post/create-stems

Split a song into vocals, drums, bass, and other stems

Send a song and choose the stems you need. Use a preset for vocals, drums, bass, guitar, and other common parts, or describe a custom sound. Your app or agent gets separate WAV files.

Get an API key View examples

How this endpoint works

Use this API to build a vocal remover, remix tool, backing-track maker, practice app, sampling workflow, or sound-removal feature. Choose a fixed 2-, 4-, 6-, or 53-stem preset for reusable output names. Use SAM Audio when the user needs to describe a less common instrument, noise, or sound.

1
Choose the stems
Select a preset or describe the instrument, voice, noise, or sound you want to isolate.
2
Wait for stem separation
Send the audio ID, save creation_id, and poll the stem-splitting job until it finishes.
3
Download separate WAV files
Download each stem separately or package the selected stems into one ZIP archive.

Common use cases

Choose this operation when it matches the source and result your pipeline needs.

Build a vocal remover

Return vocal and instrumental WAV files for karaoke, remixing, practice, or sampling.

Create remix and production stems

Give users separate drums, bass, vocals, guitar, and instrument tracks inside your software.

Remove an unwanted sound

Isolate crowd noise, reverb, drums, effects, or another described sound from a recording.

Processing used by 80,000+ music makers

Results people rely on

“It can bring back clarity without making everything sound too artificial or overprocessed. Stem separation is also surprisingly clean.”

Audio restoration and stem separation

“Does amazing job in restoring Audio from bad quality MP3s and badly extracted audio from CDs. Always my go to for audio restoration.”

MP3 and CD audio restoration

“Amazing tool for audio. Clean, simple, and effective. I would spend hours in RX to get the same results. Give it a try. I can save you hours of production time.”

Dan Campbell ~Riffster

“Easy to use and high quality results.”

Bjark

Hear stem separation results

These shared user results demonstrate stem outputs available through the same processing system.

More User Examples

Choose the stems you want

2 tracks

preset="2_tracks"

Separate the singing from the instrumental. Get a cappella vocals or a karaoke version for your remixes.

Parameters

model_nameModel variantstring | null

Selects the model variant used by a compatible stem preset. For 2_tracks, use deux or leap. For denoise, use denoise or denoise_debleed. For decrowd, use decrowd or decrowd_mdx. For 5_1_upmix, use 5_1_upmix, 5_0_upmix_202609, or 5_0_upmix_202610. Presets without model variants ignore this field.

Allowed values

deuxDeux modelRecommended
leapLeap Xe

4 stems

preset="4_tracks"

Split the song into four tracks: bass, drums, vocals, and everything else.

6 stems

preset="6_tracks"

Split the song into six tracks: bass, drums, vocals, guitar, piano, and everything else.

53 stems

preset="mvsep_mega_53"

This model distinguishes up to 53 instrument tracks. Select the instruments present in your song. For the best quality, choose a specialized model when the instrument is available in the list.

Parameters

selected_stemsInstrument stems to keepArray<string> | null

Names the instrument outputs to keep from the 53-stem model. Supported when preset is mvsep_mega_53; other presets ignore this field. The residual 'other' stem is always generated from the original audio minus the selected outputs.

Allowed values

bassBass
bass_double-bassDouble Bass
drumsDrums
drums_congasCongas
drums_hhHi-Hats
drums_kickKick
drums_percussionPercussion
drums_snareSnare
drums_tambourineTambourine
drums_timpaniTimpani
drums_tomsToms
drums_triangleTriangle
guitarGuitar
guitar_acoustic-guitarAcoustic Guitar
guitar_dobroDobro
guitar_electric-guitarElectric Guitar
guitar_banjoBanjo
guitar_mandolinMandolin
guitar_sitarSitar
guitar_ukuleleUkulele
other_accordionAccordion
other_bellsBells
other_glockenspielGlockenspiel
other_marimbaMarimba
other_wind-chimesWind Chimes
pianoPiano
piano_digital-pianoDigital Piano
piano_harpsichordHarpsichord
piano_keysKeys
piano_organOrgan
piano_synthSynth
stringsStrings
strings_bowed_stringsBowed Strings
strings_celloCello
strings_harpHarp
strings_violaViola
strings_violinViolin
vocalsVocals
vocals_back-vocalBacking Vocal
vocals_lead-vocalLead Vocal
winds_bassoonBassoon
winds_brassBrass
winds_clarinetClarinet
winds_fluteFlute
winds_french-hornFrench Horn
winds_harmonicaHarmonica
winds_oboeOboe
winds_saxophoneSaxophone
winds_tromboneTrombone
winds_trumpetTrumpet
winds_tubaTuba
winds_windWind
winds_woodwindWoodwind
otherOther

