How to Remove Backing Vocals From a Karaoke Track

Karaoke tracks on CD often come with backing vocals on the songs to help singers match the pitch of the music. You can remove backing vocals from karaoke tracks by using basic audio editing software, such as Audacity or Wavosaur, and inverting audio frequencies within the track. Audio inversion drastically reduces the volume of audio frequencies used by vocals in a song. The removal process can be completed within a few minutes.

Import the karaoke track as an MP3 or WAV file to the computer. Open the karaoke CD with a media player, such as iTunes or Windows Media Player. The software automatically asks if you want to import the CD tracks. Click the "Yes" button and wait for the tracks to import.

Open an audio editing program like Audacity or Wavosaur. Select "File" and then click "Import Audio." Navigate the browser window to find the desired audio track. Click the "OK" button and wait while the software imports the track.

Select the "Split Stereo" function within the audio editing software. The method to do this varies from program to program. In Audacity, right-click the audio track, and then select "Split Stereo Track." Check the program's user manual for more specific instructions on splitting the stereo track.

Invert the audio frequencies on the right stereo track. Click on the "Right" stereo track inside the application. Select the "Invert Audio" function, and wait while the program applies the effect. Some audio editing programs, such as Wavosaur, refer to the invert effect as the "vocal removal" effect. Check the application's user guide for the exact steps to invert the audio.