Percussion Extractor
Get the percussion from a song as one file, and the rest of the track as another.
- Online, in your browser: nothing to install
- Free to try: 5 credits when you sign in with Google, no card
- 1 credit per minute of song: a 4-minute song is 4 credits, about $0.30 (pricing)
- MP3, WAV, M4A or FLAC up to 10 minutes; parts download as 320 kbps MP3
- Failed splits give the credits back
Files are kept for 30 days
- PercussionEmpty
- Without the percussionEmpty
How to extract the percussion from a song
- Upload the song. MP3, WAV, M4A or FLAC, up to 10 minutes. You sign in with Google the first time.
- Press Extract the percussion. It costs 1 credit for every minute of music, and the button shows the price before anything runs. New accounts start with 5 credits, enough for one song up to 5 minutes. Most songs take 1 to 3 minutes.
- Listen and download. You get two reels: Percussion and Without the percussion. Click a reel to hear only that file, and download each as an MP3 at 320 kbps. If processing fails, your credits are returned.
What counts as percussion
Percussion means the instruments you hit, shake or scrape that are not the main drum kit: shakers, tambourine, congas and bongos, claps, cowbell, triangle, bells, and similar. It is the busy layer under many Latin, pop, funk and film tracks. The model is made to separate music into percussion and everything else, so it looks for that whole family at once.
If you want just one of those sounds, there is a page for each: Tambourine, Congas, Claps, Cowbell, Triangle and Bells. For the drum kit itself, use the Drum Remover, or the Drum Kit Splitter to get kick, snare and cymbals apart.
Who wants the percussion alone
Producers sample a shaker loop or a conga groove from a record and lay it under their own beat.
Percussionists learn a part. With the percussion alone you can hear what a player did, then switch to the Without file and play along with the band.
Video editors and sound designers use a bright, rhythmic layer to add energy under a scene, or take it out when it clashes with a voiceover.
What to expect
Percussion is quiet and thin compared with the drums and vocals, and that makes it the hardest part to pull out. In a busy mix the Percussion file can sound faint, or hold some of the drum kit, such as a hi-hat, because hits like these sit in the same frequency range. Close, clean recordings with the percussion clearly audible come out best. Always listen to both files with headphones before you build on them.
FAQ
How much does it cost?
1 credit for every minute of the song, shown on the button before you start. New accounts get 5 credits. Failed runs are refunded.
Will the drums end up in the Percussion file?
Sometimes a part of them can. Listen to both files to see where each sound landed. For the kit alone, use the Drum Remover.
What do I download?
Two files, each an MP3 at 320 kbps, the same length as your song.