Chord Lens
YouTube stem splitter
AI YouTube Stem Splitter: six stems from any song
Split any song into vocals, drums, bass, piano, guitar and everything else, each on its own fader. Upload an MP3, WAV or M4A in the Studio. The split runs on your own computer, and the chords keep playing in time while you mix. Free to try.
Last updated
The short version
At a
glance.
one song, six faders
Chord Lens splits a song you upload into six parts you can mute, solo and mix while you play along. Everything else on this page is the detail.
- Six stems from one uploadvocals, drums, bass, piano, guitar and other
- Mute, solo, set each leveltake out the part you play
- Five mixes in one clickall stems, vocals only, instrumental, karaoke, rhythm only
- Runs on your computerthe split happens in your browser
- Chords keep playingin time, while you mix
- Loop and slow it downdrill the bar you keep missing
- Change the keythe stems move with it
- A metronome on the beatcount yourself in over the band
- Your own audioupload an MP3, WAV or M4A in the Studio
- Free to trya 2-minute part of a song on Free
01 / 10 · What it is
One song in.
Six stems out.
A stem splitter takes a finished song and pulls it back apart into the parts it was made of: the voice, the drums, the bass, the keys, the guitars and the rest. You can then turn each one up, down or off, the way an engineer would at a mixing desk, except the song was never yours to open in a studio.
Chord Lens does it in the Studio, from a file you upload. Drop in an MP3, WAV or M4A and split. Covers, live takes and new releases split the same way as hits, because Chord Lens works from the audio you give it, not from a catalogue.
The split lands where you practise. The six faders sit under the song’s sections, the chords run in time above them, and the loop, the speed and the key are one click away. You never leave the page to load six files into another app before you can play a note.
It suits a bassist who can’t hear the line under a loud guitar, a singer who wants the band without the lead, and a drummer who wants to be the drummer. Each of them gets the same six stems and mixes them their own way.
Watching on YouTube? The Chrome extension works right on the video, listening to the song as it plays.
Upload-a-file splitters
Hand back stems as files you load into another app before you can play along.
Split where you play
Splits the song you upload and keeps it in one place: six faders, the chords in time, the loop and the speed.
02 / 10 · How to
Split a song
in four steps.
nothing to install in the Studio
Open the Studio
Go to chordlens.app/studio on a computer and sign in with Google.
Upload your song
Drop in an MP3, WAV or M4A file, up to 50 MB.
Split the song
Press Split stems. On Free, place the 2-minute window over the part you want first. The first split sets the engine up once.
Mix it as it plays
Mute the singer, solo the bass, or pull the guitar down and play the part yourself.
Rather stay on YouTube? Add Chord Lens to Chrome and open any video: it listens to the song as it plays and shows the chords under the video.
Add to ChromeThe chords come first because they’re quick: the server listens to the song and sends the chart back. The split comes second because it happens on your own machine, and you can start playing along with the chords while it runs. A song you split stays split in the Studio, so the next time you open it the stems are already there.
03 / 10 · The six stems
Six stems.
Each on its own fader.
Every split gives you the same six stems, each with its own fader, pan, mute and solo, lined up under the chords so you can see where you are in the song.
- Vocals
- Drums
- Bass
- Piano
- Guitar
- Other
Vocals
The lead and the harmonies. Mute it for a backing track, or keep only it to hear the words.
Drums and bass
The groove, apart. Solo the bass to learn the line, or drop the drums and keep time yourself.
Piano, guitar, other
The harmony parts, and everything else (strings, synths, horns, backing voices) in the sixth stem.
Above the faders sit five mixes you can reach in one click: All stems, Vocals only, Instrumental (the lead vocal out), Karaoke (the vocals and Other out, since backing voices tend to land in Other) and Rhythm only (just drums and bass). A mix only sets mute and solo, so the levels you set stay where you put them. Reset mix takes you back to the song as it was recorded.
