Stem Mastering
Although mixing shares some similarities with Stem Mastering, the two processes are different. Stem mastering is the process of mastering multiple stems, each stem being a complete export of a certain instrument group, or individual audio stem and its relative effects. Stem mastering can be interpreted as a combination of both mixing and mastering, one that gives the mastering engineer more control and processing options. Four stems maximum.
Knowing what a stem is, is crucial to either accomplishing a stem mastering session or delivering your stems to another engineer. A stem is a group of instruments that have been bounced to a stereo file. The group of instruments can be guitars, drums, auxiliary percussion, or any instrument group that can be processed in a similar way during stem mastering. These stems should include the temporal processing relative to their instrument group.
When exporting stems, it’s important to group similar instruments together. These stems should be consolidated. In other words, the bounce of each stem should start and stop in the same place, allowing the files to be arranged easily for playback and further processing. If the stems are not consolidated, it can be incredibly difficult to align them – especially if the engineer has never heard the song before. A stem does not include any limiting, or truncation of the transients. Brick wall limiting is something that will decrease the dynamics of the stem and the overall master. The decision to use brick wall limiting should be left to the mastering engineer.
The stem should be bounced as loud as the group of instruments is in the mix. So, there’s no need to adjust the instruments’ volume prior to creating a stem. In fact, this can make things more difficult for a mastering engineer, as upholding the intentions of the mixing engineer is an important part of mastering. The only instance in which the volume should be adjusted is if clipping is occurring. The integrity of the Mix levels stays the same.
Lastly, a stem should retain its original sampling rate and bit depth. If the original recordings are 96kHz. and 24 bits, they should be bounced or exported as such. Make sure to bounce out all stems at the same sampling rate and bit depth. Since these stems retain their original sampling rate and bit depth, dithering is not needed.
Although mixing shares some similarities with Stem Mastering, the two processes are different. Stem mastering is the process of mastering multiple stems, each stem being a complete export of a certain instrument group, or individual audio stem and its relative effects. Stem mastering can be interpreted as a combination of both mixing and mastering, one that gives the mastering engineer more control and processing options. Four stems maximum.
Knowing what a stem is, is crucial to either accomplishing a stem mastering session or delivering your stems to another engineer. A stem is a group of instruments that have been bounced to a stereo file. The group of instruments can be guitars, drums, auxiliary percussion, or any instrument group that can be processed in a similar way during stem mastering. These stems should include the temporal processing relative to their instrument group.
When exporting stems, it’s important to group similar instruments together. These stems should be consolidated. In other words, the bounce of each stem should start and stop in the same place, allowing the files to be arranged easily for playback and further processing. If the stems are not consolidated, it can be incredibly difficult to align them – especially if the engineer has never heard the song before. A stem does not include any limiting, or truncation of the transients. Brick wall limiting is something that will decrease the dynamics of the stem and the overall master. The decision to use brick wall limiting should be left to the mastering engineer.
The stem should be bounced as loud as the group of instruments is in the mix. So, there’s no need to adjust the instruments’ volume prior to creating a stem. In fact, this can make things more difficult for a mastering engineer, as upholding the intentions of the mixing engineer is an important part of mastering. The only instance in which the volume should be adjusted is if clipping is occurring. The integrity of the Mix levels stays the same.
Lastly, a stem should retain its original sampling rate and bit depth. If the original recordings are 96kHz. and 24 bits, they should be bounced or exported as such. Make sure to bounce out all stems at the same sampling rate and bit depth. Since these stems retain their original sampling rate and bit depth, dithering is not needed.
Although mixing shares some similarities with Stem Mastering, the two processes are different. Stem mastering is the process of mastering multiple stems, each stem being a complete export of a certain instrument group, or individual audio stem and its relative effects. Stem mastering can be interpreted as a combination of both mixing and mastering, one that gives the mastering engineer more control and processing options. Four stems maximum.
Knowing what a stem is, is crucial to either accomplishing a stem mastering session or delivering your stems to another engineer. A stem is a group of instruments that have been bounced to a stereo file. The group of instruments can be guitars, drums, auxiliary percussion, or any instrument group that can be processed in a similar way during stem mastering. These stems should include the temporal processing relative to their instrument group.
When exporting stems, it’s important to group similar instruments together. These stems should be consolidated. In other words, the bounce of each stem should start and stop in the same place, allowing the files to be arranged easily for playback and further processing. If the stems are not consolidated, it can be incredibly difficult to align them – especially if the engineer has never heard the song before. A stem does not include any limiting, or truncation of the transients. Brick wall limiting is something that will decrease the dynamics of the stem and the overall master. The decision to use brick wall limiting should be left to the mastering engineer.
The stem should be bounced as loud as the group of instruments is in the mix. So, there’s no need to adjust the instruments’ volume prior to creating a stem. In fact, this can make things more difficult for a mastering engineer, as upholding the intentions of the mixing engineer is an important part of mastering. The only instance in which the volume should be adjusted is if clipping is occurring. The integrity of the Mix levels stays the same.
Lastly, a stem should retain its original sampling rate and bit depth. If the original recordings are 96kHz. and 24 bits, they should be bounced or exported as such. Make sure to bounce out all stems at the same sampling rate and bit depth. Since these stems retain their original sampling rate and bit depth, dithering is not needed.