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language: en
updated-at: 2026-10-28
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App Store release pending

MixSift guide

# Stems, multitracks and AI separation: which files do you have?

Distinguish original session tracks, grouped audio exports and estimated parts before planning edits or handing files to someone else.

Updated 28 October 2026

## Ask how the files were made

A folder with several audio files does not by itself tell you how much editing control you have. Ask whether the files came from the original recording session, a grouped export from that session, or separation of a finished recording. The distinction matters more than a filename such as “vocals”.

![Conceptual diagram: a finished recording becomes four estimated groups; original session tracks have a separate origin.](/assets/four-groups-diagram.svg)

Ask where the files came from: original session tracks or estimates from a mix.  
Original explanatory diagram. Vocals, Drums, Bass and Other can contain bleed; Other can contain several instruments. No processing result is depicted.

[View full-size diagram ↗](/assets/four-groups-diagram.svg)

Multitracks usually preserve individual session tracks. A session may have several microphones or vocal takes. Grouped stems combine related tracks into fewer audio files. AI-separated parts estimate groups from an already combined recording, so they do not restore the original session.

Terminology varies between collaborators. [Ableton’s stem handoff documentation](https://help.ableton.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000843404-Importing-and-exporting-stems) distinguishes grouped exports from individual rendered parts. Agree on the actual files and their origin rather than relying on the word “stems” alone.

## What a MixSift project provides

Full Stems provides Vocals, Drums, Bass and Other from separation. It does not recover individual takes, kit microphones, guitar layers, MIDI or the source DAW project. Multiple instruments may remain together in Other. Read [the four-group explanation](/guides/four-stems-and-other) before planning an instrument-specific edit.

Export Mix is a different deliverable: one combined audio file using a confirmed mixer balance. It does not preserve independent channels for the recipient to rebalance. Ordinary stem files and a custom mix should be labeled clearly when you share a permitted handoff.

## Make a useful file inventory

1. Keep the original recording and the separation outputs clearly distinguished. Do not rename estimates as original isolated recordings.

2. Record whether the recipient needs one backing file or four independent groups, and which formats their software accepts.

3. Keep the four files from one separation together. Note any known audible limitations without claiming a clean result you have not checked.

4. When original session control is necessary, ask the recording owner for the appropriate original tracks or grouped exports rather than expecting separation to supply them.

Making a copy or separating audio does not grant a license to redistribute it. Only hand off material you are entitled to share.

## Use the right handoff

For a rehearsal player, a single custom mix may be enough. For independent editing, use separate files and retain their common start. Follow [the mix-versus-stems decision](/guides/export-practice-mix-vs-stems) before exporting. Separation can leave bleed and artifacts even when file names and alignment are correct.

## Continue with a related guide

[Interpret audible limitations](/guides/stem-bleed-and-artifacts)

[All guides](/guides)

Audio processing on your Mac.

Prelaunch · Public availability unverified.