How to split a YouTube song into stems (Chrome extension)
Install the Riffloop extension, open any song on YouTube, and a panel appears underneath the player. Choose Stem separation, drag the markers to the part you want, and Riffloop gives you six faders — vocals, drums, bass, piano, guitar, and solo and lead — that you can mix, slow down and transpose while the song plays.
Important
Riffloop is a practice tool. It plays the song back from YouTube with the instruments separated so you can play along. It is not a downloader, and nothing is saved to your computer as an audio file.
Before you start
You need Google Chrome and a YouTube song. You do not need a Riffloop account to start — you get three separations a day as a guest, and five a day once you sign in.
Install the extension
- Open the Riffloop — AI Stem Splitter listing in the Chrome Web Store and click Add to Chrome.
- Chrome asks what the extension can reach. Click Add extension.
Riffloop can read and change data on youtube.com and on studio.riffloop.app, and it can display notifications. It does not run anywhere else.
Important
if you already had YouTube open in another tab, refresh that tab once. The panel only appears on pages loaded after the extension was installed.
Open a song and find the panel
Open any song on YouTube. The Riffloop panel appears directly underneath the player.
The panel header shows the Studio link and how many credits you have left today. Below it you get your waveform, the four things you can do with the song, and the sections other people replay most.
Choose what you want to do
Riffloop offers four actions.
- Loop a section — repeat any A→B part, with the original audio untouched.
- Remove vocals — instant, vocals out, so you can sing over the band.
- Backing track — remove one instrument and play its part yourself.
- Stem separation — full control: every instrument on its own fader.
The rest of this guide follows Stem separation, which is the one that produces the six-fader mixer.
Pick your section
Drag the start and end markers on the waveform to the part you want. The Start and End fields show the exact timestamps, and the Now buttons snap a marker to wherever the song is currently playing.
On the free plan you can separate up to one minute at a time. Pro raises that to seven minutes.
Under the waveform, the Most replayed chips suggest the parts of the song other listeners return to most — usually the chorus or the solo, which is often exactly the part you want to practise.
Wait while it separates
Separation runs while the song plays. Riffloop shows a progress percentage and the section it is working on.
Important
keep the video playing. Do not pause, seek, or change the speed while it works. You can switch to another tab — Riffloop notifies you when it is done.
Each separation costs one credit. You get three a day as a guest and five a day once you sign in, and the allowance resets daily.
If you already have the audio file, you can upload it in the Studio instead and skip the wait.
Mix your six stems
When it finishes you get six faders.
Vocals · Drums · Bass · Piano · Guitar · Solo & Lead
Each row has a volume percentage, an S button to solo that stem, and an M button to mute it. Soloing one stem drops the other five to zero; muting takes out just that one.
Use a preset instead
Four presets set all six faders in one click. This is what each one actually does:
| Preset | Vocals | Drums | Bass | Piano | Guitar | Solo & Lead |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vocals only | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Instrumental | 0% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Karaoke | 15% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Rhythm only | 0% | 100% | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Karaoke is not the same as Instrumental. Instrumental takes the vocal out completely; Karaoke leaves it in at 15% as a guide, so you can hear where the line sits while you sing over it.
Rhythm only leaves you drums and bass, which is the mix to practise a guitar or keyboard part against.
The reset button beside the presets returns every fader to 100%.
Slow it down without changing the pitch
The Speed row gives you 0.5×, 0.75×, 1×, 1.25× and 1.5×.
The pitch does not move when you change the speed. At 0.75× the song still sounds like the record, just slower — so a fast passage stays in tune while you learn it.
Change the key
Key Transpose shifts the song in semitones with the − and + buttons.
Use it to bring a song into your vocal range, or to match an instrument in a different tuning. The tempo is unaffected, and the section header shows the offset — for example Key +2 — so you can always see how far you have moved from the original.
Solo a single instrument
Click S on any stem to hear it on its own.
Soloing the guitar with the speed at 0.75× and the key up two semitones gives you one instrument, isolated, slowed and transposed — which is the whole point of the tool. Everything stacks, and you can change any of it while the song keeps playing.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an account?
No. You can start straight away as a guest with three separations a day. Signing in raises that to five a day.
How long a clip can I separate?
One minute at a time on the free plan, and up to seven minutes on Pro.
Why do I have to leave the video playing?
Riffloop separates the audio as the song plays, so pausing, seeking or changing the speed interrupts it. Switching to another tab is fine — it notifies you when it is done.
What is the difference between Karaoke and Instrumental?
Instrumental removes the vocal completely. Karaoke leaves it in quietly, at 15%, as a guide track to sing against.
Does slowing the song down make it sound lower?
No. Speed and pitch are independent. Changing the speed leaves the key where it was, and transposing the key leaves the tempo where it was.
What are the six stems?
Vocals, drums, bass, piano, guitar, and solo and lead.
Can I use my own audio file instead of a YouTube video?
Yes — upload it in the Riffloop Studio, which also skips the separation wait.
What can the extension access?
YouTube and studio.riffloop.app, and it can show notifications. It does not run on any other site.
Can I download the separated stems as audio files?
No. Riffloop is built for practising along with a song in the browser, not for exporting audio.
The panel is not showing under the player.
Refresh the YouTube tab. If the tab was already open when you installed the extension, it needs to reload once before the panel appears.
Still need help?
Still need help? Contact the Riffloop support team →