Custom Prompt

preset="custom"

Describe the instrument or sound you want to isolate in the prompt.

Parameters

promptSound to isolatestring | null

Describe the instrument, voice, noise, or sound to isolate.

Example

"lead vocal"

stereo_modeStereo handlingstring

Controls how stereo material is processed. mono is fastest, sides_only/mid_only process one component while preserving the other, mid_sides preserves center/side detail, and left_right processes channels separately. Supported when preset is custom (default mid_sides) or speech_music_sfx (default left_right); other stem presets ignore this field.

Allowed values

mono
mid_sidesDefault
left_right
sides_only
mid_only

spansPrompt hint rangesArray<{ start: number; end: number }> | null

Provides optional start and end times where SAM Audio should focus on the prompted sound. Supported when preset is custom; other stem presets ignore this field. Omit it to split without time hints.

Example

[{"end":42,"start":12.5}]

Speech Only

preset="custom_speech"

Keep the speech and remove background noise. For cleaning up recordings where the voice is the only sound you care about.

Parameters

promptSound promptstring | null

Describes the sound SAM Audio should isolate, for example 'lead vocal' or 'snare and kick'. Supported when preset is custom; other stem presets ignore this field. Long prompts are trimmed before validation.

Example

"lead vocal"

stereo_modeStereo handlingstring

Allowed values

mono
mid_sidesDefault
left_right
sides_only
mid_only

spansPrompt hint rangesArray<{ start: number; end: number }> | null

Provides optional start and end times where SAM Audio should focus on the prompted sound. Supported when preset is custom; other stem presets ignore this field. Omit it to split without time hints.

Example

[{"end":42,"start":12.5}]

Noise Reduction

preset="denoise"

Keep your music or voice and remove background noise. Choose the variant based on what you want to keep.

Parameters

promptSound to keepstring | null

Describe the sound to keep in the cleaned track.

Example

"lead vocal"

stereo_modeStereo modestring

Allowed values

mid_sidesStereo (Mid/Sides)DefaultRecommendedProcess Mid ((L + R) / 2) and Sides ((L - R) / 2) independently, then recombine them as stereo.
sides_onlySides onlyProcess the sides and keep the original center.
mid_onlyMid onlyProcess the center and keep the original sides.
left_rightStereo (L/R)Process the Left and Right channels independently.
monoMonoAverage Left and Right into one mono channel, then process it once.

spansSound hintsArray<{ start: number; end: number }> | null

Provides optional start and end times where SAM Audio should focus on the prompted sound. Supported when preset is custom; other stem presets ignore this field. Omit it to split without time hints.

Example

[{"end":42,"start":12.5}]

model_nameModel variantstring | null

Allowed values

denoiseDenoiseRecommended
denoise_debleedDenoise and Debleed
custom_speechSpeech only
custom_music_singingMusic with singing
custom_musicMusic Only (no vocals)
custom_singingSinging only (no instruments)

Crowd Noise Reduction

preset="decrowd"

Quickly remove audience noise from your live recordings.

Parameters

promptSound to keepstring | null

Describe the sound to keep in the cleaned track.

Example

"lead vocal"

stereo_modeStereo modestring

Allowed values

mid_sidesStereo (Mid/Sides)DefaultRecommendedProcess Mid ((L + R) / 2) and Sides ((L - R) / 2) independently, then recombine them as stereo.
sides_onlySides onlyProcess the sides and keep the original center.
mid_onlyMid onlyProcess the center and keep the original sides.
left_rightStereo (L/R)Process the Left and Right channels independently.
monoMonoAverage Left and Right into one mono channel, then process it once.

spansSound hintsArray<{ start: number; end: number }> | null

Provides optional start and end times where SAM Audio should focus on the prompted sound. Supported when preset is custom; other stem presets ignore this field. Omit it to split without time hints.

