Added link:
https://www.izotope.com/en/learn/ste...ifference.html
This came up (yet) again in my dealings with clients so I thought I'd create a thread about it.
I am increasingly hearing people (musicians and "engineers") using the word Stem to refer to files when what they really mean is Multitrack.
So, to be clear, in the music world: (post guys, even though we stole the term from you, make your own thread in the Post section!
)
Stem: is a file containing a submix of (usually) "like" elements such as 12 individual drum tracks being sub mixed down to a stereo file, with all the associated processing to make them sound more or less complete. Maybe it's drums and percussion, or even so far as drums and bass being called rhythm section stem. Or all guitar tracks for a song being sub mixed together into a stereo file labeled Gtr Stem. You get the idea.
Multitrack: These are the original tracks from the recording session and they usually have one "element" per track. i.e. Kick In, Kick Out, SnTop, SnBot, Hat, Ride, Bass DI, Bass Mic, Gtr-57, Lead Gtr-R121, etc. Of course it is possible that if multiple mics were bussed to one track that there could be more than one element on a track of a multitrack. I do this with gtrs sometimes... multiple mics bussed to a track to create 1 sound. This is still a multitrack because it was done "live" during the recording session.
Got it?
Please don't tell me your friend told you what stems were or you saw them listed this way on a website... They're wrong. That includes the files referenced
here