Wow, being a producer i've always known what stems are but i've never seen them utilized in such a fluid manner before. Also, the fact that you can mix between two different stem files so seamless is truly amazing. And that was only using two. Imagine using four. Thanks for these awesome simple and easy to follow tutorials.
Lol, been into djing for over 20 years and the fact of the matter is if your not trying new thing and reinventing yourself things can get boring. Some people use a mouse heads and jump around and crowd surf in a inflatable dingy, and thats all good but this industry is getting competitive so whatever you choose to do just be creative i come from turntables and cdj''s and i can tell you stems and remix decks are like stripped down versions on ableton. was playing with some stems today, i wanted see if i could throw together a whole mix in one stem, it worked nicely like a 4 track sequencer. Being able to break down a song and have a sick transition or drop is where its at now days. Whatever you choose just do a good job. Peace
Hey what a cool background you used to have Phil!!! Anyway love the Native instruments vision, so many years ago. And still like this stem approach! I think, slowly, we will go back to it and people will start producing stem files of their songs. So 100% great sound quality!
AWESome Phil ..im always popping back to this series when i get stuck on something with my s8 ...Just had to watch the individual fx on stems channels and you explain it so all ..Nice 1 Mate .
This is so friggin awesome and you're a really talented DJ too, I'm not even into electronic music but this gave me so much will to get into DJing!! Thank you!
What you did was just djing with effects.. now you can apply stems and effects to any other song you want, remix/mashup/produce live. In the 80s there wasn't anything digital like we have today.
You know what's funny, that dj-ing for me , as on oldskool vinyl dj playing techno, and elektro(tech) (not edm) and with a big feeling towards DnB and even industrial elektro (vampire) that what i tried to do with my parametric eq on my dn-x1500, spening so much time to put this to the freqencies i wanted to exactly do what STEMS now do. I'm extremely interested in this, it is the 'old way' of doing long subtle mixes, bt now with finally a file format that is really made for this. love it ! I hope the industry sees what this can mean in the dj community ! In all honesty, the moment i saw this, serato didn't interest me anymore. Being creative is what the dj's need now these days, that creativity that was exactly why i started dj'ing and why i refused, until now to go digital. This can for me, be a gamechanger. But i would go for the D2's in combination with a denon dn-x1700 mixer
Would love to see a demonstration of you showing how this can be used to seamlessly mix between two tracks of vastly different bpms in key; similar to what you were doing in the second half of this tutorial. Great video as always Phil, thank you.
+Mike Mckeon We would have loved to demo lots of different examples, but we have limited time. We had huge fun playing around and deciding what to demo.. :)
wow such a powerful tool. i honestly can't understand why so many people are hating on this new tech? surely this would only add to anybodys performance?
Hey Phil, question, how do you get all your gear for your videos? Do you guys buy it yourselves or do the company's hook you up to review their product?
Looks great, so is there a guarantee that stems tracks and the ones you want will be available or will i be stuck with a $1200 mixer that noone wants because stems tracks are no longer a thing? Like a mini disc player for DJs
+slipagent6 Stems is definitely still developing, hard to say exactly if it'll catch on fully, but it looks to be that way at the moment. The S8 has a lot of other great features beyond just the Stems format, but you may look into the S5 (cheaper) if you want something less Stems heavy :) Do keep in mind the S5 is just a software controller and won't function as a standalone mixer. So if you're happy to use Traktor Pro and use performance pads instead of jogs, then it might be a good option!
Cool video! Phill, but how does the stem files look inside the traktor UI? Do i see individual stems inside traktor? lets say i dont have S8, but X1 Mk2 and some other additional controller from other brand, i dont have a display inside them, but only rely on computer/laptop screen. can i work with stems?
The Machine's Music If I'm not mistaken from what i have seen, you can break up these stems and place them in the remix deck(s) and use an X1 or an F1. I'll assume that there may need to be some mapping but, I haven't yet tried it on either of my X1 or F1 controllers. According to an email I received earlier this week it does look like at least an F1 controller can play stems. www.native-instruments.com/en/specials/stems/?content=3076&uuh=287465cadfb7089ecb8a4b39e1699f32&Stems+A+New+Way+To+Play+c%3DStems+b%3DTraktor+t%3DVideo_DD&
Do you know if the upcoming update for Traktor will enable the display of the individual Stems in the deck view on the laptop? Already got myself a F1, but I'm just holding off on getting a pair of D2s until my tax return is sorted out and can see how this will pan out initially.
why not just get the record labels to re-release all the club classics as individual layers. where will this end? let the consumer do their own mix of their track? I can think of stacks of fave songs I'd love to bring up the drums a bit, or were badly mixed in the first place. It would be interesting to see if there are any glitches in reading STEM files as normal audio files in other DJ software, wether there are any bugs etc. I did want to write a lot more, but am holding back. stems, on the surface, seems to me, to be wanting to move closer and closer to what a regular DAW can do like Ableton et al. Great video though Phil, and hoping to see you at BPM this year. your videos and reviews have been a great inspiration for me to get into DJing. thanks.
