Ohm
What Stembox Actually Is
Stembox is French DJ software that turns any MIDI controller into a standalone setup. Load a rekordbox USB library, connect your controller, and you can play a full set without touching a laptop. On the performance side you get four-deck playback, three-band EQ per channel, sync, quantise, and master tempo control; eight pad modes covering hot cues, beat jumps, auto loops, and a 16-slot sampler; seven tempo-synced effects plus stem separation per deck. Enough to run a proper booth.
Three product tiers exist, and the distinction matters before you buy. At €129, the Software tier is a one-time purchase and runs on Windows, macOS, or a Raspberry Pi. The Display (€229) pairs a 15.6-inch touchscreen with the software, but a computer still does the actual processing underneath. The Pro+ (€389) goes further: the processing board is built in, so no separate computer is required. Not yet. As of October 2026, it is listed as coming soon.
So "laptop-free" covers two different realities. The Software tier on a Raspberry Pi tucked under the booth is one version of it. The Pro+, when it ships, is the complete version. The Display is a screen, not a standalone unit.
Library prep uses AlphaTheta OneLibrary format, which is the same USB export CDJ-3000s and XDJ-AZ units read. If you already prepare rekordbox drives for Pioneer gear, those same drives work with Stembox. Engine DJ and Serato libraries are not compatible.
Controllers from any manufacturer connect over MIDI, and the website has a browser-based compatibility checker. That tool is your first stop before committing, especially if you're running something older or off-brand.
The Recording Question Nobody Answers
Mix recording is in there, listed on the features page. What the features page does not include: the output format, the bit depth, or the sample rate. Not on the product page, not in the help centre, not in any review or hands-on coverage published to date.
This gap is the thing nobody writing about Stembox has addressed, and it matters. A 16-bit compressed file and a 24-bit WAV are both recordings. Only one is archival quality. If you're recording a set to upload to Mixcloud or keep in your library, you need to know which one you're getting.
Nobody has published it. Digital DJ Tips covered Stembox in September 2026 and didn't raise the format question. No other outlet has either. Stembox's help centre covers audio dropouts and ASIO driver configuration, but no recording output spec exists there.
You can find out yourself by running the Stembox trial and checking the output file in a DAW: format, bit depth, and sample rate are all visible in any audio editor. Stembox lists a 24 to 48 hour response time on WhatsApp or email; that's the other route. Until someone publishes that answer, this specific question remains open.
That uncertainty is reason enough to take the capture out of Stembox's hands.
Capture From the Mixer Instead
The cleanest solution for any laptop-free setup is to route the mixer's master output to an external audio interface connected to your iPhone, running Ohm. This path bypasses Stembox's internal recording.
Post-fader stereo from the mixer carries everything: your fader moves, channel EQ, and any mixer effects. Ohm records it at up to 24-bit, produces a timestamped WAV file, and marks every track automatically as your set progresses. Whatever Stembox is doing internally becomes irrelevant.
The signal path is the same one covered in the Deckshark Mako setup guide. Stembox replaces Deckshark in the chain; the iPhone capture side is identical. Source changes; method doesn't.
Setting Up the Chain
Here's the complete hardware chain for a Stembox gig with Ohm recording:
- Prepare your rekordbox USB drive using rekordbox's OneLibrary export and plug it into the Stembox host (computer, Raspberry Pi, or Pro+)
- Connect your MIDI controller to the Stembox host via USB
- Run audio from your controller to your DJ mixer (most DDJ-series controllers have built-in audio outputs; if yours does not, you need a separate audio interface for Stembox's playback output)
- Take the mixer's master output (the stereo line-level signal, not the booth output) to a USB audio interface
- Connect that interface to your iPhone via USB-C or Lightning adapter
- Before the first track plays, open Ohm and confirm the input meter is reading
For the recording interface, you want something with stereo line inputs that the iPhone recognises without a driver. The Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 and SSL 2 are both confirmed iOS-compatible. A full breakdown of options is in the USB audio interfaces guide for 2026.
Do a level check before doors open. The meters in Ohm should read consistently loud without clipping. Digital noise or silence almost always means a connection issue at the interface, not a configuration problem in Ohm.
What You End Up With
Stop the recording in Ohm. You have a 24-bit WAV with timestamped cue markers at every track. Export to Files, upload to SoundCloud, or drop it into a DAW for mastering. The quality is determined by your audio interface and the mixer's output, not by whatever Stembox decided to record internally.
The laptop-free setup holds up on the performance side. Stembox delivers that. The recording quality question was always yours to answer separately.
What This Setup Doesn't Cover
A few hard limits worth naming before you commit:
- Stembox has no mic or aux input, no booth output, no timecode vinyl support, and no broadcast function. If you need any of those features, the platform is not the right fit at this point in its development.
- The Pro+ (the only self-contained version) isn't shipping yet as of October 2026. A zero-laptop setup right now means Stembox Software on a Raspberry Pi under the booth, which takes some prep work before each gig.
- Engine DJ and Serato libraries won't work. Rekordbox USB export is the only format Stembox reads.
For DJs who already prepare rekordbox drives and want a compact, no-laptop setup, none of these are blockers. For everyone else, at least one of them probably is.