Example

[{"end":42,"start":12.5}]

model_nameModel variantstring | null

Allowed values

decrowdRoformerRecommended
decrowd_mdxMDX Net
custom_music_singingSAM Audio

Enhanced Crowd Noise Reduction

preset="custom_music_singing"

SAM Audio Large keeps music and singing, and removes conversations, crowd noise, and other audience sounds.

Parameters

promptSound promptstring | null

Example

"lead vocal"

stereo_modeStereo handlingstring

Allowed values

mono
mid_sidesDefault
left_right
sides_only
mid_only

spansPrompt hint rangesArray<{ start: number; end: number }> | null

Provides optional start and end times where SAM Audio should focus on the prompted sound. Supported when preset is custom; other stem presets ignore this field. Omit it to split without time hints.

Example

[{"end":42,"start":12.5}]

Music Only (No Vocals)

preset="custom_music"

Keep the instruments and remove singing, speech, and background noise.

Parameters

promptSound promptstring | null

Example

"lead vocal"

stereo_modeStereo handlingstring

Allowed values

mono
mid_sidesDefault
left_right
sides_only
mid_only

spansPrompt hint rangesArray<{ start: number; end: number }> | null

Provides optional start and end times where SAM Audio should focus on the prompted sound. Supported when preset is custom; other stem presets ignore this field. Omit it to split without time hints.

Example

[{"end":42,"start":12.5}]

Singing Only

preset="custom_singing"

Keep the singing and remove instruments and ambient noise. Get isolated vocals to remix or process separately.

Parameters

promptSound promptstring | null

Example

"lead vocal"

stereo_modeStereo handlingstring

Allowed values

mono
mid_sidesDefault
left_right
sides_only
mid_only

spansPrompt hint rangesArray<{ start: number; end: number }> | null

Provides optional start and end times where SAM Audio should focus on the prompted sound. Supported when preset is custom; other stem presets ignore this field. Omit it to split without time hints.

Example

[{"end":42,"start":12.5}]

Lead / Backing Vocals

preset="lead_back"

Separate the lead vocal from the backing vocals. Rework the lead singer without affecting the background voices.

Duet Singers

preset="duet"

Separate the two singers into two tracks. Rework each voice separately.

Main Singer

preset="custom_main_solo_singer"

Keep only the lead singer's voice. Backing vocals and other sounds are isolated separately.

Parameters

promptSound promptstring | null

Example

"lead vocal"

stereo_modeStereo handlingstring

Allowed values

mono
mid_sidesDefault
left_right
sides_only
mid_only

spansPrompt hint rangesArray<{ start: number; end: number }> | null

Provides optional start and end times where SAM Audio should focus on the prompted sound. Supported when preset is custom; other stem presets ignore this field. Omit it to split without time hints.

Example

[{"end":42,"start":12.5}]

Isolate Drums

preset="2_tracks_drums"

A specialized model for separating drums from the rest of the song. You get two tracks: the drums and a version without drums. The model preserves detail in both.

5 drums tracks

preset="5_drums_tracks"

Split the drums into five tracks: kick, snare, toms, hi-hat, and cymbals.

Isolate Any Percussion

preset="custom_remove_drums"

Remove all percussion, including shakers, cymbals, and cinematic percussion.

Parameters

promptSound promptstring | null

Example

"lead vocal"

stereo_modeStereo handlingstring

Allowed values

mono
mid_sidesDefault
left_right
sides_only
mid_only

spansPrompt hint rangesArray<{ start: number; end: number }> | null

Provides optional start and end times where SAM Audio should focus on the prompted sound. Supported when preset is custom; other stem presets ignore this field. Omit it to split without time hints.

Example

[{"end":42,"start":12.5}]

Remove Reverb

preset="dereverb"

Remove reverberation, delay, and echo from a track.