I'm moving to France and now i've seen this, i do not know if i'll take with me the DDJ-SR from Pioneer or buy this one. Can anyone give me an advice? I've learned how to djing live with a CDJ2000 players and then i'd got my DDJ-SR so this one it will be new for me. Pros and cons?
This is very inspiring thanks for the tutorial! I can see how this system would work great for me as a techno and tech house DJ. i like how individual stems can be affected by FX individually... on my S4 i am always lowering the bass so i can put a delay on the whole track, and if i could send just the top layers of the track to a delay without the drums that would be better than what I'm doing now. The remix possibilities are only limited by who's actually released stems versions of their tracks... you can mix totally different genres!
Hey Phil, would you recommend STEMs mixing for a beginner? I'm not looking at DJing in clubs or at gigs or even pvt functions, I just wanna make some music/remixes/mashups for myself to enjoy. I know the essentials of DJing and beat-matching, and I have no issues with using a software controller. Actually, I don't really need deck control, and I feel that something like the S5/S8 would suit me better. Or do you suggest mastering the basics (with deck control) first? Thanks in advance.
It is (as long as you don't want jogwheels 😉) Here's our full opinion on it: www.digitaldjtips.com/2014/11/review-video-traktor-kontrol-s8-dj-controller/
Great video Phil, this is so amazing.. It will be expensive though if I have to rebuy tracks in stems format. But it will point itself out in the future.
***** Actually it looks like NI will be releasing a Stem creator tool. Nothing has been stated as to a release date but you can catch a glimpse of it here. Just scroll to the bottom of the page. ;) www.stems-music.com/stems-is-for-djs/index.html EDIT: Actually if I read the notes at the VERY bottom, the tool is supposed to be released summer 2015. Still not out though as you can see from the download button being greyed out as of my response date 7 Aug 2015.
+ksmooth12606 We have a series on Traktor Remix Decks, if that's what you mean? www.digitaldjtips.com/2014/07/bluffers-guide-traktors-remix-decks-part-1/
hey.i have a questiom.the traktor dose stems for me automaticaly on any traks?or i have to download traks that are stems by the productioners?pls answer,i really need help
When I download stems and install that, the folder comes automatically at Traktor Kontrol S8 or I make an own Folder in my PC at Traktor S8 Folder? Sry for my English, - (
I think the success of this will depend on how accessible stems become and if they do become accessible, they need to be of popular tracks not just underground house music found on beatport.
***** Yeah but how are they going to make it standard when only traktor currently supports the format? In addition, how are they going to get major record labels and producers to buy in? what is the incentive for them to buy in? It all comes down to money; if they can figure out a good pricing scheme that can satisfy the content producers (record labels) and the consumers (djs). In addition, how many Djs are going to want to use this format? Are they already satisfied with what they already have?. I don't think a lot of Djs or content producers are going to buy in and I am one of the DJs that would love to see this become a success because I don't like limitations and I think Djing with stems will be amazing. I am not hopeful and I predict that when the stems website opens, the tracks are not going to be songs from Billboard's top 100.
Molten Pros From what I have seen so far from the emails I have gotten from Beat Pro and from NI, there are way more then just top 100. The cost as of right now depends on what you buy. I've seen full packs of an album go for 30$. And I've seen single tracks go for 3.49.
Mac Joseph Here are some of the companies currently offering stem formats. www.stems-music.com/releases/?uuh=287465cadfb7089ecb8a4b39e1699f32&Stems+releases+0608+c%3DStems+b%3DTraktor+t%3DStems& I'm not sure exactly how to use the STems on my F1 either but I'll assume possibly a mapping setup or we may be able to use them straight from a remix deck(s).
Thanks for this interesting vid. So OK Stems are like a simpler version of Remix Sets and labels are going to use this format to justify a higher for their tracks when there is actually no additional work required tu put them out. Any tools available it to make your own stems from regular tracks ?