A metronome sits under the stems with a fader of its own. It clicks on the song’s own beat, so you can mute the drums and still keep time, or turn it up to count yourself in.
04 / 10 · Practise it
Loop it.
Slow it. Move it.
the stems follow
- Key
- −2
- Move the song up or down, up to 12 semitones in the Studio or 6 in the extension. Every stem moves with it and every chord is re-spelled.
- Loop
- Bars 9–12
- Loop the bars you’re learning and play them until they sit.
- Speed
- 0.75×
- Slow the split song down, anywhere from half speed to double, to learn a fast part. The pitch stays put.
The chart keeps running while you mix. The chord on the beat lights up, the next one waits beside it, and the words run underneath where the song has lyrics, so you can watch the changes while the bass plays alone.
Splitting and slowing down work well together. A fast bass run that blurs at full speed comes apart at three-quarters with the bass soloed, and a strumming pattern hidden under the drums gets plain once the guitar is alone and the loop holds the bar still.
05 / 10 · On your computer
Split on your
own computer.
The split runs in your browser on your own computer, not in a queue somewhere. The first time, the Studio sets the splitting engine up: it downloads once, about 140 MB, and you see “Setting up splitting…” and then “Ready to split”. After that a song splits while you watch the progress, and the engine stays ready for the next one.
Splitting needs a computer, in Chrome or Edge, with the browser’s hardware acceleration on. Phones and tablets don’t give a web page enough memory to split a song, so on a phone you still get the chords, the words and the sections, but not the split.
A bigger song takes a little longer, and a faster computer splits faster. While it runs you can keep reading the chords, loop a section or set the key; the stems drop into the mixer when they’re ready.
06 / 10 · How clean
Clean enough to play over.
Honest about the rest.
Vocals, drums and bass usually come out clean enough to play over. A muted singer leaves the band intact, and a soloed bass is clear enough to learn the line note by note.
Parts that share the same space are harder. Two guitars an octave apart, a piano under a pad, a vocal drenched in reverb: some of one bleeds into another. Old mono recordings and heavy distortion split less cleanly too. It’s a practice tool, not a studio master.
The Other stem is where everything without a stem of its own goes: strings, synths, horns, and often the backing vocals. If a part you expected in Guitar or Piano isn’t there, look for it in Other.
We don’t print a quality score, because no single number is true of every song. The honest test is your own: split a verse, mute your part and play.
Still hear a bit of a muted part?
- Pull its neighbour down a little too: a ghost vocal often hides in Other.
- Play louder than it. You’re practising over it, not mixing a record.
- Solo the part you’re learning instead of muting the rest.
- Try a studio version: live takes split less cleanly.
07 / 10 · Compared
Chord Lens vs
the other ways.
There are a few common ways to get the parts of a song you want to learn. Each has its place; here is where they differ.
| Upload-a-file splitters | Audio editor | By ear | Chord Lens | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chords in time while you mix | Rarely | No | No | Yes |
| Key and speed on the split | Another app | Another app | — | Built in |
| Mute and solo while it plays | After you load the files | In an audio editor | — | Six faders |
| Works on phones | Some do | Rarely | Yes | Chords yes, split no |
| Cost | Per file or subscription | Your time | Your time | Free to try |
Learning a part by ear is still the best training there is, and an upload splitter is fine when you want stems to take into a project. Chord Lens is for the moment in between: you heard a song, you want to play your part over it, and you want the chords there while you do.
08 / 10 · How players use it
Five ways
players use it.
Learn a bass line
Solo the bass, slow it to 0.75× and loop the bar until your fingers have it.
Sing it yourself
Mute the vocals and sing over the band, with the words in time on the chart.
Play the guitar part
Pull the guitar down and play it over the rest, chords on screen.
Drum along
Mute the drums, turn on the metronome, and be the drummer.
Name a chord you can’t hear
Solo the bass and the piano: the bass note is usually the root, and the piano shows the rest.
