A free vocal remover that doesn't upload your song
Updated · 2 min read
Most online vocal removers work the same way: you upload the song, a server separates it, and you download the result. Extractune does the separation on your own phone or computer instead, so the song never leaves it.
Why the upload matters
An upload means your file sits on someone else's server, at least for a while, under their policy. For a demo you haven't released, a private recording, or a video with people in it, you may not want that. It's also slow on a phone: a big video has to upload before anything happens.
How separating on your device works
Extractune uses HTDemucs, an open-source music separation model from Meta, running inside your browser. The first time you split, your browser downloads the model once (about 172MB) and keeps it. After that, every split runs on your own graphics chip, or on the processor where the browser can't use it.
The model separates a song into four parts: the vocals, the drums, the bass, and everything else. Extractune gives you the voice and the music as two sides, one-tap mixes like Instrumental or Drumless, and a mixer for all four.
The four parts, and what each is good for
Vocals: an acapella to remix, or the dialogue from a video without its soundtrack. Drums: a beat to practise to, or to sample. Bass: the bass line on its own, to learn by ear. Other: guitars, keys, synths and strings together.
Mix them any way you like: turn the drums off for a drumless practice track, the voice off for karaoke, or download all four as separate WAV files for your own editor.
Tips for the cleanest split
Use the best source you have: a clean recording separates better than one filmed off a speaker. Trim to the song before splitting, so the model spends its time on the part you need. And listen before you download, since some songs separate more cleanly than others.
What it can and can't do
It splits up to 5 minutes at a time with a graphics chip, 2 without. Long clips are split in parts, and you can listen to the finished part while the rest works.
It won't remove noise like wind or hiss, and it can't pull two singers apart. Where a voice is very loud or has heavy reverb, faint traces can remain, as with any vocal remover.
Try it
- 1Open extractune.com/remove-vocals.
- 2Pick a video with the song in it.
- 3Tap Extract audio, then Split audio.
- 4Instrumental is picked for you; download it as MP3, WAV or WebM.