Disclosure: I build StemConsole, one of the tools below. Details read from each vendor’s own pages in September 2026. Plans change, so confirm current terms before you pay.
Why free splitters leave the piano in “other”
A 4-stem split (vocals, drums, bass, other) is the free default almost everywhere, including StemConsole’s Basic Split. Everything that is not a voice, a drum or a bass goes into one “other” stem, so the piano shares it with guitars, synths, strings and pads.
A 6-stem split adds guitar and piano as their own stems. That is the step you need for working out voicings, transcribing a part, or muting the piano to take the keyboard seat with the real band.
Before you pick: a piano stem covers acoustic and electric piano. Organ, synth pads and string sections usually stay in “other”, so check which keyboard your song actually uses. For organ and synth parts, Moises Premium and MVSEP both offer a separate keys option.
At a glance
| Tool | Piano stem | Free option | Runs on | Price (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| StemConsole | Yes, Full Separation (6 stems) | 4 stems free; piano needs a credit or Pro | Browser on desktop and phone | US$1.99 per song; Pro $6.99/mo or $49/yr |
| Logic Pro Stem Splitter | Yes | Included with Logic Pro | Mac or iPad with M1 or later | Mac $199.99 one-off; iPad via Creator Studio $12.99/mo |
| MVSEP | Yes, piano models | 50 separations a day, up to 10 min | Web | Premium is credit based |
| Moises | Premium and Pro plans | 2 or 4 stems, 5 uploads a month | Web, desktop, iPhone, iPad, Android | Shown after login, varies by region |
| LALAL.AI | Yes | Starter: 10 minutes, no full downloads | Web, desktop, iOS, Android | Lite $7.50/mo, Pro $15/mo billed annually |
| Ultimate Vocal Remover | Yes, with the 6-stem Demucs model | Fully free, open source | Windows, macOS, Linux | $0 |
| BandLab Splitter | With Membership | 2 or 4 stems with an account | Web and mobile | Membership price not stated on Splitter pages |
Details read from each vendor’s own pages in September 2026. Where a vendor does not publish a detail, the table says so.
The tools, one by one
1. StemConsole: quickest piano stem in the browser
StemConsole is the tool I built. Full Separation returns six stems: vocals, drums, bass, guitar, piano and other. The split opens straight into a live mixer, so you solo the piano to hear every voicing, or mute it and play the part yourself with the band. It runs in any modern browser, phone and tablet included, with no install and no watermark.
How: upload the song, choose Full Separation, then solo the piano fader. A US$1.99 credit covers one song with MP3 downloads and basic looping, and never expires. Pro, at US$6.99 a month or US$49 a year, covers 100 splits a month and adds WAV and the practice room: speed from 50% to 150% with the pitch locked, key change, named loops, tap tempo and count-in. The pricing page shows the current plans and any free trial.
Where others win: no YouTube link import, no chord detection, and organ and synths stay in the other stem. Uploads are MP3, WAV, FLAC, OGG, M4A, AAC or WMA up to 200 MB.
2. Logic Pro Stem Splitter: best if you already own Logic
Stem Splitter sits under the Processing menu on an audio region and extracts vocals, drums, bass, guitar, piano and other. Apple added the guitar and piano stems in Logic Pro 11.2 for Mac and 2.2 for iPad. It needs a Mac or iPad with an M1 chip or later. Logic Pro for Mac is $199.99 for new users; on iPad, Logic Pro now comes with Apple Creator Studio at $12.99 a month or $129 a year.
Official reference: Apple Stem Splitter guide.
3. MVSEP: dedicated piano models online
MVSEP is a web service with more than 100 separation models, including dedicated piano, keys and digital piano models, so you can run a song through more than one and keep the cleanest result. Free use allows 50 separations a day on files up to 10 minutes and 100 MB, with a low-priority queue. Premium is credit based. The interface is plain and assumes you know which model you want.
Official reference: MVSEP models.
4. Moises: phone-first practice app
Moises runs on the web, desktop, iPhone, iPad and Android and adds chord detection, a speed changer and a metronome on top of separation. The free plan splits into 2 or 4 stems, 5 uploads a month on files up to 5 minutes, so the piano stem needs Premium or Pro, which also offer grand piano and keys options. Prices appear after login and vary by region. See StemConsole vs Moises.
Official reference: Moises stem separation.
5. LALAL.AI: piano stem, bought by the minute
LALAL.AI offers piano as its own stem. It runs on the web, desktop, iOS and Android. The free Starter plan includes 10 minutes with no full downloads. On annual billing, Lite is $7.50 a month and Pro is $15 a month, or you can buy minute packs. See StemConsole vs LALAL.AI.
