In FL Studio you solo a track by using the solo control of that track, which mutes everything else so you hear only that one. Both the mixer and the channel rack have solo controls, so check which one your sound lives on. If your song is a single mixed audio clip, there is nothing to solo yet, and you need to split it into parts first with the Unmix Studio stem splitter.
A solo only changes what you hear. It does not delete or change any sound. Turn it off and everything plays again.
FL Studio has more than one place where sound is kept, and each has its own solo.
I will not quote one exact button for each, because the layout and shortcuts can change between versions. The reliable way is to right-click the track or the channel button and look for Solo in the menu. You can also hover over the small buttons next to a track name to read their hint. The built-in help lists the current shortcuts.
Two habits save time:
You may have dragged a finished song into FL Studio. The whole song is one audio clip on one track. The vocals, drums and bass are baked into the same wave, so solo has nothing to separate. The same is true for most MP3 files you download.
This is also why searches like "how to isolate vocals in FL Studio" run into a wall. Solo hears tracks. It cannot hear instruments inside one clip. To work on the vocal, you first need the vocal as its own file.
The splitting runs in the cloud, so you install nothing. On our test, a song that ran 4 minutes 44 seconds became six tracks in 56 seconds and cost 5 credits. Each MP3 came out at about 10.9 MB.
Now each part sits on its own track, and solo works the way you expect. Solo the vocal track to hear only the voice. Solo the drums to hear the groove. For the full story on stems in different programs, read how to split stems in FL Studio, Logic and Ableton. If you want a refresher on the word itself, what are stems in music explains it.
Sometimes you do not need six tracks. You only need the voice or the drums.
Splitting is very good now, but it is not magic. A dense mix, a live recording or a very echoey song will leave some bleed. You may hear a trace of the snare in the vocal. Solo each part in FL Studio and listen before you build on it.
Another common question is how to save only some of your tracks as audio. The usual idea is to export the project while only the tracks you want are active. The export window has options for how the sound is rendered, and there is an option to export mixer tracks as separate files. Look through the export settings in your version to find it.
The steps are:
If you later want to clean the saved file, a quiet voice with background hiss goes to the Vocal Noise Remover, and a plain clip goes to an editor first.
Splitting a song to practice, study or remix for yourself is fine. Publishing a remix or sample needs permission from the people who own the music. Use your own work, or music with a license that allows it.
Use the solo control on the track, or right-click the track or channel and choose Solo. The mixer, the channel rack and the playlist each have their own. Turn it off the same way to hear everything again.
Because the song is one mixed audio clip. Solo works on tracks, not on instruments inside a clip. Split the song into parts with the stem splitter first, then drag the vocal file onto its own track.
Newer versions of FL Studio may have a stem tool, so check your release. You can also upload the song to the Acapella Extractor and download the Vocals file, then import it into the playlist.
It can, if the solo is still on when you export. Only the soloed track plays, so only that sound is saved. Turn off every solo before you export.
Most tools cost 1 credit per minute, and new accounts get 5 free credits. A 4-minute song costs about $0.30 on the Starter pack. The price always shows on the button before you press it.