The latest update to zplane's DAW-native stem separator cuts latency nearly in half and improves separation quality, with no subscription required.
zplane has released PEEL STEMS 2, a major update to its real-time stem separation plugin. The headline change is a 49% reduction in processing latency – down from 483ms to 245ms at 44.1kHz – alongside improved separation quality that produces cleaner results with fewer artifacts across stems.
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Where a lot of stem separation tools push your audio to external servers for processing, PEEL STEMS 2 runs entirely within your DAW as an AU, VST3 or AAX plugin. Files stay on your machine, an important detail when you’re working with unreleased material or client sessions. Separation happens in real time with no need to bounce files or wait on a cloud process.
The isolation slider now has a broader range of effect, giving finer control over how aggressively each stem is separated. PEEL STEM’s built-in Focus EQ’s Focus Frame now shows upper and lower cutoff frequencies, making it easier to home in on specific frequency ranges and stereo positions within a stem – useful when you’re trying to isolate something sharing space with another element. Visually, the interface has been redesigned with new stem colours and clearer feedback.
“With significantly reduced latency and improved audio quality, PEEL STEMS 2 represents a major step forward in stem separation technology,” said zplane Co-Founder and CTO Tim Flohrer.
Intel Mac users are supported, with processing latency sitting at 385ms on those systems rather than the 245ms available on Apple Silicon and Windows.
PEEL STEMS 2 is a one-time purchase with no subscription or login required, bucking the trend in a market that has largely moved toward recurring pricing. Existing PEEL STEMS users can upgrade at a reduced rate. The plugin is available here.
