Preparing Your Multitracks for Mixing
Getting your files ready for mixing is mostly about avoiding preventable problems. This checklist covers best practice for exporting multitracks so everything imports cleanly and stays perfectly aligned.
Introduction:
There are some industry standards when it comes to preparing your tracks for mixing, however, as with all things in creative industries there are often exceptions! The below guide covers best practice for exporting your multitracks so they are ready for mixing.
For finished stereo mixes being sent for mastering, see the guide on preparing your mix for mastering.
If you have any questions at all, please do get in touch.
Clip Editing:
Ensure all production and vocal takes have been consolidated into a final comp track; make sure all edit sections within these tracks are properly crossfaded.
Mute any unwanted audio such as guitar amp hum or coughs between a singerβs lines, this ensures the mix engineer doesnβt accidentally keep in something you did not want in the mix.
Finalise all timing edits before export unless you have chosen to have these done during mixing.
Effects Processing:
Finalize all pitch correction before export unless you have chosen to have this done during mixing.
Remove all processing on tracks that is not essential to the character of the sound. For example, only keep an EQ on an instrument if it is producing a deliberate effect such as making it sound like itβs being played on an old radio. If, on the other hand, you have heavy compression on a snare drum simply to make it louder in the rough mix, then you would take this off before bouncing down multitracks for mixing. If you are in any doubt export two versions of the track, one labelled βWetβ which includes the effect, and one labelled βDryβ which does not.
It is crucial to make sure that no tracks are clipping before exporting. To ensure no irreversible distortion occurs leave plenty of headroom by checking that no tracks peak higher than -6dB at most.
Disable all master bus effects.
Export Settings
Ensure all tracks are the same length, encompassing the entire song from start to finish. Even if a track consists solely of a triangle hit at the very end, make sure the file length is that of the entire song.
Ensure all multitracks or stems are bounced down as WAV or AIFF files. A minimum sample rate of 44.1 kHz and a minimum bit depth of 24 bit is highly recommended and make sure the sample rate and bit depth is the same for all tracks. Do not bounce down tracks as MP3 files unless absolutely unavoidable!
If your DAW has a normalise option when exporting, please turn this off.
Please label all tracks clearly, for example β08 Electric Gtr DIβ and β12 Synth Pad Layer 1β.
References
Please include a rough mix which will serve as a guide during mixing and indicate the sound and feel you are going for. For example, while you may have removed processing such as a hall reverb on the drums for your bounce down, including it in your rough mix will let the engineer know that you are leaning towards a hall reverb drum sound.
Finally, do include a text file or PDF that includes track information such as artist name, track title, and BPM, as well as any general notes about the multitracks and the direction which you want the mix to take. Feel free to also include links (YouTube is fine) to professionally released tracks that have a similar sound to what you are looking for in the mix. Providing Mick with these reference tracks will help him to further understand the sound you are looking for and deliver results that exceed your expectations!
Need mastering instead? Read: Preparing Your Mix for Mastering