Stem separation

[chuckwow]

Looking for coments regarding this new feature. how do you like the results?

 

[TDF1981]

Depending on the source material I like the results - but sometimes I think the artifacts are a bit too many. But keep in mind this is the first iteration of the feature so it might improve soon.

 

[ZoeMusic]

I must say Studio One Pro 7’s Stem Separation though very basic In comparison to SpectraLayers Pro is really good. It doesn't have the feature set of SpectraLayers but in my opinion comparing the two on the same source S1 Stem Separation does a cleaner job with better results as far as sound quality goes. Not Sure what they’re are doing there but really decent. A really good algorithm. You will find all kinds of uses for it but if you want to get into more advance uses like cleaning up and erasing certain sound sources and the ability to separate more parts, SpectraLayers will be more useful. All and all, S1 Stem Separation gets the job done really well. Also I forgot to mention the cleaner and the higher quality the source the better the results.

 

[chuckwow]

I think it is a good place to start. As @TDF1981 says, it is the first interation. I would expect to see improvements to their algorithm as things mature.

 

[ZoeMusic]

I think it is a good place to start. As @TDF1981 says, it is the first interation. I would expect to see improvements to their algorithm as things mature.

You might want to read my post again as I made some edits to be more clear but like I said the S1 Stem Separation already does a fantastic job. Cleaner and better quality on the same source from my experience than the Steinberg SpetraLayers IMHO. I actually use the S1 Stem as a first choice. If I have the time and you think it's worth your time I can leave some examples here.

 

[Dave71]

It is nice for a first version. I think the next one will be better. And hopefully more stems are eventually added. Fadr does 14, although most of these are not good at all, but the drums separated into kick, snare and other is working really well. I think we eventually will see that in Studio One as well.

 

[imacken]

I would love to see it have the ability to remove lead guitars from instrumentals, e.g. Shadows, Ventures, etc.

 

[Gary Shepherd]

It is pretty good

 

[Craig Anderton]

I've already used it in a way that was invaluable. I'm restoring some of the tracks from albums my band did back in the 60s. On one song, the singer was super-tired and his pitch was problematic. Back in the days of expensive studio time, you often didn't get a redo. They just mixed his vocal back in the mix and called it good.

All I had to work with was the final stereo mix. To restore the vocal, the first step was using stem separation to separate the vocal and flip it out of phase. That cancelled the vocal track in the song perfectly. I was shocked at how well it cancelled. Then I copied the isolated vocal track and used pitch correction, as well as some phrase-by-phrase normalization, to correct the pitch and level consistency issues. The final step was mixing the restored vocal back with the vocal-less stereo track.

I have to say it was an emotional experience to hear the vocal the way it always should have sounded, over 40 years after the singer's death. It was like he was back in the room with me at the Record Plant. It took decades for the song to reach its full potential, but doing so created a fitting memorial to a close friend.

 

[tpittman]

I've already used it in a way that was invaluable. I'm restoring some of the tracks from albums my band did back in the 60s. On one song, the singer was super-tired and his pitch was problematic. Back in the days of expensive studio time, you often didn't get a redo. They just mixed his vocal back in the mix and called it good.

All I had to work with was the final stereo mix. To restore the vocal, the first step was using stem separation to separate the vocal and flip it out of phase. That cancelled the vocal track in the song perfectly. I was shocked at how well it cancelled. Then I copied the isolated vocal track and used pitch correction, as well as some phrase-by-phrase normalization, to correct the pitch and level consistency issues. The final step was mixing the restored vocal back with the vocal-less stereo track.

I have to say it was an emotional experience to hear the vocal the way it always should have sounded, over 40 years after the singer's death. It was like he was back in the room with me at the Record Plant. It took decades for the song to reach its full potential, but doing so created a fitting memorial to a close friend.

Excellent Post. I have some old songs where the Vocal (and other parts) needs fixed. Since I can relate to what you are going through, your post made me Emotional and very Anxious to try this out. As in your case the singer is no longer with us.

