This unmixing process is non‑destructive: if you play back both stems together without further processing, they’ll sum to deliver the original mix. The two stems appear in SL One’s right‑hand panel, with mute and solo buttons that allow easy auditioning of the results. Once the processing is complete, it can take a minute depending on the length of the audio clip. Depending on what you’re trying to achieve, either could be useful.

Essentially, positive Sensitivity values put more audio into the vocal stem but may include more fragments of other mix elements too, while negative Sensitivity settings are less likely to place other instruments in the vocal stem but can leave more vocal trace elements in the ‘everything else’ stem. The default ‘zero’ setting has generally provided the best results for me, but I’ve included an audio example (link above) to demonstrate the differences. The unmixing process requires almost no user intervention and is very fast!For our purposes, we require the Layer/Unmix Vocals option and, despite the under‑the‑hood complexity, it couldn’t be simpler to use: the only user‑defined control is the Sensitivity slider setting. Once the Extension is applied, SP One and its various tools appear in Cubase’s Lower Zone. The first screen shows the letter, which allows you to combine SL One processing with further processing and effects in Cubase. SL One can run as a standalone app or as an Audio Extension on a Cubase audio clip within. Alternatively, download the ZIP file of audio examples here:

It can only create two stems (vocals and ‘everything else’), but that’s just what you need if you want to do some post‑mix vocal tweaking! In this workshop, I’ll explain what you can do with it, and you’ll find some accompanying audio examples on the SOS website ( ). SL One may be a cut‑down version of the separately available SpectraLayers Pro 7, but it does boast one of its bigger sibling’s eye‑catching features: stem unmixing. Until recently this was rather like attempting to unbake a cake to access the eggs and flour, but the latest generation of spectral‑editing software makes it more viable and one such app, SpectraLayers One (from here SL One), is bundled with Cubase 11 Pro and Artist. Have you ever wished, when you don’t have access to the original multitracks, that you could have the ability to ‘unmix’ the different elements within a stereo file to gain access to individual parts - particularly the lead vocals? SpectraLayers One allows you to tweak vocals that are ‘baked into’ a stereo mix! SpectraLayers One is a powerful vocal unmixing tool for Cubase 11 Pro and Artist users.

Cubase 11 spectralayers one