How To Isolate Vocals From A Song In 10 Steps

The rise of stem separation technology has enhanced DJing capabilities, allowing for the isolation of vocals, instruments, and other song elements.

Learning how to isolate vocals is easy, thanks to straightforward methods available on free DAWs, DJ software, and online AI tools.

This guide covers a range of tools you can use to isolate vocals and prepare them for use in DJ mixes, mashups, and drops.

When Should You Isolate Vocals?

Learning how to isolate vocals brings a series of benefits to the creative process, whether integrating them into mixes or in music production.

Here are some of the main advantages of creating and using vocal isolation tools in your music workflow:

• Reinventing your favorite songs: There’s a wealth of excellent DJ songs that are ripe for remixing and utilizing tools to remove vocals for DJing. Learning the process to isolate vocals transforms your favorite songs into amazing resources for recording and mixing.
• Using a vocal track for harmonic mixing: Extracted vocals are also perfect for harmonic mixing, particularly when combined with an instrumental mix. You can mix harmoniously with stem-separated vocals or isolate vocals in a separate digital audio workstation.
• Expanding your library of sounds: The ability to isolate vocals can significantly broaden your DJ music library with new creative opportunities. Isolated vocals can be saved as a new sound file and triggered as a sample in DJ sets.
• Making DJ drops and radio show idents: Re-editing isolated vocals for DJ drops, remixes, and radio show idents further expands their scope of application. These processes can be accomplished with DAWs and other AI-based music generation tools.

Learning how to extract vocals can also aid in understanding music theory and analyzing the nuances and phrasing of performances.

We’ll explore these and more benefits of vocal isolation in more detail, covering the best tools to use based on your requirements.

Learn more: Explore ZIPDJ’s competitive pricing options.

How To Isolate Vocals From A Song

Whether you’re learning how to extract vocals for remixes or using the vocal track in mixes, there’s a tool you can use for the task.

Here’s how you can extract vocals using DAWs, DJ software, open-source programs, and AI-powered free online tools:

Isolating Vocals With Digital Audio Workstations

Digital audio workstations (DAWs) are essential for DJs considering a career as producers, offering a wealth of versatile tools and features.

While there are many DAWs on the market, Ableton Live, Logic Pro, and FL Studio are popular among DJs and can be used for vocal isolation.

Here’s a step-by-step overview of how you can use these highly recommended DAWs to create a vocal version of your favorite songs:

Ableton Live

Ableton Live’s live performance-ready tools and focus on electronic music production have made it a firm favorite among DJ producers.

As a DAW, it comes with all the features needed for robust vocal isolation, which doesn’t require specialized production expertise to utilize effectively.

Here’s how you can use Ableton Live to break down your favorite tracks and separate vocals ready for remixing and DJing:

1. Import the original track and, if it’s available, the instrumental version.
2. Drop each version onto two separate audio tracks.
3. Ensure both tracks are correctly aligned in time. You can zoom in on the project timeline to make precise adjustments to each track’s position.
4. Select the instrumental track and click the track’s Track Activator to open its settings, then enable Phase Invert (Ø symbol).
5. Play the tracks together, adjusting the volume levels until the optimal isolation has been achieved. This will cancel out the instruments, leaving the vocals to dominate the audio.

With its performance pad integration for incorporating vocals into live shows, Ableton is an excellent platform for the isolation process.

Logic Pro

If you’re invested in Apple Mac equipment, Logic Pro is the obvious choice for isolating vocals using a digital audio workstation.

A hugely popular DAW, Logic Pro is packed with a variety of features that can help break down other songs or produce original work.

Let’s take a closer look at how you can use the DAW to separate vocals and use them in your creative process:

1. Import your track into Logic Pro and open up the Tracks area of the software.
2. Control-click the audio region, selecting Processing followed by Stem Splitter.
3. In the Stem Splitter setting, click the Preset menu and choose the preset for the vocal elements.
4. Alternatively, you can click the checkboxes of desired individual stems, adding drums, bass, guitar, and others alongside vocals.
5. Select the Submix checkbox to extract your selection. You can deselect options by clicking the More button and adjusting the checkboxes.
6. Click Apply, and the summing stack is created, where you can access the isolated vocals.

Whether you’re isolating Ozzy Osbourne’s vocals or snippets from dance tracks, Logid Pro’s workflow delivers results.

FL Studio

Like Ableton Live, FL Studio is favored among dance music producers thanks to its powerful sequencing and programming features.

While it lacks the flexibility of Logic Pro for organic and acoustic music production, its toolset still offers plenty of scope for production.

Here’s how you can use FL Studio to remove vocals and reuse them in other content:

1. Import a track into FL Studio and select it from the Playlist window, then click the Mixer button to move it to the Track 2 chain.
2. Click on Track 2 and open the Effects window, selecting Fruity Stereo Shaper from the options, then move the sliders to -1 on both mixers.
3. Open a second Effects slot for Track 2, then select Maximus, followed by Low and Mute. Repeat this for the High option, then click the Comp On button to deactivate track compression.
4. Go to Track 3 and click the X at the bottom. Add Maximus, then mute Mid and repeat the Comp On setting.
5. In the Dashboard window, select Option in the top left corner, then add Add Control, Wheel, and Gray Shiny to introduce a custom control knob. Add a second knob using this method, naming each Low and High in the Caption options.
6. Right-click the Low knob in the first Maximus window, selecting Create Automation Clip followed by Dashboard Wheel 1 in the drop-down menu.
7. Repeat step 6 with the High knob, selecting Dashboard Wheel 2 in the second Maximus window.
8. Play the track, reducing the Low knob in the dashboard to isolate the vocals.

