

Now, however, thanks to recent advances in spectral analysis and machine learning, a number of tools have arrived to intuitively and impressively strip a bounced stereo audio file into separate spectral components with the click of a button. And at the end of this escapade, you’d likely end up with a clumsily EQ’d version barely concealing the drum tracks underneath while filtering out more than half the emotion of the performance! If you just needed an acapella, you would likely be forced to brave a variety of dodgy forums and torrent sites to find the vocal you were looking for.

Once upon a time, if you wanted to remix a tune you needed stems supplied by the original producer to do it properly. Want to isolate a vocal track? Want to remove the drums? We review four of the best stem separation tools and focus on which is the best for DJs and live remix performances.
