So you're looking to isolate or remove drums from a song to have a drumless sample or to use a separated drum stem in another sample. Whether you're a drummer seeking drumless tracks to practice, a DJ wanting to extract beats, or a music producer needing drum loops for remixing, the task isn’t as challenging as it used to be years ago. Fortunately, today's advancements in AI and audio editing software allows for simpler and more efficient stem separation than before.
Why remove drums from a song or video?
There are two common reasons to isolate or remove drums from a track:
- Practice: Drummers often want to mute the drum tracks of their favorite songs to play along, helping them perfect their technique.
- Sampling: Music producers might want to extract specific drum sounds or loops to incorporate into their own creations.
Sure, you can find drumless tracks on YouTube, but obviously not for all songs. That's why we’re sharing this guide of how to remove drums from any song using different tools across various operating systems.
Method 1: Use LALAL.AI (Online, Windows, macOS, iOS & Android)
LALAL.AI is an AI-powered stem separation tool that makes drum removal easy without requiring advanced audio skills. It’s a web-based tool that also has apps for Windows, macOS, iOS and Android.
Here’s how you can use it:
- Open LALAL.AI in your browser or launch the app on any desktop or mobile device. All the steps below show how to isolate drums from a song using the online version of LALAL.AI.
- Select the Drums option from the stems list.
Or you can do it right here using this widget.
- Upload your audio or video file (formats like MP3, WAV, and more are supported).
- After processing, listen to the previews of the separated stems.
- Adjust settings if necessary, such as turning off Enhanced Processing if the stems sound overcompressed.
- Press Split in Full if you like what you hear.
- Export your isolated drum track or the rest of the music without drums in the format of your choice.
- Download the processed stems directly or via the link sent to your email.
This method is fast, efficient, and requires no installation, making it ideal for those who want a quick solution.
🎧 Read also: How to Clear a Sample for Release
Method 2: Moises.ai (Online, Windows, macOS, iOS & Android)
Moises.ai is another excellent web-based app for drum extraction. While it no longer supports YouTube URLs, you can still upload audio files or extract stems from services like SoundCloud.
- Visit the site and click Start Free.
- Upload your audio file to Moises.ai.
- Choose the stem — Drum — and Moises will separate it from your mix.
- Download the drum track or the track minus the drums in MP3 or WAV formats.
The web interface is user-friendly, and you can store all your processed tracks in a personal library for future use. Then just upload the track in your DAW for further editing.
Apart from Moises.ai and LALAL.AI, there’s a plethora of similar apps—PhonicMind, VocalRemover (yes, it can separate drums, too), Fadr, and EaseUS Online Vocal Remover are just a few to name.
🎹 Read also: What's the Difference Between a Remix, a Mashup and an Edit? And How to Make Them
Method 3: Phase Inversion Technique (Windows, macOS, Linux)
For those who prefer more of a DIY approach, phase inversion is an old-school but effective method for reducing or removing drums. This technique works best for stereo tracks and can be done using free tools like Audacity, GarageBand, and Adobe Audition.
- Import the audio into Audacity. Ensure you can select the left and right channels separately since most music tracks are mixed in stereo. You can easily do this by dragging and dropping your audio file into Audacity.
- Invert one channel by going to Effects > Invert. No worries, this won’t change the sound of the audio channels.
- Adjust volume levels and apply equalization to further suppress drum frequencies.
This method isn’t as precise as AI-based tools, but with some tweaking, it can achieve acceptable results for drum removal.
Method 4: Use FL Studio (Windows, macOS)
FL Studio is a popular DAW that offers built-in stem separation among other features. Here’s how to isolate the drums in this DAW:
- Open FL Studio and import your audio file to the editing panel.
- Select the Extract stems from a sample feature in the Sample section.
- Check the Drums box to isolate the drum track.
- Export the isolated stems, mute the drums, and save the rest of the track.
While FL Studio is more feature-rich than web-based tools, it takes more time and expertise.
Read also: Best DAWs for Beginners
Method 6: VST Plugins (Windows & macOS)
For more flexibility in controlling drum extraction, several VST plugins are available. These plugins can be loaded into any DAW:
- UNMIX Drums
- XTrax Stems 2
- Drum Extract
These tools offer more customization options, allowing for refined results compared to web-based apps. But at the same time, using them requires a DAW and some audio editing knowledge.
💡 If neither method gives you the desired results, you can also try lowering the drum volume by adjusting specific frequencies with a parametric equalizer in your DAW. Reducing the following frequencies by a few decibels may help (150 Hz (snare drum), 90 Hz (kick drum), 4 kHz (cymbals).
The best tool for the job depends on your experience level and how precise you need the separation to be. Each method offers its own advantages, so give them a try and find what works best for your drumming practice, sampling, or remixing.
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