While you get some control over the process, Unmix Stems makes a complex task very straightforward for the user.The ability to isolate, remove or adjust the relative level of elements within a mix - and in particular the vocals - is a highly sought‑after feature. This is undoubtedly the headline addition of this release and likely to bring SLP7 to the attention of a whole new audience. With a couple of clicks of the mouse, SLP7 will attempt to unmix your stereo mix, dividing it into up to five new layers that you can then rebalance, edit, process or export as you see fit. There is no clearer example of this new AI‑powered automated processing than the new Unmix Stems function. If you need a refresher on SpectraLayer’s established feature set, then feel free to dip into the SOS archives. Since there is plenty of new ground to cover, I’ll focus on that here. AI‑based processes now sit alongside the well‑established manual editing tools. The vast majority of the new developments are underpinned by one very significant introduction into SLP7’s code: artificial intelligence. However, with this release, Steinberg are attempting to transform spectral editing into a tool everyone could utilise.

The headline new features all point to v7 being something of a major breakthrough in terms of ease‑of‑use.Īs described in previous SOS reviews of SLP, for those that need to dig in, all those powerful manual editing options remain in SLP7 and have been further improved, in many cases. SOS reviewed SpectraLayers Pro 6 in the December 2019 issue but Steinberg are now back with SpectraLayers Pro 7 (SLP7).

SpectaLayers has been a big part of this, from its inception under Sony in 2012, a transition to MAGIX and, eventually, into the well‑respected hands of Steinberg, who acquired the product in 2019. Over recent years, spectral editing has proven itself as a powerful, albeit somewhat specialised, tool for tasks such as audio restoration, creative sound design, vocal/instrument isolation and forensic audio analysis.

Steinberg’s clever use of AI has made spectral editing and unmixing more accessible than ever.

Spectralayers