Stem Extraction
Samples: Stem extraction
Stem extraction is the first step that is done before anything in terms of samples
This process separates the drums, bass, vocals, and everything else into different tracks to be mixed together (or individually, depending on the song). These are known as stems.
This song is simpler than others, so I've only extracted the drums out of it. But for other more complex songs, even more elements can be removed.
As of the current technology in drum extraction software and machine learning algorithms, only these four elements can be split and used without it sounding too terrible. There are certain models that claim they can extract pianos and guitars individually, however they are not refined enough to be used in these projects as of now.
Q: How do you extract stems by yourself?
The software I (and many others in this community) use to extract stems is called Ultimate Vocal Remover 5, or UVR5 for short. This software runs on-device and might not be suitable for those who do not have a computer that is powerful-enough, but there are alternatives that can be used too! One such is called melody.ml, which I've used in the past.
melody.ml uses a credits-based system, which means you need to top-up credits using money if you'd like to extract more songs. Luckily, this can be bypassed using incognito mode.
To clarify, UVR5 can be used on any computer with modern hardware, but the older/less powerful the hardware is, the longer it will take to extract stems (even taking as long as hours!) Having a dedicated graphics processing unit (GPU) will significantly shorten the time taken, even if it's years old.
The picture of UVR5 above shows the same model and settings that I use when im extracting stems for the songs I wish to cover.
Once you have the stems, you are ready to process them in ableton!
Next section: Stem Processing