| name | stem-prep |
| description | Prep stems for collaboration, mastering engineer, remixer, DJ tools (Stem Separator / Serato Stems / Virtual DJ), or sync. Decides grouping, naming, bit depth, headroom, normalization, and consolidation. Use when the user says "export stems", "prep for mastering", "send stems to my engineer", "stems for a remix", "/stems", or names a recipient. |
| argument-hint | <recipient / purpose> |
Stem Prep
Stems are a contract. The recipient should be able to drop them on the timeline at 1.1.1 and hear the same record. Get this wrong and they bounce back.
First: who's the recipient?
| Recipient | Stem grouping | Headroom | Format | Notes |
|---|
| Mastering engineer | Drums / Bass / Keys / Vox / FX (5-8 stems) | −6 dBFS true peak, no master bus FX | 24-bit / project SR (44.1 or 48) WAV | No limiter / no master comp / no master EQ |
| Remixer | Drums / Bass / Keys / Lead / Vox / Pad / FX (full breakdown) | −6 dBFS | 24-bit WAV | Include MIDI of melodic parts + acapella + project tempo + key |
| DJ stems (Serato / Virtual DJ) | Vocals / Drums / Bass / Other (exactly 4) | Whatever the final master is | 16- or 24-bit WAV / FLAC | These are post-master stems |
| Sync / film | Music (mix-) / Vocals / Drums + sub-stems | Same as remixer | 24-bit 48 kHz WAV (matches video) | Include instrumental, TV mix (vox under), and a-cappella |
| Live performance / Ableton playback | Per element + click track + ID track | −6 dBFS | 24-bit, project SR | All same length, all start at 1.1.1, include 4-bar count-in click |
If the recipient is unspecified, default to mastering grouping and ask.
Standard checklist before bouncing
- Print everything in-the-box: bounce VIs to audio, freeze automation, kill the master limiter/comp/EQ
- Headroom: pull the master fader so the loudest hit is < −6 dBFS true peak. Don't touch individual track faders.
- Same start, same end: every stem starts at 1.1.1 and ends at the same bar. Bake silence at the start if needed.
- Same length: pad short stems with silence so they all match (drag-and-drop deployment for the recipient)
- Mono where appropriate: Kick, Sub, often Bass = mono stems. Everything else stereo even if the source is mono.
- Naming convention:
<artist>_<title>_<bpm>_<key>_<stem>.wav, e.g. mina_overnight_124_Am_drums.wav. Number-prefix stems for sort order: 01_drums, 02_bass, 03_keys...
- Tempo + key + bar count: include in a
README.txt alongside the stems
- Reference bounce: also export the final mix (
00_reference.wav) so the recipient knows the target
File package structure
mina_overnight_124_Am_stems/
├── 00_reference_mix.wav
├── 01_drums.wav
├── 02_bass.wav
├── 03_keys.wav
├── 04_vox_lead.wav
├── 05_vox_harm.wav
├── 06_fx.wav
├── README.txt ← tempo, key, bar count, total duration, plugin chain notes
└── midi/
├── 03_keys.mid
└── 04_vox_lead_pitch.mid (if vox is tuned)
Zip the folder as mina_overnight_124_Am_stems.zip.
In Ableton
If the Ableton MCP is connected, the export can be driven directly:
session-bridge → group all tracks by stem category- Solo each group + bounce to disk via Live's
Export Audio/Video (Ableton MCP can trigger this)
- Disable master FX chain just for the bounce, then re-enable
Otherwise, give the user a numbered checklist + screenshot guidance.
Naming sanity check
After bounce, list the output folder. If any file:
- doesn't start with a number prefix
- has a space (replace with
_)
- has uppercase that breaks Linux/cloud sync (lowercase the lot)
- has a different sample rate than the reference
…fix it before uploading.
Delivery
After the package is ready:
- Google Drive: upload to
Producer/Stems/<artist>_<title>/
- Gmail: optionally draft an email to the engineer / collaborator with the Drive link, the BPM/key, and the master target (streaming or club)
- Google Calendar: add a follow-up event for the expected return date
Connectors
- Ableton MCP: drive the export
- Google Drive: upload
- Gmail: draft delivery email
- Google Calendar: schedule follow-up
search_live_manual for Live's export dialog options if the user wants the menu walkthrough
After
"Stems are at <path>, zipped at <zip path>. Want me to (a) upload to Drive, (b) draft the email to , or (c) move on to mastering chain (release-prep)?"
