SATB Splitter

What is SATB?

SATB stands for soprano, alto, tenor and bass, the four voice parts in most choral music. Sopranos sing the highest line, usually the melody. Altos sing below them. Tenors are the higher men's voices, and basses sing the lowest line. Women's voices are usually soprano and alto, and men's are tenor and bass, though that is not a rule.

A hymn, a church anthem or a school choir piece is often written "for SATB", meaning four-part harmony. Each part has its own notes, and learning yours is easier when you can hear it clearly. That is what this tool is for.

How to split a choir into SATB

1. Upload the recording. MP3, WAV, M4A or FLAC, up to 10 minutes. Sign in with Google the first time.
2. Press Split the choir into SATB. The button shows the price first: 1 credit for every minute. New accounts start with 5 credits. Most recordings take 1 to 3 minutes.
3. Listen to each part. You get Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Bass. Click a reel to hear one alone. Each downloads as an MP3 at 320 kbps. Failed jobs are refunded.

Who uses it

Choir members learn their line by listening to it alone, then sing along with the other three parts. Conductors and teachers check what each section is actually singing, or make part tracks for rehearsal. Arrangers listen to how a professional choir voices a chord. Students of harmony hear voice leading one line at a time.

What works well, and what leaves traces

Four voices in the same room share many frequencies, so this is a hard split. A clean recording of a choir, ideally close to a cappella, works best. Expect some leakage between neighbours, with a little alto in the soprano file or tenor in the bass. Piano or organ accompaniment, heavy room reverb and large choirs with many singers per part all make the split less clean. Treat the parts as study tracks rather than studio stems.

If the recording has an instrumental backing, pull the voices out first with the Choir Extractor and upload that file. To work with a lead and backing vocals instead of choir parts, see Separate Lead and Backing Vocals.