Removing Vocals

[bounce88]

There's this dude who's got a stereo L and R Master of a hip hop song and he wants me to make him a radio edit by removing certain naughty words. Does anyone know how to do this when all you have is a stereo master and you don't want to hurt the rest of the mix?

Thanks,

Dave

[Mr T]

Take a 1 KHz signal and use it to hide all of those naughty words!! MTV uses this with great success...
If all you have is a stereo mix, forget it and just tell the dude to watch his language next time...
The only way to do this would be to locate instrumental sections that are exactly the same as the sections with naughty words and replace them. Considering the fact that most rappers tend to speak unceasingly from the very beginning to the very end of their songs, this shouldn't work.

[Ben Jenssen]

Best thing I can think of right now:
Try to find regions of beat without vocals and paste them in over the naughty bits. Shouldnt be too difficult with rap music, if the guy doesnt rap continously from beginning to end, that is.

[SoundWrangler]

Or do what some people do, select the naughty word, apply AudioSuite menu's Reverse function. If only occasional word (& not 2 or 3 very 8 bars) this may not be too annoying...

[Mr T]

Wow Ben, seems like we were writing at the very same moment... but I came first ;-)

[Ben Jenssen]

Yup!

[bounce88]

Thanks for all th input guys. I tried the reverse thing and he didn't like it. I keep telling him if he'd just get the orignal Pro Tools 5.0 session he did from the other studio it would be no problem. And yes, raps all the time. In fact, I don't think he stops rapping until 4 minutes after the beat cuts out.

[ajazzie]

Here is a possible fix if the mix isnt stereo, I remember a mob on the net called Analog X, they developed a plug \stand alone thing called a vocal remover. I am not ******** you, I remember hearing about it. How good it is I dont know but I even think I downloaded it for curiosity, yet never used it. Its probably ordinary to say the least but who knows?
Let me know if you find or cant find it and I will have a search through my digital crap.
AJ

[Munxcub]

i've tried that and it doesnt work. i wouldnt waste your time unless you're really that desperate.