# Free vocal samples: chops, a cappellas and shouts

> Free vocal samples: vocal chops, a cappellas, shouts and ad-libs, choirs and spoken word, with key and tempo where known and a licence verdict on each.

Vocal samples give a track a human hook: a chopped syllable played as a melody, a full a cappella to remix, a crowd shout on the drop or a spoken line in a breakdown. These collections group free vocals by type. Vocals are the samples most often licensed for non-commercial use only, so check the verdict on each card before you release anything.

Updated 2026-10-23.

## Collections

- [Free acapellas](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-acapellas.md): 24 samples from 2 sources. Free a cappella vocals for remixes and new tracks, mostly from Creative Commons remix communities, with tempo and key where known and a licence verdict on each.
- [Free choir samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-choir-samples.md): 32 samples from 3 sources. Free choir samples: sustained choral notes, chants, ahh and ooh pads and real choirs for cinematic, ambient and gospel-tinged tracks, with licences.
- [Free spoken word samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-spoken-word-samples.md): 15 samples from 4 sources. Free spoken word and voice samples: narration, speeches, radio chatter and public-domain recordings for intros and breakdowns, with a licence verdict on each.
- [Free vocal chops](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-vocal-chops.md): 14 samples from 1 sources. Free vocal chop samples for house, future bass and pop: short sung syllables, cuts and stutters with BPM and key where known, and a licence verdict on each.
- [Free vocal shouts and ad-libs](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-vocal-shouts.md): 17 samples from 4 sources. Free vocal shouts, chants, hype phrases and ad-libs for drops, hooks and transitions in dance and hip hop, each with a preview and a commercial-use verdict.

## Kinds of vocal sample

A cappellas are full vocal performances without music, made for remixing. Vocal chops are short slices replayed as rhythms or melodies. Shouts and ad-libs are one-word accents for drops and gaps. Spoken word adds narration or atmosphere, and choirs add size. Each kind is a collection of its own here.

## Two rights in every voice

A vocal sample involves the recording and the person whose voice it is, and a sung line also involves the song it comes from. That is why vocals lifted from records, films or interviews are the riskiest samples to release. Vocals recorded by singers for others to use, typically on Creative Commons remix communities, are the safe route.

## Credit and licences

Many free vocals are CC BY, which allows a commercial release with a credit to the singer, and a large share are non-commercial. Sound Server shows the verdict and writes the credit line for each, and the bundle download keeps every credit in ATTRIBUTION.md.

## Questions

**Where do free a cappellas come from?**

Mostly from remix communities such as ccMixter, where singers upload their parts under Creative Commons, and from public-domain archives. A cappellas of commercial songs found elsewhere are rarely licensed for reuse.

**Can I chop a vocal from a song on YouTube?**

Not without permission from the owners of the recording and the song. Use vocals whose licence covers your use, which this hub filters by verdict.

**Do I have to credit the singer?**

For CC BY vocals, yes: the credit is the condition of the licence. CC0 vocals need no credit, though singers appreciate one.

## Guides

- [How to credit CC BY samples in a song](https://sound.shep.bot/guides/credit-cc-by-samples.md): The credit line a CC BY sample needs (title, author, source, licence, changes), where to put it on Bandcamp, YouTube and streaming, with copy-paste examples.
- [What is the CC Sampling+ licence?](https://sound.shep.bot/guides/cc-sampling-plus.md): Sampling+ lets you transform a sound in new work, commercially too, but never in advertising or resold raw. What it allows and where you still meet it.
- [Sample clearance and Content ID: a producer's guide](https://sound.shep.bot/guides/sample-clearance-and-content-id.md): When a sample needs clearing (master and publishing), why no number of seconds is safe, and how to handle Content ID claims on sounds you may use.

## Other kinds

- [Free drum samples: kicks, snares, hats and breaks](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/drums.md)
- [Free 808 and bass samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/bass-808s.md)
- [Free loops by genre and tempo](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/loops.md)
- [Free sound effects for music: risers, impacts, sweeps](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/fx.md)
- [Free foley sounds and ambience recordings](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/foley-ambience.md)
- [Free instrument samples: piano, guitar, synth, strings](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/instruments.md)

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Source: https://sound.shep.bot/samples/vocals