Keep Only Center Mono

preset="phantom_center"

This model keeps the mono center of a track and removes the content spread across the sides. Handy for isolating a bass, kick drum, or podcast voice. You can also use it to remove phaser, chorus, or flanger from an instrument.

Multichannel upmix

preset="5_1_upmix"

This model distributes the sound into a front stereo pair, a side stereo pair, and a center channel. The 5.1 version also adds a channel for sub-bass.

Parameters

model_nameModel variantstring | null

Allowed values

5_1_upmix5.1 upmixRecommendedThe first upmix model, for film soundtracks.
5_0_upmix_2026095.0 upmix JasperA newer upmix model for film soundtracks. Offers better quality than the first version.
5_0_upmix_2026105.0 upmix GillianThis upmix model was trained only on music. Choose it for your songs.

Speech / Music / SFX

preset="speech_music_sfx"

Split a TV show, film, or video soundtrack into three tracks: speech, music, and sound effects. Remove the music from a video or keep only the dialogue.

Guitar

preset="guitar"

Isolate the guitar in one track. The rest of the song is kept in another.

Modern Bowed Strings

preset="modern_bowed_strings"

Isolate the bowed strings in one track and keep the rest of the song separate.

Synth Lead

preset="synth_lead"

Isolate the synth lead and keep the rest of the song in another track.

Code examples

Server-side example

JavaScript (Node.js)

import { writeFile } from "node:fs/promises";

const API_URL = "https://api.neuralanalog.com";
const API_KEY = process.env.NEURALANALOG_API_KEY;

async function waitForCompletion(objectType, objectId) {
  while (true) {
    const response = await fetch(`${API_URL}/status/${objectType}/${objectId}`, {
      headers: { "X-API-Key": API_KEY },
    });
    if (!response.ok) {
      throw new Error(`Status check failed with ${response.status}`);
    }

    const status = await response.json();
    if (status.is_failed) {
      throw new Error(status.error_message || `${objectType} processing failed`);
    }
    if (status.is_complete) {
      return status;
    }
    await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 5000));
  }
}

const requestResponse = await fetch(`${API_URL}/create-stems`, {
  method: "POST",
  headers: {
    "X-API-Key": API_KEY,
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
  "audio_id": "6c62f8e7-02a3-48c0-a5b5-5de87ed9c31a",
  "preset": "4_tracks",
  "bit_depth": 24
}),
});
if (!requestResponse.ok) {
  throw new Error(`Stem separation request failed with ${requestResponse.status}`);
}

const result = await requestResponse.json();
const jobId = result["creation_id"];
const status = await waitForCompletion("stem_split", jobId);

for (const artifact of result["audio_stems"]) {
  const artifactId = artifact["stem_id"];
  const response = await fetch(
    `${API_URL}/download/stem/${artifactId}`,
    { headers: { "X-API-Key": API_KEY }, redirect: "follow" },
  );
  if (!response.ok) {
    throw new Error(`Download failed with ${response.status}`);
  }
  await writeFile(`${artifactId}.wav`, Buffer.from(await response.arrayBuffer()));
}

Parameters

Send the API key from a trusted server. Never expose it in client-side JavaScript.

JSON request body

preset

requiredstring

Selects which stems or cleanup result the separation job returns. Some presets support an additional model_name variant; incompatible variants are rejected.

"acapella""instrumental""2_tracks""2_tracks_leap""4_tracks""6_tracks""5_drums_tracks""2_tracks_drums""custom""lead_back""duet""modern_bowed_strings""guitar""synth_lead""mvsep_mega_53""speech_music_sfx""denoise""denoise_debleed""dereverb""decrowd""decrowd_mdx""phantom_center""5_1_upmix""5_0_upmix_202609""5_0_upmix_202610"

source_transcription_id

optionalstring | null

Transcription rendered into temporary_mix_key; retained as source lineage.

source_effects_applied

optionalboolean | null

Whether the rendered source includes FX; false preserves live FX when selecting the output.

audio_id

optionalstring | null

Source audio asset to split. Provide either audio_id or stem_id.

Example: "6c62f8e7-02a3-48c0-a5b5-5de87ed9c31a"

stem_id

optionalstring | null

Existing stem to split further. When provided with audio_id, stem_id takes priority.

