How to use the Riffloop Studio
Sign in at studio.riffloop.app, bring a song in from a file, a YouTube link or a SoundCloud link, pick the part you want, and separate it. You get six instrument stems with their own faders, mutes and pan, plus the detected tempo, key and time signature, a metronome, speed and key controls, and loops you can save and come back to.
Important
what you can export depends on where the song came from. A file you upload can be exported. A track streamed from YouTube or SoundCloud can be practised with, but not exported.
Studio or extension?
Both split songs into the same six stems, with the same four presets, the same speed steps and the same transpose range. The differences are about what you can put in, how long a section can be, and what you can take out.
| Chrome extension | Studio | |
|---|---|---|
| Account | Not needed to start | Required |
| Where it runs | On the YouTube page, under the player | studio.riffloop.app |
| What you can bring in | The YouTube video you are watching | A file you upload (MP3, WAV, M4A, FLAC, OGG, up to 50 MB), a YouTube link, or a SoundCloud link |
| Section length | 1 minute free, 7 minutes on Pro | No cap |
| Separation quality | One engine | Standard or Best (Best is Pro) |
| What it detects | Tempo, for the click | Tempo, key and time signature, and a solo if it finds one |
| Pan | No | Yes, per stem |
| Metronome | Yes, with a count-in | Yes, at the detected tempo, with a 2-bar count-in |
| Export | No, on any plan | Files you upload only. MP3, M4A or WAV (WAV is Pro) |
| Saved loops | Yes | Yes, searchable by label, song or stem, with Your songs and Your sections |
| Free allowance | 3 a day as a guest, 5 signed in | 5 a day |
The same on both: six stems, the four presets, solo and mute per stem, speed at 0.5×, 0.75×, 1×, 1.25× and 1.5×, and transpose across −12 to +12 semitones.
The short version. Use the extension when the song is already on YouTube and you just want to play along. Use the Studio when the song is a file you own, when you need longer than the extension allows, or when you want to keep the stems.
Before you start
You need a Riffloop account. Open studio.riffloop.app and choose Continue with Google.
Signing in also syncs your saved sections between the extension and the web, and raises your daily quota on Pro.
Bring in a song
The Stem Separator gives you three ways in.
- Upload file accepts MP3, WAV, M4A, FLAC and OGG, up to 50 MB.
- YouTube takes a link. Riffloop shows the video it found, then you press Continue.
- SoundCloud takes a link the same way.
Uploading skips a step. A streamed track has to be captured while it plays, in real time. A file you already have does not, so it goes straight to separating.
Choose what to do with the song
Riffloop offers four things.
- Loop a section: repeat any A to 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, with every instrument on its own fader.
The rest of this guide follows Stem separation.
Pick your section
Drag the A and B handles across the waveform. The fields below show the exact timestamps and the length of your selection against the length of the song.
Shorter regions separate faster, and Riffloop's own tip is that tighter selections separate more cleanly. The Most replayed markers jump you to the parts other listeners return to most, which is usually the chorus or the solo.
Choose the quality
Next to the Separate to stems button you can pick the separation quality.
- Standard is the quick one.
- Best is the higher-quality separation, and it is part of Pro. On the free plan it appears as Best (Pro).
If the song is streamed, allow tab audio
For a YouTube or SoundCloud track, Chrome asks to share the tab.
Keep This tab selected, leave Also allow tab audio switched on, and click Allow.
Important
if tab audio is off, Riffloop gets no sound and the capture is wasted.
While it captures
Riffloop records your section in real time and shows the progress.
Do not pause, seek, change the speed, switch to another video, or stop sharing until it finishes. If you want to stop early and keep what has been captured so far, use Use what I've got.
An uploaded file skips this entirely.
The mixer
When separation finishes you land in the mixer.
Across the top, Riffloop shows what it worked out about the song by itself: the tempo in BPM, the key, and the time signature. If it finds a solo, it marks it, for example Guitar solo · detected.
Each of the six stems has:
- a volume fader with a percentage
- M to mute that stem
- S to solo it, which drops the other five to zero
- a pan knob, left to right
Below the stems you also get a metronome at the detected tempo, with an optional 2-bar count-in.
Presets
Four presets move every fader at once. 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 removes the vocal completely. Karaoke leaves it in quietly, at 15%, as a guide to sing against.
Rhythm only leaves drums and bass, which is the mix to practise a guitar or keyboard part against.
Reset returns every fader to 100%.
Speed and key
- Speed: 0.5×, 0.75×, 1×, 1.25× and 1.5×. The pitch does not move, so a fast passage stays in tune while you learn it.
- Transpose: up or down in semitones, across a range of −12 to +12. The tempo is unaffected.
The two stack, so you can take one instrument, slow it down and move it into your range at the same time.
Save a loop
Set the mix you want and choose Save loop. The loop keeps your stem balance with it, so it comes back the way you left it.
Saved loops appear under Saved loops in the sidebar, on the Your sections page, where you can search them by label, song or stem, preview them, and scrub the waveform. Your separated songs are listed under Your songs with their source and how many loops each one has.
Export
Export is for files you upload. A track streamed from YouTube or SoundCloud can be practised with, but not exported.
For an uploaded file you can export:
- File format: MP3, M4A, or WAV. WAV is part of Pro.
- Individual channels: vocals, drums, bass, piano, guitar, and the metronome click at the detected tempo.
- Export all channels at once.
- Export mix, which is your current fader balance as a single file.
On the free plan, exports include the first 60 seconds.
Credits and plans
Each separation costs one credit, and you get five a day. Pro removes the limit, and the Studio does not cap how long a section can be.
Looping a section does not separate anything, so it does not need a credit.
Your dashboard shows how many separations you have run this month, your loops remaining, your current plan and how many sections you have saved.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an account for the Studio?
Yes. The Studio needs a Riffloop account, unlike the Chrome extension, which you can start using without one.
What is the difference between the Studio and the extension?
Both give you the same six stems, the same presets, the same speed steps and the same −12 to +12 transpose. The extension works on the YouTube page and needs no account, but it only works on the video you are watching and caps a section at 1 minute free or 7 minutes on Pro. The Studio needs an account and adds your own audio files, YouTube and SoundCloud links, no length cap, a choice of Standard or Best separation, key and time-signature detection, pan, searchable saved loops, and export for files you upload.
Why can I not export a song I brought in from YouTube?
Streamed tracks are for practising. To export stems as files, upload your own audio.
Why do I have to leave the tab alone while it captures?
A streamed song is recorded in real time, so pausing, seeking, changing the speed or stopping the share interrupts it. Uploading a file avoids this entirely.
What file types can I upload?
MP3, WAV, M4A, FLAC and OGG, up to 50 MB.
What is the difference between Karaoke and Instrumental?
Instrumental removes the vocal completely. Karaoke leaves it in 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 alone, and transposing leaves the tempo alone.
What is Best quality?
A higher-quality separation than Standard. It is part of Pro.
How many separations do I get?
Five a day, at one credit each. Pro removes the limit.
Is there a length limit on what I can separate?
No. The Studio does not cap the length of a section. On the free plan, exports include the first 60 seconds.
Still need help? Contact the Riffloop support team →