Do your clients request stems?

[jimmyboy7]

I ask for it as a mix engineer and when a client wants to track woth a beat. I can make the sonic quality much better this way

[zoahk]

Artists are getting lazy, they just want to make quick mixtapes and rap over instrumentals. I say it's a good practice so long as they don't get in the habit of it

[jimmyboy7]

Originally Posted by zoahk

Artists are getting lazy, they just want to make quick mixtapes and rap over instrumentals. I say it's a good practice so long as they don't get in the habit of it

I ahve an artist that does both, I don;t really like using the beats he buys but it's usually quick money and a quick product he can give away and not feel crappy about doing it

[Beatfire]

The product life-cycle has certainly sped up

[3rd Degree]

Originally Posted by Beatfire

I find it increasingly alarming that artists are not requesting stem masters when purchasing beats on-line. I also wonder it 'beatmakers' are concerned about the headroom left on tracks when being sold. Is it deliberate for non-exclusive licenses?

It's very deliberate. I actually don't do non-exclusive for this reason. I am unwilling to part with my session files for less than a certain price, which are well over what most people consider over a lease. I don't know that all artist think this way but I know more than a few I know feel the same.


The other part of it is that depending on what you use to make beats, it can take considerable time to break down your session. Then if it's online, it take considerable time to upload. If I was leasing a beat for $20 or something, it wouldn't be worth it to me from a time perspective.

In general though, it's just how it's structured. Non-exclusive means you make the beat makers life easy until you invest in yourself. Some people will allow you to pay more and get the individual tracks but it's not particularly common. You also want some motivation for someone to buy exclusive tracks if you do lease.

[chris carter]

I am troubled by the growing trend of calling this "stems". Stemming something, which is usually done when mixing, implies combining elements, often with processing. For example, doing stem mixes be it for television (very common) or records (not so common). Or when stemming tracks out to a console where you generally don't have as many channels available as actual tracks in your DAW.

The best and most correct term is "consolidated" audio files. This is something very specific meaning each and every track from zero with no insert or send processing - JUST what was recorded to disk. "multitracked beat" is a fine term. Even "track outs" is an adequate term. But "stems" causes all kinds of confusion and should be avoided. The people who constantly refer to the consolidated audio for a beat as "stems" are also the same hip-hoppers who confuse mixing with mastering and other stuff.

BTW - my biggest gripe is getting tracks that already have processing all over them. It's not a big deal for certain instruments if the producer really knows what they are doing. But getting every track drenched in reverb and delay and EQd to death is a total pain in the ass. And it sucks when you have to explain to the artist "well, the mix COULD have been better if the beatmaker had sent stuff the right way".

[LeoLeoLeo]

^ thank you. It had to be said.

Although I make stems for records, but it's for myself for recalls & such.

I mix, print stems, make final mixes off stems. Only thing I have to recall is the PT session of stems and a outboard buss comp, if used. And, I don't send my stems to anyone.

[mrwonderful]

If they purchasing leases they ain't getting WAV files from each channel.
You gotta buy exclusive for that !

[Trell Blaze]

I think, in most cases, it's an issue of neither the buyer nor the seller knowing any better. Most of them think that's how it's done.