Versions & Stems

When you’re iterating on a track, you’ll often have multiple bounces and isolated stems to review. Maybe you want to A/B test a mix before and after mastering, or hear how the vocals sit with just the drums and bass. Producer Dashboard’s Versions & Stems panel makes it easy to browse, preview, and load any audio file from your track’s folders without leaving the app.

Understanding Versions and Stems

Before diving in, let’s clarify what these terms mean within Producer Dashboard.

Versions refer to different bounces of the same track. These might be “Mix v1,” “Mix v2,” “Radio Edit,” or “Instrumental.” Each version lives in your bounce folder and represents a distinct iteration you want to be able to access quickly.

Stems are isolated instrument or vocal groups bounced as separate files. Common stems include drums, bass, vocals, guitars, synths, and FX. Stems let you hear individual elements on their own or combine specific ones together.

The Versions & Stems panel shows both types organized by folder structure, so you always know what you’re working with.

Accessing the Versions & Stems Panel

The Versions & Stems panel lives within the Audio Player. You’ll see a section header with “Versions & Stems” when your track has bounce or stems folders available.

Click the panel header to expand or collapse it. When collapsed, you see just the currently loaded file. When expanded, you see the full file browser with all available versions and stems.

The panel automatically detects which folders contain your audio files, so you don’t need to configure anything. If your track has both bounces and stems, you’ll see them listed under their respective folder names.

Browsing and Loading Files

When you expand the panel, a tree view shows your folder structure. You’ll see folders like “/Audio Bounces,” “/Stems,” or custom folders you’ve created.

Each file displays its name and a small format badge (WAV, MP3, FLAC, etc.). Click the small arrow next to a folder to expand it and see its contents.

To load a file into the player, simply click its name. The audio player immediately switches to that file and begins playback if it was already playing. The active file shows a highlight indicator so you always know what’s currently loaded.

To preview a file without switching, right-click it and choose “Preview” from the menu. This loads the file into a temporary buffer so you can listen before committing to it.

Comparing Versions

When reviewing multiple versions of a mix, the panel makes switching between them painless. Click any version to load it instantly — there’s no loading delay since the app keeps files indexed.

The waveform display updates to show the newly selected file. If you’ve used the Analyze feature, BPM and key detection data updates too. Different version lengths are handled gracefully; the timeline adjusts automatically.

You can bookmark versions you want to reference often. Look for the small star icon next to each file name. Click it to add a version to your bookmarks for quick access later.

Working with Stems

Stem files appear in their own section, usually under “/Stems” or a subfolder named after the instrument group.

When you click a stem, it loads into the player just like a full mix. This lets you hear that instrument in isolation — helpful for checking if a vocal sits right or if the kick drum has enough punch.

To hear multiple stems together, check the boxes next to the stems you want. The player mixes them in real time so you can audition custom combinations. For example, you might want to hear drums plus bass plus vocals without the synths to check how those elements interact.

To return to the full mix, click the main bounce file at the top of the panel or uncheck all stem boxes.

Opening Files in Your DAW

On the desktop app, you can open any file directly in your DAW by clicking the external link icon next to the file name. This saves you from navigating to the file location manually.

The file opens using your system’s default application for that format. Make sure your DAW is set as the handler for WAV, MP3, FLAC, and other formats you work with.

Managing Files

The panel supports basic file operations through a context menu (right-click to access):

Rename — change a file’s name directly from the panel
Move — relocate a file to a different folder in your track group
Delete — remove a file (this moves it to your Dropbox trash)

These operations sync immediately to Dropbox, so collaborators see the changes too.

When you delete a file that’s currently loaded, the player clears that track. If you rename a loaded file, the panel updates to show the new name. Moving files preserves them while updating their Dropbox location.

Keeping Files in Sync

If you see an “out of sync” indicator on a file, it means the local version differs from Dropbox. This can happen when files are modified on another device or by a collaborator.

Click the indicator to see options — you can archive the file (remove it from the panel) or update it to match the Dropbox version. Keeping files synced ensures you’re always working with the latest iteration.

Tips

Use the search bar at the top of the panel to find files quickly instead of navigating folders manually.
Bookmark important versions with the star icon for fast access when you need to compare them later.
Preview before switching by right-clicking files to audition them without disrupting current playback.
Organize stems into folders by instrument type in Dropbox — the panel respects your folder structure.
Check the format badge before opening in your DAW to confirm compatibility with your project sample rate and bit depth.
Select multiple stems to create custom mix previews without the full track playing.