I think I might agree with you. I think with DJAYs version of stems I'm more so surprised they have improved so much. I thought for sure they would be a bottom 2
Personally, I thought the drums by themselves sounded really good on Serato. I only use stems to strip away all but the drums for mixing purposes anyway. So I’ll just keep using Serato. Thanks for taking the time to make this video! 🤘🏼
one of the reasons I've switched to Djay Pro AI is the way STEMS is implemented. using the EQ knobs to fade out/in the STEMS is, for me a game changer in the way I mix and blend tracks together.
Being a turntabalist for over 45 yrs, only person can tell is other djs, most people just want to hear their jams, they dont care about sound or even people that hv crappy speaker systems lol
place 1 & 2 is what i enjoy the most too. they do the job best for me. sometimes using UVR5 (free / open source) with different models to absolutely get the finest out of a flac/wav when doing a remix. thanx phil.
I listened to this through my DJ set up and I think I have to agree with your ratings. However personally I'd say VDJ has the best vocal separation overall, the other stems are done better by DjayPro , but not by much. The real comparison I'd love to see and I'm sure others will too, is who has the least resource intensive version of stems - it would be great info for those with older computers.
As a current engine os user i think vdj has it so far . Great comparison, review. But also it depends on the track and when it was produced ( time wise)ex. year ect . and who produced the track.
As a user of all (except Traktor) in my experience and use with multiple tracks, and based off your test track. I am right there with you. 1. Algoriddimg Djay 2. Virtual DJ (although in some tracks I believe VDJ and Djay can swap back and fourth) 3. Traktor (although I only heard this comparison on Traktor) 4. Serato (Again I believe that different tracks Serato and tractor could jump back and fourth, I thought I heard more artifacts on Serato) 5. Pioneer (A Major step up from their first release of stems, but still behind..usable) 6. Engine DJ (Great first release, mostly usable, will get better in future, but at a price of having to rescan and re-export, anytime an improvement is made) To my old ears. In the mix all 6 are usable in live mixing situations. Great demo Phil, thank you.
I came out with pretty much exactly in the same ranks as you, for pretty much the same reasons. I'd be ok using any of those on the instrumental side, but I probably wouldn't use an acapella from Engine or Rekordbox. And yes, I'm using stems all the time! I actually switched from Serato to DJay, partially for the hardware support, but also because I liked the sound of the stems better. Anyway, I play a weekly online show and a monthly club night, and I've found that even if I'm not trying to do anything "tricksy sounding," stems are a great way to make a transition just sound like the natural progression of a track. For example, maybe after a breakdown, I've swapped out the drums for a loop from the next track, then I de-loop and bring in the vocals after the current track's vocals are done, and at that point all I have to fade over is the instruments, but with everything else already in place it just sounds incredibly smooth and seamless compared to the EQ juggling I would have done in the past. Though of course, they're also great for those tricksy transitions when the fancy strikes!
Honestly they all sounded about on par for me. I've been starting to use stems in my mixes (Rekordbox) and its been a joy now that the quality has been stepped up. Some of the bleeding / isolation of a stem doesn't really come through depending on what else you are mixing the track with.
I’m 100 percent with you only commercial grade stems sound great all these software companies are not there yet some tracks sound good and other horrible
Would be cool to test against DJ Studio, even though its not for live performance, just curious as they are doing some pretty cool things, and be to see their quality level
I say my list is close to yours Phil, but I would probably swap 5 and 6. Denon is better than most on their first iteration, but still have some catching up. That being said I still prefer instrument bleed over, as that is less noticable when mixing, while taking away too much vocals is more noticable when mixing. I am pretty blown away at DJAY Pro's iteration. Be interested to see the STEM performance at the midyear mark. 😂
For me: 1. VDJ - 5 separate stems not 4/3, crisp clean sound to blend with another track 2. DJay Pro - clean as well but only 4 stems (no hi-hat control along w the rest) 3. Serato - marginally better than Traktor but still sounds mid 4. Traktor - marginally better than EDJ but more mid than Serato 5. Engine DJ - Super bleedy, super mid 6. Rekordbox - 3 stems…need I say more?
Wow!!! Djay Pro beat VDJ. But I ain’t gonna lie am starting to like Algoriddim Djay. I been using it for a few home practices and i gotta say the software is good. But it feels like sometime it’s AI doing the task.
Hopefully engine will get better at the pre processing as (correct me if I'm wrong) that is the only version you can use on a standalone unit? I pretty much immediately took a liking to stems a few years ago when I first saw them and they have only got better since.
The original stems dropped into Abeltons arrangement view. Meaning each individual instrument in Midi Then the untreated vocal stems. Serum presets, Drum groups, Percussion and Kick in a separate file. Then map it to a Push II
Strange how the most professional brands sound the worst - generally the bigger the brand the worst the performance. Strange how engine which does pre-processing is not the best.
2 mins in. Dude - DON'T EVER do different frame rates on the different angles. This is so annoying to watch, I'm not sure I even wanna continue watching.
