Removing Vocals from a Song - HomeStudioCorner.com

www.homestudioc... - Ever need to remove a vocal from a song? Here's how.

[@thereshopeforhealing]

The first video that is not complete nonsense on removing vocals, thank you Joe!

[@GarrettA132]

Thanks a lot Joe for this tutorial. I've got a session tomorrow for a guy who is auditioning for this band and they wanted him to put vocals over one of their recorded tracks, so he asked me if I could remove the vocals and track him. So thanks for the video helped me a bunch.

[@TryptychUK]

There are also a number of "Stereoiser" plugins around to artificially restore some of the spatial losses.

[@edwhite7475]

so i have an old cassette of a song from a band rehearsal that came out exceptional, EXCEPT that the drummer 'sang' on EVERY chorus and hes way flat....so could i DO this and take out the choruses and then redo those in key? it was that good a take of the song...whatever it was.

[@dabigguy83]

Hey Joe! Came across this video while searching your other vids. Can this be done using Studio One? If so, how?

[@PraveenMenezes]

This video is really awesome...... I have been searching for vocal removing videos on KZbin but never found as good as this one....... Thumbs up for this video

[@edgartordjo5053]

Hi Bro can I download this program what is the of the program?

[@Vercingetorix]

I further thing you could do is create a very narrow EQ band with those vocals that are remaining and notch them out. That will take a little more of those vocals out.

[@TryptychUK]

The trouble is, there is also a ton of other stuff in that frequency range.

[@AbhisekChakravorty]

Thanks Joe as always , if you can help please how to do that nudge thing in studio one

[@HomeStudioCorner]

I think it's still called nudge. Search under the Keyboard Shortcuts menu. I bet you'll find it.

[@AbhisekChakravorty]

@@HomeStudioCorner Thanks Joe i am a big fan of yours, i do music and little bit of audio engineering as a hobby, but learnt a lot from experts like you, sending lots of love to you from India,

[@TheBlueskyson]

@@AbhisekChakravorty good luck on your journey bro

[@Gerkozielman]

Thanks Joe for this tutorial. It's been more than 10 years that I used this option with Cool edit pro. Now a days I almost aren't doing anything with audio editing, but it's still in my blood :-) and this tutorial is still a nice fresh up!

[@NoyElankry]

thanks that's a great tutorial (: I'm thinking I might buy pro tools. can you tell me if Pro Tools LE is a good editing/mixing software?

[@MytchMeadows]

Really liked this instruction on vocal removal. I have another question...what if I need to remove a loud snare on a finished track in Pro Tools? And how do I re-edit/re-track the tune for the finished mix without the loud snare and the re-tracked vocal? Your help is greatly appreciated! Thanks!

[@mikecheck2902]

I can't seem to be able to click on the plug-ins tab?

[@101AOK]

I use that example of removing the ingredients from a baked cake when a client brigs me a MASTER that HE created with about 200lbs of extra reverb. Can't tkae that reverb out of the middle of 24 trks going at the same time. It is hell trying to take out reverb fom the spoken word. Same with home recorded narrations. THese novices put so much FX on then want you to erace it. A gate and a good gain riding hand still can't de reverb a flowing piece. Well done again Dude. Rock on

[@TryptychUK]

The problem is that the reverb is part of the stero spread and it's different on the left and right, so they don't cancel each other out like the main vocal, which is essentially mono.

[@ellisaudio9727]

Is there a way to do this in reverse? Like removing the background music instead of the vocals?

[@DeJoPuRa]

I am not sure about this software but to those who tried this and this did not work, try adobe audition, go to frequency display and remove all the yellow color in the frequency..Note do not remove the core yellow, only the yellow which is away from the core..I hope i added help to those who really want to remove the vocals..this works for sure but it is a lot of work as it can take at least 30 mins to an hour depending on the song..

