Splitting exixting tracks

[amy1979]

Can I use audacity to split the tracks in an imported file? For example to hear the individual vocal or instrumental parts.

[Locopomo]

In the Audacity tutorials you'll find a trick that can sometimes isolate the vocals in a track - if they are dead centre in a mix (and even then with often mixed results). Beyond that, there's no way of completely isolating individual tracks in a mix. The analogy used around here is often food-based - you can't take the strawberries out of a strawberry milkshake, etc

[amy1979]

Thanks for the tip. I managed to lose the vocal part of the track. Can I reverse this and get just the vocals without backing?

[pepineros]

you might use the 'noise removal' option (in Effects -> Noise removal) to loose the backing; in the original file (with vocals and backing), select a few seconds of the song where there's no singing but as many different instruments as possible. go to the noise removal and click "get noise profile". this should be done so fast you don't even notice Audacity working. then select the complete song, go to noise removal again, specify how much noise you want removed (should be quite a lot in your case to keep clean vocals) and click "remove noise". I never tried this myself so not sure if it works, but if it does it should filter out all instruments that were playing in the part you selected first (when 'getting noise profile').

[steve]

Can I reverse this and get just the vocals without backing?

Short answer - no.
(there is a "long answer" somewhere on this forum if you can be bothered to look for it).

you might use the 'noise removal' option (in Effects -> Noise removal) to loose the backing;.... I never tried this myself so not sure if it works,

Generally this won't work. The higher the noise level that you are trying to remove the worse the Noise Removal effect works, and in this case the "noise" is all the other instruments. The "noise profile" of the instruments is not only very loud, but is broadband sound that varies constantly and it is not possible for Audacity to discriminate between that kind of sound and the sound of the voice that you are trying to isolate.