How to separate sound from a cassette tape?

Hi I am using Audacity to record conversations from a cassette tape to my computer, the problem is one of the most important ones I have was recorded over a loud concert tape and the two sounds mix together making it almost impossible to hear the conversation over the music. I really need to know how to separate the two sounds and delete the concert leaving only the conversation recorded. I'm not real familiar with audacity program and have never attempted something so technical. Any advice would be most helpful thanksHow to separate sound from a cassette tape?
I'm wondering why your recorder didn't erase the previous music before recording the voice, but that's something completely different.


You may be able to apply filters so that only the narrow band of the voice comes through. You may also check to see if the recording is mono or the cassette has two tracks and eliminate one of the tracks to simplify things.


Anyway, good luck with it. I wish I could help more.How to separate sound from a cassette tape?
Basically what you want is to create an A Capella (voice only) version..


Unfortunately this is not possible unless the music and the voice are on separate tracks.


For an ';off the shelf/shop bought'; music recording this would mean the original multi-track studio recording.


In your case this is not an option as the conversation is mixed with the concert recording.


A voice/vocal can be removed with variable results if it is in the center of a stereo track but not the other way round.


Audacity has a graphic equalizer as well as low and high pass filters so trial and error with these is probably the only option to try to reduce the effects of the concert.
This happens when the two recordings were made on different tape recorders or, made after the heads on a tape recorder have shifted over time.. The heads record on a specific part of the tape, and generally this is common enough on all tape recorders/players that you can successfully over-record with no problems. However, when the heads that make a second recording are sufficiently out of line with the heads that made the original recording, they may leave something from the original on part of the tape.


Once you have your mixed recording, I would say there is very little that you can do to correct it apart from the filters that are built into AUDACITY. Depending on the frequencies of the unwanted recording, it may be possible to use equalisation (after all speech is generally in a fairly narrow bandwidth), or the noise filter facilities to remove unwanted sounds - but each time you apply a filter, you will lose frequencies from the recording that you want as well as the recording you don't. The result will probably sound a bit tinny and you will probaby not be able to completely rid the recording of all the unwanted sounds - the only way you could do it would be to adjust the play heads on your tape deck until the extra sounds were no longer audible, but the potential to ruin your tape player and the distinct possibility that this may not work... would make this a last chance fix borne out of pure desperation...