Stéphane Yver Sure they will be charging a higher price, it's worth it to pay extra for all that new musical creativity at your finger tips. No more hours wasted trying to find a clean accapella or instrumental. And you now have it broken down in 4 parts! And you only have to purchase one file, then only load one file into your Traktor. No mess no clutter. I think it's brilliant. The only question remaining is: will they charge a reasonable price for it?
alexpoulin As I mentioned to someone else further up the comment section, album stem I have seen prices around 30 dollars. For single tracks around 3.49.
Hey Phil, do you know if there will be some way to convert tracks to the stems format or will I have have to rebuy all my songs if I want them in the stems format? By the way, I get my music from itunes and from CDs.
***** Actually, a Stems creator tool is to be released soon. It says in the foot notes at the bottom Summer of 2015 but, summer in the states is almost over but either way, looks like you may get your wish soon. check out this link and scroll to the bottom of the page. ;) www.stems-music.com/stems-is-for-djs/index.html
and now the million question.... May I produce-create this stem files with my own maschine studio.? Then I have my own productions ready to mix. Best from Majorca.
Great video I can see how alot of DJs would use something like this, its pretty straight forward and simple to grasp which is the biggest hurdle to mass adoption in the clubs
When djing with stems, do you have to have specific files for this? Or does traktor analyze the mp3 and deconstruct itself? Really thinking of upgrading from the s4 to this
+The Temple of Xin It has to be a Stems file - if it isn't a Stems file but is your own original production you could use the free stems creator tool to make it a Stems file: www.stems-music.com/stem-creator-tool/ If it's an already produced/mastered song created by someone else, it's not (easily) possible to make it separate components - there are programs that can help extract parts of a song, but it won't be 100% clean unless the artist/producer wants to release the song stems.
+The Temple of Xin Growing, but still a grey area - if Producers see a benefit to offering them, then they'll likely get on board. Hopefully we'll see some more library growth this year :)
why is it when I'm playing a stem track and try to bring the volume controls down they aren't active and will keep playing even though all the volume controls are down"? but when i mess with the on buttons above and try and move the volume knobs up and down a bunch of times it finally kicks in? is there something wrong with my S8?
+illedelphian23 Not sure, it should work with just the volume fader control on each deck - nothing may be wrong, could just be a settings issue. I'd suggest trying to get help direct from the company - here's a link to a page where we list all the main forums and support sites (Native Instruments): www.digitaldjtips.com/3rd-party-support/ Good luck!
I just watched their videos and it's everything I knew how to do pretty much because I understand mapping but I noticed that with where you click "add in" and scroll down to "Stems", it's not showing on mine...which is weird.....
***** Just a heads up for everyone who is waiting...and waiting (like me) for the stems release date....I have been emailing the NI American office and their statement to me....in their words was: "we cannot give a exact date...but it will be very soon"....
Unless you are just pushing out massive amounts of stems made by you personally, then you won't have much effect djing at this level. It's near impossible to get stems for most popular songs.
If anyone is considering a S8 in 2021..... it's a lovely toy, great to play at home.... but the soundcard is insanely weak, this cannot be used on a serious soundsystem. know this if you considering one in second hand at low price: THIS IS A TOY wish I read that before waisting 600$
***** Very enticing for sure but before you take the credit card out NI are nothing if not predictable with discount sales, you know you'll be kicking yourself when they do a $100 to $200 sale off the units in the near future. Especially as they try and entice folks to embrace the stems format. Caveat Emptor and all that mate.
regalpierot Wow, that was prophetic, written the day before NI knocked $200 off the price. Undoubtedly anyone that bought in the past few months now extremely frustrated. Been there myself with Maschine, Maschine Packs, Komplete...after a while you learn the sale is inevitable
Lets try not to focus on steve aoki and all of those guys for a minute and take a step back. First of all a lot of djs incorporate more than just 2 players in there sets. Be it CDJs Serato or Traktor i can tell you it can make all the difference in the world. Nothing wrong with just playing two records but as a dj i like to layer. Its not about the crowd seeing what your doing its about them hearing what your doing. Not trying to sell this thing but i always dreamed of having a multitrack solution with the dj flexibility. In this day and with the tools that are available you can see the ones that truly stand out and push the art forward from the ordinary one. Thats why you see a lots of big guys play with2 or more CDJs. Then again i have seen people do a good job with 2 decks too. Speaking of good production i was trying to listen to yours on google+. Do you have a soundcloud?
+Mark L Thanks for your thoughtful feedback Mark :) It's appreciated! Why not check out the work of our production tutor, DJ Joey Santos...? Here's a link to his website: www.djjoeysantos.com/