Example: "abf8a992-1c4e-4935-93f0-197116e77e49"

model_name

optionalstring | null

"deux""leap""denoise""denoise_debleed""decrowd""decrowd_mdx""sam_audio""5_1_upmix""5_0_upmix_202609""5_0_upmix_202610"

bit_depth

optionalinteger

Output WAV bit depth for generated stems; 32 is float.

162432

Default: 24

hq_streaming_format

optionalstring

Selects the compressed format generated for browser playback and streaming alongside the WAV stem output.

"aac""mp3""flac"

Default: "aac"

prompt

optionalstring | null

Example: "lead vocal"

stereo_mode

optionalstring

"mono""mid_sides""left_right""sides_only""mid_only"

Default: "mid_sides"

spans

optionalarray<object> | null

Provides optional start and end times where SAM Audio should focus on the prompted sound. Supported when preset is custom; other stem presets ignore this field. Omit it to split without time hints.

Example: [{"end":42,"start":12.5}]

selection

optionalobject | null

Optional source region to process. When provided, the backend trims the source to this region before running separation.

Example: {"end":42,"start":12.5}

upscaled_id

optionalstring | null

Restored version to use as the stem separation source.

Example: "d66cf940-bf26-45bb-80f7-332f26b6859a"

mastered_id

optionalstring | null

Mastered version to use as the stem separation source.

Example: "f5db8e4b-2e74-4198-a8de-0c3a398620e9"

temporary_mix_key

optionalstring | null

Short-lived Current Main Mix or Current All Stems Mix R2 source key.

restoration_params

optionalobject | null

Queues restoration for generated stems as part of the same workflow. The nested restoration preset determines which nested parameters are used. Ordinary stem splitting ignores this field.

Example: {"preset":"universal_enhancer","strength":0.8}

stem_processing

optionalobject | null

Queues one operation for every generated, non-silent stem. Supports restoration, mastering, and audio-to-MIDI transcription. Omit it to return the separated stems without additional processing. restoration_params remains supported as a legacy restoration-only alias.

selected_stems

optionalarray<string> | null

Example: ["drums","vocals","bass","piano","strings","piano_synth","guitar","other"]

Successful response

200Successful Response

status

requiredstring

Status after the stem job is queued.

Example: "processing"

message

requiredstring

Human-readable queueing result.

Example: "Stem separation queued"

audio_id

requiredstring

Source audio asset ID.

Example: "6c62f8e7-02a3-48c0-a5b5-5de87ed9c31a"

user_id

requiredstring

User that owns the job.

Example: "2fe9c052-e34f-43b7-9ad5-5186d31cb7ec"

creation_id

requiredstring

Stem split job ID.

Example: "18d67d83-c9f6-4d7f-bb72-09e40c62671e"

audio_stems

optionalarray<object>

No description provided.

upscaled_audios

optionalarray<object>

No description provided.

mastered_audios

optionalarray<object>

No description provided.

transcriptions

optionalarray<object>

No description provided.

Errors

A missing or invalid X-API-Key returns an authentication error. Validation errors use the declared 422 response below.

422Validation Error

detail

optionalarray<object>

No description provided.

Next steps

poll Package stems into an archive Try the stem splitter Read the stem separation guide

How this endpoint works

Choose the stems

Wait for stem separation

Download separate WAV files

Common use cases

Build a vocal remover

Create remix and production stems

Remove an unwanted sound

Results people rely on

Hear stem separation results

Choose the stems you want

2 tracks

4 stems

6 stems

53 stems

Custom Prompt

Speech Only

Noise Reduction

Crowd Noise Reduction

Enhanced Crowd Noise Reduction

Music Only (No Vocals)

Singing Only

Lead / Backing Vocals

Duet Singers

Main Singer

Isolate Drums

5 drums tracks

Isolate Any Percussion

Remove Reverb

Keep Only Center Mono

Multichannel upmix

Speech / Music / SFX

Guitar

Modern Bowed Strings

Synth Lead

Code examples

Server-side example

Parameters

JSON request body

Successful response

Errors

Next steps