StemDesk

From a single stereo file
to a full mix session.

StemDesk separates your track into stems, builds a complete mix through real VST3 processing, and hands you the session — plus 17 professional plugins that work in Pro Tools and every major VST3 DAW.

Free tier includes the Compressor, Gate, and Limiter plugins — no account required.

StemDesk Mix Targets view — a 24-track session with per-track roles, LUFS, gain staging, VU meters and the AI assistant ready

Mix Targets — a real 24-track session: roles, LUFS, gain staging, rides & sidechain, local AI ready.

How it works

A complete desktop mixing pipeline that runs on your machine — your audio never leaves your computer.

1 · Separate

Drop in a stereo 2-track and StemDesk splits it into 4 or 6 stems (vocals, drums, bass, guitar, piano, instruments) with Demucs-class source separation running locally on CPU — or start from your own stems folder, a Pro Tools session, or a reference track.

2 · Analyze

Every stem is measured — role detection, LUFS, spectral balance, key and BPM — against one of 150+ genre profiles, from trap and drill to gospel, rock, and Latin.

3 · Auto-Mix

StemDesk builds the mix: per-stem processing chains, gain staging, pan, bus processing, sidechain ducking, vocal rides, and mastering — rendered offline through the same real VST3 plugins you use in your DAW. Every decision is deterministic and inspectable, with an optional local AI assistant for critique and adjustments.

4 · Deliver

Export stems, mix, and master as WAV, MP3, FLAC, or AAC — or take the whole session into your DAW: REAPER, Ableton Live, DAWproject, or a Pro Tools session built for you track-by-track.

StemDesk New Mix Session view — stems folder, Pro Tools session and reference track sources, pipeline toggles, and the genre profile browser

New Mix Session — point at your stems or a 2-track, pick from 150+ genre profiles, go.

AI Intelligence — a local engineer in the room

A full AI panel lives beside your session: critique, coaching, analysis, and generation — powered by a local model that runs on your machine. Your audio never touches the cloud, and the AI never silently edits your mix: every suggestion is shown, explained, and applied only when you say so. You can even start a brand-new session from a generated idea — "Create with AI" lives right on the setup screen.

StemDesk AI Critique — a graded mix critique with what's working, issues by category with affected tracks, and one-click Apply Fixes

Mix Critique — a graded report card: what's working, what's masking, and one-click "Apply Fixes".

StemDesk Mix Coach — a chat with an engineer that knows your session and proposes concrete dB moves you can apply

Mix Coach — ask "why is my vocal buried?" and get session-specific moves, in dB, ready to apply.

StemDesk AI Generate — session-aware smart suggestions in your song's key and BPM, music generation via local ACE-Step, and AI lyric writing

AI Generate — smart suggestions in your song's key & BPM, local music generation, and a lyric writer.

Per-stem diagnostics

Detects over-compression, clipping, noise, and spectral problems on every stem — each finding comes with a suggested fix.

Spectral heatmap

Per-stem energy across seven bands with conflict highlighting, so you can see masking before you hear it. Plus arrangement density and bounce analysis.

Vocal AI

Transcribes vocals in 11 languages (Whisper-class, local), detects phrases and breaths, and generates vocal ride automation from the phrasing.

Reference matching

Load a commercial reference next to your mix, compare them band by band, and optionally apply the match on render.

Engine presets

Generates preset chains for EQ, compression, saturation, multiband, de-essing, gate, and limiter from your session's measurements — and can even write preset files for FabFilter's Pro series if you own them.

Key, tempo & chords

Detects key, BPM, chord progression, and beat grid from the session — and generation uses them, so new ideas land in your song's key.

Loudness & delivery

A real-time loudness meter with streaming targets built in — master to Spotify, Apple Music, or Amazon levels instead of guessing.

Portable mix profiles

Save any mix's roles and override knobs as a .stemdeskprofile file and re-apply it to a new session — your sound, carried between songs.

The plugin suite — 17 processors, up close

Built for Windows x64 in VST3 and AAX, validated at pluginval's maximum strictness, PACE-signed for Pro Tools. Three are free forever. Every interface below is a live capture of the real plugin.

DAW support

The plugins work in every DAW that loads VST3 or AAX — REAPER, Cubase, Ableton Live, Studio One, Bitwig, FL Studio, and Pro Tools among them. Pro Tools is empirically tested end-to-end; VST3 hosts follow the VST3 standard, and every plugin passes pluginval strictness-10 host-lifecycle validation.

HostPlugin formatStatus
Pro Tools 2022–2024AAX (iLok required)Tested
REAPER 6/7VST3Standards-validated
Cubase 12/13VST3Standards-validated
Ableton Live 11/12VST3Standards-validated
Studio One 6VST3Standards-validated
Bitwig Studio 5VST3Standards-validated
FL Studio 21VST3Standards-validated
Logic Pro (macOS)AUv1.x roadmap

Session export — a separate superpower

Beyond hosting the plugins, StemDesk can hand your whole Auto-Mix to a DAW as a session:

TargetWhat you get
REAPER (.rpp)Full session — tracks, levels, pans, bus structure, and processing chains
Pro Tools (live)StemDesk drives a running Pro Tools and builds the session track-by-track
Ableton Live (.als)Session with stems, levels, pans, and song tempo
DAWprojectOpen interchange format for Studio One and other supporting hosts

Pricing

One-time license, activated offline. No subscription, no iLok cost for VST3. Start free, upgrade when you need the full suite.

Free
$0
  • Compressor, Gate & Limiter plugins
  • VST3 + AAX formats
  • Core StemDesk app
Download
Studio
$179 launch price · one-time · reg. $249
  • Everything in Pro
  • Live Pro Tools session building
  • DAWproject export
Buy Studio

Questions, answered

Does my audio leave my computer?

No. Separation, analysis, mixing, and the optional AI assistant all run locally. Nothing is uploaded, ever.

Do I need an internet connection?

Only for the download and the optional one-time AI model fetch. Mixing, separation, and the plugins work fully offline.

What does the AI actually do?

The mix itself is built by deterministic, measurable DSP. The local AI suite sits on top — graded critique, a session-aware coach, per-stem diagnostics, vocal transcription, reference matching, preset generation, and music & lyric generation — all optional, all user-driven, never a black box in your render path.

Do the plugins need an iLok?

Only in Pro Tools, where AAX requires PACE signing (a free iLok account is enough). VST3 in every other DAW needs no iLok at all.

How is the license activated?

A key arrives by email after purchase and activates offline inside the app — cryptographically signed, no account, no phone-home.

Mac?

Windows 10/11 x64 today. macOS with AU support is on the v1.x roadmap.

Download

One installer for every tier. Your license key unlocks Pro or Studio inside the app.

Download StemDesk for Windows

Windows 10/11, 64-bit. Every release ships with a SHA-256 checksum; the installer and plugins are code-signed. AAX use in Pro Tools requires a free iLok account. The optional local AI model is a one-time ~8 GB download, fetched only with your consent.