Starting Your First Project in STEM DAW

Adding your first song

1. 1

   Search for a song or artist in the left-hand panel.

2. 2

   Select Add. The song will appear on the timeline as four stems: melody, vocals, bass and drums.

3. 3

   The first song becomes the master track. Its original key and tempo stay the same.

4. 4

   Add a second song. STEM DAW changes its key and tempo to match the master track, so the two songs play together.

5. 5

   The badge on the second track shows what changed. For example, 128 → 140 BPM means the song changed from 128 BPM to 140 BPM. The original tempo is on the left, and the new tempo is on the right.

6. 6

   To change the automatic match, select the song and adjust its key or tempo in the editing panel on the right.

Most computers support around 10 songs in one project. The exact number depends on the computer.

Problems adding a song

My song says Ingest instead of Add. What does that mean?

Ingest means that the song has not been prepared for STEM DAW yet.

Select Ingest beside the song, then:

1. 1

   Wait while STEM.FM separates it into melody, vocals, bass and drums.

2. 2

   When the button changes to Add, select it to place the song on the timeline.

It says Track not found. What does that mean?

This means the song you searched for is not in the STEM.FM catalogue yet.

STEM.FM is adding songs all the time, so a song that is missing today may be available later.

In the meantime, if you have the song as a file, you can use that instead:

1. 1

   Select Upload in the left-hand panel.

2. 2

   Drop the MP3, WAV, M4A or FLAC file into the panel.

3. 3

   STEM.FM turns it into four stems and adds them to the timeline, matched to the master track.

Choosing and changing the master track

What is the master track?

The master track is the song at the top of the timeline. Its key and tempo set the key and tempo for the whole project.

When you add a second song, STEM DAW changes its key and tempo to match the master track. The badge on the right shows what changed.

For example:

128 → 140 BPM · D♯ minor → C♯ minor

This means that the song was originally 128 BPM in D♯ minor. It now plays at 140 BPM in C♯ minor, matching the master track.

The master track stays at its original key and tempo. A Master badge appears on the right of its header.

How do I change the master track?

To change the master track, rearrange the track order:

1. 1

   Find the small dots on the left of the track header. The dots are the drag handle.

2. 2

   Drag the track you want to use as the master to the top of the timeline.

3. 3

   The new master track's key and tempo become the project's key and tempo.

4. 4

   The other songs adjust to match it, and their badges update.

You do not have to change the master track to change one song. Select any track and the editing panel opens on the right. Whatever key and tempo you set there overrides the match to the master track for that song only.

Can I edit a song that is not the master track?

Yes. Select any song on the timeline and the editing panel opens on the right. Changes you make there apply to that song only.

How many songs can I add to a STEM DAW project?

STEM DAW does not have one fixed song limit. The number of songs a project supports depends on your computer's memory and processing power.

As a rough guide, plan for around 10 songs in one project.