# Backing track maker: the real band, minus you > Backing track maker: upload a song, split it into six stems, mute your part and play along with the original band, chords in time. Free to try. Source: https://chordlens.app/backing-track-maker Backing track maker Make a backing track from any song you upload: split it into six parts, mute the one you play, and play along with the original recording. Slow it down, loop the hard bars and change the key. Upload an MP3, WAV or M4A in the Studio. Free to try: Free splits a 2-minute part. [Add to Chrome — it’s free](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/chord-lens-ai-youtube-cho/iedoccahfccciahmalgjakejfmbnahnp) [Upload a song in the Studio](https://chordlens.app/studio) Last updated October 2026 ![The Chord Lens Studio’s stems mixer with the Guitar stem muted: the guitar waveform dimmed while vocals, drums, bass, piano and other keep playing, and the Rhythm only preset above the faders.](https://chordlens.app/assets/landing/product/guitar-muted.webp) Or keep only drums and bass Mute your part: guitar out The short version ## At a glance. play it with the band Chord Lens splits the song into six stems so you can mute your instrument and play its part over everyone else, with the chords in time. Everything else on this page is the detail. - **Six stems from one song** vocals, drums, bass, piano, guitar, other - **Mute or solo any of them** take out the part you play - **Rhythm only** one press: just drums and bass - **Chords in time** see what to play as it comes - **Slow it down** practise at your speed, in the same key - **Change the key** the whole band moves - **A click on the beat** the Studio’s metronome - **Your own audio** upload an MP3, WAV or M4A in the Studio - **Free to try** a 2-minute part on Free 01 / 10 · What it is ## The band. Your part. A backing track is the song with one part missing, the part you’re going to play. Most are re-recorded by someone else, in their arrangement, and only for songs popular enough to bother with. Chord Lens makes one from the original recording. It splits the song into six stems and lets you mute yours, so you play along with the actual band, the actual groove and the chords in time on screen. It happens where you already are. Under a YouTube video, the Chrome extension splits the song and puts a mute, a solo and a fader on each stem beside the chords. In the Studio, the stems mixer gives every stem a row of its own, with its waveform, so you can see the part you took out. It suits a guitarist learning a cover, a bassist who wants the drummer without the bass line, a singer who wants the band without the voice, and a drummer who wants the band without the kit. Each of them gets the same record with their own part taken out. Have the song as a file? The Studio makes backing tracks from MP3, WAV and M4A the same way. Elsewhere ### Backing track sites Sell re-recorded versions of popular songs, one track per song, in the arrangement they chose. Chord Lens ### The real recording Mutes your part from the song itself, any song you can open, with the chords on screen. 02 / 10 · How to ## Make a backing track in four steps. just open the song 1. **Open the song** Upload an MP3, WAV or M4A file in the Studio, up to 50 MB. On YouTube, Chord Lens in Chrome listens to the song as it plays. 2. **Split the song** Press Split. On Free, pick the 2 minutes you want to play. 3. **Mute your part** Press M on your instrument, or Rhythm only to keep just drums and bass. 4. **Play along** Read the chords in time and play your part with the band. On the Mac? The Chord Lens app runs the same Studio. [Get the Mac app](https://chordlens.app/download) The chords are there from the first note; the backing track needs a split first. Under the video, sign in and split it; in the Studio, upload a file. The split runs while you watch, and the stems are ready to mute as soon as it’s done. 03 / 10 · Your part ## Mute yours. Keep everyone else. Every split gives you six stems, each with a mute, a solo and a fader. Take out the part you play, or keep only the rhythm section and play everything else. - Vocals - Drums - Bass - Piano - Guitar - Other - **Guitarists** Mute Guitar and play the part over the band. - **Bass and drums** Mute your stem and be the rhythm section. - **Keys and singers** Mute Piano or Vocals and take the lead. Above the faders sit mixes you can reach in one press: All stems, Vocals only, Instrumental, Karaoke and Rhythm only, which solos the