[@prestige2000rider]

Hi Joe I ve heard some isolated vocal tracks on youtube that have to ., have to have been pulled from the 2" Studio multitrack master. EG the Michal Jackson sessions, with Quincy jones. .If you listen to it, its too perfect Dead quiet between the vocals. Ive never used some of this software thats currently avail now to remove vocals, Some more effective than others im guessing. All depends on how it was mixed to begin with. But these iso tracks ive heard, have to be pulled from the original tape. Ive never heard software that exact. Could i be right ? How would people get access to these tapes to begin with? Sorry to fly off topic.

[@TheBlueskyson]

Bobby. Studio engineers know other engineers. Likely how tapes became accessible bro.

[@prestige2000rider]

@@TheBlueskyson makes sense what you say. yes

[@jasonmccrite]

hey question...when i flip the polarity back and forth there is no difference in sound. We split the track mono, muted the original, panned the split tracks to 0, put a mono eq on one track, clicked the polarity but nothing changes...any ideas would be of help?

[@HomeStudioCorner]

You can't. Removing the vocals essentially removes EVERYTHING in the center. It's not a perfect process. The best case scenario is to get a version of the song without vocals. :)

[@joe0404]

Joe, I knew of all of the steps to this process before you showed them, except for the nudging step. Can you explain to me the significance of this step? Thanks a lot. Keep the great videos up. They mean a lot to everyone.

[@williampalenikjr8433]

A good job there explaining the process to remove vocals.

[@stevensauls2013]

Awesome, thanks for explaining so smoothly! I'm ready to make vocal covers!

[@EpictizeStudios]

How would I remove vocals from a death metal song? Doesn't seem to work with the screaming?

[@youngmarcus21]

with such good professionalism, you'll go far

[@HomeStudioCorner]

It's not something you can download. It's recording software that costs around $500. But the concept can be down with free software like Audacity.

[@bboymac84]

Hey I’m from Boston! Also you can use Izotope real easy!

[@ElegyForTheMasses]

Why would you pick a sample track to do this with for a song that already there exists a karaoke version for?

[@BAWRecordsOficial]

How can i get this program? please help ! (i mean no trial)

[@31buce31]

@JerFish12 why because my os is more stable than windows? or the fact that mac has the market for professional video, audio, and design fields?

[@ZackMester]

Very well explained. Best video I found for this

[@briankingart]

So THAT'S how those plugs do it. Wow, thx Joe!

[@ThriveandRiseMen]

I’m in windows what and how do you do the E Q plugin

[@TheBlueskyson]

Thanks Joe. Encouraging, as i want to do this on a live recording i did 1.5 yrs ago, and original files are gone. Wish me luck amigo. Go well. ty

[@lilrandomgizmo]

will this work so i can just get the drum track out of a song - because i need to learn how to do that...

[@ariwildemusic]

And then, 10 years later, we have Izotope RX 7 :D !!

[@HomeStudioCorner]

Not sure. Those guys who do sampling/mashup stuff might know. I don't.

[@gabrielchumelcamarena5593]

Bro this is funny to watch for some reason but it’s so useful you deserve a Grammy. I’m gonna start making better hip hop beats now

[@stormshadow2k]

At the end when you say "Bounce it out to stereo", Joe, how can you make a stereo track out of this project when all you have are 3 mono tracks panned center?

[@GSHYBR1D]

When you render it out of the DAW it will be stereo.

[@stevensauls2013]

Ozone Imager by Izotope YEEET

[@KP-nk7yc]

why beating around bush on n on when VOCALS CANNOT BE REMOVED?

[@HBInHD.]

Dog, GoPro uploaded a video and the song they used is only the audio of the song, they did it somehow, how did they do it?! The song is Mouth of the Beast by Kristoff Krane. I only want the instrumental. ;(

[@TomorrowisYesterday]

Possibly a studio released instrumental or SpectraLayers.

