You need to make your mixes more interesting than the other million DJ out there #fact. You do this by great tune selection and creating surprising mixes…which is where using Acapellas comes in. Not only will your set sound fresh but you’ll be creating brand-new remixes live. All you need now is to know where to find acapellas that are modern and high-quality…
This is a list of all the best and biggest sites where you can find acapellas.
Where Do DJs Get Vocal Tracks?
Contents
Traxsource
Traxsource is a digital download store featuring a range of genres but with a focus on House music. Operating since 2002 they have a huge library which, of course, includes acapellas. Just head to the genres tab and select acapellas to find everything from Roland Clarke to Pop Bangers.
At first glance, their layout can be quite slow to navigate, so I recommend changing the settings.
Once you’re in acapellas push “show as tracks” and then switch to “100 per page”. You’ll then be able to flick through the huge collection a lot quicker. With 4,800 acapellas at the last count then it could still take you a while.
Along with the standard tracks and acapellas, the site does also includes DJ tools, stems, and beats. Making it useful for both DJs and Producers.
DJ City
DJ City is one of the longest-running digital record pools, given that it’s been in operation since 2000. Requiring a subscription, it is fairly common for professional-level DJs to have memberships with them.
Acapellas are uploaded regularly, generally at least one per day and are a mixture of well-known songs and newer tracks. From electronic to pop hits you have everything ranging from Major Lazer through to 5ive.
One of the benefits of being a member of DJ City is not only having access to their acapellas, of which they have around 500 at the time of writing, but you can also access their normal range of music as well.
Their database is searchable by genre while they also give you the BPM and often the key of the track as well.
Alongside the acapellas and club hits they also serve up mashups, remixes, breaks and DJ tools. So, if you’re serious about DJing and want to know where to find acapellas, as well as other tracks, then DJ city can be well worth checking out.
Ever wondered how to get hold of unreleased tracks? Check out this post.
FRP (Franchise Record Pool)
While we’re on the subject of record pools, FRP is another and boasts 300,000 tracks with up to 3,000 extra being added every month. Often before you’ll find them anywhere else.
For the digital DJs, all tracks are ready to drop straight into Serato and come listed with BPM, tags as well as prebuilt overviews. Making them instant to integrate into your library.
Along with a range of DJ tools, as well as music videos for any VJs amongst you, they also have acapellas from modern music right back to the 80s.
Founded back in 1996 by Funkmaster Flex there is a hip-hop twist to FRP but they do have other genres, including dance.
The price is very reasonable, costing only $19.99 per month you get access to thousands of tracks. Compared to if you paid the same to buy tracks from iTunes you get around 15 for that price.
While FRP is a great resource for DJs of all genres, if you’re a hip-hop DJ then it’s definitely worth a look.
Want to know about other DJ pools? This post lists the biggest and best.
Beatport
Beatport is the biggest digital music store which means it has a huge range of all genres available online. So when composing a list of where to get acapellas, there was no doubt Beatport would be on there.
Founded in 2004, with the primary aim of servicing DJs, Beatport gives you access to hundreds of thousands of high-quality audio files. You also have the benefit of knowing that you are supporting the industry at the same time.
What makes things more difficult than the other sites listed here is that they don’t have a specific acapella page. Instead, you’ll find them spread out throughout the various genres and in DJ tools.
This makes things time consuming if you’re not sure what you’re looking for and just want to browse. However, if you are looking for something specific then Beatport is well worth checking.
They have also just launched Beatport Link. This is a subscription that lets you stream over six million tracks directly into Rekordbox to then play it out. Which is a great way of boosting your arsenal of tracks. You’ll also be able to fulfill every request ever… if you allow them in the first place that is. There is a 30-day trial so you can try it out for free before deciding if it’s for you or not.
Voclr.it
This is a free site that specializes in acapellas. In fact, they described themselves as the “world’s #1 Acappella supersite”. They do require you to sign up for a free account which gives you 5 free downloads per month.
Although with currently 13,000 acapellas on the site chances are you’ll blow through them pretty quickly. Especially given that they cover all types of music. You’ll find everything from 2pac and David Guetta to Queens of the Stone Age and everyone in between.
In fact, there are plenty of rock and pop tracks to be had. So, if you’re wondering where to find acapellas to create unlikely remixes or mashups, it’s a great place to start.
Even if you decide to go pro (which gives you unlimited downloads) this will only cost you around $5 a month. Bargain.
Another thing that’s great about voclr.it is their free Facebook group in which the site owner is active. Allowing you to request features or acapellas, to which they’ll reply directly if they can help you.
Ever wondered if it ok to rip tracks from YouTube? Your answers are here.
Looperman
Looperman is a producer’s dream. Given that there are over 130,000 free audio loops and samples available for download. As well as a very active community of like-minded producers.
Where do you find acapellas though? In their dedicated acapellas tab, where they currently host nearly 9,000 acapellas.
Each is tagged and searchable by BPM and genre but Looperman even goes further. The acapellas are even searchable by sex and vocal style, a very nice touch.
Another feature that you won’t find elsewhere is being able to specify whether you want things like auto-tune or not.
You are required to sign up for an account but it is free and then you are let loose. Looperman is an absolute goldmine of audio files, as well as software and samples.
Love DJ gear?
So do we, check out our favorites…
FreeVocals.com – Where to Find Acapellas You Can Customize
The name is actually a little misleading as not all of their downloads are free. You, in fact, have around 100 free featured acapellas at any one point.
