Stemroom

Guide

How to use Stemroom

Updated 9 November 2026

Stemroom lets you take a recording, remove one part, and play along with the rest. This guide walks through the whole thing, from adding a song to practising a hard fill.

Before you start

  • Use a recent browser. Safari on iPadOS or iOS 26 or later gives the fastest mode. Chrome, Edge and Firefox work in compatible mode.
  • Be on Wi-Fi the first time. Stemroom downloads its separation model once, about 120 to 170 MB, and keeps it for later.
  • Use songs you own or have permission to use. Stemroom is for practice.
  • Check the status card. When you open the app, a card on the first screen says whether your device can use fast mode, compatible mode, or can only play saved songs.

Add a song

Tap Add song, then choose one of two ways to bring audio in.

  • Choose a file. Pick an mp3, m4a, wav or flac from Files, iCloud Drive or your computer.
  • Paste a link. Direct links to an audio file work, and so do Dropbox and Google Drive share links. Links to YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music and similar services can't be used.

Next, check the title and the Start and End times. You can separate the whole song, or only the section you want to practise. A shorter section finishes sooner and uses less storage.

The Engine setting is on Automatic. It picks fast mode when your device supports it and falls back to compatible mode when it doesn't. You can force either one, which is useful if fast mode ever stops partway through.

Press Separate stems. Stemroom shows an estimate of how long it will take on your device.

While it separates

Keep Stemroom open and the screen on until it finishes, because the work happens on your device. Stemroom asks the screen to stay awake for you where the browser allows it. You can cancel at any time. When it is done, the song opens in the player and is saved in your library.

Roughly, a three-minute song takes about a minute and a half in fast mode on an iPad Pro, and several minutes in compatible mode. Older or smaller devices take longer.

Play along

The player is laid out like a small mixing desk.

  • Presets along the top set the mix in one tap: No drums, No bass, No vocals, No guitar and keys, Drums only, or All stems.
  • Channel strips give each part a fader, a mute button (M) and a solo button (S). The meter beside each fader shows that part's level as the song plays.
  • The overview above the strips shows the whole song, coloured by the loudest part at each moment. Touch it to jump to that spot.
  • Transport has back 10 seconds, play or pause, and forward 10 seconds. On a keyboard, the space bar plays and pauses.

Solo is handy for learning a part. Solo the drums and listen to what the drummer actually plays, then clear solo, mute the drums and play it yourself.

Practise a hard part

  1. Find the section. Play to the start of the bar or fill you want, then press Set A.
  2. Mark the end. Play to the end of it and press Set B. Stemroom starts looping between A and B, and the loop shows on the overview.
  3. Slow it down. Drag the Speed fader down to 70 or 80 percent. The pitch does not change.
  4. Use the count-in. Choose one or two bars. Enter the song's tempo in BPM, or tap the Tap button along with the song to find it. Clicks play before the music starts.
  5. Speed it up in small steps once the part feels comfortable, and finish at full speed with the loop off.

Press Loop to switch the loop off and on, and Clear to remove it.

Save and export

Every separated song is saved in your library on this device, so you only separate it once. The library page shows how much storage you are using. A three-minute song takes about 130 MB. Delete songs you no longer need with the bin icon.

The download button at the top of the player exports the current mix as a WAV file. Mute the drums first and you get a drumless backing track you can use in other apps.

Tips for drummers and guitarists

  • Drummers: start with "No drums" at full speed to check the feel, then loop fills at 70 percent. If the click is hard to hear, mute the bass for a moment, because the kick and bass lock together.
  • Guitarists: the guitar sits in the "guitar and keys" stem, so mute that stem to play the part yourself. If the song has keys as well, you will lose both.
  • Bassists: use "No bass", then solo the bass to check a tricky line before you play it.
  • Singers: use "No vocals" for karaoke-style practice.
  • Sound quality: separation is not perfect. You may hear a little of a muted part leaking through, especially on cymbals, reverb and busy mixes. Cleaner recordings separate better.
  • Headphones: use them if you can, so the music in your ears doesn't bleed into the room.

If something goes wrong

  • Separation stops or fails. Open Add song again and set the engine to Compatible. Try a shorter section. Close other tabs and apps to free memory.
  • It's slow. Compatible mode takes several minutes. Keep the screen on, and plug the device in if you can.
  • No sound. Check the device volume and, on iPhone and iPad, the silent switch. Tap play once to let the browser start audio.
  • iPhone. Playing saved songs works. Separating new songs on iPhone is not reliable yet. Split songs on an iPad or computer, then open them on the phone.
  • Storage is full. Delete songs you no longer need from the library.

More answers are on the FAQ page.

Open Stemroom