by dreaful backings. I often think these may be added to make the recording appeal to a wider range of people. Isla St Claire and Dave Burland are two examples of this that come to mind: beautiful voices often ruined by appalling instruments, backing vocals etc. Doc John |
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Subject: RE: removal of vocals From: GUEST,English Jon on Holiday in SoCal Date: 08 Apr 08 - 02:05 PM Hello everyone. This is actually pretty easy, as long as you've got a stereo recording to start with. Since vocals tend to be panned slap bang in the centre, you can do some clever stuff by anti-phasing one channel. The practical upshot is that stuff nearest the centre of the stereo field is cancelled out more than stuff further out, ie instant vocal removal. There was a thing called the "handy-dandy vocal remover" made by a company called analogX a few years ago. I think it was freeware. Pretty basic interface. This works on that principal and is pretty good at it's job. Hope that helps. Cheers, Jon (loving the sunshine and not wanting to go back to Doncaster) |
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Subject: RE: removal of vocals From: greg stephens Date: 08 Apr 08 - 03:09 PM I'm with Art. Learn to back yourself. Or, even better, find a few mates who play insturments and get yourself a band. Much more fun. |
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Subject: RE: removal of vocals From: GUEST,Ed Date: 08 Apr 08 - 05:41 PM Gregs, Arts and others views are valid here but I'm not sure what the original questioner meant. There seems to be a suggestion that 'joseph' wants something for 'Irish Karaoke'. I'm not sure that that is the case. I read the question in the way that Geoff the Duck and English Jon did. I know that technique as 'OOPS' (Out of Phase Stereo) and it can be easily done by swapping the output wires on one of a stereo set of speakers as well as Geoff's Audacity method. It won't always completely remove the vocal, but it can be really interesting in highlighting 'down in the mix' stuff from your favorite music. If you know The Beatles song "Free as a Bird", this youtube clip should give you a good idea of the possibilities. Ed |
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Subject: RE: removal of vocals From: Geoff the Duck Date: 09 Apr 08 - 08:53 AM Doc John. Just a thought on your problem. I haven't tried it, so it is at this point just idle musing, BUT... If removing the vocal part of the stereo signal can be done in Audacity by subtracting one sound track from another. Surely you could then take the track without the vocals and use something resembling the same process to subtract the resulting track from one which still has the vocal, thereby removing the backing and leaving the vocal there? As said before, I haven't tried to do so, but see no reason why the principle shouldn't work to some extent. I would expect some traces of accompaniment to remain, but maybe if it was a studio recording mixed from separately recorded instrument and vocal tracks, maybe you could get rid of it all? Quack! GtD. |
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Subject: RE: removal of vocals From: TheAnu Date: 11 Apr 08 - 04:52 AM Hi, oh this is such a useful thread as I am in the same situation with looking for a few backing tracks for Marlene Dietrich songs for an after hours "joke" performance at a WWII reenactment event. There have been a few remarks about, "folk karaoke", on the lines that it is a total Nono, and the advice to do it a capella or learn to play an instrument or get a band. Good idea but not always practical. Hey, I did not realize that folk was about always doing it the hard way. I can see lots of reasons why someone wants backing tracks for singing folk songs to, and most of them do not involve the threat of putting live musicians out of business. Such as: You are doing a one-off and our audience is not really the folky sort and will not be able to appreciate your efforts and skill unless you "flesh it out" because they are used to canned music; and a capella - however well performed - will sound gaunt and bare to those untrained ears. Such as: You do play in a band, but they cannot be with you on certain occasions Such us: Folk is uncool for the kids but karaoke is cool and you have to catch them and corrupt them when they are young. The sooner they know that your true loves hair is supposed to be black and not blonde, the better. Such as: You are doing a very amateur performance for a bunch of friends and not being the worlds most charismatic performer the support of a backing track will make it bearable. Such as: You are a good singer, you do not have a band (with you), and you simply haven't got the time to learn a new instrument well enough till next week for your buddies birthday. Such as: You have a really good voice but you find strings and buttons simply are not your friend. Such as: You play the flute and the harp really well. You sing well too, but you are crossing over genres and you cannot accompany yourself on the flute while singing Lili Marleen and Singing Lili Marleen in fishnet tights and a corset just don't look so well when sitting on a milking stool with a medieval harp between your knees. Cheers, Ana |
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Subject: RE: removal of vocals From: joseph Date: 12 Apr 08 - 06:00 AM It is almost impossible to get good backing tracks wit the melody line. The reason Iwant tracks is that Ido a lot of Charity work, Old peoples homes pensiors nights and most time.Some midi files are not bad joseph |
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