I don’t get why people put so much emphasis on stems, you should be using every mix and you should limit the amount of non-originals you play. Overly playing sh** like that just make people think sh** the f*** up, and just let me enjoy 1 song! Idk, you don’t have to agree with me, but I am still the better DJ! Bwhahaha
⚡ TIMESTAMPS ⚡
00:00 Intro
00:32 The demo track
02:00 Test overview
04:10 Rekordbox - instrumental
04:29 Rekordbox - drums
04:46 Rekordbox - acapella
05:05 Serato - instrumental
05:22 Serato - drums & bass
05:39 Serato - drums
05:56 Serato - acapella
06:14 Traktor - instrumental
06:32 Traktor - drums & bass
06:49 Traktor - drums
07:06 Traktor - acapella
07:24 Djay Pro - instrumental
07:41 Djay Pro - drums & bass
07:59 Djay Pro - drums
08:16 Djay Pro - acapella
08:34 VirtualDJ - instrumental
08:51 VirtualDJ - drums & bass
09:09 VirtualDJ - drums
09:26 VirtualDJ - acapella
09:44 Engine DJ - instrumental
10:02 Engine DJ - drums & bass
10:19 Engine DJ - drums
10:36 Engine DJ - acapella
10:54 Which sounds best?
15:31 How to DJ with stems
Read the full guide: www.digitaldjtips.com/best-sounding-stems-2025/
How To Mix With Acapellas (& Stems): djtips.co/stems
Virtual DJ still king of the stems! Should be the number 1!
I think I might agree with you. I think with DJAYs version of stems I'm more so surprised they have improved so much. I thought for sure they would be a bottom 2
VDJ king on top as always 🤞🏽
This was a great comparison!
Personally, I thought the drums by themselves sounded really good on Serato. I only use stems to strip away all but the drums for mixing purposes anyway. So I’ll just keep using Serato.
Thanks for taking the time to make this video! 🤘🏼
Algoriddim kills it. Again. Luv it!
On vdj stems when I want vocals only I add the hi hat stem to the vocal stem and it comes out alot more clear
one of the reasons I've switched to Djay Pro AI is the way STEMS is implemented. using the EQ knobs to fade out/in the STEMS is, for me a game changer in the way I mix and blend tracks together.
Being a turntabalist for over 45 yrs, only person can tell is other djs, most people just want to hear their jams, they dont care about sound or even people that hv crappy speaker systems lol
Thank you Phill didn’t know you were live but I caught the replay mate . 🙏🙌💪🔥🔥🔥
place 1 & 2 is what i enjoy the most too. they do the job best for me. sometimes using UVR5 (free / open source) with different models to absolutely get the finest out of a flac/wav when doing a remix. thanx phil.
I agree. Love djay❤
I listened to this through my DJ set up and I think I have to agree with your ratings. However personally I'd say VDJ has the best vocal separation overall, the other stems are done better by DjayPro , but not by much. The real comparison I'd love to see and I'm sure others will too, is who has the least resource intensive version of stems - it would be great info for those with older computers.
As a current engine os user i think vdj has it so far . Great comparison, review. But also it depends on the track and when it was produced ( time wise)ex. year ect . and who produced the track.
As a user of all (except Traktor) in my experience and use with multiple tracks, and based off your test track. I am right there with you.
1. Algoriddimg Djay
2. Virtual DJ (although in some tracks I believe VDJ and Djay can swap back and fourth)
3. Traktor (although I only heard this comparison on Traktor)
4. Serato (Again I believe that different tracks Serato and tractor could jump back and fourth, I thought I heard more artifacts on Serato)
5. Pioneer (A Major step up from their first release of stems, but still behind..usable)
6. Engine DJ (Great first release, mostly usable, will get better in future, but at a price of having to rescan and re-export, anytime an improvement is made)
To my old ears. In the mix all 6 are usable in live mixing situations. Great demo Phil, thank you.
I came out with pretty much exactly in the same ranks as you, for pretty much the same reasons. I'd be ok using any of those on the instrumental side, but I probably wouldn't use an acapella from Engine or Rekordbox.
And yes, I'm using stems all the time! I actually switched from Serato to DJay, partially for the hardware support, but also because I liked the sound of the stems better. Anyway, I play a weekly online show and a monthly club night, and I've found that even if I'm not trying to do anything "tricksy sounding," stems are a great way to make a transition just sound like the natural progression of a track. For example, maybe after a breakdown, I've swapped out the drums for a loop from the next track, then I de-loop and bring in the vocals after the current track's vocals are done, and at that point all I have to fade over is the instruments, but with everything else already in place it just sounds incredibly smooth and seamless compared to the EQ juggling I would have done in the past.
Though of course, they're also great for those tricksy transitions when the fancy strikes!
Totally agree Love dj pro but love serato. Stems is such a game changer . The innovation is so mind blowing. Well done GOAT! Amazing Live 💪🙌🙏
You are on point Phil. Even if I am pro VDJ I completely agree with you in your assessment.
Virtual dj for me
i started on vinyl many eons ago so this all amazing to me
Stems are soooo useful especially when you want to turn a vocal off and mix out !