drums and bass together. A mix only sets mute and solo, so the levels you set stay where you put them. Mute more than one stem if you like: a guitarist and a singer can take out both their parts and play the song as a duo over the rest. 04 / 10 · Practise it ## Loop it. Slow it. Move it. the band follows Loop A–B Loop the bars you’re learning and play them until they sit. Speed 0.75× Slow the band down to learn a fast part; the pitch stays put. Key −2 Move the whole band to a key you can play in. Loop, speed and key all work over the split, so the part you muted stays out while the rest of the band slows down or moves key, and every chord on the chart is re-spelled for the new key. Key and speed are free in Chrome and, once you sign in, in the Studio, for the whole song up to your plan’s song-length limit. For a closer look at the speeds and loops, see [Slow Down Songs](https://chordlens.app/slow-down-songs). 05 / 10 · Where it runs ## Split on your own computer. The split runs in your browser on your own computer, not in a queue somewhere. The first time, Chord Lens sets the splitting engine up once; after that a song splits while you watch. Splitting needs a computer: phones get the chords, not the split. 06 / 10 · How clean ## Clean enough to play over. Honest about the rest. Drums, bass and vocals usually come out clean, so muting one leaves a tight band to play over. Parts that share the same space are harder. Two guitars, or a piano under a pad, can bleed into each other, so a muted guitar may leave a faint trace. It’s a practice tool, not a studio backing track. ### Still hear your part? 1. Pull its neighbour down too: a second guitar often sits in Other. 2. Play louder than it: you’re playing over it, not mixing. 3. Solo the part to learn it first, then mute it. 4. Try a studio version: live takes split less cleanly. 07 / 10 · Compared ## Chord Lens vs other backing tracks. Three ways to get a backing track for a song you want to play, and where they differ. | | Backing track sites | Jam track videos | Play over the record | Chord Lens | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Any song you can open | Only those sold | Only those made | Yes | Yes | | The original band | Re-recorded | Re-recorded | Yes | Yes | | Your part muted | Yes | Usually | No | Any part | | Chords in time | No | Sometimes | No | Yes | | Slow, loop, key | No | No | Speed only | Built in | | Cost | Per song | Free, with ads | Free | Free to try | A good backing track site earns its place for a standard you play every week, and a jam track is fine for practising over a groove. Chord Lens is for the song you just heard: the original recording, your part out, and the chords there in time while you play. 08 / 10 · How players use it ## Four ways players use it. - **Learn a song for a gig** Mute your part and run the set with the real band. - **Lock in with a drummer** Keep Rhythm only and play everything else over the groove. - **Practise a solo** Mute the guitar, loop the solo bars, slow them, play. - **Rehearse at home** Each band member mutes their own part and practises alone. Teachers mute the student’s instrument so the lesson has a band behind it. Worship teams learn a new song in the key they’ll lead it in. Singers who want the band without the voice will find more on the [YouTube Vocal Remover](https://chordlens.app/youtube-vocal-remover) page, and anyone who wants every stem on its own can start at the [YouTube Stem Splitter](https://chordlens.app/youtube-stem-splitter). For a routine to rehearse on your own, read how to [practice without a band](https://chordlens.app/guides/practice-without-a-band). 09 / 10 · What it won’t do ## What it won’t do. so you know before you split - **Downloads, for your own study** On Free the stems play in Chord Lens. Premium downloads the stems, or your mix of them, as MP3 and Pro adds WAV, for your own personal study and practice, not to share or publish. - **No split on phones** Splitting needs a computer. On a phone you still get the chords. - **No private videos** Private, age-restricted, members-only and removed videos can’t be opened. - **Not a studio stem** Some bleed between parts is normal; it’s made for practice. Chord Lens is for practising and studying a song yourself: learning it, working out a part, playing along. That kind of personal use is broadly considered fair use under US copyright law, with similar rules elsewhere. Stem downloads on Premium and Pro are for that same personal study, not to share, sell or publish. To publish a cover, use the original audio under YouTube’s licensing, or get a sync license. 