In this article, you will learn how to create stems in FL Studio.

FL Studio calls this term split mixer tracks, which is available when you export a beat in FL Studio.

Below I’ll explain what are stems for a complete explanation. (Stems can also be called multi-tracks).

Audio stems (“multi-tracks”) are high-quality audio files of each instrument exported at the full length of the song. There can be lots of silence in audio stems, but they are to be dragged into your DAW’s Playlist, and are aligned perfectly, which allows you to transfer audio from one DAW to another, or mix your music with less CPU resources, compared to making the beat and mixing in one project.

How to Create Stems in FL Studio
A video showing how to create audio stems (multi-tracks).

How to Export Stems in FL Studio (Render Audio Stems)

Exporting stems is very easy in FL Studio..

READ: How to Export Audio in FL Studio

The only difference is enabling “Split mixer tracks”, that’s it!

How to create stems in FL Studio (multi-tracks) - you enable "split mixer tracks" in the "Export Project Dialog" window
How to create stems in FL Studio (multi-tracks)
Enable “Split mixer tracks” in the “Export Project Dialog”.

I’d highly recommend exporting stems into a folder, otherwise you’ll have to clean up your files!

Use the keyboard shortcut CTRL + R, or go File -> Export to render audio in FL Studio.

A couple things to pay attention to:

  • Your render size will be much larger than a normal export. Notice the image is 511.44 MB.
  • You want to make sure you export .WAV for highest-quality

What are Stems in Beatmaking?

Example of audio stems in FL Studio Playlist showing Multi-tracks aligned for mixing and mastering
Example of audio stems in FL Studio Playlist aligned for mixing.
(Multi-tracks are also useful in mastering, called Stem Mastering)
In stem mastering, there’s often fewer tracks, like a Bass stem, Drums stem, Instruments stem, and Vocal stem, this way the track isn’t “mixed” but mastering has more control.

There’s probably two types of people reading this.

  • You’re involved in music production, and just need to know how to export stems in FL Studio (you already know how audio stems work, and how to use multi-tracks).
  • You’ve heard about stems, but are unsure if you should use stems

PRO TIP: Stems are the only way to back up your music!

Before going deeper, it’s important to know that exporting to stems is the only true way of backing up your music!

This is because music production is really reliant on software from so many manufacturers. Updates are happening all the time, and there’s no promise of backward compatibility!

Usually updates don’t break anything, but there’s always a chance it can because that’s what happens when using software together from different companies (a DAW and a third-party plugin).

Should You Use Audio Stems in FL Studio?

If you’re a beatmaker using Virtual Instruments (VSTi) to make beats with MIDI, there is no need to be using stems.

Stems are only useful if you want to collaborate with others who DON’T have the same plugins and sounds, or they’re using another DAW.

But if you want to backup your music, then yes, you should export the FINAL SONG to stems for backup purposes.

When you select “Split mixer tracks”, FL Studio renders each mixer insert with all its effects. It will also renders sub-groups, so you’ll have duplicate audio files, which is powerful, because it allows the mixing engineer to decide if they like the sub-group, or if they want to mix it their own way. Just be cautious that you don’t have duplicate tracks, as it will make certain instruments louder (as you’ve doubled the audio).

Wrapping Up: What are Stems in FL Studio, and How to Create Multi-Tracks in FL Studio

So there you go!

To export audio in FL Studio, you just go:

File -> Export ->Wave (for highest quality)

.WAV is LOSSLESS, meaning the highest quality. MP3 is compressed, meaning audio fidelity is removed for a smaller file size.

Again, make sure to export your FL Studio audio stems into a new folder for easiest file management. You can then drag these audio stems into any DAW’s playlist, and start mixing or mastering right away.

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Thanks for reading 😁