Stem separation

Stem separation takes a finished stereo song and splits it into its parts: vocals, drums, bass and everything else, and with some tools guitar, piano or synths as separate files. For a working band this turns any recording into something you can practice with, rehearse against or take apart to understand.

The everyday uses are simple. Mute the bass on a song you need to learn and play along. Make a backing track for a rehearsal when your drummer can't come. Pull the vocal out of a cover to check the harmony line by ear. Rescue a part from an old live recording of your own band where the multitrack session was lost years ago.

Quality depends more on the source than on the tool. A clean studio mix with clear space between instruments separates well. A loud, dense master or a phone recording from the back of a club leaves more bleed, so you hear a ghost of the cymbals in the vocal stem or a smear of guitar in the bass. Try two or three tools on the same difficult song before you pick one; most let you preview a short section.

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8 AI music tools in stem separation

Moises

by Moises Systems

Splits songs into stems and adds practice tools such as tempo and key change, chord detection and a click.

  • Free plan or free version
  • Works in the browser
  • Mobile app

Fadr

Free web tool that splits songs into stems and detects key and tempo, with remix and DJ tools.

  • Free plan or free version
  • Works in the browser

Ultimate Vocal Remover

by UVR community

Free open-source desktop app for vocal and stem separation using several AI models.

  • Free plan or free version
  • Desktop app or plugin
  • Open source

Demucs

by Meta AI research

Open-source separation model from Meta research that splits music into drums, bass, vocals and other.

  • Free plan or free version
  • Open source

Spleeter

by Deezer

Deezer's open-source separation library that splits songs into 2, 4 or 5 stems.

  • Free plan or free version
  • Open source

LALAL.AI

Browser-based stem splitter for vocals, drums, bass, guitar, piano, synths and more, with desktop apps.

  • Works in the browser

AudioShake

Stem separation built for labels, publishers and sync teams, also available to independent artists.

  • Works in the browser

RipX DAW

by Hit'n'Mix

Desktop editor that separates audio into notes and layers you can edit, retune or replace.

  • Desktop app or plugin

There are two kinds of tool here. Hosted services and apps such as Moises, LALAL.AI and Fadr do the work in the cloud and add practice features around it. Open-source projects such as Demucs and Spleeter, and desktop apps built on models like them, run on your own computer, which suits batch jobs and recordings you don't want to upload.

Rights matter as soon as a stem leaves your practice room. Separating a commercial song gives you a copy of someone else's recording; you can learn from it, but using that stem in a remix, a sample or a video you publish needs permission from whoever owns the recording and the song. Your own recordings are yours to split and reuse however you like.

A practical workflow for a band: keep one folder of practice stems made from other people's songs, clearly labeled, and a separate folder of stems from your own recordings that you are free to reuse. Name files with the song, the part and the tool you used, so you can redo a separation later with a better model and compare the results side by side.

Questions about stem separation

Which stem separation tool sounds cleanest?

It changes from song to song. Run the same difficult track through two or three tools and compare the vocal and bass stems on headphones. Dense, heavily compressed mixes are hard for every tool.

Can I run stem separation without uploading my songs?

Yes. Demucs, Spleeter and the Ultimate Vocal Remover desktop app run on your own computer. A machine with a recent graphics card processes songs much faster than one without.

Can I release a remix made from separated stems?

Only with permission from whoever owns the original recording and the song. Separating the audio yourself does not change who owns it. Stems from your own recordings are yours to use.

Is stem separation useful for a band's own recordings?

Yes. It can pull a usable part out of a stereo rehearsal or live recording, for example to remix an old gig, fix a level, or share a single part with a new member who needs to learn it.

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