How-to guide
How to remove drums from an M4A file
M4A is the default format on iPhones, iTunes libraries and Apple devices. DrumSplit accepts it directly — go from your Music app export to separated drum stems without converting anything first.
M4A contains AAC audio — Apple's lossy codec. Like MP3, stem quality depends on the source bitrate. 256 kbps M4A (iTunes Plus standard) produces clean results. 128 kbps is usable but noisier.
Step-by-step
- Export the M4A from your Music library. In Apple Music or iTunes, right-click the song and choose Show in Finder, or drag it onto your desktop.
- Open DrumSplit.io. Any browser. No install needed.
- Upload the M4A file. DrumSplit reads M4A and AAC natively. Files up to 100 MB.
- Pick a mode and pay. $0.99 per split. Natural for most music, Puncher for EDM.
- Download the stems. 7 WAV files in about 2-3 minutes: kick, snare, hi-hats, toms, cymbals, drum bus and drumless music. All stems are 24-bit WAV regardless of the M4A source bitrate.
Tips for better results
- DRM-protected songs (pre-2009 iTunes purchases with .m4p extension) will not work. Look for .m4a files.
- Do not convert M4A to MP3 first — that loses quality. Upload the M4A directly for best results.
- Credits are shared across all MusicSplit tools — same wallet works on VocalSplit and DrumSplit.
Try DrumSplit
Upload a song to the drum splitter & drum stem separator and get 7 files: kick, snare, hi-hats, toms, cymbals, a drum bus and the music without drums. From $0.99 per split. No subscription. Purchased credits never expire.
Try DrumSplit