With the addition of a powerful AI Assistant, elevating its accessibility, FL Studio is an excellent DAW for newcomers to production.

Read more: Find out what DJ phrasing is and how to use it in your mixes.

Isolating Vocals With DJ Software

The rise of stem separation technology has opened up new, exciting possibilities for integrating song elements into DJ sets.

Stem separation tools are available in various DJ software, featuring easy-to-use interfaces that make the process straightforward.

Here’s how you can isolate vocals in the popular DJ software Serato DJ Pro, Rekordbox DJ, and Virtual DJ:

Serato DJ Pro

One of the most established DJ software options is Serato DJ Pro, compatible with an extensive selection of DJ controllers.

Serato DJ Pro lends itself to vocal isolation thanks to its integrated DJ key chart, allowing you to use vocals instantly for harmonic mixing.

Here are a few quick ways to isolate vocals using the software’s tools:

• Isolate vocals instantly by loading a track into the virtual deck and clicking the Acapella button.
• Clicking the Stems tab button and using the Vocal Stem pad to mute vocals.

If you want to explore the platform before spending any money, you can check out Serato DJ Lite for free.

Rekordbox DJ

Rekordbox has long been a core DJ tool used by professional DJs to deliver impressive mixes in clubs and other events.

Created by Pioneer, its comprehensive library management tools and other features have led to its widespread adoption.

Here’s how to use Rekordbox DJ’s tools to create separated vocals from a range of tracks:

1. Head to Rekordbox preferences and select the Extensions tab, followed by the Track Separation tab, checking the box to enable the function.
2. Use the Active Part setting to control how various stems are used, setting other elements aside from vocals to Mute.
3. Select the Part ISO Mode and use this to adjust the volume of individual stems using knobs on your controller.

Rekordbox can also automatically upload the finished results to a Beatsource link for users of this platform.

Using Open-Source Software To Isolate Vocals

If you’re happy DJing without a dedicated controller using open-source software, you don’t have to miss out on vocal isolation tools.

There are many excellent open-source programs that DJs use to mix music, allowing users to create isolated vocal tracks.

Let’s explore how you can accomplish this process using two of the most popular open-source platforms, Audacity and DJ.Studio:

Audacity

Audacity may be completely free to use, but it is by no means limited when it comes to offering extensive tools for production.

In addition to its comprehensive selection of editing tools, it’s also a capable resource for separating vocals from tracks.

Here’s how to use Audacity for your vocal isolation requirements to prepare them for your next set:

• Use the Intel OpenVINO Music Separation plugin, which allows you to choose from a selection of Separation Modes, including vocals.
• Manually separate vocals from the stereo field using the following steps:
  • Select Split Stereo to Mono from the drop-down menu of the stereo audio track.
  • Invert one of the created mono tracks by selecting the track in the timeline and selecting Effect – Invert.
  • Play back the result.

You can easily integrate the results into beginner-level DJ sets along with bass extractions and other instrumental elements.

Read next: Breaking down the best DJ software for beginners.

DJ.Studio

Another hugely popular free and open-source DJ program you can use to mix music for free and extract vocals is DJ.Studio.

It’s an easy technique to perform, and DJ.Studio’s DAW-like tools make it ideal for DJs considering venturing into music production.

Here’s how you can use the tools in DJ.Studio for separating vocals and incorporating them into your workflow:

1. Import the audio file into DJ.Studio.
2. Enable stem separation and add the audio file to a Local File project.
3. Find the section of the track with the vocals you wish to extract and highlight it.
4. Right-click the selection, choosing Copy Vocals to access the AI vocal remover.
5. Locate the isolated vocal track in your sample tracks.
6. Export them as .WAV audio files to use in your mixes and music production projects.

With impressive video features and integration with various streaming services, DJ.Studio delivers plenty of creative scope.

Check out our latest testimonials.

How To Isolate Vocals For Free

With the popularity of DJing on the rise, there’s an abundance of free DJ software to help learn the core mixing techniques.

Many of these include robust AI-driven DJ software that can be used to remove vocals in a few simple yet effective steps.

Here are some options available to DJs and producers looking for reliable vocal isolation tools without spending money:

• AudioStrip: AudioStrip’s intuitive user interface and key finder make it another handy resource for vocal isolation, available entirely free of charge.
• BandLab Splitter: The hugely popular distribution platform for bands offers a free tool for separating vocals from instrumental tracks through its Splitter feature.
• Moises: Available in free and subscription versions, Moises can be used to remove vocals and also functions as an excellent AI mashup maker app.

You can also check out paid apps for vocal isolation that offer free trial versions, allowing you to try before you buy.

Summary

Vocal isolation is a versatile process that can be used to remix a song or combine it with another song’s instrumental version.

The robust tools covered in this guide will help you quickly isolate vocals and create a range of new creative materials.

Whether used alongside instruments from other music or as separate samples, isolated vocals are essential resources for DJs.