How to Remove Speech & Vocals from a YouTube Video in Just 2 Steps
This guide will walk you through the process and prove why LALAL.AI is one of the most accurate and user-friendly vocal removal tools available today.
If you’ve ever casually browsed through YouTube and spotted vocals that you wanted to turn into a karaoke track, used them in a mashup or remix, play along, or simply remove them to use the video elsewhere without copyright concerns, chances are you’ve looked into how to remove vocals from a YouTube video. The good news is that it’s absolutely possible. And you don’t even need to install a full-fledged DAW or learn audio engineering to get clean instrumental or vocal stems.
The right tools get anyone to isolate vocals or strip them out entirely in just a few clicks. This guide will show you how exactly it can be done, walk you through the process and prove why LALAL.AI is one of the most accurate and user-friendly vocal removal tools available today.
Can You Remove Vocals Directly from a YouTube Video?
Directly—no. YouTube doesn’t offer built-in tools for audio editing, let alone vocal isolation, so to remove vocals from a YouTube video, you first need to either download the full video or convert it into audio and only then process it through a vocal remover, be it LALAL.AI or something else.
This is where things used to get complicated, for traditional vocal isolation methods required desktop software, plugin setups, or manual EQ or even phase inversion work. But that’s not the case anymore (but, of course, feel free to do so if you want to). AI tools like LALAL.AI make it easy to get clean stems from any track, even from a compressed YouTube file.
Before we get started, let us briefly remind you of this: if you plan to use the results for anything beyond personal use, make sure you’re not infringing on copyright.
How to Remove Vocals from a YouTube Video in 2 Steps
Step 1: Download YouTube Video or Audio from YouTube
Since you need a local file to process, download the YouTube video first. There are plenty of YouTube downloaders out there, but the one we use in our team is 4K Video Downloader Plus, as it allows us to download videos as is and convert them to audio.
So in 4K Video Downloader Plus, do the following:
- Copy the YouTube video URL.
- Open the app and click Paste Link.
- Choose your video format & quality, or download audio-only if you don’t need the visuals.
- Click Download and wait for the file to save.
Step 2: Remove the Vocals with LALAL.AI
Now that you’ve got the video or audio file, you can remove the vocals right in LALAL.AI. Here's how:
- Go to LALAL.AI in your browser.
- Choose Vocal and Instrumental stem.
- Click Select Files and upload your downloaded video/audio.
- Wait for processing and preview the extracted instrumental and vocals.
5. If it sounds good, click Split in Full and download the instrumental. Thus, you'll have two tracks: vocals only and background music + effects only.
So that's before:
And after (no vocals):
In addition to this 👆, LALAL.AI creates another file with vocals only, which you can use in your mashup, remix, or another creative piece.
Yes, LALAL.AI can isolate stems from video files, too!
⚠️ Important Note About Copyright
If you're using instrumental tracks for personal practice, karaoke, or remixes, you're usually fine. But using copyrighted material for commercial purposes (like releasing a remix or monetizing a YouTube video) without permission could get you in trouble. If you’re planning to use it commercially, look for royalty-free instrumentals or official stems instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does it work with long videos?
Yes, LALAL.AI handles long files without issues. Just make sure your file size doesn’t exceed the platform’s limits, which vary based on your plan.
Can I remove more than just vocals?
Absolutely! LALAL.AI supports separation of drums, bass, piano, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, synths, and more.
Is it available on mobile?
Yes, LALAL.AI is available on iOS and Android devices. Stem separation and voice cleaning features can be accessed both from desktops and smartphones.
Read also: Isolating Background Music from Vlog Footage: Tips for Content Creators
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