Official reference: LALAL.AI stem types and plans.
6. Ultimate Vocal Remover: free, on your own machine
UVR is free, open-source software for Windows, macOS and Linux. Its Demucs v4 6-stem model returns vocals, drums, bass, guitar, piano and other, with no upload limits. The Demucs authors say its piano stem does not work well yet and shows bleed and artifacts, so compare it with another tool on a piano-led song. You install it, pick the model and wait for the render on your own hardware.
Official references: UVR on GitHub and Demucs.
7. BandLab Splitter: piano stem with Membership
BandLab Splitter is free with an account on web and mobile and splits into 2 or 4 stems. BandLab Membership (Pro and Max) raises that to 7 stems, adding guitar, strings and piano. It suits people already making music in BandLab’s online studio.
Official reference: BandLab Splitter features.
What to listen for in a piano stem
I have spent 20 years mixing and mastering records, and pulling one instrument out of a finished mix is where separation tools differ most. Use the same dense song for every tool, listen on headphones, and check these four things.
- Guitar and pads in the piano. Strummed guitar and synth pads share the piano’s middle register. Listen to a verse where they play together and check the chords you hear belong to the piano.
- The left hand under the bass. Low piano notes overlap the bass guitar. Weak models hand the left hand to the bass stem and leave the piano thin and top-heavy.
- Sustain and pedal. A held chord should decay naturally. Weaker results cut it short or let it pump, which makes pedal changes hard to hear.
- Hammer attack. Each note should start cleanly. Smeared attacks make fast runs and repeated notes impossible to count.
A quick check that works in any tool: solo the “other” stem and listen for piano left behind. Anything you hear there is missing from the piano stem.
Learning a piano part from the isolated stem
Solo the piano and listen for the shape before the notes: where the left hand sits, when the right hand moves, and which chords are inversions. Loop two bars at a time; basic looping is free in StemConsole. With Pro, drop to 60 or 70% speed with the pitch locked so runs and grace notes separate, or move the song to a key that suits your hands. When you have it, switch to Play with the band under I’m practising, which mutes the piano and keeps the real drums, bass and vocal. More in isolate piano and remove piano from a song.
Which should you pick?
- You want the piano from one song today, on any device: StemConsole, with a US$1.99 credit.
- You are learning songs every week: StemConsole Pro in the browser, or Moises on your phone.
- You already own Logic Pro on Apple silicon: Stem Splitter.
- You want to compare models on a difficult song: MVSEP.
- You prefer to pay by the minute: LALAL.AI.
- You make music in BandLab already: BandLab Splitter with Membership.
StemConsole plans: free covers vocal removal and a 4-stem split (vocals, drums, bass, other), 5 splits a month, the live mixer, a basic A/B loop, a saved library and share links. Pro is US$6.99 a month or US$49 a year and adds 6 stems with guitar and piano, WAV, 100 splits a month, and the practice room: speed from 50% to 150% without changing pitch, key change up to 12 semitones, multiple named loops, tap tempo and count-in. A US$1.99 credit buys one 6-stem split with MP3 downloads and basic A/B looping. WAV, speed, key change and multiple named loops require Pro.
Frequently asked questions
Can I isolate piano from a song for free?
On your own computer, Ultimate Vocal Remover is free and its 6-stem Demucs model returns a piano stem, though its authors say that stem does not work well yet. Online, MVSEP has dedicated piano models and a free tier of 50 separations a day. Most free browser splitters are 4-stem, which leaves the piano in the other stem. StemConsole isolates the piano for one song with a US$1.99 credit.
Why does my stem splitter put the piano in “other”?
Most free splits are 4-stem: vocals, drums, bass and other. Piano only gets its own stem in a 6-stem split or with a dedicated piano model, such as StemConsole Full Separation, Logic Pro Stem Splitter or an MVSEP piano model.
Does a piano stem include organ and synths?
Usually not. Piano stems cover acoustic and electric piano. Organ, synth pads and strings normally stay in the other stem. Moises Premium and MVSEP offer a separate keys option for those parts.
Is an isolated piano stem good enough to transcribe?
For chords, voicings and melody, usually yes. Loop short sections and slow them down with the pitch locked. Heavy sustain can blur when slowed, so compare with the full mix at normal speed to hear where the pedal changes.
What is the best app to isolate piano on a phone?
StemConsole runs in the phone browser with no install, and Moises has iPhone and Android apps. Both need a paid option for the piano stem: a US$1.99 credit or Pro on StemConsole, Premium or Pro on Moises.
Dan Murtagh is a Melbourne mixing and mastering engineer with 20 years making records and a decade teaching audio. He built StemConsole as a practice tool for his students. More about Dan.