Exporting WAV stems
A reference for the WAV files Axion produces: channel layout, bit depth, naming, and what "stems" means today versus once the multitrack looper ships.
This is a short reference page for the WAV files that come out of Axion. For the workflow of recording, when to hit record, what gets captured, what doesn't, see Recording your performance.
What you get today
A single stereo WAV file per recording session, written when you stop the recorder. The file is sample-accurate, post-cab, full effect chain. One file per take is the current model, there's no per-stem split yet.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Container | RIFF / WAVE |
| Format tag | WAVE_FORMAT_IEEE_FLOAT (3) |
| Bit depth | 32-bit float (no clipping at file boundary) |
| Channels | 2 (stereo, interleaved L/R) |
| Sample rate | Whatever the engine is running at (typically 48 kHz) |
| Header | Canonical 44-byte WAV header |
| Naming | axion-recording-<ISO-timestamp>.wav |
This is the format every modern DAW and the major audio editors read natively: Reaper, Audacity, Pro Tools, Logic, Bitwig, Cubase, Studio One. Drop the file on the DAW's timeline and you're done.
NOTE The "stems" framing on this page is forward-looking. Right now Axion produces one stereo file per take, not a stem set. The looper that adds per-track stems is a planned feature. Read on for what that looks like when it lands.
What's coming, clean-DI alongside wet
The immediate next step is a wet / dry / both mode picker on the recorder. In both mode, each take produces two paired WAV files:
<basename>-WET.wav, the post-cab rig output (current behaviour).<basename>-DI.wav, the dry input signal, captured post-input-gain but pre-pedalboard.
Both files share the same start timestamp to the sample, so they sit on a DAW timeline aligned. The DI file is the raw guitar signal at the level the rig actually processes: useful for re-amping later, for sending to another modeller to compare, or just for re-tracking through a different preset without re-playing the part.
What's coming, per-track loop stems
When the multitrack looper ships, each looper track will be addressable as a stem. The stem-export concept slots in there: stop the loop, hit Export, get one WAV per track, all aligned to the master loop length.
This is the natural shape because looper tracks are already separated audio streams. The recorder just needs to flush each track's AudioBuffer to its own file. No new file format, no new metadata; the same 32-bit-float-stereo-WAV format multiplied by track count.
Until the looper ships, "exporting stems" effectively means "use the wet/dry/both mode and treat the two files as a two-stem export", which covers the most common stem split (dry guitar + processed signal) for free.
Why 32-bit float
A pragmatic note worth recording somewhere. Most DAWs default to 24-bit fixed-point for export. Axion goes 32-bit float for three reasons:
- No clipping at the file boundary. A signal that hits +3 dBFS internally (e.g. a transient through a soft-clipper) survives the file. Truncating to 24-bit would shave the peak.
- Headroom for downstream processing. If you mix or master the file in a DAW, 32-bit float means you can pull faders down without nudging the bottom of the bit depth.
- The cost is invisible. A 32-bit float WAV is 33% larger than a 24-bit file. For takes measured in minutes, the size difference is uninteresting; for the safety it buys, it's free.
If you need 24-bit fixed for delivery, do the conversion in your DAW where the dither is configurable.