Stem mixing and mastering

Stem-mixing is a method of mixing audio material based on creating groups of audio tracks and processing them separately prior to combining them into a final master mix. Stems are also sometimes referred to as submixes, subgroups, or busses.

Some people consider stems the same as separation mastering although others consider stems to be sub-mixes to be used with separation mastering. There is some lack of clarity with regards to what is a stem versus what is a separation. Semantically it seems to depend on how many separate channels of input are available for mixing and/or at which stage they are towards reducing them down a final stereo mix, with different people drawing the separation line at different places.

This technique originated in the 1960s with the introduction of mixing boards that were equipped with abilities to assign individual inputs to sub-group faders and then manipulate each sub-group (stem mix) independently from the others. This technique is widely used in recording studios to control, process and manipulate entire groups of instruments such as drums, strings, or backup vocals, in order to streamline and simplify the mixing process. Additionally, as each stem-bus usually has its own inserts, sends and returns, the stem-mix (sub-mix) can be processed independently through its own signal processing chain to achieve a different effect for each group of instruments. This technique is also practiced with Digital audio workstations (DAWs) in a similar way where groups of audio tracks may be processed and manipulated digitally through a separate chain of plugins.