What is a Music Stem?
A music stem is a single audio file that contains a group of mixed tracks from a song. Instead of exporting every individual sound separately, a producer groups related sounds together into one consolidated audio file. For example, a “drum stem” will contain the kick, snare, cymbals, and percussion all combined into a single file. A standard track is typically broken down into 4 to 8 stems, such as Drums, Bass, Vocals, and Instruments.
Stems vs. Multitracks: What is the Difference?
It is very common for people in the music industry to confuse stems and multitracks, but they serve completely different purposes.
- Multitracks: These are the raw, individual audio files for every single sound in a recording session. If your session has 15 different vocal layers, 5 synth parts, and 8 drum pieces, each of these 28 sounds is its own separate multitrack file.
- Stems: These are the grouped files. Those 28 individual multitracks would be mixed and exported down into just 3 or 4 separate stem files (e.g., a Vocal Stem, a Synth Stem, and a Drum Stem).
Why Do Producers Use Stems?
Stems are primarily used to make file sharing, remixing, and live performance preparations highly efficient. When sending a track to a remixer or preparing a file for synchronization licensing, handling 5 stem files is much faster than attempting to load a session containing 80 individual multitracks. It also ensures that the original mixing decisions and balances remain intact.
How to Extract Stems from a Finished Song
What if you want to sample a beat or remix a track, but you don’t have access to the original studio stems? In the past, this meant relying on messy EQ tricks or phase-cancellation. Now, you can use our free AI Stem Splitter to do it instantly. This powerful online tool uses machine learning to analyze any fully mixed audio file and surgically separate it into four high-quality isolated stems: Vocals, Drums, Bass, and Other Instruments. It is the perfect tool for DJs, beatmakers, and remixers to extract acapellas or isolate instruments directly in their browser.
Collaboration and Finalizing Your Audio
Whether you are exchanging stems with a remixer or sharing multitracks with a co-producer, it is critical to organize the technical details of your track. Tools like our BPM Finder and Key Finder can help you properly label your files before sending them out.
When collaborating, you must also secure your writing percentages. You can quickly generate a formal agreement using our free music split sheet generator. Once your final stereo mix is complete and ready for distribution, use our free online audio mastering tool to finalize the quality of your release.