How to send stems for mixing

Prepare a Pro Tools session or separate audio files so your vocals and beat line up in the mix.

Jordan McDuffie · Las Vegas

Choose what you’re sending

If you recorded in Pro Tools, send a copy of the session with its audio files. The .ptx file alone can open with missing audio. If you used another DAW, export separate WAV tracks. A stereo beat plus vocals is a two-track mix here. If the producer supplies individual drums, bass, keys and other parts, those are trackouts.

Give every file the same starting point

Export the lead, doubles, ad-libs and instrumental from the same spot on the timeline, even if a part comes in late. Keep the silence before its entrance. For example, a double that starts on bar nine should land on bar nine when all the exports are dropped into a new session at once.

Keep the sounds that define the record

Label tracks by what they contain, like Lead_Verse or Hook_Double_L. If a tuned vocal, distortion or delay is part of the performance, include that version and label it clearly. Where you have a clean version too, include it as a separate file and say which version to start with.

Check the folder before sharing

Import the exports together into an empty session and play the transition from the verse to the hook. Listen for missing lines, shifted entrances and effects that cut off early. Add a rough mix and a short note with one or two priorities. “Keep the lead close in the verse and let the hook feel wider” gives the engineer a concrete direction.

If you only need mastering

Send the WAV of the finished mix. For mixing and mastering together, Jordan’s rates start at $100 per song for a stereo beat plus vocals, or $250 for stems and trackouts. Share a private listening link with your inquiry and include your release deadline.