How do I remove the lead singer but keep the backing vocals?

Isolate the lead and backing vocals as separate parts (Creator and up), take the instrumental from the core split, and play the backing vocals with the instrumental. The lead is the only part you leave out.

What does the lead and backing split cost?

990 credits per minute of source audio for one or both parts. A 4-minute song is 3,960 credits; adding the instrumental from the core group makes it 6,600.

Can I do this on the free plan?

The Karaoke preset, on every plan, gives you the instrumental and the whole vocal. Splitting lead from backing is a Creator feature.

Why are some harmonies in the lead file?

A backing line that doubles the lead — same words, same rhythm, close in pitch — is barely distinguishable in the recording. Harmonies on different words or in a different register separate far more cleanly.

When is the plain two-part split better?

When the song has no real backing vocals, or when you want a bare instrumental. Two-way separation has the least to get wrong, so it is also the cleanest result available.

Stem Splitter

Karaoke tracks that keep the backing vocals

A karaoke track with the harmonies still in it sounds like the record. How to take out only the lead singer, what it costs, and when the plain two-part split is the better choice.

Lesson 5 · core · 5 min read

Open Stem Splitter

Most karaoke tracks are made by removing every voice. That works on every plan, but the chorus of a pop song loses half of what made it a chorus. Taking out only the lead singer leaves the harmonies, the “oohs” and the call-and-response parts in place — the track sounds like the record with a gap where you sing.

Two routes, two results

Route: What you get
Karaoke preset — every plan: Instrumental and full vocal. Every voice is gone from the instrumental, backing vocals included.
Lead + backing vocals — Creator+: The lead singer and the backing vocals as separate files. Add the core instrumental and mix the backing vocals back in.

Pick by what you want the chorus to sound like.

What it costs

The vocal pair is 990 credits per minute, whether you take one part or both. The instrumental is a separate core group at 660 credits per minute. For a 4-minute song that is 6,600 credits for both groups together. The tool shows the full total before anything runs.

Tip

Listen to the backing-vocal file before you commit to it. If it is mostly the lead singer's double, the plain instrumental will sound cleaner under your voice.

What does not separate well

Double-tracked leads — the second take is a backing vocal only in the sense that it is not the first.
Unison gang vocals, where everyone sings the same line at once.
Heavy reverb on the lead, whose tail tends to land in the backing file.
Live recordings with a crowd singing along.

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