To access their full library you’ll need a membership that is fairly cheap at around $5/mo for 30 downloads. Although you would then have to pay extra if you wanted to use the acapellas commercially.
Where this does vary from the others in the list is that it has a team of vocalists on staff. This allows you to order custom vocals if you want to.
This does not have to be original music either, for example:
If you are unable to find the acapella for a specific, released track that you like then you can order it. Simply listen to the vocalists on offer, choose the closest match to the original vocals and pay them to record an acapella cover for you.
This is a great workaround for that hard to find track. It also gives you have a unique edge, as you would be the only DJ with that acapella in your library. Even if it is a cover.
Acapell.net
This is one of the smaller sites on the list and doesn’t look like it’s updated anymore. However, with nearly 900 acapellas in the archive, you’ll still find a few treats and classics to spice up your mixes.
Most of the acapellas come in high-quality mp3 with the bonus that you don’t need an account to download them.
It looks like it stopped being updated back in 2016, which is a shame as they were building a good range of tracks on there.
Digital Music Pool
This is another digital record pool requiring a subscription which, as above, costs $20 a month.
The good thing is that there’s no contract so you can try it out just for a month to see if you like it. The range of tracks may not be as big as some but they do offer a variety of versions of each. Including clean, dirty and then (when available) instrumentals and acapellas as well.
Some tracks also feature re-edits (described as “quick hitter” and “hook first”) designed specifically for DJing, which is a nice touch.
Want to know about other DJ pools? This post lists the biggest and best.
Acapellas4you… Where to Find Acapellas You Won’t Get Elsewhere!
This is one of the biggest databases of acapellas on the net. It houses everything from electronic music right through to rock, chart hits and classics.
Running since 2003 their huge database is sortable by BPM and key, as well as the rather nice feature of telling you what bitrate the file is. Perfect for filtering out the low-quality files that would just waste your time.
With over 30,000 acapellas you will find more than enough tracks to add to your DJ set. In the task of where to find acapellas that are difficult to track down, this may well be it.
You will require an account but this is free and then you are then able to download 30 tracks per month. When it comes to acapellas, this might very well be the one-stop-shop for you.
Loop Masters
If you’re not looking for specific acapellas from known songs, then Loop Masters has all sorts of vocal, sample and effects packs. There is a huge range of producer and DJ mix tools that you can use to spice up any set.
Designed for ease of use, the packs come in a variety of formats and file types. This enables you to just drag and drop them straight into the software of your choice.
So if you’re looking to create your own remixes then this is Loop Masters is well worth checking out as well.
Reddit Isolated Vocals… Where to Find Acapellas On The Obscure Side
This one is completely different from all of those in the list above. Isolated vocals is a subreddit with a membership totaling over 55,000.
Here people share acapellas that they have found (generally on YouTube) that are free of the instrumental part of the track.
Quality does vary, as often people have separated the vocal from the track themselves. That said there is a huge variety and range available.
There is also a weekly thread where you can post requests of acapellas that you are looking for. Generally, people will help if they can.
If you’re wondering where to find acapellas within the subreddit then make sure you have an account and join it. By joining the Isolated Vocals community you are then able to search and filter results by that specific subreddit.
Want to get more DJ gigs? I tell you how in this post.
Create Them Yourself…
You can, of course, create acapellas yourself, they do take a bit of effort and the results can be hit and miss.
This short video shows you a quick & dirty way to isolate vocals using Audacity
Extra, bonus website in case you’re not aware of it…
WhoSampled.com – Where to Find Acapellas Used in Other Songs
If you’ve heard a track or a remix you like but you’re not sure where the vocals have come from then this is the website for you.
They have a huge database (and app) that allows you to either search for or listen to (via the app) a track. They will then tell you what samples have been used in the production of that track.
This is perfect if you are have found a vocal track that you like and are looking to make your own remixes.
Their current database boasts over half a million songs so, assuming the track you like is popular enough, you should be able to find what you’re looking for.
Conclusion: Where to Find Acapellas
Hopefully, this list of websites has given you plenty to look at with regards to where to find acapellas. You should be able to find plenty of fodder to take your remixes and DJ sets to a whole new level.
With a mixture of paid and free sites listed then of course quality and variety is going to vary. But as long as you’re careful to choose good quality tracks, and have the skills to mix them, then you’ll have plenty to entertain yourself with.
If you have any questions or comments about anything in this post then drop them below and I’ll reply to every single one.
FAQs: Acapella
What does acapella mean?
Acapella simply means to sing or have vocals, without any backing instruments. Originally this would have referred almost exclusively referred to choral singers, however, the meaning has diversified. In modern music production, Acapella refers to vocals that have been recorded or lifted from elsewhere, to be used in composing a new track or remix.
Where did acapella come from?
Capella is Italian in origin and literally means “chapel”. The original use of “a capella” would have been as an instruction to singers meaning “in the style of the chapel”. These days it covers everything from singing without instruments to being a genre in itself i.e acapella groups (aka barbershop quartets) that perform vocal-only songs.
Is it acapella or a capella?
When talking about vocals without accompanying instruments the traditional spelling is the Italian “a cappella”. Note that not only is it two words but also two of the letter “P”, the Latin version is closer to the modern usage with only one “P”. The one word “acapella” was first used in the US but is now common among modern producers worldwide. These days, either form is acceptable (except by true music scholars perhaps…).
What next?
- Wondering if you can use mp3s ripped from YouTube? Check out the full guide here.
- Looking to get more DJ gigs? Have a look at the 38 different ways here.
