New Open Source Tool: StemDeck - Free stem separation locally, without cloud or subscription

[17:21 Tue,2.June 2026 by Thomas Richter]

If you want to break down audio tracks into their components—such as individual tracks for vocals, drums, bass, guitar, or piano—you usually turn to cloud services like Moises or LALAL.AI. However, these cost money, require an account, and force you to upload your audio files to a third-party server.

The new open-source tool StemDeck (Windows/macOS) takes a different approach: it runs entirely locally, requires no account, and is completely free. It is interesting not only for musicians and producers but also for video producers—for example, to create instrumental versions of an audio track or to isolate speech from mixed recordings.

While professional tools like iZotope RX or Steinberg SpectraLayers also offer local stem separation, they cost several hundred euros. StemDeck is the free alternative with a simple interface—without the need to install a DAW or plugin.

What StemDeck can do

StemDeck uses the Meta AI model

Demucs to separate an audio file into up to six stems: Vocals, Drums, Bass, Guitar, Piano, and an "Other" channel for everything else. The tool accepts MP3 and WAV files via drag-and-drop as well as YouTube URLs for direct import. Processing takes place exclusively on your own computer.

The StemDeck interface resembles a stripped-down DAW: A waveform editor displays all stems as stacked tracks, including zoom, a loop function, and a playhead overlay. Each stem features mute, solo, a volume fader, and live VU meters with peak hold. If you only need a selection of stems, you can choose them via buttons—StemDeck then additionally creates an "Original" track containing the rest of the song without the selected elements, which is practical for A/B comparisons. Finally, the desired mix can be downloaded as an individual WAV file. Additionally, StemDeck analyzes BPM, key, and loudness levels (LUFS), which can be useful for remixes and transcription.

GPU Acceleration

StemDeck automatically detects the best available processing unit: NVIDIA GPUs are accelerated via CUDA, Apple Silicon Macs use the integrated GPU, and on all other systems, the CPU takes over. On hardware with a GPU, stem separation is fast—those relying solely on the CPU should expect longer wait times.

Installation

The tool is available as a ready-to-use installer for Windows (x64, with an optional CUDA package) and macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel). Upon the first launch, the approximately 170 MB Demucs model is downloaded once. Alternatively, technically savvy users can run StemDeck via Docker or Python as a local web service, which is then accessed via a browser.

Why StemDeck is also interesting for filmmakers

Stem separation is not only useful for musicians. It can also help in film and video production to edit existing music or audio tracks more flexibly.

For example, you can create instrumental versions or reduce individual elements of a music track if they interfere with the edit. StemDeck can also be useful for documentary or event recordings where speech and background music are already mixed. The separation is not a magic bullet, but it can provide a usable basis for further audio editing.

Those who want to adapt their own or licensed production music to an edit gain more flexibility with isolated stems than with a finished stereo file—for instance, to fade out individual instruments or rearrange parts of a song.

Another advantage is local processing: for confidential or unreleased material, audio files do not need to be uploaded to a cloud service. Whether this is contractually sufficient in individual cases, however, depends on the respective production and licensing terms.

Comparison with commercial alternatives

The developer of StemDeck is transparent: StemDeck is not a competitor to commercial services, but a solid alternative for home use. The separation quality of Demucs is good, but it does not always reach the proprietary models of commercial services. Those who need batch processing, mobile apps, more stems, or particularly high quality are better served by the paid offerings. However, anyone who wants to process stems for personal practice, transcription, or creative remixing locally and in a data-compliant manner can do so with StemDeck—for free.

StemDeck is licensed under the Apache 2.0 license and is still in the alpha stage.

more infos at bei github.com

deutsche Version dieser Seite: StemDeck - Kostenlose Stem-Trennung lokal, ohne Cloud und Abo