How to deliver stems for mixing
To streamline the mixing process and ensure your mix sounds as intended, follow these guidelines:
Quick tip
Before sending your stems, drop them into a blank DAW session. This helps you check if everything sounds correct, identify and delete silent or duplicate tracks, and rename confusing files.
Communication
Effective communication is crucial for a successful mix.
Tell the engineer if you know how you want the mix to sound or do/don’t want creative liberties to be taken. Also include:
Desired completion date
Track title
Send clear feedback for mix revisions
Reference tracks (see below)
Reference tracks
Reference tracks are not critical but can be helpful; as long as you explain why you have sent them. For example:
‘I like the snare level here’
‘We love the overall balance of instruments here’
Ensure references are relevant and achievable. Note that it’s not possible to exactly replicate another track due to differences in recording and performance.
How to provide stems
The basics:
Sample rate: Match your session (e.g., 44.1kHz, 48kHz, 96kHz)
Bit depth: 24bit or 32bit
A master mix of the track as it sounded when you exported stems
If you had something on the master buss you want recreated explain it clearly
Don’t dither or normalise stems
Don’t undo panning or any processing unless you actually don’t like it. There are some exceptions to this (see below)
Dry stems and subgroups
If you’re uncertain or want to give flexibility, it’s good to provide both individual stems and also instrumental subgroups (in separate folders).
If you have heavy reverb and delay on a vocal, it’s good to also provide dry vocal stems: it’s better to remove unwanted things before time-based effects. Indicate your FX settings if you want them to be recreated.
And of course, explain any relevant information about the stems and subgroups, eg ‘we like the way the drum subgroup sounds, so use that instead of individual stems’.
Labelling stems
Label each stem clearly to indicate the audio it contains. Avoid including the song or artist name in each stem. Most DAWs automatically label stems with track names when exported.
Tidy up stems
Organize your stems and remove any that are silent or outdated. Only send the stems you want the engineer to use.
If unsure, ask the engineer what they need.
