Free · In your browser · Never uploaded
Slow down a song without changing pitch
Short answer: use a time-stretch player, which changes the speed and leaves the pitch alone. StemConsole’s free player below does it in your browser: choose a song, pick any speed from 50% to 150% and loop the hard bar. Nothing uploads.
Reading the file…
Original speed, original pitch
Original key, speed stays where it is
The whole song at its original speed and key, as an MP3 made on this device. Free with a StemConsole account.
Saving your version is free with a StemConsole account. Sign in once and save as many as you like.
Signed up with an email link? Sign in on the homepage, then come back to this tab.
Your MP3 is ready
Now split it into stems and practise your part. Solo the bass, mute the drums or loop the bar you are learning.
Split a song freeOther good options: YouTube’s playback speed setting slows YouTube videos, Audacity’s Change Tempo effect works on your own files on desktop, and Transcribe! is a paid desktop app built for learning songs. To slow down one instrument on its own, press Practise this song with stems: StemConsole splits the song so you can solo the part you are learning, and slows the stems with Pro.
How to slow a song down
- 1
Choose a song
Press Choose an audio file, or drop one on the player: MP3, WAV, FLAC, M4A, AAC or OGG. It plays on your device and never uploads.
- 2
Set the speed
Drag Speed below 100%, or tap 75%. The pitch stays put anywhere from 50% to 150%. Start around three-quarter speed; save half speed for the bar that is beating you.
- 3
Loop the hard part
Drag across the waveform to loop a passage, or press A and B as it plays. Drag the loop’s edges to adjust it.
- 4
Climb back up
Play the loop cleanly three times in a row, then press + to go up 5%. Repeat until you are at 100%.
- 5
Save your version
Press Download MP3 to save the whole song at your speed and key. The MP3 is made on your device and is free with a StemConsole account.
- 6
Split it into stems
Press Practise this song with stems. Basic Split (free) gives vocals, drums, bass and other; Full Separation (Pro) adds guitar and piano. The first split needs no account.
- 7
Solo your part
In the practice room, solo the stem you are learning, or mute it and play along. Speed and key on separate stems, named loops and count-in are Pro; with Pro the stems open at your speed and key.
How to practise with slowed-down playback
Slow playback only helps if you use it to play correctly. Pick a speed at which you can play the phrase right the first time, even if that feels absurdly slow. Every clean repetition teaches the right movement; every sloppy one at full speed teaches the mistake.
Work in small chunks: two bars is a good loop, one beat is fine for a fast run. Get the rhythm first by clapping or singing the phrase at half speed, because most "fast" problems are timing problems, not finger problems.
Climb in small steps. Five percent at a time feels slow but it sticks. When you reach 100%, try a few passes at 110%; coming back to the real tempo feels easy afterwards. Solo the instrument to hear articulation, then unmute the band and play along. For a scale or a lick away from the record, the free online metronome runs the same climb: its speed trainer adds a few BPM every few bars.
What to expect
Stretching below about 60% smears transients, so cymbals and reverb tails sound a little washy at half speed. The player moves the whole song together; to slow down one instrument on its own, split the song and slow its stems with Pro. For count-in and loops in time, open the song in the free Key & BPM Finder and press Practise this song with stems: its tempo comes along, and Song BPM is filled in when the stems load. Tap tempo sets it by hand.
What is free and what is Pro
| Free | Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Slow down | The whole song, 50% to 150%, pitch kept (the player on this page) | Separate stems too, in the practice room |
| Change key | The whole song, 12 semitones either way | Separate stems too |
| Save it | The whole song as an MP3 at your speed and key, with a free account | Mix bounces at a changed speed or key, MP3 or WAV |
| Looping | An A/B loop on this page, and one in the practice room with a free account | Named loops, count-in, tap tempo |
| Stems | Vocal Remover and 4-stem Basic Split | 6-stem Full Separation (adds guitar and piano) |
| Downloads | MP3 stems and MP3 mix bounces | WAV stems and bounces, including at a changed speed or key |
| Splits | 5 a month; first needs no account | 100 a month |
Pro is US$6.99 a month or US$49 a year. A US$1.99 credit buys one Full Separation, no practice tools, never expires. See plans.
Frequently asked questions
Does slowing the song down change the pitch?
No. The free player on this page changes the speed and keeps the pitch, anywhere from 50% to 150%. Speed and Key are separate controls, so 60% still plays in the original key.
Is it free?
Yes. The player on this page is free, with no account and no cap on songs, and nothing uploads. Saving the result as an MP3 is free with a StemConsole account. Splitting is free too: 5 songs a month, the first with no account. Speed and key on separate stems are Pro, at US$6.99 a month or US$49 a year.
Does it work on MP3 files?
Yes. The player takes MP3, WAV, FLAC, M4A, AAC and OGG files up to 100 MB (40 MB for compressed files such as MP3) and 20 minutes long, or 12 minutes on a phone or tablet. The splitter takes files up to 200 MB.
How slow can it go?
From 50% to 150%. Below half speed the audio is too smeared to be useful; if you need slower, loop one beat instead.
Is my song uploaded?
No. The player decodes and plays the file on your device, and Download MP3 makes the file there too, so the song never leaves it. If you press Practise this song with stems, the splitter uploads it, as it does any song you split.
Can I save the slowed-down version?
Yes. Press Download MP3 and the whole song is saved at your speed and key as an MP3, made on your device. It is free with a StemConsole account: sign in with Google, or with your email link on the homepage. A mix bounce at a changed speed or key, which can be one soloed stem, comes with Pro, as MP3 or WAV.
Does it work on my phone?
Yes, in the mobile browser with nothing to install. Choose a song from your phone’s files and use headphones to hear the detail.
Compared with YouTube playback speed and Transcribe!
| YouTube playback speed | Transcribe! | StemConsole | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slows without changing pitch | Yes, 0.25x to 2x | Yes, fine control | Yes, 50% to 150%, free |
| Isolate one instrument | No | EQ filters only | Yes, solo or mute any stem |
| Loop a section | No native loop | Yes, precise | Yes, free A/B loop; named loops with Pro |
| Runs in the browser | Yes | No, desktop app | Yes, no install |
| Cost | Free | One-off licence | Free player and splits; Pro US$6.99 a month |
Related guides and tools
Loop a section of a song
Repeat a phrase until it sits under your fingers. Basic looping is free; named loops need Pro.
Change the key of a song
Move a song into your range without changing the speed, free in your browser.
Create a backing track from any song
Set each stem’s level, then bounce the mix: MP3 free, WAV with Pro.
Learn a song by ear
Solo the part, slow it down, loop the phrase.
Isolate guitar
Hear the guitar part alone, or mute it and play along.
How to learn any bassline by ear
From the blog. Solo the bass, learn it phrase by phrase, then play with the band.
Key & BPM Finder
Find a song’s key and tempo free, right in your browser.
Online metronome
Accents, subdivisions, tap BPM and a speed trainer, free in your browser.
Written by Dan Murtagh, mixing engineer and audio educator. Updated 3 October 2026.
Compare apps for slowing down music. Coming from Anytune? See Anytune alternatives and StemConsole vs Anytune.