Quick n' Dirty: Using the separated STEMS outside of VDJ8.5/2021

This video shows how you can use the separated STEMS that VDJ8.5/2021 generates outside of VDJ, for instance by turning them into new acapella or instrumental audio files
Extra software used in the video:
Audacity: www.audacityte...
FFmpeg: lame.buanzo.or... (ffmpeg-win-2.2.2.zip)
Music by: EDMRF NET - Royalty Free Music

[@djnaydee]

Guys, I can confirm simply renaming the Virtual DJ stems to MP4 makes it readable with Adobe Premiere and Audition, where you can take what you need! But unfortunately this does not work with Serato Stems. The file must be encrypted to protect the Record Labels

[@klausmogensen8691]

Serato is probably just using another format With VDJ the devs simply told us how they'd made it, so we could take advantage of it I doubt the Serato devs will be as forthcoming :)

[@tortillatv]

Works in Logic Pro as well, just tested :D

[@itchyfingers2044]

i love you bro!!!!!!!!!!!! this is life changing

[@Xylume]

Awesome video! I was recording my Stem as Loops inside VDJ2021's sampler, then recording them out manually as a wave, then using Ableton Live 10 to remix/mashup.

[@kevincairns1641]

Thank you

[@djnaydee]

Your a genius bro lol I've been trying to figure out how to do this with Serato for months. I figured their had to be a way to open the stems file in a DAW 👊

[@chuckanthanio]

My favorite video on STEM. I was thinking how can I separate the tracks to remix or censor vocals. You read my mind and created this video. Time to go to work. Thanks Again!

[@ProgeessiveDeepHouseTrance]

Great !! Very usefull Thanks

[@SOULKRATESofficial]

thank u for all your videos! sending love from berlin, germany

[@edoardociceri]

You are Number 1 😃

[@drcarrot]

Thank you!

[@andnegr]

Incredible! this is magic

[@cocukmasalmuzik]

You are my HERO.....

[@DreamPrashant]

This is amazing! How do you find out about all of this? Is this information actually in the release or if you just explore all the time?

[@klausmogensen8691]

Most of it is in the early access release notes, or in the posts in the VDJ forum But I'm also a member of the beta tester group, and the beta releases have additional info in the release notes, amd I also ask for more info on the forum, which is then often given by the develppers

[@DreamPrashant]

@@klausmogensen8691 Makes sense! Is it possible to hire you for a few hours to help me explore transition from Serato to Virtual DJ? we could do Zoom or google meet. thanks so much!

[@klausmogensen8691]

@@DreamPrashant No, I don't usually do that. But you can ask your questions in the VDJ FB group or on the VDJ forum on the homepage. I'm often there, and can answer, but there are also a lot other VDJ users and developers, and quite a few of them know more than I do :)

[@DreamPrashant]

@@klausmogensen8691 I figured you didn’t but it was worth a shot to ask. Should I search for Vdj fb group on Facebook or virtual dj or anything else? Thanks again for everything you do, I appreciate it. :)

[@DjTurk]

Hello Klaus, I am very much interested to use VDJ Stems in another software (ACID) as separate tracks. I have VDJ version b7921 (did not update yet) I have watched your video explaining how to export tracks to Odyssey software. Would it be possible for you to get a little in depth explanation on stems and separating into tracks? (It seems like you are the only one that I've found on the internet explaining about stems)

[@klausmogensen8691]

It's really simple. You use prepared stems to get VDJ to store its separated stems. The secret is then that even though VDJ doesn't tell you, the resulting file is really just a standard multi-track mp4 file. So if you rename it to have .mp4 as extension and open it in software that can read multi,-track mp4 files, then the tracks inside will be the stems. Your DAW will most likely be able to do this as soon as you rename the extension

[@DjTurk]

@klausmogensen8691 thank you, I will try it

[@bibletruth7014]

is there a way to turn tracks into an mp4, audacity doesn't seem to have the option, I like the small file

[@djshelin]

This is awesome

[@N9TT-9G0A-B7FQ-RANC9]

audacity keeps asking me to install ffmpeg and says it doesnt support aac, even though i have downloaded, installed and located the latest version of both audacity and ffmpeg, and audacity allows me to import normal aac files, just not the mp4 file

[@CarlosKaiman]

Hi I have a macbook air 2020 M1 and I just can't figure out which ffmpeg to install I tried all the ones in the link and no luck. HELP please!

[@klausmogensen8691]

Sorry, I don't own a Mac, so I can't help you there...

[@williecbyrd8493]

I did it and it works fine

[@montr6868]

Nice!!!

[@djpalacios5388]

Super thanks

[@CodeDisease]

im trying to make a program that does this automatically, do you happen to know how to retrieve the stems from an audio file with c++?

[@klausmogensen8691]

It's in a multi track mp4 format with 5 stereo tracks inside. So if you have a c++ library that can read multi track mp4 files, that can probably work

[@JosephRPScott]

Its possible Create A vdjstem Using acapella and instrumental from studio? Something like stems creator from NI?

[@klausmogensen8691]

You can try. It's really an mp4 file - but I haven't tried going in that direction

[@TheGrainhas]

No matter how many times I try, audacity gives me back import error. I installed ffmpeg library, all correct. Something changed? Is it impossible to open them in 2023? Is there another way to get the stems from virtualdj? Thanks.

[@klausmogensen8691]

No, that is still the same That also means that you don't need to use Audacity. You can use any multitrack audio.editor that supports the mp4 format

[@TheGrainhas]

@@klausmogensen8691 Thanks for the reply. It really doesn´t work for me. First just asked for ffmpeg. I installed it correctly. Then it starts showing the "multitrack" inside the track, but it gives "error to import" and says that without ffmpeg audacity can´t open an AAC file. So not much changed, just the "showing" of whats inside the track after installing the library. I changed the extension to mp4. So I don´t know what else to do. I installed the ffmpeg many times locating the file successfuly. What other multitrack software there is? I tried mixpad and multitrack studio, they just open the track as one file. Thanks. .

[@kdeeuk]

why dont you just record the track as you want it without vocals in vdj

[@KimPotter]

Exactly. Maybe a little slower to do three seperate exports, for each of the stems you want (if you want all of them). This way you do have to be more aware of making sure the start point lines up, if you’re going to be working with them in a DAW.

[@klausmogensen8691]

This should be a lot faster since you get all combinations of stems ready and aligned at your fingertips in your DAW, and it only takes a few seconds to do. On a faster computer all the steps in the video combined will take about 15-20 seconds pr song.

[@djpalacios5388]

Its better this way you don't have to go back an forth to vdj and extract more of what you need you already have all tracks ready to go

[@watsonmedina7510]

thkssssssss

[@kdeeuk]

what if vdj have a patent on the stems, and software your not supposed to use it outside the software, could be a copyright issue remember vdj is not open source software

[@djestrela2]

This has nothing to do with open source. It also doesnt have nothing to do with patents. It DOES have to do with general copyright law that already affects your whole library. Thats it.

[@klausmogensen8691]

I actually asked Atomix beforehand if this was a secret, and they said not really, because mp4 is an open multi track format that anyone can use

[@youngginger4880]

What's is your email bro