Removing Vocals from a cd

[RawknRoll]

Hey Guys,

I have pro tools LE 7.3

How woudl I go about removing vocals from a commercial cd.

Thanks so much!

[JeffBarnett]

Not to re-direct you to another forum, but I've had an extensive discussion about this very topic here:

http://www.audioforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19496

[iriegeorge]

Yeah... I've tried it, never with any great success. Just as the other posted response/link says, there are plenty of prescribed methods and software apps but again, I have had no good luck with any.

[Lmf]

Removing the vocal is "not a perfect science" as most have noted no matter what equipment is used? Some equipment is better than others, but that is not to say you won't be happy with the results. Of course, you may not be happy with the results either. It's a subjective opinion at best!

Best wishes,

Lloyd

[yeahforbes]

If you still want to try your luck despite the clear limitations, here's how to do it with Pro Tools and no special plugins. Obviously there are a ton of ways to bus things around with the same result, but this is what I'd probably reach for first.

1. Make a session with just your song in a stereo track (file > import > audio).
2. Set both of the stereo track's pan sliders to 0 so it mixes it to mono.
3. Insert a Multi-Mono 7 Band EQ on that stereo track.
4. While the transport is stopped, open that EQ plugin and click the Stereo Link button at the top -- it looks like 2 interlocked olympic rings. This is so all your processing is on Left only (since L will be selected).
5. Hit Play so you can hear what is about to happen.
6. In the EQ plugin, click the invert phase button. It's an O with a slash through it, near the input gain knob.
7. Engage the high pass filter. You'll have to disengage some other filters for it to become available. Set it to 12 dB/octave (or to taste) and 120 Hz (or to taste).

Here's why it works. The trick to center cancellation is to subtract left from right (or vice versa). By inverting only the left channel and then summing the channels to mono, you accomplish this. By high passing one of the channels, the low frequency sound only remains in one channel and does not get cancelled.

Another cool thing you can do is to move that EQ plugin down to Insert B, and in Insert A put a multi-mono Trim plugin*. Unlink the L/R, and attenuate either the left or right. If you attenuate the left by say 6dB, then an instrument that was panned 50% to the left is now in the "center" of the mix and is now the target of center channel cancellation! If you happen to have a Waves bundle with the Stereo Width plugin, this is what Asymmetry is all about.


*I can't for the life of me understand why Digidesign doesn't give this basic functionality to stereo tracks without requiring a multi-mono unlinked Trim insert. The pair of pan sliders is not a good balance control! This alone makes a good case for using a pair of mono tracks any time you're tracking overheads, digitizing an external recording without perfectly balanced channels, and so forth.

[TimOBrien]

Here is a stereo audio waveform:
http://www1.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/959267/2/istockphoto_959267_audio_editing.jpg

Please tell us where the isolated vocal is in the two waveforms....

Just 'cause its stored in a computer does NOT mean you can access the separate elements. There is a varying voltage for the left speaker and a varying voltage for the right speaker.