Stem Energy: Which Layers Carry a Record

Presence is not volume

A stem counts as present when its own level is above a fixed threshold, and its presence figure is the share of the record where that holds. A quiet pad that plays throughout is present for the whole track; a loud fill that happens twice is present for almost none of it. The measurement describes the arrangement, not the mix balance.

This is why a stem can read as absent on a record that plainly contains guitars. If the separation could not isolate them, buried under a dense mix or processed into something the model reads as effects, LangBeat reports what it measured rather than what it assumes.

What the six stems are for

Muting the vocal stem gives an instrumental; keeping only the vocal gives an a cappella. Between those two extremes, the drums and bass tell you the groove, the guitar and piano tell you the harmony, and the effects stem collects everything that is texture rather than an instrument.

The same envelopes drive the visuals. On a track page the six stems become currents flowing down the record, so a breakdown, a moment where most of the layers stop, is visible as a place where the picture thins out.

Why six

Two-stem separation splits a record into vocals and everything else, which is enough for karaoke and nothing else. Six is the point where the answer becomes musically useful: you can see the rhythm section separately from the harmony, and you can see the vocal against both.

Measured arrangements

Presence figures below were computed from each record's own separated stems, including the layers that never appear.

1. OVERSTIMULATEDPhoenix-Element (Lady Gaga & Britney Spears Type Beat)

   Separated into six stems, the most present layers are drums (89% of the track), bass (87% of the track), fx (62% of the track). guitar and piano are absent.

2. hollywoodkngx dior (Britney Spears, Danja & 2000s Pop Type Beat)

   Separated into six stems, the most present layers are fx (97% of the track), drums (90% of the track), bass (58% of the track). guitar and piano are absent.

3. Sleepwalker (Slowed)akiaura & LONOWN & STM

   Separated into six stems, the most present layers are bass (97% of the track), fx (81% of the track), drums (73% of the track). guitar and piano are absent.

4. Зелёные волныZivert

   Separated into six stems, the most present layers are bass (86% of the track), fx (86% of the track), vocals (73% of the track). piano is absent.

5. ALPHAZAXX vs Riggi & Piros

   Separated into six stems, the most present layers are fx (94% of the track), drums (87% of the track), vocals (42% of the track).

6. The Motto RemixYG, Snoop Dogg, Nipsey Hu$$le

   Separated into six stems, the most present layers are bass (93% of the track), vocals (88% of the track), drums (87% of the track). guitar and piano and fx are absent.

7. LOVEISXGateora (Crystal Castles & 2hollis Type Beat)

   Separated into six stems, the most present layers are fx (95% of the track), drums (75% of the track), bass (69% of the track). guitar and piano are absent.

8. Who Do You Love (Instrumental with hook)YG

   Separated into six stems, the most present layers are bass (84% of the track), piano (82% of the track), drums (62% of the track). guitar is absent.

9. FLEXXGateora (Snow Strippers & 2hollis Type Beat)

   Separated into six stems, the most present layers are fx (98% of the track), drums (88% of the track), bass (7% of the track). guitar and piano are absent.

10. ENHANCEXGateora (Crystal Castles & Snow Strippers Type Beat)

    Separated into six stems, the most present layers are fx (95% of the track), bass (90% of the track), drums (83% of the track). vocals and guitar and piano are absent.

Questions