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File Preparation & Delivery

How to Export Stems in Bitwig Studio for Your Mix (Step-by-Step Video)

Turn your Bitwig Studio project into clean, matching stems your mixing engineer can drop straight into a session. Settings, common mistakes and a short video walkthrough.

Bounce stems in Bitwig Studio video guide thumbnail by Mix & Master Engineers

Bitwig Studio makes it easy to build big, moving sounds with modulators, layered devices and nested groups. That freedom is great while you write, but it can make exporting tricky. If your stems come out with gaps, missing effect tracks or mismatched lengths, your mixing engineer loses time fixing files before the real mix can begin.

Good stems are simple: one clear file per part, all the same length, all starting at the same point. This guide shows you how to get there in Bitwig, and DGUNZ's short video walks through the exact export on screen.

Video: how to export stems in Bitwig Studio
Video: how to export stems in Bitwig Studio

▶ Watch the Bitwig Studio stem export video on YouTube

Before you export

  • Move everything to the Arranger. Clips still sitting in the Clip Launcher will not play unless they are on the timeline, so record or drag your final performance into the arrangement first.
  • Freeze random modulation where it matters. If a modulator gives a different result on every play, bounce that track to audio so the export matches what you approved.
  • Open your group tracks and check them. Decide whether you want each track inside a group, or the group as one file. Most engineers prefer the individual tracks.
  • Name every track and effect track clearly, for example "Pad Wide", "Kick", "Vox Delay FX".
  • Pull back any limiter or clipper on the Master track. That belongs in the mix and master stage, not on your stems.

How to export stems in Bitwig Studio, step by step

1. Save your project, then save a copy for exporting. 2. In the Arranger, set the arrangement loop (or select the time range) so it starts at the very beginning of the song and ends a few seconds after the last sound. 3. Go to File > Export Audio. 4. In the export window, tick each individual track you want as its own file. 5. Tick any effect tracks you need too, such as reverb or delay returns, so they come out as separate files. 6. Set the file format to WAV and the bit depth to 24-bit. 7. Keep the sample rate the same as your project. 8. Confirm the time range covers the whole song, including the tail at the end. 9. Choose a fresh, clearly named folder for the files. 10. Click export and let Bitwig render every file.

Prefer to follow along? ▶ Watch the video

Recommended export settings

  • File type: WAV
  • Bit depth: 24-bit
  • Sample rate: Same as the project
  • Start point: The start of the song, identical for every file
  • Length / tail: Whole arrangement plus a few seconds for tails
  • Normalize: Off
  • Master bus processing: Off (no limiter or clipper on the Master track)

Common Bitwig Studio export mistakes

  • Exporting from the Clip Launcher by mistake. If parts only live in launcher slots, they can be silent or missing in the export. Commit them to the Arranger first.
  • Only exporting groups. A single "Drums" file is hard to mix if the kick is too loud. Export the tracks inside the group as well.
  • Forgetting effect tracks. If your vocal space lives on an effect track, the dry vocal sounds empty on its own. Tick the effect tracks in the export window.
  • A short time range. If the loop ends on the last bar line, delay throws and reverbs are cut off. Stretch the range past the end.

Check your stems before you send them

Start a new, empty project and drag every file in at the very start of the timeline. Play it back and compare it to your rough mix. If something sounds missing or out of time, re-export that track. Check that each file is named after its part, then zip the folder.

From the studio: sound design needs a stable print

In 15+ years of mixing, I have learned that Bitwig users are often the most adventurous sound designers who send me sessions. The most common problem is not the sound, it is consistency. A modulated bass or a random arp can export differently from the version on the rough mix, and then the parts do not match. On electronic records, those small changes can shift the whole groove. I also see a lot of nested groups where only the top level was exported, so I get one big "Synths" file I cannot balance. For techno and club tracks, I want the kick, the bass and each main synth on their own. Bounce the moving parts to audio, export each track, and send me the rough mix so I can hear what you heard.

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 Bitwig stems to our online mixing service and request a free sample mix to hear what we can do with your track. See the packages and pricing or contact the studio if you have questions before you upload.

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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