Working with multitrack stems

The Soundslice player supports multitrack stems — the ability to mix multiple MP3 audio files together, with independent volume controls.

For example, you can use this to:

• Mute all parts except your tenor part in a choral piece
• Mute the lead guitar part, leaving only the rhythm section
• Reduce the volume of the piano by a little bit, so you can play over it but still hear it as a reference
• Boost the volume of a part you’re trying to hear, but keep all of the other parts audible

Stems are only available for certain slices — those in which the slice creator has taken the time to upload stem files.

Activating stems

To activate stems, open the player settings by clicking at bottom right. If the currently selected recording in the current slice has available stems, you’ll see a “Multitrack stems” section:

Click the checkbox there to activate stem playback. The first time you do this, we’ll load the stem audio files, which might take a few seconds. You’ll then see the available stems:

Once stems are activated, playback will use the stems instead of the “original” recording. By default, all stems will play at 100% volume, but you can use the volume sliders to control each one independently.

All of our player’s usual functionality works seamlessly with stems, including looping, slowdown, speed training, metronome playback, focus mode and synth overlay.

Deactivating stems

To deactivate stems, hence returning to the “original” recording, uncheck the “Multitrack stems” checkbox.

Which stems are generally available?

It depends completely on the slice creator. They have the ability to upload whatever stems they’d like, using our tools.

Why don’t I see a “Multitrack stems” section in the player settings?

We only show this section if the current slice actually has available stems. It’s the responsibility of the slice creator to add stem files.

If you’re certain the current slice has stems but you’re still not seeing “Multitrack stems” in settings, check the following:

• Make sure you’ve selected the recording that has stems. A slice can have multiple recordings, and each recording may or may not have its own stems.
• Make sure you’ve enabled “enhanced slowdown.” (See here.) Our non-enhanced audio engine doesn’t support stem playback.

The slice I’m practicing doesn’t have stems. Is there another way I can isolate audio parts?

Yes, you can switch to synthetic playback. That lets you control the volume of each instrument independently. Read more here.

The downside of synthetic playback is it’s computer-generated. But often it can be good enough for learning and practicing, depending on your needs.

How can I add stems to the slices I’ve created?

Please see our separate help page on that.

Can Soundslice save my current stem settings?

Yes! If you’re logged in and have a paid Soundslice account, we’ll automatically save the fact that you’ve activated multitrack stems. Next time you view that slice, the stems will be activated, so you don’t have to manually activate them. (Note that each stem’s individual volume will be reset to 100%; we don’t auto-save the per-stem volume settings yet.)