Extract the acapella from a song and play it on pads

Need the acapella of a song? PadLoop separates the vocals on your phone and puts them on pads: you play them in phrases of up to 30 seconds, chop them, flip them over your own beat. Split a song is part of the full version, and you can try it free for 7 days. The vocals stay inside PadLoop: there's no "save as MP3" button, but Record performance captures them as a WAV while you play the pad.

Watch the video on its own page →

Transcript

1. 0:00 Pick any song from your phone
2. 0:02 It is split right on the phone, offline
3. 0:05 4 parts: vocals, drums, bass and the rest
4. 0:10 Just the vocals
5. 0:16 Or just the beat
6. 0:21 Put the parts on your pads
7. 0:24 …and remix the song live

How to isolate the vocals

1. In SAMPLE tap Split a song and pick the track; the first time PadLoop asks you to download the Stem split plugin.
2. Once the split is done, switch to the Vocals + beat view: two rows remain, the vocals and everything else.
3. Move the window onto the phrase you want, up to 30 seconds, and listen to it with the ► on the Vocals row.
4. Tap Pad on the same row and choose where it goes: from now on the phrase plays every time you tap that pad.
5. Move the window to the next phrase and repeat on another pad.

In five minutes you have a bank (a page of 16 pads) full of phrases from the same song, all with the volume already evened out. Split a song is part of the full version: during the 7-day trial you use it with no limit on songs, then you keep it with a single purchase.

From a phrase down to a single word

A whole phrase works for a hook. A remix often needs less: one word, a "yeah", a breath. Tap Edit (the sliders icon) on the Vocals row and the sample editor opens.

• With the handles you keep only the bit you need; the magnifier zooms into the waveform so you cut in the right spot.
• Chop by hand plays the vocal while you tap CUT before each word: every piece lands on the next pad.
• Split on hits finds the points by itself, but it's built for drums: on singing your ear usually chooses better.

Transcript

1. 0:00 Chop by hand: you decide where to split
2. 0:01 SAMPLE > Sound library > Melodic
3. 0:06 Here 6 seconds of blues chords
4. 0:09 Chop by hand: the sound loops, tap CUT before each chord
5. 0:14 Done: 5 pieces on pads in a row, from pad 1 of bank F
6. 0:21 In order, the progression comes back
7. 0:26 Change the order and a new progression is born

Flip it on the pads

Turn on the pencil (the button that edits pads) and tap the vocal pad: its panel opens.

• Pitch raises or lowers the voice; as on classic samplers it changes the speed too, and a phrase pitched down turns slow and dark.
• Reversed plays it from end to start: the classic suck-back before the drop.
• While held plays it only while your finger is down: with short taps the vocal stutters.
• Echo, Filter and Lo-fi push it back, darken it or dirty it up like an old sampler. The pad's Filter and Lo-fi also stay in the exported file.

When you need a file

Record performance (also in the PAD tab bar) captures everything coming out of PadLoop, for up to 30 minutes. Turn it on, play the vocal pad, stop it: the share sheet opens and the WAV goes wherever you want, a chat or another app. If you don't send it right away, PadLoop offers it again next time.

Want the vocals already sitting on your beat? Record the pads into the looper's loop and tap Export in the LOOP tab: you get an MP3 or WAV, with the loop repeated 1, 2 or 4 times. Both routes belong to the full version and are free during the trial: your flip becomes a file you can post or send.

The remix: vocals over a new beat

Start with the beat, because loading a Ready beat rewrites tracks: a classic one takes over tracks 1 and 2 (tracks are the layers of the song, the numbers at the top), a complete one clears the whole looper. Tap ⊞ (the menu for banks and Ready beats) and load a classic one; then play the vocal pad over it and record it on track 3 with REC. Ready beats and track 3 come with the full version, and both are included in the 7-day trial: a full groove plus room for your vocals. Short phrases that return every loop work better than a whole verse.

Do the vocals run faster or slower than the beat? Open their pad, choose In time with the project under Tempo, and the vocals follow the project's BPM (beats per minute) without changing pitch. If PadLoop can't find the tempo of the vocals alone (which can happen without drums), have it find it on the Beat: put that on a pad, tap Detect and copy the number into the Sample BPM of the vocal pad.

Every step of a remix, from layers to effects, is on the page about how to remix a song on your phone. For other sound sources, see sample your voice or any sound.

For singers: a voice to study

Without instruments you hear everything the mix hides: where the singer breathes, how they attack the notes, how long they hold the vowels. Backing vocals stay in the Vocals row with the lead, so you can work out the harmonies too.

Narrow the window to one phrase and replay it with the ► until you sing it identically. Then record your version with the 🎤 on a looper track and compare. To sing over the backing yourself, without the original voice, see the karaoke backing track page.

Good to know

• The record leaves its mark. The mix's reverb and echo stay attached to the vocals: if you need them dry, pick phrases where the voice is most exposed.
• Requirements: the 79 MB Stem split plugin, 3 GB of RAM on Android or 4 GB on iPhone, songs up to 6 minutes; everything else is on the Split a song page.
• Using the vocals: fine for study and play; publishing them needs the rights, as the Split a song page explains.

Questions about extracting acapellas

How do I get the acapella of a song?

With PadLoop you split the track from the SAMPLE tab (Split a song). In the Vocals + beat view the ► on the Vocals row plays only the vocals, and the Pad button puts them on a pad.

Can I save the acapella as an MP3?

There's no button to save it as a file: the vocals live inside PadLoop, on your pads and in your loops. For a file, turn on Record performance and play the vocal pad: when you stop it you get a WAV to share.

Does the AI run online?

It runs on your phone: the model that recognizes the vocals sits inside the Stem split plugin. You download it once, then you can split songs even on a plane, and the track never leaves the device.

How long can a vocal phrase be?

Up to 30 seconds for every section you listen to or put on a pad, from songs up to 6 minutes long. To grab a whole verse, move the window and put the phrases on different pads.

How clean is the acapella?

The record's reverb and echo stay attached to the vocals, and a very dense mix can let an instrument through. With a good-quality file and a light arrangement the vocals come out almost on their own.

Is there a free acapella extractor?

During the 7-day trial, yes, with no limit on songs. After that, Split a song is part of the full version: one purchase, no subscription, and every plugin is included too.

Can I use the extracted vocals in my own track?

For study or messing around at home, yes. To release a remix with another artist's vocals you need the rights to the song: use your own, free or licensed tracks.

Last updated: 21 October 2026