AI Stem Separation
Four clean stems from any uploaded track
DropCue includes AI stem separation in every Pro plan. Split any audio file into vocals, drums, bass, and other instruments in under a minute. No per-track fees, no monthly minutes cap, and the stems land directly inside your catalog ready for sync pitches.
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What AI stem separation is and does
AI stem separation is the process of using a machine-learning model to split a finished audio mix into its individual instrument groups. DropCue produces four stems from any uploaded track: vocals, drums, bass, and other (which captures everything else, including guitars, keys, pads, and orchestral instruments). The model is Demucs, a hybrid transformer architecture trained on a large corpus of multi-track recordings. It runs in the cloud on Replicate and returns four new audio files in roughly 30 seconds to 2 minutes per track.
Stem separation is now a baseline expectation in professional music workflows. Sync supervisors request instrumentals on accepted placements. Trailer composers need clean vocal removals for cue cuts. Producers pull acapellas for remixes, drums for sampling, and bass lines for reproduction. What used to require a paid mix engineer can now be done in minutes by a trained model.
Where DropCue is the better fit
Standalone stem separation tools like LALAL.ai, Moises, and Audioshake all do one job. You upload a file, the model runs, and you download stems. The stems then live as loose files on your hard drive. If you want to use them in a sync pitch, you re-upload them to whatever platform you use to send playlists. That round-trip breaks the moment you have a catalog of any size.
DropCue is built differently. Stem separation runs inside the same platform that hosts your catalog, builds your playlists, and sends your pitches. Every separation creates four new tracks in your library, automatically nested under the parent track as alt mixes. The instrumental version is ready to drop into a sync pitch playlist the moment Demucs finishes processing. No re-uploading, no folder shuffling, no renaming. Plus DropCue supports bulk separation across the whole catalog, which LALAL.ai and Moises do not offer in any tier.
DropCue vs LALAL.ai vs Moises
| Feature | DropCue | LALAL.ai | Moises |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $12/mo (Pro annual) | $14.99/mo (Pro) | $9.99/mo (Premium) |
| Monthly minutes cap | No minutes cap | 100 min/mo (Pro) | Unlimited |
| Per-track fees | None | Pay-as-you-go option | None |
| Bulk separation (multi-track) | Yes | No | No |
| Stems become library tracks | Yes (auto-nested) | No (loose files) | No (loose files) |
| Bundled catalog management | Yes | No | No |
| Bundled pitching + analytics | Yes | No | No |
| Powered by Demucs | Yes (open-source) | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Trial / free tier | 7-day free trial | Free tier (10 min) | Free tier (5 separations) |
Pricing verified at time of publication and may change. Check each provider's official pricing page before purchasing.
Who uses stem separation
Trailer composers, sync songwriters, producers, and music supervisors all use AI stem separation differently. DropCue covers every workflow.
- Trailer composers — Pull clean instrumentals out of a vocal track for trailer cuts and pitch-ready alt mixes.
- Songwriters pitching for sync — Deliver vocal-only or instrumental versions for licensing without paying an engineer per song.
- Producers and remixers — Reconstruct songs, pull acapellas for remixes, or isolate drums for sampling and re-production.
- Sync placements requiring stems — Music supervisors often require stems on accepted placements. Generate them in under two minutes.
- Karaoke and cover prep — Remove vocals from a reference track to record a clean cover or rehearse a vocal arrangement.
- Dialogue-friendly mixes — Build TV-ready versions with attenuated vocals or drums so editors can place dialogue cleanly over the music.
- Catalog-wide instrumental versions — Run bulk separation across a back catalog to give every track a sync-ready instrumental alt mix.
Pricing in 2026
Stem separation is included with every DropCue Pro plan at no additional cost. Pro starts at $12/mo on annual billing ($144/year, Pro 1K with 1,000 track capacity). Higher tiers scale by track count: Pro 3K at $20/mo annual, Pro 5K at $30/mo annual, Pro 10K at $42/mo annual, Pro 20K at $69/mo annual. Monthly billing is also available. A one-time Founding Member lifetime plan covers Pro access permanently.
For comparison: LALAL.ai Pro is $14.99/mo with a 100-minute monthly cap. Moises Premium is $9.99/mo. Audioshake charges per track. Hiring a mix engineer manually runs $50 to $200 per song. DropCue Pro is cheaper than all of them, includes bulk separation that none of them offer, and bundles catalog management, playlist sharing, per-recipient analytics, and the rest of the AI tool suite.
Related on DropCue
- DropCue pricing — All plans and track tiers.
- AI lyrics transcription — Auto-transcribe vocals to searchable lyrics.
- AI music artwork — Generate cover art from text prompts.
- DropCue for composers — Sync pitching workflow in depth.
- DropCue for producers — Producer and remixer workflow.
- How AI features fit a composer's workflow →
- Start your free trial →
AI stem separation, included with every Pro plan
7 days free. No credit card. Four clean stems from any uploaded track, no per-track fees, no monthly minutes cap. From $12/mo annual.
Start Free Trial →