Stems vs Multitracks: What’s the Difference?

Understanding the terminology used in the recording industry is essential if you want to build a professional workflow as a recording, mixing, or mastering engineer, producer, or studio musician.

With the rise of home recording equipment, music production tools are now accessible to almost everyone. While this is a great advantage, it also means that clear communication has become more important than ever.

One common area of confusion is the difference between “stems” and “multitracks” (or raw WAV files).

Many musicians use these terms interchangeably, even though they refer to very different things. Understanding the distinction is key to working efficiently in a professional studio environment.

Let’s break down what each term really means.

What are multitracks?

Multitracks, often referred to as raw WAV files, are all the individual tracks recorded during a session.

For example, if you record a song with drums, bass, and guitar, each element will be delivered as a separate file: kick, snare, overheads, toms, bass, guitar, and so on.

These files can then be sent to a mixing engineer, or used for mixing within your own session.

In most cases, multitracks contain very little processing. Any effects present usually come from the original recording chain (such as compression or reverb used during tracking).

What are stems?

The term “stems” can be confusing at first.

A simple way to understand it is to think of multitracks as the individual components, and stems as grouped elements.

Stems are stereo files that contain entire groups of instruments combined together.

Common stem groups include drums, guitars, vocals, bass, or synths and production elements.

Why use multitracks?

If you plan to mix your session yourself or send it to a mixing engineer at another recording studio, multitracks are usually the best option.

They provide maximum flexibility during the mixing process.

For example, if you want to apply a large reverb effect to just the snare drum without affecting the rest of the kit, you need access to the individual tracks.

With stems, this level of control is much more limited.

Why use stems?

Stems are often used to simplify workflow, especially in later stages of production.

Instead of managing dozens of individual tracks, you can work with a smaller number of grouped elements.

This makes stems particularly useful for remixes, live playback, or licensing.

For example, if a client needs a version of a song with reduced vocals, it is much easier to adjust using stems than to rebuild the entire mix.

Stems are also commonly shared between producers online, making them a useful tool for collaboration and expanding the reach of your music.

The Bottom Line

Understanding the difference between multitracks and stems is an important part of working professionally in a studio environment.

Multitracks are all the individual recorded tracks, while stems are grouped elements exported as stereo files.

A single stem may include multiple multitrack elements combined together, whereas each multitrack file represents only one source.

Whether you need raw multitracks, prepared stems, or full production support from start to finish, Studio Evermore provides everything you need to bring your project to completion.

With high-end equipment and experienced professionals, you can focus entirely on your creativity while we handle the technical side.

Get in touch to book your session today.