'Voice' removal from CD track not good result

[ladykaye]

Dear forum members
I am using Windows 8.1. I downloaded latest audacity software to enable me to edit out the main instrument on mandolin instrumental music. I have followed instructions from http://www.ehow.com/how_5448781_remove- ... ic-cd.html
Initially, audacity did not seem compatible with Windows media player software in that it was not able to use the WMA files. I downloaded the plug in to allow audacity to function.
The problem seems to be that when I edit a Media player track the result is that the mandolin is effectively supressed but the other intrument (guitar) is very mushed and distorted. In effect- unuseable!
Has anyone any idea how to do this properly.
Thanks
Kaye

[kozikowski]

I downloaded the plug in to allow audacity to function.

That would be the FFMpeg software, yes. Audacity doesn't know about Windows Media without that.

when I edit a Media player track the result is that the mandolin is effectively supressed but the other intrument (guitar) is very mushed and distorted. In effect- unuseable!

Right. That's how it works. Voice Removal doesn't recognize voices or instruments. It just works on any instrument "in the left-right middle" of a stereo show. If both instruments are in the middle, they both go. Stereo effects are a problem, too. If somebody makes the instrument "wide" and "full" with special effects, then only the parts in the middle vanish leaving science fiction sounds.

Bass and drums frequently go, too.

http://kozco.com/tech/audacity/clips/MysteryTrain3.mp3

Unless you have access to the WAV quality of the original studio mix, you probably have as good as you can get.

Those people on YouTube have celebrity songs. If you try instrument deletion with that exact same song they used, yours will work, too.

Koz

[kozikowski]

If you're trying the Invert and Add method, you might find Effect > Vocal Remover will work better. It does the same thing and has more tools and adjustments.

http://manual.audacityteam.org/o/man/vocal_remover.html

Koz

[ladykaye]

Thank you for the replies.
I think the first reply confirms my suspicions. I don't think I am going to be able to get what I want with the CD track I wish to edit.
The second reply refers to 'remove vocal,,,,,' which I have also tried but got very similar poor results. I even tried playing with the frequency bands in the edit feature but the basic mandolin frequencies 200-1400 are used by the other instrument (guitar) also.
Regards

[kozikowski]

"Remove the instrument frequencies" never works because almost all instruments have harmonics and overtones that overlap. There are tools that try to recognize an instrument in the performance and make changes without affecting anything else. They're a lot more involved than flipping one track and adding them up.

Koz