Stems Won't Play or Are Silent

A practical checklist for when audio won't start, a stem is silent, or your stems never uploaded — upload, analysis, browser, and output.

Start here

When audio won't play, the cause is almost always one of a few practical things: your stems never finished uploading, analysis hasn't finished, or your browser is sending audio somewhere you can't hear. Work down this list in order — it's roughly most-common first.

1. Confirm your stems actually uploaded

Stem uploads work on every plan, including Free — there's no subscription wall on playback. But if an upload was interrupted, you may have only a reference track and no stems to play.

  • Open the arrangement and check whether individual stems actually exist, or whether you only have a reference track.
  • If a large multitrack upload was interrupted, re-drop the stems and let it finish.
  • Free accounts are capped at 15 songs across the account and 10 GB of storage. If you're near those limits, an upload can be refused — see Plans, Credits, and Billing for what's included on each tier.

2. Make sure analysis finished

When you upload, Pliris™ processes each stem and generates its waveform. Until that's done, playback can be silent or incomplete.

  • Look for processing or analysis still running on the arrangement.
  • Give a large multitrack upload a little time to finish.
  • If a stem shows no waveform, it likely didn't finish processing — try re-uploading that one.

3. Check your browser audio and output

This is the most common silent-playback cause, and it has nothing to do with Pliris.

  • Confirm the tab isn't muted (browsers put a small mute icon on the tab) and system volume is up.
  • Check your system output device — a Bluetooth headset, an interface, or an HDMI display can quietly grab your audio. Send it back to the output you're actually listening on.
  • If you're on a multi-output audio interface, make sure playback is routed to a channel you can hear.
  • Try pressing Space or the play button again — playback may simply be paused.

Pro tip: Reload the tab after changing your output device. Browsers sometimes hold onto the old device until the page refreshes.

4. Rule out a single silent stem

If most of the song plays but one part is missing, it's probably that stem, not playback.

  • Check whether the stem is muted, or whether another stem is soloed (solo drops everything else).
  • Clear any solo and un-mute, then play again.
  • If it's still silent with a flat or missing waveform, re-upload that stem.

5. WebMIDI and permissions (only if you use cues)

If your audio plays fine but your MIDI cues aren't firing, that's a separate issue from silent stems. Use a WebMIDI-capable browser (Chrome or Edge), plug your device in before loading the page, and allow the browser's MIDI permission prompt. Full detail lives in Programming MIDI Cues for External Gear.

6. Re-upload as a last resort

If a specific stem is corrupt or never finished, the cleanest fix is to delete and re-upload it. Use raw individual stems and let Pliris handle grouping — see Uploading and Analyzing Your Stems.

Frequently asked questions

Why won't my stems play in Pliris?

The cause is almost always one of a few practical things: the stems never finished uploading, Pliris hasn't finished processing them and generating waveforms, or your browser is sending audio to an output you can't hear (a Bluetooth headset, interface, or HDMI display). Work through the checklist above in order — it's roughly most-common first.

Why is one stem silent while the rest of the song plays?

That's usually the stem itself, not playback: check whether the stem is muted or another stem is soloed, since solo drops everything else. If it's still silent with a flat or missing waveform, that stem likely never finished processing — delete and re-upload it.

Do I need a paid plan to upload and play stems?

No — stem uploads and playback work on every Pliris plan, including Free. Free accounts are capped at 15 songs and 10 GB of storage though, and an upload can be refused near those limits — see Plans, Credits, and Billing.

Why is there no sound even though playback is running?

The most common cause has nothing to do with Pliris: the browser tab is muted, system volume is down, or your audio is routed to a device you're not listening on. Fix your output device, then reload the tab — browsers sometimes hold onto the old device until the page refreshes.

My audio plays fine but my MIDI cues aren't firing — what's wrong?

That's a separate issue from silent stems: use a WebMIDI-capable browser (Chrome or Edge), plug your device in before loading the page, and allow the browser's MIDI permission prompt. Full detail is in Programming MIDI Cues for External Gear.

Still stuck?

If you've checked your plan, confirmed analysis finished, and ruled out browser output and muted stems, we want to see it. Click the support bubble in the bottom-right corner of any page, or email support@fromstudiotostage.com. Tell us the band, song, and arrangement, and what you hear (or don't) — that gets us to the cause fastest.