Right/left From Center Audio Separation Options

[Voicedude]

Here's the BIG question for Mac audio manipulators:

But first, some backstory: I love my Mac. And I love my ProTools. I mean I * L - O - V - E * my ProTools! I enjoy Remixes, Megamixes, etc., and I just discovered Mashes somewhat recently. This is where Producers take the vocals from ONE song and 'mash' them with the instrumentals from ANOTHER. The results (depending on the Producer) are often geniuis! I am, to say the least, OBSESSED!

Problem is, that many of the programs I've been reading about for making the homemade 'Pellas & Instrumentals won't work. They are for PCs.

So, I beg my Mac friends out there to help me out - throw me a bone: ARE THERE ANY MAC PROGRAMS OUT THERE FOR SEPARATING VOCALS FROM THE INSTRUMENTS? (i.e. Separate center from right/left the way SoundForge and others sort of do!) I do the OOPS method (I forget what that stands for) but often lose drums and/or bass. I know there is hardware out there that does it to a degree (Thompson Vocal Eliminator, f'rinstance!), but I need it done digitally. Because I don't want just 'karaoke' instrumentals but the acapellas as well! If it can be done, it should be like separating eggs: sometimes I want the yolks, sometimes the whites.

I've heard there are also ways of matching an exact instrumental version against the regular one and canceling out audio so that most of what remains is acapella vocals. How is this done? (It must be a BIT different from OOPS because I can't seem to get it!)

Besides my precious ProTools, I've got Amadeus & a bunch of VST plug-ins for it, Cakewalk's Groove Maker Max, and a PC version of Acid 4.0, but not a real good PC to use it on (and Virtual PC is so frustrating!) I know it's not going to be perfect, that it many cases it's like Gump Chocolates - you never know what you're gonna get! - but I figure there HAS to be some Mac assistance out there for 'Mashing' Somebody knows about 'em or has been working on it; and this is my humble plea to them...

Thanx in advance!

- Voicedude

[eMpTy]

There is a plug in the Pluggo collection that will remove the center channel so once you do this if you can compare the original with the new one and save the difference which will be the center channel where the vocals are. I think it is just a matter of switching the phase 180 deg on L&R channels and then switching those channels L&R and the center channel cancels itself out.

The answer is in this forum as I posted it before and am looking for it myself.

[Voicedude]

There is a plug in the Pluggo collection that will remove the center channel

Which plug is that?

once you do this if you can compare the original with the new one and save the difference which will be the center channel where the vocals are.

How do you DO that exactly? Can you do it with ProTools?

I think it is just a matter of switching the phase 180 deg on L&R channels and then switching those channels L&R and the center channel cancels itself out.

Is that the "Invert" that I have on both Amadeus & ProTools (and use with the OOPS method)?

The answer is in this forum as I posted it before and am looking for it myself.

I anxiously await more info...

- Voicedude

[eMpTy]

Center Channel is the name of the Pluggo plugin and this is from the manual:

Center Channel subtracts the one of its input channels from another. A useful utility for eliminating what is in
common to both channels in a stereo recording (vocals, bass lines, etc.). Channels can be delayed relative to each
other in case one channel has been delayed in the mixer. Slight delays produce interesting effects in and of
themselves.

• So-called “vocal eliminators” use this right-from-left subtraction technique to remove vocals from stereo
recordings. This technique depends on the vocal being mixed equally in the left and right channels.
Sometimes you can still hear the reverb tail of the vocal, as this is often panned to the left or right.

The only way I know how to compare two tracks and keep the difference is with wavelab but you may find out how to do it either in these forums or on osxaudio.com, I know nothing about Pro tools but in wavelab it is a menu item.

I don't think invert sounds quite right but Pro tools must be able to change phase.

Here is what I posted to another one of your posts a wile back.

The vocals are usually always recorded on the center channel so using phase reversal you can remove everything else.

Turn the left channel 180deg out of phase and add it to the right channel and vice versa, right to left and you cancel out anything that is just in the center of the track. Using the levels and eq you can usually remove most of the vocals from a track. Then you could use the compare function in Wavelab to extract the difference of the two tracks, leaving you with the vocals and what ever else was on the center channel.

Remember that the rest of the track wil now be 180deg out of phase so you might want to delay one side or just use mono.


But you still have to compare the tracks....

[eMpTy]

Actually I think invert does "invert" the phase.

[sunnylew]

Hi,
I just wanted to add, that if you find you lose the kick and bass whenever you cancel the centre frequencies (because they're usually centred with the vocal ) there's a fairly simple workaround: Before you start playing with the frequencies, copy the recording to another track, and add a low pass filter. Play with the cut-off until you only have kick and bass ( or near enough), and then recombine this with the result of your phase manipultion with the other copy of the track.