Can Sonar be used to extract a sound?
 
Start with a sound file (any), copy it and reverse it, and then layer it over the original and save as a new sound file. It should then have the backwards copy playing at the same time as the normal original. Should sound confusing but detectable as having an embedded reversal.
 
If you found this sound file, and you knew it was comprised of a layered and reversed copy, could you use Sonar to extract the copy and leave only the original?

Not likely - but depends.
If for example it's a stereo file comprised of two mono tracks where the originator simply took the backwards copy and put it on one side and the regular mono track on the other - sure. This is unlikely however.
The best analogy I can think of for what it sounds like you are trying to do is like "unpainting a painting" - for example you want to remove all the black from an oil painting. Or all the brush strokes the artist did last Monday. There are tools (solvents) that might do it, but not perfectly and not without some work.
No doubt there are audio tools that could do something analogous but not easily, and not perfectly. Not what SONAR is intended to do - unless the information you want is present as separate tracks in the original file already.

SONAR can't do it.
I'm not an expert, but I assume, no matter what methods are used, it very much depends on the type of sounds in question.
I'm almost sure that in many (most?) cases it's impossible to do cleanly with any software. To get anywhere close you might need something like Izotope RX Advanced (1200$).
 
But as I'm no expert, I might be wrong :o) Who knows if Melodyne DNA does it in a flick of a wrist!

You might be able to use things like iZotopes RX4 or maybe Sonys Spectral Layers 3 but things like this are usually only undoable at the construction stage not once the audio has been rendered to its own audio file

I can't imagine a mathematical algorithm that could do this without first having a copy of the original sound file.

If you merge any two wave forms, you can reverse the process as long as you retain one of the two original forms.

Thanks for the responses everyone. I kinda figured that nothing would be possible with Sonar... or any software for that matter. :(

Can I ask why you have a need to do this specific thing?

gswitz
I can't imagine a mathematical algorithm that could do this without first having a copy of the original sound file.

If you merge any two wave forms, you can reverse the process as long as you retain one of the two original forms.

This is the answer barring simple channel separation. Is cryptography, but the key would have to exist on both machines. Using another (easily accessible) song would work, since to use the encrypted song onto itself would require an original copy to be sent (sort of ruins the point if an unencrypted copy exists). The second machine should only need to reverse phase (null out) the original key.

mudgel
Can I ask why you have a need to do this specific thing?

It's mostly out of scientific curiosity really. I'm basically trying to put some theories to the test by studying the 'sound of the cosmic background radiation'.
 
Listening to the Big Bang – in high fidelity (audio)
http://www.washington.edu...n-high-fidelity-audio/