Bands use it to learn a cover before a rehearsal, each player with their own part soloed. Teachers use it to show a student what the bass is doing under a chorus. Worship teams use it to learn a new song in the key they play it in, a step down from the record, with the stems moved too, and rehearse it over a guide track that calls each section.
09 / 10 · What it won’t do
What it
won’t do.
so you know before you split
Stem downloads, for your own study
On Free the stems play in Chord Lens. Premium downloads 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 and the words.
Files up to 50 MB
A bigger file can’t be opened. The Studio takes MP3, WAV and M4A.
Not a studio master
It’s made for practice: some bleed between parts is normal.
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, a few times a day. Premium splits up to 8 minutes of a song and Pro up to 12; a longer song gets a window of that length, placed where you want it. Chords and the lyrics a song already has stay free on every plan, with no ads; key and speed are free in Chrome.
See plans and prices01How do I split a song into stems?
Open the Chord Lens Studio on a computer, upload the song as an MP3, WAV or M4A file, and split it. The six stems appear under the chords, each on its own fader, and the chords keep playing in time while you mix.
02Which stems does it make?
Six: vocals, drums, bass, piano, guitar and other. Other holds whatever has no stem of its own, such as strings, synths, horns and often the backing vocals.
03Can 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.
04Does the split run on my computer?
Yes. The split runs in your browser on your own computer. The first time, the Studio downloads the splitting engine once, about 140 MB; after that each song splits while you watch.
05Can I mute the vocals for karaoke?
Yes. Press M on Vocals, or pick Instrumental to take the lead out, or Karaoke to take out the vocals and Other together. The words keep running in time on the chart.
06Can I solo just the bass or the drums?
Yes. Press S on any stem to hear it alone, or pick Rhythm only for the drums and bass together. Slow it down and loop the bar to learn the part.
07How clean is the separation?
Clean enough to play over on most songs, and vocals, drums and bass usually split best. Parts that share the same space, heavy distortion and old mono recordings bleed more. It’s made for practice, not for a studio master.
08Why can I still hear a little of a muted part?
Some of a part can bleed into a neighbouring stem, most often into Other. Pull that stem down a little too, solo the part you’re learning instead, or try a studio version of the song.
09Is it free?
Yes, to try. Free splits a 2-minute part of a song, the part you choose, a few times a day. Chords and the lyrics a song already has are free on every plan, with no ads; 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.
10How long a song can I split?
Free splits 2 minutes of a song, Premium up to 8 minutes and Pro up to 12. A longer song gets a window of that length, placed where you want it. Every plan also has a longest song it will open.
11Can I split a song on my phone?
No. Splitting needs a computer, in Chrome or Edge, because phones and tablets don’t give a web page enough memory. On a phone you still get the chords, the words and the sections.
12Can I loop, slow down or change the key after splitting?
Yes. Play from half speed to double with the pitch left where it is, loop any bars, and move the key up to 12 semitones in the Studio or 6 in the extension. Every stem follows.
13Can I split my own files?
Yes, in the Studio: upload an MP3, WAV or M4A file (up to 50 MB) and it splits into the six stems, with chords.
14Can I download the stems?
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.
15Is it legal to isolate stems from copyrighted music?
Practising and studying a song yourself (learning it, transcribing a part, playing along) is broadly considered fair use under US copyright law, and similar rules apply elsewhere. That is what Chord Lens is for. Stem downloads on Premium (MP3) and Pro (WAV) are for your own personal study only, not to share or publish. To publish a cover, use the original audio under YouTube’s licensing, or get a sync license.
16Is this different from the vocal remover?
It’s the same split. The vocal remover page is about one fader, the vocals, for karaoke and acapella; this page is about all six stems. Both open in the same Studio.
In short
The whole page
in four lines.
Six stems.
Vocals, drums, bass, piano, guitar and the rest.
On your computer.
The split runs in your browser, nothing to install.
Chords stay on.
Mix while the chart plays in time.
Free to try.
A 2-minute part on Free; longer on Premium and Pro.