ACappellaSet: A Multilingual A Cappella Dataset for Source Separation and AI-assisted Rehearsal Tools

Authors: Ting-Yu Pan, Phyllis Ju, Hao-Wen Dong

A cappella music presents unique challenges for source separation due to its diverse vocal styles and the presence of vocal percussion. Current a cappella datasets are limited in size and diversity, hindering the development of robust source separation models. We are building ACappellaSet, a collection of 55 professionally recorded a cappella songs performed by three professional groups. Preliminary experiment results showed that fine-tuning Demucs on ACappellaSet substantially improves vocal percussion (VP) separation, raising VP SDR from 5.22 dB to 7.62 dB. We envision that ACappellaSet can be further strengthened through AI-driven dataset augmentation. ACappellaSet has the potential for a cappella / choir source separation and supporting tools for asynchronous a cappella rehearsals.

Multilingual Vocal Separation Demos

Language: Chinese (SATB + VP, Dry Quality)

Original Mixture

Ground Truth Soprano

Our Separated Soprano

Ground Truth Alto

Our Separated Alto

Ground Truth Tenor

Our Separated Tenor

Ground Truth Bass

Our Separated Bass

Ground Truth Voice Percussion

Our Separated Voice Percussion

Language: English (SATB + VP, Zero Shot)

Original Mixture

Ground Truth Soprano

Our Separated Soprano

Ground Truth Alto

Our Separated Alto

Ground Truth Tenor

Our Separated Tenor

Ground Truth Bass

Our Separated Bass

Ground Truth Voice Percussion

Our Separated Voice Percussion

Language: Korean (SATB + VP, Dry Quality)

Original Mixture

Ground Truth Soprano

Our Separated Soprano

Ground Truth Alto

Our Separated Alto

Ground Truth Tenor

Our Separated Tenor

Ground Truth Bass

Our Separated Bass

Ground Truth Voice Percussion

Our Separated Voice Percussion

Language: Haka (SATB + VP, Wet Quality)

Original Mixture

Ground Truth Soprano

Our Separated Soprano

Ground Truth Alto

Our Separated Alto

Ground Truth Tenor

Our Separated Tenor

Ground Truth Bass

Our Separated Bass

Ground Truth Voice Percussion

Our Separated Voice Percussion

Language: Taiwanese (SATB + VP, Rough Quality)

Original Mixture

Ground Truth Alto

Our Separated Alto

Ground Truth Tenor

Our Separated Tenor

Ground Truth Baritone

Our Separated Baritone

Ground Truth Bass

Our Separated Bass

Ground Truth Voice Percussion

Our Separated Voice Percussion

Voice Percussion Separation Demo

Start (SATB + VP, Korean, Dry)

Original Mixture

Ground Truth SATB

Separated SATB (Demucs, Pre-trained)

Separated SATB (Demucs, Fine-tuned on ACappellaSet)

Ground Truth VP

Separated VP (Demucs, Pre-trained)

Separated VP (Demucs, Fine-tuned on ACappellaSet)

頭前 (SATB + VP, Haka, Dry)

Original Mixture

Ground Truth SATB

Separated SATB (Demucs, Pre-trained)

Separated SATB (Demucs, Fine-tuned on ACappellaSet)

Ground Truth VP

Separated VP (Demucs, Pre-trained)

Separated VP (Demucs, Fine-tuned on ACappellaSet)

AcaMate: Supporting Novice A Cappella Singers in Iterative Individual Practice

Novice singers in collegiate A cappella groups often struggle with individual practice due to limited guidance and the challenges of asynchronous rehearsal. We propose AcaMate, a system designed to support individual practice by integrating group recordings, visualizing musical patterns across voice parts, and providing intuitive feedback to guide iterative and deliberate practice.

The interface of AcaMate