Export separate audio tracks (stems) for each instrument or component
- For audio mixing, it’s important to send all individual tracks or stems rather than a project file or full mixdown
- For example: Guitar (Left), Guitar (Right), Bass, Drums, Vocals, etc
- It’s also important to export each individual stem as high quality (44.1kHz preferred) lossless filetypes such as .WAV
Make Sure each track is the correct length
- It’s important to export your stems from the very beginning of your project to ensure that all tracks line up correctly and fall in the correct BPM
Remove unwanted noise, pops, etc
- Make sure to remove any unwanted noise or microphone pops in your tracks to avoid sound artefacts being enhanced during the mixing process
Remove unnecessary effects plugins and panning
- Only leave in effects such as delay or reverb that are crucial to the overall sound of the track or instrument
- Typically the guitar effects such as distortion, overdrive and delay would be recorded from the amp and should remain included
- Reverb, delay, chorus will be added to vocals during the mix (where applicable)
- Removing unnecessary panning allows a balanced stereo sound to be crafted
Label your tracks
- The mixing process is a lot easier when tracks are labeled correctly and helps to identify panning or effect that are needed
- for example: ‘Guitar Rhythm (L)’, ‘Drums – Kick’, ‘Drone Synth (Ambient)’
Export a reference mixdown
- To get an overall feel for the completed mix, please provide a full reference track along with your stems
- This should be a full mixdown of your project including any effects and panning that you have drafted
Send as much detail as possible
- Along with a reference track, feel free to send over any additional information via email that will help align to your vision
- Things that can help to create a solid sound include: BPM of song, genre, music inspirations, where the track will be played, previous examples of music, etc
- Highlight areas that you like / dislike about the reference mix
