What is Stem mastering?

You've probably heard of stem mastering, but maybe you're wondering what it is?

Stem mastering is where we master using various stems, or audio files from the song, as opposed to just the stereo mix. This gives us much more control, as we can turn up or down, eq or manipulate certain parts within the mix, without affecting other parts. Stem files could be a Kick stem, drums, keys, guitars, Lead vocals, backing vocals etc etc, all as seperate files. As you can imagine, you usually end up with a better master using this method, as you can fine tune individual elements and hone in on any problems much better than just having the stereo mix. I use this method a lot when working with clients.