How-to guide
How to isolate hi-hats from a full mix
Hi-hat patterns define the feel and groove of a track more than any other single drum element. DrumSplit isolates the hi-hats as their own stem — open hats, closed hats, pedal hats, all separated from the rest of the kit and the music.
Hi-hats are notoriously hard to isolate with traditional methods because they share high frequencies with cymbals, vocal sibilance and synthesizer brightness. DrumSplit's neural model distinguishes between hi-hat articulations and other high-frequency content.
Step-by-step
- Open DrumSplit.io. No install or account needed — just a modern browser.
- Upload the song. Any format up to 100 MB. The higher the source quality, the cleaner the hi-hat isolation.
- Pick your mode. Natural for real hi-hats (most recordings), Puncher for programmed hi-hat rolls and trap patterns.
- Wait 2-3 minutes. DrumSplit returns 6 stems. The hi-hat stem contains all hi-hat articulations from the recording.
- Download and use the hi-hat stem. Import into your DAW for sampling, layering, or studying the original hi-hat pattern.
Tips for better results
- Trap and drill hi-hat rolls isolate particularly well because they have strong transients and distinctive pitch patterns.
- Use the isolated hi-hat stem as a reference track when programming your own patterns — you can see the groove visually in your DAW.
- Combine the isolated hi-hat with the isolated kick and snare to rebuild the drum kit with your own processing chain.
Try DrumSplit
Upload a song and get 5 individual drum stems plus a drumless music track. From $0.99 per split. No subscription. Credits never expire.
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