What Are Stems? (Professional Audio Engineering Guide)

🎚️ The Classical Definition of Stems

Stems are submixes of grouped tracks exported as audio files that can be recombined later to recreate the mix.

In the traditional film and music world, stems were typically grouped like:

Drums

Bass

Music

Vocals

FX

👉 Think of stems as mini-mixes inside the full mix.

Key rule (classical definition):

When all stems are imported into a new session at unity gain (0 dB) and aligned at the same start time, they should reconstruct the approved mix.

That’s the gold standard.

🧠 Why Stems Exist (Historically and Practically)

You nailed the big reason.

Before universal plug-in compatibility, studios needed a way to:

Move projects between different consoles

Work across different DAWs

Deliver to film/TV post

Allow remixing without giving raw multitracks

Protect proprietary sounds

The big problem:

Different studios did NOT share:

The same outboard gear

The same console

The same plug-ins

The same automation systems

So the solution was:

✅ Print the sound

✅ Commit the processing

✅ Deliver audio that recreates the mix anywhere

🔁 Stems vs Multitracks (Critical Distinction)

Many people confuse these.

Multitracks (raw tracks)

Example:

Kick

Snare top

Snare bottom

Hi-hat

Tom 1

Tom 2

etc.

👉 These allow a full remix from scratch

Stems (submixes)

Example:

Drum stem (all drums summed)

Guitar stem (all guitars summed)

Vocal stem (all vocals summed)

👉 These allow controlled remixing

Quick rule of thumb:

Multitracks = ingredients

Stems = prepared dishes

🎛️ How Engineers Actually Print Stems

This is where things get interesting — and messy in the real world.

There is NO universal standard, and practices vary widely between:

Music mixers

Film mixers

Mastering engineers

EDM producers

Hip-hop producers

Live engineers

Let’s break down the common approaches.

🔹 Type 1 — Fully Processed Stems (Most Common in Music)

These include:

EQ

Compression

saturation

inserts

bus processing (sometimes)

Goal:

Recreate the mix exactly.

Example:

Drum Stem includes:

Channel EQs

Channel compression

Drum bus compression

Parallel compression (sometimes printed in)

Saturation

Console emulation

✅ Pros

Mix translates exactly

Safe for clients

Safe across studios

No missing plug-ins problem

⚠️ Cons

Less flexible

Harder to remix radically

Processing is “baked in”

🔹 Type 2 — Dry Stems (More Common for Remixers)

These are printed with minimal or no processing.

Usually includes:

basic editing

clip gain

maybe corrective EQ

Goal:

Maximum flexibility for the receiving mixer.

✅ Pros

Full creative control

Easy to reshape

Preferred for remixes

⚠️ Cons

Does NOT recreate original mix

Can sound flat

Requires more work downstream

🔹 Type 3 — Hybrid Stems (Very Professional Approach)

This is what many high-end mixers (and smart engineers 😉) do.

They deliver:

A) Wet stems (processed)

AND

B) Dry stems (optional)

Why?

Because different clients need different things.

For example:

Film dub stage → wants wet

Remixer → wants dry

Mastering → wants wet

Archive → wants both

🔹 Type 4 — FX Printed Separately

This is VERY common in pro workflows.

Instead of baking reverb/delay into the stem, engineers export:

Dry vocal stem

Vocal FX stem

Delay throw stem

Reverb return stem

🎤 Example Vocal Delivery

Option A — Fully Wet

Lead Vocal Stem (with verb/delay printed)

Option B — Split FX (preferred in many pro rooms)

Lead Vocal Dry

Vocal Reverb

Vocal Delay

Vocal Throws

✅ Why split FX?

Because the receiving mixer can:

Adjust space for film

Fold to mono safely

Change ambience

Fit into surround mixes

Manage dialogue clarity

Film and TV people LOVE separated FX.

🔹 Type 5 — Bus Processing Printed vs Not Printed

This is one of the biggest debates between engineers.

Scenario A — Bus processing included

Drum stem includes:

drum bus comp

saturation

tape

console glue

👉 recreates mix exactly

Scenario B — Bus processing excluded

Engineer prints:

individual drum processing

but NOT the drum bus glue

👉 gives flexibility

Professional compromise

Many mixers deliver:

Stem with bus processing

AND

“No bus comp” version

🎚️ Master Bus Processing — The Big Question

This is where people REALLY mess things up.

Rule (generally accepted):

🚫 Do NOT print master limiter on stems

🚫 Be careful with mix bus compression

🚫 Avoid clipping the stems

Best practice

Deliver:

Stems without master limiter

Mix print with limiter

Optional: stems through mix bus comp (clearly labeled)

📦 Professional Stem Delivery Specs

Most pro deliveries follow these rules:

Technical

All files start at 00:00:00

Same sample rate

Same bit depth

No normalization

No clipping

Peak headroom preserved

Typical Format

24-bit WAV

48kHz (film)

44.1kHz (music)

Interleaved stereo (or mono where appropriate)

🎛️ Real-World Example Stem Package

Music Delivery

01 Drums Stem

02 Bass Stem

03 Guitars Stem

04 Keys Stem

05 Lead Vocal Stem

06 BG Vocal Stem

07 FX Stem

08 Print Mix

09 Instrumental

10 TV Mix

Film/TV Delivery (more granular

DX Stem (dialogue)

MX Stem (music)

FX Stem (effects)

VO Stem

Music Submixes

Reverb Returns

Printmaster

🚨 Common Stem Mistakes (You’ll Appreciate These)

Scott — these happen ALL the time.

❌ Stems don’t null with mix

❌ Hidden mix bus processing

❌ Time misalignment

❌ Missing automation

❌ Printed twice through limiter

❌ Parallel buses missing

❌ FX returns forgotten

❌ Phase issues between stems

🧪 The Professional Null Test

The gold-standard check:

Import all stems

Set faders to unity

Route to stereo bus

Flip polarity vs mix

👉 Should nearly cancel.

If not — something is wrong.

🎯 When to Choose Each Stem Style

Choose WET when:

Client wants mix recreation

Mastering delivery

Film delivery

Archival

Label delivery

Choose DRY when:

Remixers

Sample packs

Producer swaps

Sound design

Collab production

Choose HYBRID when:

You want to look like a pro 😎

You don’t know the downstream use

High-budget clients

Sync licensing

🔥 Pro Tip for Your EchoCraft Workflow

Given your producer + engineer + collaborator world:

Best default delivery:

✅ Processed stems

✅ FX separated

✅ No master limiter

✅ Headroom preserved

✅ Optional dry pack