Stereo mastering is the standard, but stem mastering (or stem mixing) is the secret weapon of many top engineers. By splitting your tracks into groups (Drums, Bass, Vocals, Synths), you gain control that is impossible with a single stereo file.
What are Stems?
Stems are stereo groups of instruments. Unlike multitracks (each individual track), stems group similar elements together. A typical song might have 4-8 stems.
Benefits of Stem Mixing
Why use stems?
- More headroom and clarity.
- Targeted processing (e.g., make only vocals brighter).
- Better control over the low-end.
- Avoid over-compression of the entire mix.
