What are Stems?

Stems are grouped audio tracks that represent different sections of a song, such as drums, vocals, bass, or instruments. Each stem contains multiple individual tracks mixed together into a single audio file. When all stems are played together, they recreate the full mix of the original song.

For example, a song might be exported into several stems including drum stems, vocal stems, guitar stems, and synth stems. Each stem includes all the recordings from that category combined into one track. This allows engineers or producers to adjust the level or processing of entire sections without needing access to every individual track in the project.

Stems are widely used in music production, remixing, film scoring, live performances, and post-production. They make it easier to create alternate mixes, adapt music for different media, or collaborate with other producers. Because stems preserve the structure of the original mix while still allowing flexibility, they are an important part of modern audio workflows.