Review: Stem Splitter (Logic Pro 11)

In this article, I'll break down the features of Logic Pro's Stem Splitter and compare it to iZotope RX's Music Rebalance plugin. Let's dive in!

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Uses for Stem Splitter and Music Rebalance

There are several scenarios where the Stem Splitter or Music Rebalance tools can be incredibly useful:

Remastering a Song: You can split a track into the four most important stems.

Creating Remixes: Extract the acapella from a song for remixing purposes.

Cuts and Scratches: When dealing with dense music, you can separate the vocals for cleaner vocal cuts.

Sampling: Extract specific elements for sampling.

Using Logic Pro's Stem Splitter

Here's the magic:

To use the Stem Splitter in Logic Pro, follow these steps:

Go to the region you want to process.

Right-click and select "Processing" then "Stem Splitter."

Choose what elements you want to split the track into.

Select all four options and split. Boom! Your track is now split into separate folders for vocals, drums, bass, and others.

Listen to the original track first and then the stems split by Logic Pro's Stem Splitter.

The Verdict

Here's my take:

Vocals, Drums, and Instruments:

Logic Pro Stem Splitter did a better job overall. The separation was cleaner and more defined.

Bass:

iZotope RX Music Rebalance preserved more of the low end and transient detail, though the Logic Pro version had a slightly cleaner output.

If I had to choose, I'd go with the Logic Pro Stem Splitter. It's fast, easy, and delivers immediate results.

Additional Features of iZotope RX

While Logic Pro's Stem Splitter excels in ease of use and immediate results, iZotope RX has some unique advantages. It offers fine-tuning controls for separation quality, which Logic Pro lacks. Plus, the RX bundle includes essential tools like:

De-Reverb

De-Noise

De-Crackle

De-Ess

Repair Assistant

De-Clip

These tools are invaluable for achieving fast, high-quality results. I highly recommend the RX bundle if you don’t already have it, especially since it's frequently on sale.

Conclusion

When it comes to splitting stems, Logic Pro is the clear winner in my book. Its simplicity and efficiency are unmatched. However, iZotope RX's suite of plugins remains a powerful addition to any audio engineer's toolkit.

I hope to do more content on the iZotope RX bundle. Which RX plugin are you specifically interested in? Let me know in the comments below ⤵️