[@coisasdepimpolho]

1º Part... I Just want to say ..YOU ROCK..thanks to post a video like this, i wrote everything on paper so like that i will try to remove the vocals from some song that i need to get the vocals away...and one funny thing is,i try to use,the sound forge7,audiocity, dj virtual but i couldnt get the vocals away as the pro tools did,and another thing,i have the pro tools and i never would figure that out lol,it mean,to remove the vocals?,i never would imagine...Thanks Bud for your video...

[@asswhole239]

I love that song 'Friends in low places' as soon as the first bar played i knew what it was :) Thanks for the good tutorial man! :D

[@LukeGibsonSS]

You get better results simply using a mid-side enabled eq plugin and scooping out the midrange in the mid channel and you don't sacrifice the stereo field.

[@HomeStudioCorner]

You're probably right.

[@pigknickers]

You could even use a de-Esser on the MID signal to knock the vocal down just when it's there. Effective with a good desser.

[@ludwigfan3013]

Is there anyway to remove all the tracks and various vocals so you can learn certain vocal harmonies, like for Beach Boys songs ect..

[@TheGuitarFretZone]

I use reaper , what can I use to remove guitar from a song/track???

[@arinar7]

Using this method worked (vocals completely gone after finding a recording that worked for it) although nudging did not take out the distortion. IT PUT THE VOCALS BACK IN no matter how many or less amount of nudging, nothing takes out the robot sound. ANY SUGGESTIONS?

[@coisasdepimpolho]

2º Part..how can i transfer a song to pro tols , so i can try to make this in home also,,,i just drag any music to Pro tools?,or i have to do something else?,please, i would like some help about this incredible thing the pro tools can do it...and what kind format the pro tools accpt?..MP3?..or just wav?...some help will become more than welcome...Thank you very much for the video once again...Best Regards

[@wesleyhendricks153]

Hi Joe. Can you do this in Studio One?

[@farrukhahmedvideo]

Thank you. Any idea how to reverse the polarity and nudge tracks on Cubase?

[@RichRobinson]

Good clear and concise video. Thanks

[@GuerrillaGunman]

I am really trying to get VOCALS ONLY out of a song. It seems like it is literally impossible. I've tried a few methods on audacity and attempted to find the studio acapella and other methods to extract the vocals. It appears to simply be impossible!! (theres no official instrumental)

[@HalfHydra]

+Guerrilla Gunman Vocals only is much easier

[@GuerrillaGunman]

How can I do this?!

[@trshbgs]

+Kingpiggyiscool i would also like to know how

[@dzlfiqar]

try with melodyne editor, but it'll work with a song that less instrument i think

[@garystout8184]

Thank you for sharing - really helpful. Teaching an old dog new tricks:-)

[@isaacvillalobos]

create instrumental do a phase conversion to cancel out the intruments.. It seems like it would work in theory.

[@chentada]

I am wondering that to reverse the track( 180o out of phase) to cancel out the vocal, but why the music would not be effect? thx

[@slapoftheday4075]

I tried using Audacity to remove the vocals from a 70's song called Chirpy Chirpy Cheap Cheap, by a British group called Middle of the Road... It failed... miserably.. I do not mind if some vocals are left behind in the background, as my intention is to re-vocal it for a football (soccer), anthem, as this summer is the Euro 2016 finals in France. Can you help please?

[@HomeStudioCorner]

+Slap of the Day sorry! Not really a service I offer?

[@fredrikmontelius5215]

I tried using the trick but it was a 1950s mono rock song so it didn't work or i did wrong. Using a mono to stereo plug I created a slight difference between my artificial "left" and "right" channels. This did however not help. After switching phase on one lane and nudging it, I could vary the impression of the band (for the worse), but the vocals actually came out more clear than before. So my efforts ended with the opposite effect of the one intended.

[@HomeStudioCorner]

Yep, with a mono track it's not gonna work.

[@TomorrowisYesterday]

Unless you use a SFD.

