Edit sound files – e.g. remove the vocals or music from music files

Question

Is there a free tool that I can use to edit sound files? – I have some music files that I’d like to remove the vocals from so I can have karaoke versions to sing along to with my friends. Is this possible? I seem to remember reading somewhere that it is.

Answer

It is possible but the results can be very variable, because the condition of the file has to be ideal, and even then, the process could be problematic.

Editing audio using Audacity sound editor and recorder

The free Audacity sounder editor and recorder can be used to do that. You can also remove the music and retain the vocals.

Audacity The Free, Cross-Platform Sound Editor –

“Audacity is a free, easy-to-use audio editor and recorder for Windows, Mac OS X, GNU/Linux, and other operating systems. You can use Audacity to: Record live audio. Convert tapes and records into digital recordings or CDs. Edit Ogg Vorbis, MP3, and WAV sound files. Cut, copy, splice, and mix sounds together. Change the speed or pitch of a recording. And more!” –

https://sourceforge.net/projects/audacity/

There are plenty of YouTube videos on how to use Audacity to do various editing. Here is an example:

A walk through on the basics of editing audio using Audacity –