Where to Find Acapellas: 4 of the Best Sources of Vocals

Discover the best places to find acapellas with this crash course in sourcing vocals

Finding or creating your own high-quality vocal acapellas has never been easier. Whether you’re remixing a track, building mashups, or studying vocal techniques, having access to clean, isolated vocals can transform your workflow.

In this guide, we’ll explain what vocal acapellas are, how they’re used, and the best ways to find or create them. Options for sourcing acapellas include dedicated acapella websites, online stem separation platforms, and powerful real-time stem separation tools that let you extract vocals instantly inside your DAW.

What is a Vocal Acapella?

When we talk about acapellas today, we’re usually referring to vocal recordings without any musical accompaniment, such as instruments. Conversely, instrumentals contain all of a song’s musical elements, apart from the vocal.

Traditionally, the term a cappella referred to a style of music performed without musical accompaniment, with only the vocals. Many of your favorite artists have likely performed or even released a cappella versions of some of their hit songs. A cappella is an Italian term that roughly translates as ‘in the style of the chapel’.

What are Vocal Acapellas Used for?

There are many reasons why producers, DJs, and creators might seek out vocal acapellas:

• Remixing: Build a new instrumental around an existing vocal
• Mashups: Combine the vocals from one track with the instrumental of another
• Sampling: Extract phrases, hooks, or textures for new productions
• DJing: Create live edits and mashups on the fly
• Practice and Learning: Study vocal phrasing, timing, and production techniques in conjunction with music theory tools like TONIC and DECODA

Whatever you plan to use a vocal acapella for, having a clean, isolated vocal is crucial for achieving a professional sound.

The Best Sources of Vocal Acapellas for Music Producers

From streamlined plugins that work right in your DAW, to online platforms and marketplaces, let’s take a look at some of the best sources of vocal acapellas for music producers.

1. Create Unlimited Vocal Acapellas with a Real-Time Stem Separation Plugin like PEEL STEMS

One of the fastest and most flexible ways to get vocal acapellas is by creating them yourself using a real-time stem separation plugin like PEEL STEMS. Unlike other stem separation tools that require you to upload your audio, then wait for it to analyze and process the audio, real-time plugins let you isolate vocals instantly, right inside your DAW.

It’s also one of the most cost-effective methods. By purchasing the plugin in a one-off transaction, you own it for life, and can create as many acapellas as you wish without signing up to any pay-as-you-go subscriptions.

How to Create Vocal Acapellas with PEEL STEMS

1. Load the song you wish to extract an acapella from, onto a new audio channel in your DAW
2. Load PEEL STEMS onto the same audio track
3. Hold Shift while you click on the Vocals stem’s On/Off button
4. If necessary, adjust the Separation slider to refine the stem separation
5. Now, simply freeze and flatten or bounce the track in place to commit the vocal stem to audio

This workflow allows you to quickly extract vocals from any track and adjust the separation being applied, all without leaving your DAW or interrupting your workflow. For producers who work with acapellas a lot, and value speed and flexibility, this is often the most efficient way to generate vocal acapellas.

2. Create Vocal Acapellas with Your DAW’s Built-In Stem Separation

Many modern DAWs now include built-in stem separation functionality. In fact, several leading DAWs use our own high-quality stem separation algorithm, STEMS. With it, users can separate mixed audio into four stems: Drums, Bass, Vocals and Other.

Once again, this workflow allows you to create unlimited vocal acapellas without leaving your DAW, but you don’t get the option to refine the stem separation like you do with a real-time plugin like PEEL STEMS. That said, some DAWs’ native stem separation implementation gives you the opportunity to prioritize audio quality or processing speed.

3. Create Vocal Acapellas with a Web-Based Stem Separation Platform

Many web-based platforms specialize in offline stem separation. These services typically require you to upload a track, wait for the platform to analyze and process the audio, and then download the separated stems.

In some instances, offline stem separation might offer the best audio quality, but don’t offer much control over how separation is applied. Other downsides include increased processing time and the need to interrupt your creative process, or even exit the DAW altogether.

Additionally, many web-based stem separation platforms are subscription-based or pay-as-you-go, making them an expensive option if you plan to separate a lot of stems.

4. Find Vocal Acapellas on a Dedicated Acapella Website

If you’re looking for ready-made acapellas, several websites host huge catalogues of vocal acapellas for download. Some contain studio-grade acapellas of popular commercial songs, while others offer amateur covers of existing songs, plus a cappella performances of original tracks. Try searching for ‘vocal acapella websites’ online to find some suitable catalogues.

Not all tracks are readily available as official acapellas, which is where stem separation tools come in handy. As with using any part of any song, it’s important to seek out the appropriate rights before using a vocal acapella in your own productions, regardless of the source. Just because an official acapella is available, you don’t necessarily have the rights to use it.

The Advantages of Using Stem Separation to Create Acapellas

In the past, it was much more difficult to source acapella versions of your favorite songs. Either the artist or label needed to release an official acapella, or you’d need to track down an isolated version of the vocal which was often of unusable quality.

Today, advanced stem separation technology makes it possible for anyone to extract a clean, production-ready vocal acapella in a matter of moments. Our real-time stem separation plugin, PEEL STEMS, has been designed with your creative workflow in mind.

Add PEEL STEMS to your audio toolbox now to create unlimited vocal acapellas, without ever leaving your DAW.