Published by PitchChanger · Updated · How these guides are made
How to use this workflow
Identify the exact input
Give the unchanged mix a stable identifier before separation, such as rehearsal-r03. Use your own or permissioned recording and keep the original filename in your private notes. If you later replace the source, assign a new revision rather than reusing the same identifier.
Export first, then label copies
Use Stem Splitter to prepare the required WAV outputs. Keep the tool-generated downloads and rename separate copies in your file browser. Record every rename so a collaborator can trace a role label back to a particular output. The tool does not create this manifest automatically.
A stem-label manifest you can copy
The following is an authored example for an imaginary rehearsal-r03 mix, not a measured separation or a delivered recording. “Estimated” describes how the content was obtained; it does not grade its quality. Replace the example channel field with the layout you actually inspect rather than inferring it from the source.
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| Suggested delivery name | Role and provenance | Notes to record |
|---|---|---|
| rehearsal-r03_est-vocals.wav | Estimated vocal content from mix r03 | Channels: inspect; later edits: none |
| rehearsal-r03_est-drums.wav | Estimated drum content from mix r03 | Channels: inspect; later edits: none |
| rehearsal-r03_est-bass.wav | Estimated bass content from mix r03 | Channels: inspect; later edits: none |
| rehearsal-r03_est-other.wav | Estimated remaining instruments from mix r03 | Not a dedicated guitar or piano track |
Distinguish a role from a guarantee
The four available roles are vocals, drums, bass and Music · Other instruments. Material can leak into another estimate or be missing from the expected role. “Other” may contain several instruments together; renaming it “guitar” does not make it an isolated guitar performance. Put any listening observation in the notes, such as “vocal residue audible during the final chord,” after you actually hear it.
Named mixes are different deliverables. A Drumless WAV is a backing mix, not an additional isolated instrument. If you send it alongside the role files, label it as a named mix and say which tool output it came from. Do not imply that every file in the folder should be summed together.
Keep timing information out of ambiguous filenames
Use one short shared identifier in filenames and write the common start point in the manifest. If you trim one file afterward, add both the edit and the new time origin. A leading silent passage may be important for alignment; do not remove it merely to make a file start with sound.
Example note: “All four role files are untrimmed estimates from rehearsal-r03; place file starts together. review-vocals excerpt is a separate convenience copy and must not replace the full vocal file.” This is a proposed communication pattern, not a certification that any downloaded files align. Check duration and audible landmarks using the delivery guide before sending.
Review the names with the receiver
Ask the receiver which files they need and whether they intend to edit, rehearse or reconstruct a mix. Send the manifest with the same revision identifier as the folder. Keep personal names and private project details out of public filenames where possible.
Stem Splitter requires WebGPU and accepts recordings up to six minutes, subject to file and device limits. Its mute and solo controls are listening controls; this workflow does not supply arbitrary per-stem gain mixing or original recording-session tracks. Use an external editor when the receiver needs those capabilities.
Common questions
Should I call the vocal file an acapella?
If it came from the named Acapella export, say that. Also record that it is an estimate derived from a mixed recording. Do not describe it as an original studio vocal or promise that instruments have been removed completely.
Does renaming change the audio?
Renaming a copy changes its filename, not its decoded sound or alignment. Trimming, resampling or processing is a separate operation that belongs in the manifest. Keep the unedited exports until the receiver confirms the handoff.