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File Preparation & Delivery

How to Export Stems in Ableton Live for Mixing (Step-by-Step Video)

Ableton Live can render every track as its own file in one pass, if the settings are right. Here is the exact export routine, with a short video from DGUNZ.

Bounce stems in Ableton Live video guide thumbnail by Mix & Master Engineers

Ableton Live makes it easy to build a song fast. Clips get layered, effects get stacked, and before long the session holds dozens of tracks. When it is time for an online mix, your engineer needs every one of those parts as its own clean audio file, starting at the same point and running the full length of the song.

This guide walks you through that process in Ableton Live, one setting at a time. DGUNZ also recorded a short video that shows the exact clicks, so you can watch it once and then follow along in your own project.

Video: how to export stems in Ableton Live
Video: how to export stems in Ableton Live

▶ Watch the Ableton Live stem export video on YouTube

Before you export

  • Move everything into Arrangement View. Ableton exports from the arrangement timeline, not from clips waiting in Session View. If parts only live in Session View, record them into the arrangement first.
  • Name every track clearly. Ableton uses track names for the file names, so "Lead Vox" beats "Audio 7".
  • Decide what to do with racks and groups. A Group Track exports as its own file and its tracks export too. Know which ones you want so the mix engineer does not get the same drums twice by mistake.
  • Freeze and flatten heavy instruments if needed. If a plug-in struggles or uses random elements, freezing it first keeps the export steady.
  • Check your returns. Reverb and delay on Return Tracks are separate from your tracks. Plan to send them as their own files.

How to export stems in Ableton Live, step by step

1. Switch to Arrangement View and make sure every part of the song is laid out on the timeline. 2. Select the whole song in the arrangement, from bar 1 to the end of the last reverb or delay tail. You can also set the loop brace over that same range. 3. Open File > Export Audio/Video. 4. Set Rendered Track to All Individual Tracks. This writes one file per track. 5. Turn Render as Loop off. Turn Convert to Mono off. Turn Normalize off. 6. Decide on Include Return and Master Effects. For mix stems, leave it off in most cases, and export your returns as separate files instead. 7. Choose WAV as the file type, 24-bit as the bit depth, and keep the sample rate the same as your project. 8. Click Export, pick a new empty folder, and let Ableton render each track. 9. Open the folder and confirm there is one file for each track, all with sensible names.

Prefer to follow along? ▶ Watch the video

Recommended export settings

  • File type: WAV
  • Bit depth: 24-bit
  • Sample rate: Same as your Live project
  • Start point: Bar 1 (the very start of the song)
  • Length / tail: Full song plus enough time for tails to fade out
  • Normalize: Off
  • Master bus processing: Off (no limiter or master effects printed)

Common Ableton Live export mistakes

  • Exporting a short selection. If only a few bars are highlighted, every file comes out a few bars long. Select the full song before opening the export window.
  • Leaving Include Return and Master Effects on. This bakes your master limiter and shared reverbs into every file. Turn it off and send returns on their own.
  • Clips still sitting in Session View. Anything that is not in the arrangement will be missing from the export. Record it to the timeline first.
  • Cutting off the tails. If the selection ends where the last note ends, reverb and delay get chopped. Extend the selection by a bar or two.

Check your stems before you send them

Open a fresh Live set and drag all the files in, each starting at bar 1. Play them back next to your rough mix and listen for anything missing or out of time. Make sure each file name tells the engineer what is inside. When it all checks out, zip the folder and send it.

From the studio: what I see in Ableton sessions

After 15+ years of mixing, I can say Ableton producers send some of the most creative sessions I get. The sound design is often the heart of the record, so I want those parts exactly as you made them. The issue I meet most is printed master processing. A limiter or glue compressor on the master ends up on every stem, and that takes away room I need to shape the mix.

The second issue is missing parts that never left Session View. A quick check of your arrangement before export saves a round of back and forth. This matters a lot on electronic productions, where small synth layers carry the energy, and on house records, where the groove depends on every percussion layer lining up. Send clean files and your ideas stay intact.

Stem export guides for other DAWs

Using a different DAW, or working with a producer who does? Each guide below has its own short video:

Ready for a professional mix?

Send your Ableton stems to our online mixing service and you can start with a free sample mix to hear the difference. Check the packages and pricing, or contact the studio if you have questions about your session.

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About the author: Charles "DGUNZ" Alison is the lead mixing and mastering engineer at Mix & Master Engineers, with 15+ years of experience across hip-hop, Afrobeats, gospel, R&B, pop and more. He trained at Point Blank Music School (UK), is an approved Apple Digital Masters provider, and is a Top Rated, Vetted Pro engineer on Fiverr with 2,200+ client reviews. Meet the engineer · Contact the studio