The Best Ways to Loop Part of a Song for Practice in 2026

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.

What makes a good practice looper

• Precise A and B points you can drag on a waveform, so the loop starts on the pickup, not a beat late.
• Speed change with the pitch locked, so you can drill the loop slowly and still play in tune.
• Saved, named loops, so the verse, the fill and the solo are waiting next time.
• A count-in, so you are not scrambling for the first note on every pass.
• Looping one instrument. Hearing the part on its own while you learn it, then bringing the band back, is what stem separation adds.

At a glance

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: loop one instrument, in the browser

StemConsole is the tool I built. Split a song into stems, then set an A and B point on the waveform and drag the handles until the loop starts where you want. Because the song is in stems, you can loop the whole mix or solo your instrument and loop just that part, then bring the band back in to play along. The basic A/B loop is free with an account. With Pro you name and save several loops per song, add a count-in, and slow the loop down with the pitch locked. Saved sessions bring your loops back on any device.

Splitting, the live mixer, Hear my part, Play with the band and a basic A/B loop (with a free account) are free. Speed, key change, named loops, count-in and tap tempo are Pro. The plans are summarised at the end of this page, and the demo song unlocks every tool, so you can try them before you upload anything.

Where others win: no YouTube link import, no chord detection, no native phone app, and the slowest speed is 50%. Uploads are MP3, WAV, FLAC, OGG, M4A, AAC or WMA up to 200 MB.

2. Transcribe!: named loops for serious transcription

Transcribe! is desktop software for Windows, Mac and Linux. You can store and recall any number of named loops, slow from one-twentieth speed to double, and read a spectrum with note guessing. It has no built-in count-in, and it cannot play YouTube directly, so you work from downloaded files. It is $39 as a one-off licence with a 30-day free trial.

Official reference: Transcribe! overview.

3. Anytune: loops and marks on Apple devices and Android

Anytune runs on iPhone, iPad, Mac and Android. The free iPhone app covers tempo and pitch from 0.3x to 2.5x, loops and 5 audiomarks. The Pro pack adds unlimited audiomarks, an audible and visual count-in and fine tempo and pitch adjustment, and the Studio pack extends speed to 0.05x to 4x. There is no web version. See the Anytune alternatives.

Official reference: Anytune product comparison.

4. Moises: loop with stems on your phone

Moises runs on the web, desktop, iPhone and Android and combines looping with AI stems, speed, pitch and chords. Looping is available to free and Premium users, one selection at a time; Premium adds AI-detected song sections to loop. Prices appear after login. See StemConsole vs Moises.

Official reference: Moises app.

5. Capo: loop regions and chords on Apple devices

Capo runs on Mac, iPhone and iPad and works on music files you own. It loops regions, slows from 25% to 150%, has a count-in, and detects chords. The Free Edition includes looping but does not save your regions and markers; the full app is a yearly subscription.

Official reference: Capo.

6. Riffloop: loop YouTube and uploads from a browser extension

Riffloop is an extension for Chrome, Edge, Brave, Arc and Opera, plus a web studio. It loops sections of YouTube videos and uploaded files and separates stems. The free plan allows 5 separations a day with loops up to a minute; Pro, at $5.95 a month or $39 a year, adds a saved loop library. The slowest speed is 25%.

Official reference: Riffloop.

7. LoopTube: the quickest free YouTube looper

LoopTube is a free website that loops any section of a YouTube video with an A and B point, and keeps your loop settings in your browser. It is the fastest way to drill a passage when the song is on YouTube, with nothing to install.

Official reference: LoopTube.

8. VampJam: a web looper with practice recording

VampJam is a web app with an A-B loop mode on its free plan. Paid plans add speed from 0.5x to 2x and a 4-beat count-in for practice recording. Its standalone looper works on uploads up to 50 MB.

Official reference: VampJam plans.

9. YouTube itself: whole video only

YouTube’s own Loop setting repeats the whole video or playlist, not a section. For a passage, use LoopTube or Riffloop on top of it.

Official reference: YouTube Help: loop a video.

Looping technique that actually works

I have spent 20 years mixing and mastering records and a decade teaching audio. Here is how the main tools compare, and who each one suits.

1. Loop short. One or two bars. A whole solo is not a loop; the narrower the loop, the more repetitions per minute.
2. Start the loop a beat early. Most phrases have a pickup. Set A half a bar before the phrase and B a beat after it ends, so you hear how it resolves.
3. Chain the loops. Bar 1, then bar 2, then bars 1 to 2. Overlapping loops fix the joins.
4. Let your fail rate set the speed. Missing more than one pass in three, slow it down. Nailing it ten times running, widen the loop or speed it up.
5. Finish with the band. Once you have the part on its own, bring the full mix back and play along at full speed.

Which should you pick?

• You want to hear and loop just your instrument: StemConsole.
• The song is on YouTube: LoopTube, or Riffloop if you want stems and saved loops.
• You transcribe on a computer: Transcribe!.
• You practise on your phone: Anytune or Moises.
• You are all Apple and want chords too: Capo.

Step by step: loop a section of a song in StemConsole. Related: the best apps to slow down music and the best apps to learn songs by ear.

Try every practice tool on the demo song first: open the demo. No upload, no account and nothing to install.

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

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.

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