[@djstereofunk98]

I need to learn to do the opposite. I need to remove the instruments and keep the vocals. I have no idea if that's possible. :/

[@admanwalking2330]

Great tutorial, worked for me. Thanks!!!

[@LastDayStudios]

@coolpokerface565 The same technique apply to any song, but this doesnt fully remove the vocal...better off getting a plugin

[@Bunglespice]

Why did it mostly only affect only the vocals and bass? I would have thought reversing the phase would have also killed the guitar, steel guitar, and most of the other instruments.

[@lennartg4429]

You got it backwards actually. Since the vocal in most productions is panned to the middle, there is exactly the same amount coming out of the right and left channel. That's what makes it seem to sit directly in-between the speakers after all. Since both channels contain exactly the same information of the vocal, flipping the polarity of one of them makes it cancel out completely and you're left with the difference between the two channels which in this case is the vocal reverb because it's not identical on the left and the right. As for the guitars. They are panned more to the left or right which makes it impossible for them to cancel out completely because their signal is not identical in the left and the right channel.

[@HomeStudioCorner]

You're not actually putting the entire track out of phase, just the center portion (where the vocal usually is).

[@TryptychUK]

You are cancelling out the common frequencies in the left and right leaving only the unique stuff.

[@TomorrowisYesterday]

How do you remove the vocals entirely? SpectraLayers. Mixed up your cake batter with 3 eggs, a cup of flour, and a teaspoon of sugar, but now you realize it only needs 2 eggs? SpectraLayers. Instead of a waveform (showing time on the x and amplitude on y), SpectraLayers' spectragraph thing shows time on the x and frequency on the y, with amplitude being shown as brightness.) It allows you to visually see the difference between the vocals and the instruments. A loud police siren in the background of a news reporter's voice appears as a solid, bold line on the spectragraph that can be selected and muted - without any adverse effect on the rest of the clip whatsoever! It's kind of like using traditional EQ controls to find and cut an annoying frequency from a guitar, but much, much more sophisticated. Check out SpectraLayers today!

[@XanderMaas]

Can you do this the other way around? Like that you got only the vocals.

[@dbRefixProductions]

Thank you man !!!!! Cheers from Italy

[@TheBestDanno]

So, how come when you inverse the polarity it only affects the vocals and not anything else?

[@frodev728]

Daniel Edits actually it doesn’t:it affects anything that is panned dead centre, which usually includes kick bass, kick drum, often snare drum and potentially loads of other stuff.

[@gmanjam]

i'm open to any suggestions that'll eliminate the "latency" issues while recording on the Windows 8 platform. (using Samsung computer with a Lexicon "Alpha" brand USB music interface), - see additional details below.

[@245kenz]

Hi I would like to make an instrumental song ... But I could turn a song into instrumental .. Could you please help me to do it ? It's urgent I need it as soon as possible .. May I have your email so that I could send it to u the song ? Thank you so much !! :)

[@shiendpearl]

what program did you use sir?

[@ThomasMather]

Have a look at the top left of the screen...

[@TruthSurge]

5:40 uh, if you had the EXACT vocal track with all EQ, effects split out from the album, you could remove it probably completely somehow by subtracting it I think but no one has those. hahahha Only good way is to get a kind of mix from some old multitracks they did for those stupid guitar hero "games" and use those or just roll your own background music. Removing vocals via mono and phasing just leaves the music compromised and the vocal is STILL there. :(

[@joshjosh1375]

Can you please do this for me on a song I’ll pay you!

[@TheBlueskyson]

How did you go Josh?

[@tubzvermeulen]

Thanks man..

[@31buce31]

@JerFish12 MAC is the industry standard.... you do know that right?

[@joeljossie4181]

The only way to truly remove a vocal is if you happen to already have the vocal itself (like an acapella track). Then you would align them and invert the phase of one of them.

[@HomeStudioCorner]

Right

[@HammerheadAshby]

Awesome, thank you

[@javiermelladomusica]

Pretty cool and helpful. Cheers!

