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How to replace vocals in a music track?

Just the other day, I got this question from Jim, a visitor to our SoundRecordingStudioSoftware.com . Since that site is not really designed for Q&A, I thought I’d post the reply here.

Ken,
My name is Jim Williams. Let me tell you what it is that I want to do and you tell me if you can help me.

I want to play a song, remove the voices and record the music and add my voice to the music. Can that be done, and what is the estimated cost, to do that.

Thanking you, Jim

Since this is not something I’ve tried to do myself, I put Jim’s question to Neil, our recording studio adviser, and here’s his reply:

The short version:
EQ is probably the best tool, but spare cash and an online library of backing tracks could be the quickest (and potentially best-sounding).

The longer version (about raisons and fruit cake!!):
Removing an element of a mix, can be like trying to remove raisins from a fruit cake. I say raisins because it is possible, depending on the mix to pick them out – if it’s a cake with many fruits (sultanas, cherries, etc), it’s going to be harder, as they’re all mixed up together. If it’s just raisins then you’ll be able to spot them better.

Stylistically, certain genres are going to have the voice higher or lower in the mix, larger or smaller across the frequency spectrum, and clean or gritty (distortions, flangers etc), dry or wet (effects – reverb, delay etc).

A singer-songwriter track will probably have the voice as the highlight, well defined and to a certain extent, separated from the track.

Acid Jazz – probably a small and tight voice, as there’s a lot of other highlights in the track. Rock will often have a voice at a lower level, but they can have any number of effects to the voice to make it sit well.

Pop will usually have the voice high, with a fair amount of depth to attach it to the music, many effects to keep things interesting throughout the track.

Obviously every track is different. If you have a track with a clean, dry, small voice high in the mix, it’s probably not too difficult to remove the frequencies the voice is occupying with EQ, without destroying the track. Find where the voice is sitting, and gently remove the frequencies.

Another option is to buy a backing track online, or create one yourself!

So, without knowing Jim’s music genre, current gear, or skill level, it’s not easy to answer his question about cost.

Or take advantage of the current bonus of a 20 minute consulting call for anyone buying Selecting Sound Recording Software & Equipment – That Works

Ken

The legendary Shure SM58 ® – at around $100 (20% less on Ebay) – is surely the world’s best value and most popular vocal mic!

Exactly what is it? The SM58 ® is a unidirectional (cardioid pattern) dynamic vocal microphone designed for professional vocalists’ use in live performance, sound reinforcement, and studio recording. Because it’s so well known, and treated as the worldwide standard entry-level professional stage mic, musicians expect to find the SM58 ® in any recording studio. And that’s probably a good reason for every commercial studio to have a handful of them.

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If you’re involved in music production in any form – composer, arranger, performer, instrumentalist, singer/song writer, band, DJ, producer – whatever, but want help with how to put together the right sound [tag]recording studio software[/tag] & equipment for your music, then this is for you…

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If you’ve done any recording at all, chances are you’ve used a microphone of some sort. Simply put, a microphone detects sound waves and converts them into an electric current – if you didn’t know already, now you have a basic understanding of what it does!

But there are many types of mics, at widely varying prices. So how do I select the right mic for what I need, and keep within my budget? This article discusses the basics any microphone user should know in order to make a god selection.

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