Make a karaoke version of a real song, on your phone

To make a karaoke version of a song with PadLoop, open SAMPLE, tap Split a song and pick the track. Your phone pulls the vocals away from the music, offline: mute the vocals and you're left with the real instrumental, the one from the record. Take a section of up to 30 seconds, loop it and sing over it. Split a song is part of the full version, and you can try it free for 7 days.

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

From song to backing track

1. In the SAMPLE tab, tap Split a song and pick a file from your phone: MP3, WAV, M4A, FLAC or OGG, up to 6 minutes.
2. The first time, download the Stem split plugin (79 MB), then stay in PadLoop until the split finishes: it takes a few minutes.
3. Choose Vocals + beat, tap the speaker on the Vocals row to mute it, then drag the window onto the section you want to sing (up to 30 seconds) and tap Play section: you hear it with no vocals.
4. Tap Pad on the Beat row and choose a free pad.
5. In the PAD tab turn on the pencil: the pads stop playing and tapping one opens its panel. Tap the instrumental's pad, under Mode pick Loop and turn the pencil off.

Now one tap and the instrumental plays until you tap it again. You sing.

How do you find the right section?

On the split song's page each row has four buttons: ► plays just that part, the speaker mutes it, the sliders icon (Edit) opens it in the editor, and Pad puts the section on a pad. With Vocals + beat there are two rows; with 4 parts you get Vocals, Drums, Bass and Other.

The window at the top picks the section: drag it and widen it up to 30 seconds. Play section plays the unmuted parts; mute the vocals while it plays and it starts again without them.

Before you sing, play the vocal on its own. Mute the backing track and you extract the acapella, just the singing: it's the quickest way to learn the words and melody of that passage.

Run the chorus ten times in a row

With the instrumental on a pad set to Loop, the section goes round and round: tap to start, tap again to stop. Practice the chorus as often as you like without touching anything, and set its volume from the pad's settings.

The pad's pitch is there too, for a key that suits your voice. Just note it changes the speed as well, because the sound is played faster or slower.

Want to record yourself in time?

A pad in Loop mode plays on its own and doesn't go into the looper. To record yourself in time and export instrumental and voice together, the instrumental has to sit on a track (a layer of your song, the numbers at the top):

1. Set the backing-track pad back to One-shot (pencil → pad → Mode: one tap plays it all) and under Tempo pick In time with the project: PadLoop finds the section's BPM, its tempo in beats per minute. Enter the same number as the BPM at the top.
2. Pick the loop length at the top of the LOOP tab, the one closest to your section: at 90 BPM, 8 bars (groups of four beats) are about 21 seconds. If you hear a jump when the loop comes back around, redo the section a little shorter or longer.
3. Instrumental on track 1. Tap number 1, press REC and tap the backing-track pad as the loop starts.
4. Vocals on track 2. Tap the 🎤 on track 2 and sing. You can choose whether to hear the instrumental while you sing.

Two looper tracks with the microphone are free forever. All the details on singing are in the guide to recording vocals over a beat.

Tips for a clean vocal

• Start from a good file. A low-quality MP3 or a live recording drenched in reverb separates worse, and some vocal bleed can stay in the instrumental, especially backing vocals and echo.
• Use wired headphones. On the speaker the track leaks into the mic; Bluetooth headphones add 100-300 ms of delay.
• Calibrate the mic. In MORE, Calibrate latency (click test) makes your voice land exactly in time. The app offers it the first time.

To understand how the separation works, with all 4 parts, read how to split a song into vocals and drums.

Your version: save it and share it

In the LOOP tab, Export makes an MP3 or WAV of the instrumental with your voice, with 1, 2 or 4 repeats; Separate tracks gives one WAV per track. Record performance captures you live for up to 30 minutes. All three are part of the full version and work during the trial: your performance as a file to keep or send.

Even without vocals, the separated track is someone else's original recording. Karaoke at home, studying a song or practice: perfectly fine. To post a sung cover over it on YouTube or social media, you need the rights to the song.

Good to know

• You need an audio file on your phone: MP3, WAV, M4A, FLAC or OGG, from 2 seconds to 6 minutes. Songs inside streaming apps can't be split.
• Memory: at least 3 GB of RAM on Android, 4 GB on iPhone, and 300 MB free.
• The first split takes a few minutes: you see the stages, the percentage and the time elapsed, and you can cancel at any time. Stay in PadLoop, because if you leave, the phone may stop the job. Split songs stay in the list and open right away after that.
• You work in 30-second sections, one verse or chorus at a time: PadLoop doesn't scroll lyrics or play the full instrumental start to finish.

Questions about making a karaoke version of a song

How do I make a karaoke version of any song?

In PadLoop, open SAMPLE, tap Split a song and pick the track. When the split is done, switch to Vocals + beat and mute the vocals: you're left with the original instrumental, to play in sections or loop on a pad.

Does it use AI to remove the vocals?

Yes: the Stem split plugin uses an AI model that runs on your phone. You need a connection only once, to download it; after that the song never leaves the device.

Can I do it free online?

You do it on your phone, with the app for Android and iPhone, and the song isn't uploaded anywhere. Split a song is included in the 7-day trial. After that it's part of the full version: a one-time price, shown in your currency in the store (€9.99 in Europe), that covers every other plugin too. No subscription.

Can I make a karaoke track from a YouTube video or Spotify?

No. You need audio files stored on your phone in MP3, WAV, M4A, FLAC or OGG, from 2 seconds to 6 minutes long. Songs inside streaming apps can't be split.

Does it show lyrics? Can I sing the whole song?

No: PadLoop works in sections of up to 30 seconds, one verse or chorus at a time, and it doesn't show lyrics. On the plus side the section loops as long as you like: a quick way to learn it and record yourself.

Will it work on my phone?

You need an Android phone with at least 3 GB of RAM or an iPhone with at least 4 GB, plus 300 MB of free space. On phones with less memory the plugin stays off.

Can I record my own vocals over the instrumental?

Yes: a track's 🎤 button records your voice into the looper's loop. With wired headphones the backing track doesn't bleed into the mic and your vocal comes out clean.

Can I post my cover over the separated instrumental?

The separated backing track is still the original recording: singing over it at home or for practice is fine, but to publish it you need the rights to the song.

Last updated: 21 October 2026