How To Prepare a Song For Mixing

Tips, Techniques and Tutorials
How To Prep a Song For The Mixing Engineer

Assuming that the Mix Engineer on your project is different that the original Tracking Engineer, here are some tips that will help you get the most out of the experience, and give your mixing engineer all of the ammo he needs to get the job done right.

1. Provide adequate notes on song tempos.
2. Provide accurate labeling of tracks. (eg. BASS AMP, BASS DI, VOCAL 1, etc)
3. On occasion, I like to have memory locations already provided in the session. This is not mandatory by any means but it helps me understand what the artist or producer is thinking.
4. Print all essential “Creative FX”. If you’ve dialed in a great delay or vocal distortion effect that you absolutely love, by all means the mix engineer needs to have it. The best thing to do is print these effects on separate tracks, that way the mixer can decide if he should re-create it with some of his tools, if he should just EQ and use what you’ve done already, or use a combination of the two. Always provide notes, and make sure you provide both the un-effected signal with the effected one!
5. If the session was recorded into Pro Tools, make sure all of the audio files and fades are accounted for on the copy you provide your mixer. I find the best way to organize the files is (in Pro Tools only) to click “File”, “Save Copy In” and save it into a new folder. Make sure the box next to “All Audio Files” is checked as well.
6. DO NOT SEND THE ORIGINAL COPY. Always keep a working duplicate copy for safe keeping. God forbid something happened to your masters in transit, etc. This may seem like a no-brainer, but I’ve seen it happen multiple times.
7. If using multiple playlists, weed it down to what you want used and just send that.
8. Don’t expect the mixer to do any editing. it should be done in advance unless it’s been discussed prior.
9. Include a rough mix if possible. Include mixes done by others if you have them.
10. Include notes, notes and more notes. I also love it when an artist tells me about comparable songs and mixes from other artists/mixers/producers that they really like. It helps improve my ability to gauge what they’re going for.

-Christian

Ask A Question

Working on a record? Questions about this post? Looking for some help? Ask us, tell us, connect with us: