Easy: Extract Vocals from Any Song – Create Capella (Acapella) Version of a Song!

Using a little creativity and a piece of free software, you can create your Capella (also know as Acapella) version of your favorite song. This would be extracting the raw lyrics from a song and having a lyric only audio file. Follow the steps below.

Prerequisites:

*Install Audacity – Free Music Editor

*An audio file of song with lyrics (audio format should not matter)

*An audio file of song without lyrics (instrumental version of song) (audio format should not matter)

Note: Both songs (Lyric and Instrumental versions) must be same length in order for this to work. Make sure the songs are the same versions of each other and that they aren’t edited in any way.

Open Audacity and open the audio song with lyrics first. File -> Open

Next, go to File -> Import -> Audio and select your audio song without lyrics or the instrumental version of the song.

You will both versions of the song side by side now, pictured below.

Now, we need to really zoom into the tracks to ensure they are perfectly aligned. They may look aligned already, but let’s make sure. Use the magnifying tool and click in the window 8-10 times.

Audacity magnifying glass

Now, select the time shift tool and click either song and drag the tool left or right. start Align the songs so the wavelengths are near perfect in aspect. This will take time, but it’s important to do in order for this to work correctly.

Now, click the instrumental track to select it all. Then go to Effect -> Invert.

Audacity highlight track

Finally, select both songs (CTRL + A or COMMAND + A) and go to Effect Tracks -> Mix and Render. You will have one track with only lyrics, hopefully.

Now, play the song and see if the music is drowned out and only the lyrics are revealed. You may notice some light music noise in background – and if so, this is because the alignment was not done perfectly OR the instrumental and lyric song versions are variated. Be sure the lyric and instrumental versions of the songs you get are replicas of each other.