The 5 Best Websites To Find FREE Acapellas
Whether you’re a music producer or a DJ, if you’re working on a mashup of your favourite tracks; creating an unofficial remix to expose your creative flair to the world; looking to add some depth with vocal samples; or scratch vocal cuts into the hook of your hip hop songs. Good quality, studio-grade acapella’s are usually the first thing you’ll look for. However coming from experience, it can be easy to find yourself spending countless hours browsing the internet, only to be left with a plethora of DIY acapellas that just don’t do your creation justice. Not to mention the hours of wasted time.
That’s why we’ve put together a list of the 5 best websites to find free acapella’s for your mashups and productions. Some of these websites include commercial studio acapella’s; while others offer completely royalty-free files and even complete stems of full songs for the ultimate control in your remix. You’ll also find some require a premium subscription for full access, although most still give you some amount of free downloads.
What Is An Acapella
Before we get into the list, it’s important to understand what exactly an acapella is. To put it simply, an acapella is essentially an audio track that only includes the vocals. That is, without the instruments, and usually without any added effects applied during the mixing process such as reverb, EQ, or delays.
Hence, acapella’s are the perfect foundation to build a remix around, just like they’re ideal for layering over an instrumental of another song to create a banging mashup!
With that being said, all the websites on this list will provide you with some high-quality, studio-grade options. But be warned, you’re also likely to stumble upon your fair share of DIY acapella’s that have been created by using techniques such as phase cancellation. Some of these might suffice for using in your mashup, while others might not stand up when it comes to quality. The key is to use your ears!
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Best Acapella Websites
MS Project Sound
One of the best places to find studio-quality acapella’s of commercial songs would have to be MS Project Sound. Offering a massive selection of songs, MS Project Sound is constantly being updated with both acapellas and complete stems from “top 40” songs, as well as a variety of music that spans a multitude of genres. So whether you’re looking for Pop, EDM, or Mainstream, you’re sure to find a high quality acapella to suit your next project.
With a free membership, you’re limited to a certain number of downloads per month, with some cutting off halfway through and some restricted completely. However, at $4.99/month upgrading to one of the MS Project Sound’s VIP membership gives you a number of benefits. Including unlimited high-quality downloads, advanced filters for searching, and the option to request new acapella’s if you can’t find what you’re looking for.
Using the advanced filters, MS Project Sound allows you to search specifically by Key, BPM, and Genre. So if you’re a mashup producer looking for the perfect vocals to combine with an instrumental, this feature will be an absolute blessing.
PROS:
- Clean website and user-friendly
- Massive selection of songs
- Advanced filtering options
- Request submissions
CONS:
- Must have VIP to access all features
- Some low-quality DIY acapellas among the gems
Voclr
One of the more recent additions to the acapella market, Voclr is a website that is rapidly growing. At the time of writing, Voclr gives you access to over 14,000 acapella’s; most of them being high quality and from your favourite artists. Although there’s always the occasional DIY or low quality acapella that manages to slip through the cracks. So whether you’re looking for Calvin Harris, Drake, or Avicci, the Voclr library is sure to have something for your liking, and its constantly being updated.
The beauty of Voclr, is that the free membership option gives you more than enough to get started remixing and mashing up songs. Allowing you to download up to 5 acapella’s per month, with the ability to reset that number periodically in return for sharing the page on your socials! A good incentive if you don’t want to fork out the still-affordable $9 per month fee. But if you’re looking for more flexibility and unlimited downloads, the premium membership gives you everything you need. Including sample packs, previews, and zero ads!
PROS:
- Clean website and user-friendly
- Massive selection of songs
- Advanced filtering options
- Up to 5 downloads on free membership
CONS:
- Must have VIP to access all features
- Some low-quality DIY acapellas among the gems
Acapellas4U
One of the first websites to pop up focused solely on acapellas, Acapellas4U has been the go-to website for producers and DJs since the early 2000’s. What’s more, everything on the site is 100% completely free, so you automatically have access to the vast amount of (over 30,000) acapella’s available on their site. With a library that has been continuously growing for that long, it’s safe to say that Acapellas4U host acapella’s from nearly every genre under the sun. So it’s a fantastic resource that every DJ or producer should have saved in their bookmarks! They even have an active forum attached where producers and DJs can network, and share music, tips, and tricks.
Most notably, popular industry names such as Afrojack are regular users of the site. Again, like all the sites on this list; you’re likely to regularly stumble upon a number of low-quality DIY acapella’s. But perhaps the biggest downside of the website is the website itself. Acapellas4U lacks the modern, and intuitive design you’ll find from the other sites on this list. But then again, it’s completely free, so who’s complaining!
PROS:
- 100% free!
- The largest selection of songs on this list
- Helpful forums on the website
CONS:
- Website needs a complete redesign
- Plenty of low quality files
Remix Packs
A little bit different from the typical acapella website, Remix Packs specializes in offering complete remix packs on their website. Hosting over 6,000 packs that include all the stems to each song. So not only are you getting a massive amount of acapella’s, but you’re also getting individual audio tracks for each of the instruments, and sound FX. Giving you complete control to take the songs and remix, sample, and manipulate them just the way you’d like to. You’ll find Remix Packs is heavily dominated by EDM, but also offers a variety of Hip Hop, RNB, Pop, Rock, & Reggae! As well as also offering the ability to sort by Key and BPM
The website design and intuitiveness isn’t all that bad, although you will have to endure a pop-up or two each time you click a link. But again, all these remix packs are free, so it’s the price you pay. What’s more, these acapella packs are almost always released as part of official remix competitions. So not only do you get everything you need to put together a quality remix, you could potentially land yourself the title of an official remix.
PROS:
- 100% free!
- Remix Competitions
- Sortable by BPM and Key
- Files are guaranteed to be high quality
CONS:
- Popups get annoying
Looperman
Looperman was created as a community for musicians, video producers, and DJs. Allowing you to upload, share, and download royalty-free loops, acapella’s, and vocals with the community. With over 10,000 user-uploaded acapellas and loops, there’s sure to be something here to spice up your next remix or mashup. What’s more, everything has been appropriately tagged, so you can see the BPM, style, and genre at a quick glance. You’ll also see the licensing requirements that have been shared by the creators so you know exactly what you can and can’t do with the audio.
Again, the website is a little outdated here but it doesn’t really affect your ability to find good content! However, with such a large user base and no quality control; there’s just as much unusable content as there are hidden gems!
PROS:
- 100% free!
- Royalty-Free Acapellas
- Sortable by BPM
CONS:
- Lots of low quality and throwaway content
The Final Say
There you have it, our top 5 websites for finding acapella’s that are sure to enhance your DJ sets, remixes, and mashups. With the continual rise of digital music production, the demand for high-quality vocal samples and acapella’s has never been higher. Whether you’re looking for an original vocal hit to play during your DJ set or a more original sample to build a completely new track around, acapella’s are a necessary tool in your arsenal! Hopefully, this list has opened your eyes to a few new websites. But if we missed one of your favourites, be sure to let us know!
Above all, if you’re thinking about dabbling in mashups or remixes; head to any of the above sites, grab yourself an acapella and have a go! If you’re dying to remix a track and you can’t find it on any of the above websites; check out our article on isolating vocals so you can have a go at some DIY acapella’s.
READ MORE: How To Mashup Songs (Using Free or Paid DAW Software)
