> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.sampler.meiji.industries/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Stem Separation

> Use stem separation to isolate useful parts of a sample.

# Stem separation

Stem separation lets you isolate broad musical components from one source file.

## What it can produce

Available stem types:

| Stem       | Content                                     |
| ---------- | ------------------------------------------- |
| All        | Full mix (no separation)                    |
| Vocals     | Isolated vocals                             |
| Drums      | Isolated drums                              |
| Bass       | Isolated bass                               |
| Other      | Everything except vocals, drums, and bass   |
| No Vocals  | Karaoke/instrumental — drums + bass + other |
| No Drums   | Vocals + bass + other                       |
| No Bass    | Vocals + drums + other                      |
| Drums+Bass | Rhythm section only                         |

## How it works

The Meiji Sampler platform includes a separate stem separation binary which is loaded on-demand the first time this feature is needed.

This free add-on is approximately 100MB. To save disk space, it is not included with the base install.

If the Stems Addon is not available for your platform or the published bundle cannot be verified, Meiji Sampler stops before installing it and shows an installation failure. The base sampler still works; only stem separation is unavailable until a verified add-on bundle is published for your platform.

## When to use it

* isolate drums from a mixed loop
* remove drums so you can layer your own
* extract vocal or bass material for chopping

## Tradeoffs

Stem separation is powerful, but it is not magical. It works best when the source material is already reasonably clean.

It's normal to hear some artifacts. Meiji Sampler uses the Demucs `htdemucs` model for source separation.

## Related pages

* [Mixer And Effects](/guides/mixer-and-effects)
* [Reference](/reference/index)
* [Performance And System Problems](/troubleshooting/performance-and-system)