How to remove background music from videos in your browser
Many lectures, documentaries and news clips have background music you may prefer not to hear. Muting isn't an option when you want the speech. Voice separation solves this: a small speech model keeps the voices and removes the rest.
Scholars differ on music, and this article doesn't try to settle that. It only explains what the technology can do, for those who want it.
How it works
A speech model listens to a video's sound in short slices and estimates which part is a human voice. The rest is taken out before it reaches your speakers. Running it on your device means the audio doesn't have to be sent anywhere.
How to use it in AkhiBrowser
- Install AkhiBrowser on Windows or Android.
- Play a video. No music is on by default.
- To turn it off, open the AkhiBrowser shield in the toolbar. On Android: menu, then Extensions, then AkhiBrowser.
Phones and slower computers use a lighter model, so they can keep up.
Where it works less well
- Singing. A singing voice is still a voice, so the model has to decide what to do with it.
- Loud music over quiet speech. Some music can remain, and the voice can sound thinner.
- Sites that block access to their audio. Some protected videos can't be processed.
The feature builds on NoMusic by Mohamed Sadiq.