 

[chuckwow]

You might want to read my post again as I made some edits to be more clear but like I said the S1 Stem Separation already does a fantastic job. Cleaner and better quality on the same source from my experience than the Steinberg SpetraLayers IMHO. I actually use the S1 Stem as a first choice. If I have the time and you think it's worth your time I can leave some examples here.

thanks for your observations. i have used the tool a few times and was pleased with the quality of the sound, and plan to use it a bunch as i can now reserrect old songs like others have described. this initial offering was a very pleasant surprise to see included as a new feature.

 

[imacken]

I would love to see it have the ability to remove lead guitars from instrumentals, e.g. Shadows, Ventures, etc.

Does anyone know of any software that can do this in Stem separation?

 

[ZoeMusic]

Does anyone know of any software that can do this in Stem separation?

Steinberg SpectraLayers Pro 11 can do that and much more. See attach Pic of just a few UnMix modules. Not sure if there is a demo available but if so it would be a good idea to demo it first.

 

[imacken]

Thanks for the suggestion. There was a 30-day demo of SpectraLayers available, so I tried it out. Unfortunately, it just came up with the same issue as others I've tried, and that is that it can't separate a lead guitar track from the other guitars.
So, for example, if I do Unmix Song on a Shadows track, i.e. lead, rythym, bass guitars and drums, the lead is mixed with the rythym on the separation and only leaves the bass and drums when this is muted.
Now, it may be that there are better Unmix options than 'Song', but I couldn't get any to work.
I know this is a Studio One forum, and we are OT here, so apologies for that.

 

[uOpt]

Thanks for the suggestion. There was a 30-day demo of SpectraLayers available, so I tried it out. Unfortunately, it just came up with the same issue as others I've tried, and that is that it can't separate a lead guitar track from the other guitars.
So, for example, if I do Unmix Song on a Shadows track, i.e. lead, rythym, bass guitars and drums, the lead is mixed with the rythym on the separation and only leaves the bass and drums when this is muted.
Now, it may be that there are better Unmix options than 'Song', but I couldn't get any to work.
I know this is a Studio One forum, and we are OT here, so apologies for that.

That sounds like a nice challenge for SpectraLayer's hand tuning. Try the specialized subforum. The developer is hanging out, too:

SpectraLayers

The vanguard of spectral editing and repair.

forums.steinberg.net

 

[imacken]

Thank you. I'll try there.

 

[gabo]

Another tool that can do this is Izotope's RX Audio Editor. I've used it quite a bit in the past, but S1 does a pretty good job as noted. About the same as RX. Like Spectralayers, RX has a lot more control over things but really it's hard to get much better than just the defaults, which is what S1 does.

If I'm doing a quick show of cover songs, I like to remove the drums (I'm a drummer) in the songs, and use that to practice to. I know a bass player that does the same, removing the bass parts to practice.

 

[imacken]

Thanks but removing drums and/or bass is easy, and S1 can do that. My need is to separate lead and rythym guitars, which S1 cannot do.
As recommended above, SpectraLayers Pro can do this by analysing and making selections on the spectrum of the separated guitar track. I have a thread going on this in the forum mentioned above.
Unfortunatley, the Pro version of SpectraLayers is around £250, which is way more than I could possibly justify.

 

[Bluzdog]

Unfortunatley, the Pro version of SpectraLayers is around £250, which is way more than I could possibly justify.

Check the crossgrade price if you have a version of Izotope RX. I got Spectralayers Pro 10 from Sweetwater last May for less than half of that price.

 

[ZoeMusic]

Check the crossgrade price if you have a version of Izotope RX. I got Spectralayers Pro 10 from Sweetwater last May for less than half of that price.

Yep, I used a 40% off voucher from the Avid Pro Tools 2024.10 upgrade. Loving Spectralayers Pro 11! A great addition for any DAW and as a standalone. There are definitely deals out there to be had. Now is the time.