StemConsole reads MP3, WAV, FLAC, OGG, M4A, AAC and WMA files up to 200MB. It does not take video files and it does not import links. The fix is the same every time: make an audio file first. Which route you take depends on where the music is now.
| Where the music is | What to do | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| A video file on your computer | Save the audio on its own as M4A, WAV or FLAC | Free |
| A CD or a download you bought | Import the CD, or download the file again from the store | Free |
| Your own song in a DAW | Bounce a stereo mix as WAV | Free |
| Audio that only plays on your computer | Record what the computer plays into a WAV | Free on Windows. On a Mac: free with a driver setup, or PrintBus (free trial, then US$39 once) |
1. The song is in a video file
This is a common case. A band rehearsal filmed on a phone, a lesson video, a screen recording: the audio is in there, but the upload box will refuse the file. You don’t need to convert the whole video. You only need its soundtrack.
- Mac. Open the video in QuickTime Player and choose File, Export As, Audio Only. You get an M4A file, which StemConsole accepts as it is.
- Windows, Mac or Linux. VLC is free and has a Convert option that writes the audio of a video to WAV, FLAC or MP3. Audacity can also open many video files once its free FFmpeg add-on is installed, and export the sound as WAV.
- Phone. Move the video to a computer and use one of the routes above. It is usually quicker than a phone app.
Saving the audio does not re-record anything. To avoid a second round of compression, choose WAV or FLAC when the app offers them.
2. The song is on a CD, or you bought it as a download
If you own the CD, import it. The Music app on a Mac and Media Player on Windows can both import a CD as audio files. Choose a lossless setting such as WAV or FLAC where the app offers one, and avoid AIFF, which StemConsole does not accept. If you bought the track from a store that sells downloads, sign in and download it again, choosing WAV or FLAC when the store offers them.
These are the best sources you can give a splitter. WAV vs MP3 for stems explains why a lossless file separates a little more cleanly.
3. It is your own song
Bounce or export a stereo mix from your DAW as a WAV, at the session’s own sample rate. If you still have the session, you may not need a splitter at all: solo the tracks you want and bounce those as real stems. A splitter earns its place when the session is gone and the stereo mix is all that is left. For official parts from other artists, see how to get stems for a remix.
4. The audio only plays on your computer
Sometimes there is no file to save. A demo someone sent you plays in a browser. A lesson you paid for plays in a web page. A reference sits in an app with no export button. The audio reaches your speakers but never your desktop.
The answer is to record what the computer itself is playing, directly and digitally. Don’t hold a microphone to the speakers: that adds the room, the speakers and the noise, and separation gets worse with every one of them.
On a Mac
PrintBus is a Mac menu-bar app I built for exactly this job. It records whatever your Mac plays into a WAV file.
- Press record. PrintBus waits. Nothing is saved until sound starts.
- Play the audio. The take starts on the first sound, and you keep hearing everything as normal.
- Let it finish. When the audio stops, the take is saved and trimmed. There is nothing to edit.
- Drag the WAV into StemConsole. Leave the format on WAV, which is the default. StemConsole does not accept AIFF.
There is no virtual audio device to install and no routing to set up. PrintBus needs macOS 14.4 or later. It is free for 14 days with no card, then US$39 once, with no subscription.
The Mac’s own tools are less direct. QuickTime Player’s audio recording and Voice Memos record from a microphone, not from the Mac’s output. On macOS 26 and earlier the built-in screen recorder does not capture the Mac’s sound either. On macOS 27 or later it can include system audio, but the result is a video file, so you are back at saving the audio from a video file, as in section 1.
There is a free route too: a virtual audio driver such as BlackHole, paired with a recorder such as Audacity. It works. It needs a driver install, and a Multi-Output Device set up so you can still hear what you are recording.
On Windows
Audacity is free and can record what the PC plays. Set the host to Windows WASAPI, choose the loopback option for your speakers or headphones as the recording device, press record, then play the audio. Stop, trim the silence at each end, and export a WAV.
Then split it
Drop the file into StemConsole. Vocal Remover (vocals and instrumental) and Basic Split (vocals, drums, bass and other) are free: the first split needs no account, and a free account gives 5 splits a month. Full Separation adds separate guitar and piano stems, on Pro or with a US$1.99 credit for one song.
From there you can solo your part or mute it and play along in the mixer. If the plan is to learn the song, learning a song by ear walks through the practice tools, and the free Key & BPM Finder reads the key and tempo from the same file.
A note on rights
Having a way to make a file is not the same as having the right to use it. Record, save and split audio you have the right to use: your own work, music you have bought, or material you have permission for. Separation does not grant rights to the original recording or composition. This is general information, not legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
Can I upload a video file to StemConsole?
No. StemConsole reads audio files: MP3, WAV, FLAC, OGG, M4A, AAC and WMA, up to 200MB. Save the video’s audio as its own file first. On a Mac, open the video in QuickTime Player and choose File, Export As, Audio Only to get an M4A you can upload.
Can I paste a link instead of uploading a file?
No. StemConsole works from audio files and does not import links from video or streaming sites. Start from a file you have, or make one with the steps in this guide.
How do I record what my Mac is playing?
Use an app that records the Mac’s own sound directly. PrintBus, a Mac menu-bar app from the maker of StemConsole, records whatever the Mac plays as a WAV file: press record, play the audio, and the take is saved and trimmed when the sound stops. It needs macOS 14.4 or later.
Is a recording as good as the original file?
A direct recording of what the computer plays is a clean digital copy of that playback, with no room noise. It can only be as good as what was playing, so a lossless download or a CD is still the best source when you can get one. Avoid recording speakers with a microphone.
Which format should I save the audio in?
WAV or FLAC if you can, because they add no compression of their own. M4A and MP3 also work. StemConsole does not accept AIFF, so choose WAV when an app offers both.
Am I allowed to split any song I can play?
Separation does not give you rights to a recording or a song. Record, save and split audio you have the right to use, such as your own work, music you have bought, or material you have permission for. This is general information, not legal advice.
Dan Murtagh is a mixing and mastering engineer based in Melbourne, with 20 years making records and a decade teaching audio production. He built StemConsole as the stem tool he wanted to use himself.