Acapellas are all the rage these days. DJs use them in remixes, artists use them to make covers, and content creators take advantage of them in their video content.

However, getting a clean acapella used to be a pain (if you remember the old-school Audacity trick, you know exactly what I mean). Often, this left you with a poor-quality source and tons of background noise.

Thankfully, those days are behind us. Now, there are plenty of tools that make extracting vocals a breeze. With just a few clicks, you can get a clean, professional-sounding acapella that sounds like you actually had access to the original session.

In this post, I’ll walk you through some of the best ways to create acapellas today and show you the tool that’s made many producers' lives a whole lot easier.

What Is an Acapella?

An acapella is simply a vocal track without any accompanying instrumental elements. In other words, an acapella track is just the singer’s isolated vocals.

Acapellas are often used in remixing, sampling, or creative projects because they give producers the freedom to manipulate the vocals however they want, without being locked into the original arrangement.

While the best way to acquire an acapella track from your favorite song would be to get the stems straight from the source (aka get the original stereo audio tracks from the music producer), you can also use acapella extractor software or an online acapella maker to create your own stereo tracks.

How to Make an Acapella with Audacity

Audacity is a classic, open-source audio editing software that many producers and musicians, including myself, have used for years. It’s powerful, and while it doesn't have the most advanced vocal isolation algorithms, it’s a solid choice for beginners. Plus, it’s totally free, which is a big plus!

Here's how you make an acapella in 2025 using Audacity:

1. Download and Install Audacity : If you haven’t already, go ahead and grab it from Audacity’s website .
2. Import the Song : Open Audacity, then drag your song (in WAV or MP3 format) into the workspace.
3. Invert the Stereo Channels : If the song has vocals panned to the center, you can remove them by inverting one channel. Here’s how:
   • Split the stereo track by right-clicking the track and selecting "Split Stereo to Mono."
   • Select one of the mono tracks and go to "Effect" > "Invert."
4. Mix and Export : After inverting, play back the track. If the vocals are centered, the vocals should be reduced or removed. Adjust as necessary, then export your acapella.

While Audacity is a great free tool, it isn’t perfect when it comes to creating high-quality instrumental tracks. The vocal isolation algorithm can often leave artifacts or unwanted background noise, especially with complex tracks.

It also requires a bit of a learning curve for new users (the interface is not the prettiest), and its vocal isolation capabilities are not as advanced as other dedicated stem separation tools.

How to Make an Acapella with Spleeter by Deezer

Spleeter is an AI-powered vocal remover and stem separation tool developed by Deezer that’s incredibly fast and accurate when it comes to separating vocals from a track. It's available as open-source software, but you can also use online services built around it if you'd prefer.

Here's how it works:

• Install or Use an Online Service : If you’re using the free, open-source version, you’ll need to install Spleeter on your computer. Alternatively, you can use an online platform like Spleeter Online if you don’t want to install anything.
• Upload or Load Your Song : Open Spleeter (either online or through your local install), then load your track.
• Choose the Number of Stems : Spleeter lets you separate tracks into either 2, 4, or 5 stems (vocals, drums, bass, piano, etc.). For an acapella, you’ll choose the 2-stem option.
• Download the Acapella : Spleeter will quickly process the track, separating the vocals. Once done, download your acapella.

While Spleeter is fast and often accurate, it’s not perfect. The AI may struggle with more complex tracks or when vocals aren’t panned directly in the center.

Plus, the local installation requires some technical knowledge, which can be a barrier for beginners who just want something plug-and-play.

The Problem with Many Low-Quality Acapella Makers

While there’s no shortage of tools that claim to isolate vocals and create acapellas, many of them fall short.

One of the biggest issues we see with low-quality acapella makers is that they leave artifacts . While many tools remove the instrumental portion of a track, they often leave behind unwanted remnants, like little bits of bass, snare hits, or even reverb mixed in with the vocals.

There's nothing worse than spending time acquiring a file and uploading it into stem-splitting software just to get an acapella that sounds muddy or hollow.

Many of these tools use basic algorithms to isolate vocals that aren't very precise, leaving you with a vocal version of your song without the original fidelity .

In an attempt to isolate the vocals to create an acapella version, the tool may strip out parts of the vocal performance itself, leaving you with a weak or distorted version of the singer’s voice. This is especially true if you're working with a track that has heavy effects on the vocals, such as reverb or delay.

Lastly, many free or cheap acapella tools struggle with complex tracks . If your song has overlapping frequencies between the vocals and the instruments, or if the vocals aren’t panned clearly in the center, these tools can’t always figure out what to remove and what to keep. From there, you get patchwork acapella tracks that are often riddled with awkward gaps or weird echoes that make it nearly impossible to use in a remix or production.

Using Stemify to Create Acapella Versions of Your Favorite Tracks

Stemify is a stem separation tool by eMastered that is ultra-precise and easy to use. Unlike Spleeter and Audacity, Stemify was specifically made for high-quality, professional-grade stem separation. It’s perfect for those who want an acapella with minimal artifacts.

• Sign Up and Upload Your Track : Go to the Stemify page, sign up for an account, and upload the track you want to extract vocals from.
• Choose Stem Separation : Once your track is uploaded, select the option to separate the vocals.
• Download the Acapella : After processing, Stemify will give you an option to download the acapella. You can also download other stems (drums, bass, etc.) if needed for your remix.

What Makes Stemify the Best Choice

Stemify is one of the best pieces of software for creating high-quality, professional-grade stem separation.

With its one-of-a-kind AI algorithm, you can make a clear, accurate acapella vocal track with minimal artifacts, even from complex mixes. The platform is user-friendly and designed with the needs of producers and musicians in mind, making it quick and easy to extract clean vocals.

You can also customize an instrumental version of the song you're using with different algorithms for different instruments, perfect for karaoke tracks or background music for your content.

The processing times are fast, and the output is consistently top-notch, which is why it's become a go-to tool for isolating vocals.

One of the best features of Stemify is its beautiful, intuitive preview page .

Here, you can listen to each individual stem - vocals, drums, piano, or whatever else you need - before you commit to downloading anything. Want to hear just the vocals? Solo them. Curious about how the vocals sound with the piano? Mute the drums and play both together.

This flexibility makes it easy to experiment with combinations and find the perfect mix for your project. You can even loop playback to focus on a specific section, or instantly alter pitch to match your vision for the track! You basically get a little DAW to play around with!

Check out Stemify today and see just how easy it is to make an acapella from a song!