[@nerdmuffin6775]

Hay I need an instrumentel version of a song mad could you do it for me and email it to me.

[@christiandarrall2869]

so you nudged it twice and put it back again? and it worked better??

[@HomeStudioCorner]

No idea. :)

[@jaheelmerchant4023]

THANK YOU SO MUCH DUDE!!!! Pretty useful tutorial XD

[@123456789jammmy]

You sir are a genius.

[@-jwscl2412]

The vocal isn't removed completely

[@CaptainCocaine]

If you want to do it the way this guy does it, You can use Audacity, which is simple and free, or Reaper, which is advanced free to try, and cheap to buy.

[@djstereofunk98]

Alright, thanks for replying though!

[@swaggyoungbeats3359]

do you know a paid software to remove vocals 100% ?

[@HomeStudioCorner]

Nope. It's not possible.

[@andrewscott4384]

I need some vocals removed for 1 song ... IF some one has the capability and is able to do it for me I am willing to pay.....HIT ME UP....

[@TraderTimmy]

Adobe Audition has a great oval remove function. It works by extracting the stereo center. It has fine tuning parameters as well. Much better than this method which to me sounds horrible

[@HomeStudioCorner]

😊 But this one works if you don't have Adobe Audition with a vocal remove function.

[@geetarguy57]

thanks dude i never knew you could do that!

[@thetrader7748]

I want the lead instrument gone..can you do that?

[@HomeStudioCorner]

+Gimel Roda Not really.

[@TomorrowisYesterday]

Yep. Easy. Select it on the SFD and mute it.

[@DanielleMisc96]

what program is this?

[@HammerheadAshby]

***** Pro-Tools

[@hariel]

WOW! You showed us something I already knew! I feel like I'm a pro (not at all) :))

[@decibelrecords1366]

I want the Vocals only

[@flipdibiase9770]

Can you make a video on to turn any song to acapella

[@HomeStudioCorner]

Not possible as far as I know.

[@TomorrowisYesterday]

Depends. Sometimes yes, sometimes no. If you want a video on the REAL method for going about such a task, research Spectral Frequency Display.

[@TraderTimmy]

Pardon the typos in that last post. Can't edit on this device. Should say 'vocal remove function.'

[@HomeStudioCorner]

it's called Pro Tools.

[@itemps]

What about removing drums?

[@HomeStudioCorner]

Nah, not really possible this way. This will take kick and snare down some, but won't get rid of 'em.

[@itemps]

is there anyway or no?

[@HomeStudioCorner]

Nope.

[@itemps]

Joe Gilder Music damn..

[@thesunnysarraff]

i guess its nt :(

[@ayushjasuja6828]

i am using cubase element 8..when you usually import audio ..you get an option of splitting channel..thats how you do it.. but i am not getting that option. .what do i do

[@JeepDrivinGuitarman]

Windows has a vocal remover already built into it.

[@BeautifulmediterraneanMcChrist]

for god sake i want the vocals totaly gone!!!!

[@jasonmartin4570]

Beautiful mediterranean, Mc.Christo Will never happen. Its been mastered. Good luck...

[@HalfHydra]

+VoodooMystic it doesnt work like that. Vocals are spread differently throughout most songs, creating one algorithm would only work for the song they make it too.

[@TomorrowisYesterday]

Use SpectraLayers and you won't need any luck. Just patience and time. :)

[@petercannella9197]

Build your own track from scratch

[@michellerawbone2608]

Hi I feel stupid the question to you is how do I get to audacity

[@HomeStudioCorner]

+Verna Wewers Try Googling Audacity download?

[@michellerawbone2608]

+Joe Gilder Thanks I did but PD Converter came up instead of Audacity

[@michellerawbone2608]

+Joe Gilder I think Ive got it will let you know

[@michellerawbone2608]

+Joe Gilder Thank you got it enjoy your day

[@MrArmando2228]

real tutorial starts here 1:30