Pro Sound Web: A couple of new file formats are upon us, but just how much that will rock the music industry is yet unknown.
Native Instruments has finally released Stems, an open-file format that allows up to 4 independent elements that can be independently manipulated.
2 comments:
With technological advances come new ways to create work. That is a huge part of the reason why working in music and media production, and the entertainment industry as a whole, is coming into a very exciting time. Although STEMS is a concept mostly geared towards the music industry, it is still a new tool that can be used for other purposes. Being able to separate-out tracks, but keeping them still tied together, is something that could be very useful for sound and media designers who want to transfer their work to new platforms or send it to collaborators, but may not want to re-program an entire design if working in a software that is not designed to export a final “product.” Being able to produce a structured file that allows flexibility, tweaking, and that lends itself to live-performance is something that I’m sure will prove useful outside of music production and DJing. Inside of that realm, STEMS is a huge leap forward that opens up doors for remixing and live performance.
This is a great idea. Innovations in live sound are always interesting to see, and I think this particular one could have a number of benefits for the industry. I can definitely see how DJs could use these files to streamline their mixing process, but I can also see theatrical applications. When designing recorded sound files (perhaps for an environmental effect), one can now package multiple steams into one file. Then, during tech, the process of fine-tuning the effect for the space and the desired result becomes much easier. The mixer can use software to adjust the individual parameters of the file using four separate faders and saving the result in software, rather than having to adjust four sources and constantly recombine the file for efficiency when the show is actually running. The inherent efficiency of a 4-in-1 file (or an 8-in-1) will definitely prove useful in the live sound industry.
Post a Comment