10 / 10 · Plans ## Free to try. Free splits a 2-minute part of a song, the part you choose. Premium and Pro split the whole song. Chords and the lyrics a song already has are free on every plan; key and speed are free in Chrome and, once you sign in, in the Studio, for the whole song up to your plan’s song-length limit. [See plans and prices](https://chordlens.app/#pricing) FAQ ## Quick answers. the short answers ### Still stuck? Open the Studio and send us a note with Feedback in its sidebar. A person reads every one. [Send feedback](https://chordlens.app/studio?feedback) ### How do I make a backing track from a song? Upload the song in the Chord Lens Studio, split it, then mute your instrument. The rest of the band keeps playing with the chords in time. ### Which parts can I mute? Any of the six stems: vocals, drums, bass, guitar, piano and other. Each has its own mute, solo and fader, so you can take out one part or several. ### Can I keep only the drums and bass? Yes. Press Rhythm only and you hear just the drums and bass, so you can play everything else over the groove. ### Can I slow the backing track down? Yes. Slow it down and the pitch stays put, so the band stays in the key you play in. Loop the hard bars and drill them at the speed you can play. ### Can I change the key? Yes. Move the key and the whole band moves with it, and every chord on the chart is re-spelled for the new key. Key and speed are free in Chrome and, once you sign in, in the Studio, for the whole song up to your plan’s song-length limit. ### Is it the original recording? Yes. Chord Lens splits the song itself, so you play along with the original band, not a re-recorded version of it. ### Why can I still hear a bit of my part? Parts that share the same space can bleed into each other, like two guitars, or a piano under a pad. Pull the neighbouring stem down too: a second guitar often sits in Other. ### Is it free? Free to try. Free splits a 2-minute part of a song, the part you choose; Premium and Pro split the whole song. Chords and the lyrics a song already has are free on every plan. ### How much of a song can I play on Free? A 2-minute part, the part you pick before you split. Premium and Pro split the whole song. ### Can I do it on my phone? Not the split: splitting needs a computer, because it runs in your browser on your own machine. On a phone you still get the chords. ### Can I save the backing track? On Premium you can download the stems, or your mix of them, as MP3 from the Studio, and Pro adds WAV. Downloads are for your own personal study and practice, not to share, sell or publish. On Free the stems play in Chord Lens. ### Can I use Chord Lens on my own files, or only YouTube? Both. The Chrome extension works right on the YouTube video you’re watching, listening to the song as it plays. To split stems, upload your own audio in the Studio (MP3, WAV or M4A, up to 50 MB). Premium exports stems as MP3 and Pro adds WAV, for your own study and practice. ### Do the chords show? Yes. The chart follows the song as you play: the chord on the beat lights up, and the words run underneath where the song has lyrics. ### Can I add a metronome? Yes, in the Studio. The metronome has its own row in the mixer and clicks on the song’s own beat, so it slows with the song. ### Is this different from the stem splitter? It’s the same split, used one way. The [YouTube Stem Splitter](https://chordlens.app/youtube-stem-splitter) page is about the six stems themselves; this page is about muting your part and playing along with the rest. In short ## The whole page in four lines. 1. **Six stems.** Split from the original song. 2. **Mute yours.** Play your part with the real band. 3. **Chords in time.** Loop, slow and change the key. 4. **Free to try.** A 2-minute part on Free; the whole song on Premium and Pro. Keep going ## More from Chord Lens. [All tools](https://chordlens.app/tools) - [YouTube Stem Splitter Six stems from a song you upload.](https://chordlens.app/youtube-stem-splitter) - [YouTube to Chords Open a video, get the chords in time.](https://chordlens.app/youtube-to-chords) - [All Chord Lens tools Chords, stems, practice and singing.](https://chordlens.app/tools) ## Mute your part. Play with the band. [Add to Chrome — it’s free](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/chord-lens-ai-youtube-cho/iedoccahfccciahmalgjakejfmbnahnp)