how do i isolate vocals from a track?

summersc2002 · Post by **summersc2002** » Thu Apr 28, 2005 5:14 pm

Im sure it has something to do w/ filters, but I have no idea how to do this, can someone please help me w/ this?

thanks

chris

mr-e · Post by **mr-e** » Thu Apr 28, 2005 5:58 pm

the principle for voice removal is that vocal parts are mostly panned in the centre and all other instruments are offset to the left or right.

My english isn't good enough to explain this in detail but the topic has been discussed on this forum before.

in short:
- take the left channel
- inverse the right channel
- add up both channels to one mono channel
--> all sounds that are both on the left channel and right channel are now removed

apps:
- manually in any sample-editor with inverse effect
- soundforg: the tool for stereo-mono conversion has some voice removal presets
- apparantly you can do it in ableton with the utility-plugin but I haven' tried that one yet
- dedicated software/hardware that combines the above mentioned method with some filtering etc.

mr-e · Post by **mr-e** » Thu Apr 28, 2005 6:01 pm

if you only want to keep the vocals:

- mix left and right channel to a new mono channel
- inverse the mono channel created in the previous post
- mix the new mono channel and the one from the previous post
--> everything - (everything but vocals) = vocals

summersc2002 · Post by **summersc2002** » Fri Apr 29, 2005 5:25 pm

ok i , i dont have any external wave editor, I have no idea what you just said. How do I mix the channels. All I have is Live ,reason , and some vsts??

AndrewDuke · Post by **AndrewDuke** » Fri Apr 29, 2005 5:58 pm

summersc2002 wrote:ok i , i dont have any external wave editor, I have no idea what you just said. How do I mix the channels. All I have is Live ,reason , and some vsts??

you won't be able to do it with Live or Reason alone unless it is an older track like The Doors or something from back then when the vocals were on just one channel. even with fancy DX and VST programs these days, there is so much effects put on the vocals that you might get rid of a good chunk of the vocal, but there will be still many effects left. andrew

summersc2002 · Post by **summersc2002** » Fri Apr 29, 2005 6:00 pm

so not until I go and buy wavelab or something or audition can I isolate vocals?? If this is the case , thanks for your help.

chris

AndrewDuke · Post by **AndrewDuke** » Fri Apr 29, 2005 6:06 pm

summersc2002 wrote:so not until I go and buy wavelab or something or audition can I isolate vocals?? If this is the case , thanks for your help.

chris

by Isolate do you mean remove the vocals or remove everything *but* the vocals?

summersc2002 · Post by **summersc2002** » Sat Apr 30, 2005 5:30 pm

remove everything but the vocals.

conny · Post by **conny** » Sat Apr 30, 2005 8:58 pm

Following the instructions above, I made to Bidule layouts:

http://bluemoose.greatnow.com/Bidule/accapella.bidule

and

http://bluemoose.greatnow.com/Bidule/voc-remove.bidule

Have not tested them with a real track with vocals.

I must have misunderstood mr-e, nothing comes out from the accapella.bidule...

// C

earthboundboy · Post by **earthboundboy** » Wed May 04, 2005 1:02 pm

EQ!

Work out where the vocals are roughly in the frequency spectrum and cut the other frequencies. It's a bit of an art in itself I think, but I'm sure this is how people like RJD2, Shadow et al do it

Malvin · Post by **Malvin** » Wed May 04, 2005 2:58 pm

I seem to get the best results out of the "Noise Reduction" plug (Sound Forge).

It's a hum/ noise removal kit, which also applies to...well, anything YOU tell it IS noise! Like "the background music":)

You set the plug to kick in right before the vocal line comes in, the plug
captures a "noise print" (the background) which becomes the refersens of
what to reduse, leaving the vocal "quite" clean.

Of course there is some manual tweaking coming, but you might actually get there pretty good! Good enough to squash it into a fat remix...

Happy hunting!

summersc2002 · Post by **summersc2002** » Thu May 05, 2005 5:06 pm

thanks , ill check out that sound forge plugin

telekom · Post by **telekom** » Wed May 11, 2005 12:49 am

Hi,
Thanks for this thread, it got me thinking as I was looking for a vocal removal/centre cancelling method. I managed to almost completely remove a vocal, as someone advised above, using Utility. As mr-e says it only works if you've got a "traditional" recording with centrally placed vocals. But Utility made a great job of removing the vocals from a "showtune" type recording (don't ask) for a theatre production. Add Utility to the track you want to cancel vocals on, switch on Phz-L and Phz-R, turn the width up to 200% and bingo. All I ended up with was the reverb from the vocal which was wider than the cancellation area. But it was very slight. (A bit ghostly and creepy actually...) Isn't Live great?

Try it. Apologies if this repeats earlier and better explained posts...
M

summersc2002 · Post by **summersc2002** » Mon May 16, 2005 8:36 pm

that doesnt work, im working w/ newer songs

gomi · Post by **gomi** » Tue May 24, 2005 11:45 pm

summersc2002 wrote:remove everything but the vocals.

i'd like the egg removed from the cake i just baked.....

good luck.

how do i isolate vocals from a track?

how do i isolate vocals from a track?

Pesky voices