How long does a 6-stem split take?

On a PC, around two minutes for a 3-minute song. The first run is longer because the model has to load. An estimate appears before you start.

What exactly are the 6 stems?

Vocals, drums, bass, guitar, piano and other (backing elements not covered above). Each can be previewed, adjusted and downloaded separately.

What ends up in the "other" stem?

Everything the chosen model has no name for. On 4stem that is guitar, piano, synths, strings, horns and sound effects all together. On 6stem, guitar and piano leave, so what remains is synths, strings, and whatever the model could not commit to. An unusually thick "other" generally means the song is full of sounds the model was not trained on.

Do the stems add back up to the original?

Close, but not identically. Separation estimates each part, so the sum carries the estimation error with it. In practice it sounds like the same song. Where you genuinely need the original, use the original file rather than a reconstruction.

I cannot select 6stem on my phone.

The 6stem model is large enough to exceed what a phone can allocate, and the page says so where the option would be. Phones run 4stem Fast, which still gives you vocals, drums, bass and other. For guitar and piano, open the page on a computer.

Is it really free? Do I need to sign up?

It’s completely free with no account needed. Just open the page and pick a file.

Is the song I choose sent anywhere?

No. All separation happens entirely inside your browser.

Which file formats are supported?

MP3, WAV, M4A, AAC, FLAC and OGG, plus the audio track of video files.

Audio · processed on this device

Split a song into 6 parts.

Split into vocals, drums, bass, guitar, piano and other, then adjust and save each part individually.

Free, no account
Stays on your device

About this process

Free in your browser · instant

One mix, separated into its individual parts

Stem splitting breaks one mix into part-level audio — vocals, drums, bass and the rest — so you can work with individual instruments from a song whose multitrack you do not have.

The word comes from production, where a stem is a submix: dozens of recorded tracks folded down to a handful — drums, bass, synths, vocals — for film dubbing or playback on tour. What you get here is the reverse: one finished file, with the stems inferred back out of it. They will not be identical to the originals, but for plenty of uses they stand in for them.

The stems drop straight into a remix, a transcription session, a DJ set as an acapella or a drum loop, or a re-edit against picture. 4stem gives you vocals, drums, bass and other; 6stem splits guitar and piano out of that last group as well.

Choosing between them comes down to what you want left in the other track. If guitar and piano do not need handling separately, 4stem is faster and more consistent. 6stem buys you those two at the cost of a much larger model, which uses more memory and cannot be selected on a phone. Starting at 4stem and moving up only when it falls short wastes the least time.

Highlights

Six parts at once: Vocals, drums, bass, guitar, piano and everything else, from a single pass.
Per-part control: Try volume, mute and solo on each stem right there.
No upload: All processing happens in-browser; your audio is never sent anywhere.
Save one or all: Export just the parts you need, or all of them, as WAV.

Three simple steps

Open a file
Choose an MP3, WAV, M4A, FLAC or video with “Open file”, or drag it into the workbench.
Check settings and separate
Splitting into parts is the point here, so pick 4stem or 6stem. Choose 6stem if you need guitar and piano separately. On a phone, 4stem Fast is the one that runs. Check the settings selected for this task, then press “Separate”.
Listen and export
Use Solo and Mute to listen to the parts you need, then choose “Export” to save WAV or MP3.

Stem splitter — frequently asked questions

How long does a 6-stem split take?: On a PC, around two minutes for a 3-minute song. The first run is longer because the model has to load. An estimate appears before you start.
What exactly are the 6 stems?: Vocals, drums, bass, guitar, piano and other (backing elements not covered above). Each can be previewed, adjusted and downloaded separately.
What ends up in the "other" stem?: Everything the chosen model has no name for. On 4stem that is guitar, piano, synths, strings, horns and sound effects all together. On 6stem, guitar and piano leave, so what remains is synths, strings, and whatever the model could not commit to. An unusually thick "other" generally means the song is full of sounds the model was not trained on.
Do the stems add back up to the original?: Close, but not identically. Separation estimates each part, so the sum carries the estimation error with it. In practice it sounds like the same song. Where you genuinely need the original, use the original file rather than a reconstruction.
I cannot select 6stem on my phone.: The 6stem model is large enough to exceed what a phone can allocate, and the page says so where the option would be. Phones run 4stem Fast, which still gives you vocals, drums, bass and other. For guitar and piano, open the page on a computer.
Is it really free? Do I need to sign up?: It’s completely free with no account needed. Just open the page and pick a file.
Is the song I choose sent anywhere?: No. All separation happens entirely inside your browser.
Which file formats are supported?: MP3, WAV, M4A, AAC, FLAC and OGG, plus the audio track of video files.

Guides for this task

Three ways stem separation makes learning a song by ear much easier
The bass is buried under the kick, the drum fill is gone before you can catch it. Three ways to get past the usual walls when your band is learning a cover.
Using stems for sampling and remixing
Lift a drum track to build on, or take a vocal phrase somewhere new. Three ways to put stem separation to work in a DAW, and three tricks for making the separation artefacts sit down.

What is 6-stem?

It means automatically splitting one song into six parts. Here is what each one is:

Vocals: The sung/lead voice part.
Drums: Percussion such as kick, snare and hi-hats.
Bass: The low-end string/bass part.
Guitar: Electric and acoustic guitar.
Piano: Keyboard/piano parts.
Other: Backing elements that don’t fall into the categories above.