Removing vocals from mp3's

Fontaine · #1 01-05-2007, 06:51 AM

my class is looking for a way to use a program to take words out of a song and you are left with only the instruments, we need this for my graduation lol, and when they search for it on music d/lin sites er w/e they always get a bad one lol. are there any programs to do this?

thank you in advance.

SpankyPants · #2 01-05-2007, 10:25 AM

Remember that if you're trying to remove the vocals from a regular mp3, the only thing you can really do is set the EQ so that the vocal freq's aren't so apparent... Which will often not yield the best "instrumental" quality in a song.

I've heard of a program, however, in which you type the lyrics, and it removes them. Don't know what it is or how it works (assuming it's more than just EQing).

40Hz_of_Love · #3 01-05-2007, 10:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpankyPants

I've heard of a program, however, in which you type the lyrics, and it removes them.

It sounds like science fiction.

nad · #4 01-05-2007, 10:33 AM

I remember having those old karoake boomboxes that remove the vocals (I always assumed) by putting a gap in the frequency range.

Anyhow, the only thing I remember about it was that Axl Rose got shifted to the right speaker, but wasn't completely eliminated.

Fontaine · #5 01-05-2007, 01:18 PM

anyone actually know of a program? lol

tplyons · #6 01-05-2007, 01:27 PM

Well, this isn't a guitar or bass effect, so off to recordings. it goes (I think)

seamonkey · #7 01-05-2007, 03:09 PM

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/help...=remove-vocals

This works if the vocals are equal in both left and right channels. i.e. Panned to the center. Anything else panned to the center will get nulled out also. If it's stronger in one channel and not the other there will be some leak through, or you can try adjusting the strong channel down.

Basshole · #8 01-05-2007, 03:32 PM

The commerically available "vocal eliminators" work by cancelling anything that is panned center, like the vocals (equally in both channels) and the bass typically are. The bass is largely spared this fate, however, as it is bled off and side-chained via a low pass EQ, set below the threshold of the human voice.

I'm certain that someone makes a plug-in or a program that can do this in the computer domain - it stands to reason that it's easier to do digitally than in analog.

xparis001 · #9 01-05-2007, 04:24 PM

Alesis makes a cheap 1/3 rack unit called the vocal zapper that supposedly does this.

I've heard from industry people that MP3s are notoriously bad for trying to get vocal content out of. I'm not sure why. I wonder if mp3's stereo image is somehow different than the source file...

Petebass · #10 01-06-2007, 12:18 AM

Have you tried hunting around for the "instrumental" or "Karaoke" version of the song you're after?

Johnny Crab · #11 01-06-2007, 12:45 AM

Goldwave will reduce them but not eliminate them using the tool Filter > Bandpass/Bandstop:

http://www.goldwave.com/

Does other cool thing like shift pitch of those songs "they play in a different key" and then "Time Warps" them back to correct tempo....etc.

RBasss · #12 01-11-2007, 10:34 AM

At the end of the day you are still trying to take eggs out of a cake. Something else in the frequency range of the vocals will be removed with them. I've heard the Alesis unit and many, many plug-ins that claim they can remove vocals and they all have sounded like garbage to me.