[M+L Fan II]

Can anyone tell me how you can seperate the vocals from the instrumental and vice versa like on bootlegs? and is there a program that does this, that - ahem - doesn't cost any money?

[shasta]

if you are looking at doing bootlegs or remix's you are best to search for acappellas, that is just the lyrics taken from a song.

[Sidders]

I've always wondered this too, surely there must be some way of doing it?

[M+L Fan II]

Thanks for the suggestion about accapellas. The problem is that these are obviously more difficult to come by.

[goletitout]

Go to http://www.bastardpop.co.uk and follow the links from there to some more technical resources...

[Adam]

i sense an oasis fan around. now- how did i found that one out.

go let out, go let in..

[jc]

I've always thought it would be possible for a software program to separate the vocals from a backbeat given a clean version of the backing track. Like a subtract operation or something. - jc

[Uglybob]

well at the developing area there would be but not when its been pressed on cd.

[Matt]

There's no way really to get rid of music off a track.

All you can do is cut certain frequencies and try to cut those of the music. If you can do that and keep the vocals as nice as they should be, you'll be quids in.

[jc]

Oh, I know that before stuff's pressed to CD it exists as separate tracks of audio. What some stations have done though with rap records in the past (where you don't have access to an instrumental, let alone the vocals on their own) is take the end of the track, where it's winding down without vocals, and use it to censor swearwords by simply replacing them with the portions of the "clean" backing track which they swiped from the end. You can hear where they did that with that Eve/Gwen Stefani track.

What I was suggesting above would be like reverse engineering, where you'd take this "clean" portion of the track, and "subtract" it from the bit of the track where you want the vocals on their own. - jc

[Matt]

I think I know what jc is on about. It's like those headphones you can buy which create "anti noise" to block out any external noise. I think fighter pilots have something similar too. Basically they have microphones built in and they listen to what's going on around you and then they generate the opposite sounds (if you know what I mean).

Your best bet for accapella tracks though is on 12 inch singles.

[MK Chris]

is there a program that does this, that - ahem - doesn't cost any money?

I think fighter pilots have something similar too.

That's not really going to work...

[M+L Fan II]

Thanks for the replies. The thing that I find is you can cut out the vocals almost entirely sometimes when the headphones are halfway in the socket.

[Sidders]

Yeah, I've noticed that too, the trouble is you only get the bass line and a lot of the treble is cut out.

[ASG]

Townies would like that, they're always turning up the baseline!

[Mcqueen_]

On my stereo you can just press 'the special button' and it takes the lyrics off, then i just record it on to MD and onto the PC, the quality isn't as good though.

MCQUEEN

[M+L Fan II]

Ah, McQueen...that's what I've been thinking...surely this is quite a simple thing to do and shouldn't cost about £10,000 for your personal recording studio to achieve.

[Uglybob]

By The Way
Bootlegs have definitely reached saturation point

Destinys Child Independent Women mixed with 10CC Dreadlock Holiday
Where - ON THE SNOOKER ON BBC2 IN THE COMPETITION

[Funky Drummer]

What you were talking about with headphones which create anti-noise, etc, etc is due to what's know as interference, whether constructive or destructive.

Basically, if you have 2 waves whcih are exactly the same and add them together (like one on top of the other), you get the same sound, but louder (the amplitudes or volumes have been added together). This is constructive interference.

Destructive interference is similar - if you have two waces exactly the same but slightly out of phase (i.e. one is at its peak whilst the other one is at its lowest and vica-versa) and THEN add them together, you get destructive interference where basically the opposite volumes cancel each other out and you get a decrease in volume.

The headphones for fighter pilots you were talking about basically have the microphones which pick up the ambient noise. The frequencies, amplitudes, etc are replicated axactly by a computer chip and then passed through the pilots headphones, but slightly out of phase so that all the noise cancels out. It is in no way tricking the ears, it is manipulating the sound before it gets to the ears. The pilots can effectively fly in complete silence.

This would be possible with audio such as songs, etc, although some frequencies and wavelengths on the backing track may clash with the vocals, so when the destructive interference occurs, you may lose some parts of the vocals, or they may not seem as clear.

Good idea in theory, though

[Funky Drummer]

Yeah, I've noticed that too, the trouble is you only get the bass line and a lot of the treble is cut out.

That is because vocals are usualy of a higher frequency than the instrumental part of the track.

Software that tries to eliminate vocals messes around with the higher frequencies which is why, even though they don't come out completely clean, they are very bassy by the end.

[Russ Rhodes]

Goto this page and the guy will send you 5 cd's full of acappella mp3's for 20 quid, i think there is over a thousand of them.
[url]
http://members.lycos.co.uk/acapellas/Archive.html

as for seperating vocals from a mixed track it's not possible,the other way round removing the centre channel of a mix (where the vocals usually are mixed) doesn't always sound too good it can be done with sound forge, but the drum track is usually mixed in the same place as the vocals and that also dissapears. Oh and here's my little retro arcade machine
[url]
http://uk.geocities.com/wonderuss2000/mamecab/index.htm

[gregs]

basically, to summarise,

bootlegs are best made using the acappella and instrumentals. it is impossible to have a pressed cd and remove the vocals. stereos "karaoke" buttons just cut the treble frequencys, u can still hear the vocal and the track becomes bassy. the same is true in programmes such as cool edit.

just use kazaa and search for "Acapella" - there are loads and likewise for Instrumentals..


gregs

[Phillip Hill]

HELLO PEEPS ... IM BACK!!!
(Had a great time in HK!)


Well I'd just like to add a little
information of my own to this
somewhat saturated subject!


I believe that you cannot remove
100 the lyrics from a song on
commercially available audio software
unless the singing is recorded in
the middle of the "X-Y" crossover range!
This can however be made possible
with a professional recording studio
package (try audioamigo.com).

So to answer your question, in my
humble opinion, the answer would be...
no!

However try Http://www.atomixmp3.com
and on that FREE TO TRY!! Programme
it too has a "Special Button"!!!

Hope this helps??

T.T.F.N!!