Removing Backing Track With EQ?

[.klimaxx]

For a while now it's been bugging me that I hear so many remixes of songs where the DJ or producer has managed to remove the backing track and keep the vocals - and i've been told that it is done using an EQ.

But I can't for the life of me work out how the hell to do it without making it sound like constipated dogs barking..

Would really appreciate some advice, tips or even a tutorial...

Cheers

[hugh]

someone posted this question up a little while ago, i think you have to do a lot of working with the stereo field to isolate the vocals which should be sittin in the middle of the mix.

[marty]

try some of the methods described on this site, there are also some links to some awesome programs i've never tested...

[blizzardmusic]

try some of the methods described on this site, there are also some links to some awesome programs i've never tested...

Would it work if the vocal was delayed?

[futures_untold]

Are you sure the DJ's used phase inversion techniques to isolate the vocals..?

My guess is that they bought the vinyl with the songs accapella on it!

[darkmatter]

a lot of the times if it sounds like they had access to the original parts, it's because they had access to the original parts

if you have a digital copy of a tune and a digital copy of the acapella you could use phase inversion, it won't work so well with vinyl unless you use software to tweak it, cos the 'wow and flutter' means the decks will drift slightly out of time.

[thetaco]

phase inversion generally produces ass results, but if you're going to add a whole bunch of reverb and delay go for it.

Otherwise, my advice is to search out an acapella.

[thinking]

you can also use a piece of software called Melodyne:

http://www.celemony.com/cms/index.php?i ... ne_theidea

[legend4ry]

If you EQ it you *might* get a vocal what stands out but most of the time Ive found it will not have very good quality, either to treble or to bassy, even sticking a subtle reverbed sine under the treble(ly?) bits won't help.


Search for accapellas is your best bet! There IS a VST effect plugin I have what IS free, somewhere what does this all for you and what you're left with can be quite good, it depends how the song was EQ'd and mastered really, i'll try and find it, since I have more VSTs than someone even needs.....It might be a while

[abZ]

I have done it before where I just high pass the tune a bit and then hide other parts of the song with my own sounds. It also requires your tune to match the key / chord progression but I think you would want that anyway so the vocals make sense musically.

[matthew_]

Melodyne is an auto-tune program, nothing to do with cutting vocals from a copy of the original song?

[bitter]

I have done it before where I just high pass the tune a bit and then hide other parts of the song with my own sounds. It also requires your tune to match the key / chord progression but I think you would want that anyway so the vocals make sense musically.

I've done the same and it can work but really depends on the character of the original tune and how much is going on underneath the vocals. Heavy cuts with an EQ and good use of a gate can work, it leaves you with the vocal but certainly not the full range/sound of it. If you want to keep all the properties of the voice your best bet is to use an accapella... just make sure its in tune.