Stem Mastering — Maximum Control & Clarity
The ultimate hybrid
between mixing and mastering. Send us your stems — we rebalance, process, and sum through analog hardware for a
master that sounds like a mix revision.
Starting at
€220
⏱ Turnaround: 3–5 working days
🎚 Up to 5 stems (Kick, Bass, Drums, Inst, Vox)
🔄 3 Revisions included
Individual control
You send separate groups (Kick, Bass, Drums, Instruments, Vocals). We process each stem independently before summing — fixing balance issues standard mastering can’t touch.
Analog summing
Stems are summed through the SSL Sigma (custom mod), adding depth, headroom, and separation that digital summing simply cannot replicate.
Corrective power
Vocal too low? Kick too loud? Bass masking everything? We can surgically fix these problems — per-stem EQ, compression, and level adjustment.
✅ How Stem Mastering works
✅ Step 1: Export your groups
Bounce your project into 5–8 stereo groups (e.g. Kick,
Bass, Drums, Synths, FX, Vocals). Keep your bus processing. Bypass the master limiter.
✅ Step 2: Analog processing
Each stem is treated individually — corrective EQ,
dynamics, harmonic enhancement. Then summed through the SSL Sigma in the analog domain.
✅ Step 3: Final polish & delivery
The summed mix is mastered for commercial
loudness and tonal balance. You get the best of both worlds — mix-level control with mastering-grade
polish.
❌ When should you choose Stem Mastering?
Sound familiar?
❌ Your kick and bass mask each other — you can’t separate them.
❌ Vocals are buried under the
instrumental but you can’t rebalance.
❌ The mix feels “glued” but messy — bus processing is good but
definition is gone.
❌ Regular mastering made it louder but didn’t fix the actual balance.
❌ You
mix your own music and want a professional second opinion on the balance.
The solution is Stems.
Standard mastering can only do so
much with a single stereo file. With stems, we have independent access to every group — we can
rebalance, correct tonal problems, and apply element-specific processing before summing and mastering.
✅ Your benefits at a glance
✅ Balance correction impossible with stereo mastering
We can raise vocals, tame a loud kick,
or push the bass forward — without affecting the rest of the mix.
✅ Analog summing for depth and separation
Your stems are summed through the SSL Sigma, adding
headroom, 3D depth, and a cohesive glue that digital summing can’t match.
✅ Best of both worlds — mix control + mastering polish
More control than stereo mastering,
less cost than a full mix. Perfect for producers who mix their own tracks.
✅ Per-stem processing with high-end outboard
Individual EQ (GML, Maselec), compression
(Dangerous, WesAudio), and harmonic enhancement applied per stem before the final sum.
✅ Fair pricing & transparent process
Starting at €220 with 3 revisions included. Up to 5
stems in the base price. Extra stems for €50 each.
🎧 Your stem mastering engineer
Gianluca Santoriello — a mixer’s ear, a mastering engineer’s precision
Stem mastering sits at the crossroads of mixing and mastering. It requires both a mixer’s instinct for balance and a mastering engineer’s precision for spectral quality and loudness.
Gianluca leverages the studio’s hybrid setup to route each stem through dedicated outboard chains. The SSL Sigma handles analog summing with huge headroom and separation, while precision EQs (GML 8200, Maselec MEA-2) are applied to specific groups to correct tonal imbalances.
Ideal for:
– Artists and producers who mix their own music
– Tracks where the
balance is 80–90% right but needs refinement
– Situations where full mixing is overkill but stereo
mastering isn’t enough
Selected Works
Stem mastering projects for Diynamic, Ultra, and independent artists worldwide.
LAHERTE — MOVIMENTO
Focused on creating a wide stereo image and a warm, analog feel for the synth textures.
LAHERTE — PUMP UP THE JAM
A modern rework requiring tight low-end and crisp percussion to cut through the mix.
RAFAEL CERATO, LAHERTE — HUSTLING
Detailed stem work to enhance the groove and ensure clarity in the complex mid-range frequencies.
BENNY BENASSI, LAHERTE, ZAMNA — THE FUTURE
Hypnotic techno production — loop consistency and subtle dynamic shifts for peak-time sets.
Stem mastering credits on releases for
Ultra
Diynamic
Circa
Catch & Release
MHA
Everything included in Stem Mastering
Preparation
- Up to 5 stereo stems (Kick, Bass, Drums, Inst, Vox)
- Additional stems: +€50 each
- WAV 24/32-bit float at native sample rate
- Bypass master limiter — keep bus processing
Processing
- Individual EQ per stem (GML, Maselec)
- Individual compression per stem (Dangerous, WesAudio)
- Analog summing (SSL Sigma, custom mod)
- Final mastering chain — limiting, stereo, loudness
Delivery
- Streaming-ready master (Spotify, Apple Music, Beatport)
- Club-ready master (high-SPL optimized)
- 3 rounds of revisions included
- 30-day project archive
- Express delivery: +€105 (within 48h)
Stem Mastering Pricing
Stem Mastering
€220
per track · up to 5 stems · 3 revisions
- Per-stem EQ & compression
- Analog summing (SSL Sigma)
- Final mastering chain
- All delivery formats included
Express: +€105 (within 48h)
Extra Stems:
+€50/each
EP Bundle (3+): 10% off
Not sure? Choose the right service
Mix is 90%+ there? → Stereo Mastering
Great for polished mixes that need final loudness & polish.
Mix has balance issues? → Stem Mastering
We fix kick/bass/vocal balance before mastering.
Need a full rebuild? → Full Mix & Master
We mix from raw multitracks and deliver a finished master.
Start Your Stem Mastering Project
Upload your stems or send us your mix for an honest assessment. We’ll tell you whether stems are the right path.
✓ Direct personal contact
✓ Free & non-binding inquiry
✓ Honest recommendation on which service fits
Insights into the Studio
Stem Mastering — FAQ
Stem Mastering (approx. 5–8 stems) focuses on balance correction, per-stem processing, analog summing, and final mastering. Stem Mixing (approx. 10–20+ stems) is a deeper process involving creative processing, FX, spatial design, and arrangement-level adjustments. If your mix is 80–90% there, Stem Mastering is the right choice.
The base price includes up to 5 stereo stems (e.g. Kick, Bass, Drums, Instruments, Vocals). Additional stems can be added for €50 each. Typical configurations are 5 stems (electronic) or 6–8 stems (with vocals and FX separated).
Yes — and we recommend it. If you have heavy reverb/delay on vocals or synths, printing them to a separate FX stem gives us much more control over clarity and spatial depth without removing your creative effects.
Yes. If you have compression, saturation, or EQ on your group buses that is integral to the sound, leave it on. Just bypass the master bus limiter. Tell us what processing you’ve applied so we can work with it, not against it.
With stereo mastering, we receive a single stereo file and can only apply global processing — we cannot change the balance between individual elements. With stem mastering, we can raise or lower vocals, tame a boomy kick, push the bass forward, or clean up specific frequency ranges per group. It’s far more surgical.
WAV, 24-bit or 32-bit float, at your project’s native sample rate (44.1kHz or higher). All stems must be the same length, starting from the same point in the timeline. Label them clearly (KICK.wav, BASS.wav, DRUMS.wav, etc.).
Standard turnaround is 3–5 working days. Express delivery is available for €105 extra, guaranteeing delivery within 48 hours.
If your mix is mostly balanced but has a few specific issues (kick/bass relationship, vocal level, tonal harshness in a specific group), Stem Mastering is ideal. If the mix needs fundamental restructuring, Full Mix & Master is the better path. Not sure? Send us your track and we’ll give you an honest recommendation.