I Concur Phil, I agree thats why I use it.
Honestly they all sounded about on par for me.
I've been starting to use stems in my mixes (Rekordbox) and its been a joy now that the quality has been stepped up. Some of the bleeding / isolation of a stem doesn't really come through depending on what else you are mixing the track with.
I’m 100 percent with you only commercial grade stems sound great all these software companies are not there yet some tracks sound good and other horrible
Would be cool to test against DJ Studio, even though its not for live performance, just curious as they are doing some pretty cool things, and be to see their quality level
vdj is and will be next year and beyond> best software for DJs period
Djay pro🎉
Yes, that's exactly the top 6 👍
👍👍👍👍👍
Djay Pro 💯👍
The high hat definitely sounded best so far on vdj
Again I stand corrected. I love djay pro!
I say my list is close to yours Phil, but I would probably swap 5 and 6.
Denon is better than most on their first iteration, but still have some catching up. That being said I still prefer instrument bleed over, as that is less noticable when mixing, while taking away too much vocals is more noticable when mixing.
I am pretty blown away at DJAY Pro's iteration. Be interested to see the STEM performance at the midyear mark. 😂
Serato acapella sounds the worst to me. Which is unfortunate being a Serato user.
Don’t worry your dance floor won’t care I’m more than happy with the Serato Stems
DJay Pro is the best for having stem fader volumes to balance levels when mixing 16 stems.
For me:
1. VDJ - 5 separate stems not 4/3, crisp clean sound to blend with another track
2. DJay Pro - clean as well but only 4 stems (no hi-hat control along w the rest)
3. Serato - marginally better than Traktor but still sounds mid
4. Traktor - marginally better than EDJ but more mid than Serato
5. Engine DJ - Super bleedy, super mid
6. Rekordbox - 3 stems…need I say more?
VDJ sounded way better than all the others should have been No.01
What audio files are they mp3 or wave, aiff?, and stems ...what can i say, options are endless, on the fly mash ups!...love the flexibility
Wow!!! Djay Pro beat VDJ. But I ain’t gonna lie am starting to like Algoriddim Djay. I been using it for a few home practices and i gotta say the software is good. But it feels like sometime it’s AI doing the task.
I agree
thats pretty much how i see stems....VDJ & Algoriddim
virtualdj for me
Not gonna lie the dj pro accapella sounded the best to me no 🧢.
If Akai are using the same thing In there MPC’s Denon is the best.
All workable tho 👌
i said it before the results were read out, 1st and second would be between djay and virtual.
For what's it's worth is the song file a WAV, MP3...? Would this make any difference? Thanks @digitaldjtips 👌🏼
Maybe, but it should be imperceptible compared to the loss due to stem making anyway. Unless you have bad quality mp3s
Hopefully engine will get better at the pre processing as (correct me if I'm wrong) that is the only version you can use on a standalone unit?
I pretty much immediately took a liking to stems a few years ago when I first saw them and they have only got better since.
Off subject but I really want these dj apps to work on steam os
Can u imagine having the steam deck under your decks with a touch screen over your desk
Dj Pro Sounds good but i will go with virtual Dj
what about multiple source on denon? can you cooy files (including STEMS) from SD card to SSD drive and usb? video for that?
VDJ hands down…my opinion only.
NuoStems, a 3rd party stem maker for Traktor (and VDJ at least on Windows, not tested on Mac), sounds better than any of these.
Came here to say exactly this!
No Algoriddim Djay pro AI? Why not? Not trying to be a scoundrel but this one wins for me.
Oops, my mistake!
Rekordbox and Serato user. I thought Traktor sounded the best. Was using some jbl Bluetooth speakers
Honestly none of
my 10:54 dudes
The original stems dropped into Abeltons arrangement view.
Meaning each individual instrument in Midi
Then the untreated vocal stems.
Serum presets, Drum groups, Percussion and Kick in a separate file.
Then map it to a Push II
Strange how the most professional brands sound the worst - generally the bigger the brand the worst the performance. Strange how engine which does pre-processing is not the best.
Que comparação fajuta, os melhores ficaram de fora!!!! Virtual Dj e Algoriddim...
Just make your own music. So much better
Serato is the worst. Traktor quite on point
I have to agree with you , DJ song better.
Rekordbox should automatically be last with less stem options
2 mins in. Dude - DON'T EVER do different frame rates on the different angles. This is so annoying to watch, I'm not sure I even wanna continue watching.
Stems I tried them all sound like shit There not commercial grade stems I’m very picky on sound quality
Rekordbox the worst, Dj pro ai the best imo
LoL .... what silly nonsense.
I don’t get why people put so much emphasis on stems, you should be using every mix and you should limit the amount of non-originals you play. Overly playing sh** like that just make people think sh** the f*** up, and just let me enjoy 1 song! Idk, you don’t have to agree with me, but I am still the better DJ! Bwhahaha
Agree on that statement If you want to do a few mashups and record them add them to your set fine other than that No play the damn song