How to Send Files for Mixing: A Complete Guide for Working with Mix Engineers
By: Krazyfingaz
When it’s time to take your track from rough to radio ready, hiring a mix engineer is one of the best investments you can make. But before they can work their magic, you’ve got one job:
Send files that don’t make their life or your mix a nightmare.
As engineers, we’ve seen it all: tracks labeled “Audio_05,” stems that don’t line up, and folders so unorganized they might as well be cursed. The truth is, no matter how dope your song is, a sloppy file delivery can kill your momentum.
This guide breaks down exactly how to prep your files for mixing—so you get the clean, powerful sound your music deserves.
1. Start by Cleaning Up Your Session
Before you bounce anything, spend 10–15 minutes getting your session tight:
• Delete unused takes and muted tracks
• Remove noise and click tracks
• Trim dead space, fix pops or glitches
• Group tracks by instrument (Drums, Bass, Vocals, etc.)
Pro tip: If your session looks messy to you, it’ll look worse to your engineer. Keep it clean it saves everyone time.
2. Export Everything From the Same Start Point
This one’s non negotiable:
All your stems should start from the same place. Even if a sound comes in at the last chorus, it still needs to line up with bar 1 or 0:00.
Why it matters:
• Your engineer doesn’t have to realign dozens of clips
• It keeps the entire session in sync
• It prevents weird timing errors that can ruin a mix
If your track has tempo changes, include a tempo map or MIDI file to help.
3. Export in High Quality Formats Only
Don’t shoot yourself in the foot by sending MP3s or low-res stems. Here’s what you should export:
• WAV or AIFF
• 24-bit or 32-bit float
• Same sample rate as your session (typically 44.1kHz or 48kHz)
MP3s are compressed and cut corners on audio quality use them for demos, not mixing.
4. Bypass Master Bus Effects (Unless Told Otherwise)
It’s common to have limiters, EQs, or stereo wideners on your master bus when you’re producing. That’s cool for your own listening—but don’t print those effects into your mix stems.
Unless your engineer specifically asks for it:
• Turn off master bus processing before exporting
• Send a rough mix with the effects as a reference
This gives your engineer the full dynamic range and flexibility to make your mix hit exactly right.
5. Label Your Stems Like a Pro
Please, for the love of good mixes, don’t send files named “Track 12” or “Untitled Vox 3 (Final).”
Use clear, consistent names that tell your engineer what’s what:
• Kick
• Snare Top
• 808 Sub
• Lead Vocal
• BGV Left / Right
• Guitar Chorus Wide
• SFX Impact Drop
Avoid using special characters like “/” or “?” in filenames they can break transfers or DAW imports.
6. Dry First, Effects Second
Unless the effect is crucial to the vibe, your engineer needs clean stems:
• Send dry vocals and instruments (no reverb, delay, etc.)
• Export important effects as separate tracks (ex: “Lead Vocal Delay Throw” or “Reverb FX Guitar”)
This lets your engineer adjust levels, tweak timing, or recreate the vibe without being boxed in.
7. Include Your Rough Mix (Yes, Even If You Hate It)
Your rough mix tells us what you were aiming for vibe, levels, energy. Even if you think it sucks, include it.
Also helpful:
• A few bullet points with notes (“Keep the vocal dry and upfront,” “Snare needs more snap,” etc.)
• 1–2 reference tracks that show what direction sonically you’re going after or explain it as best as you can.
The more info you give, the better the results.
8. Create a Folder That Makes Sense
Your final folder should include:
• All stems, clearly labeled
• Rough mix
• Track notes
• Tempo map or MIDI, if needed
Name your folder something like:
“Song_Title - 72BPM - Key of A Minor”
And inside, group tracks into folders if necessary (Drums, Vocals, FX)—but don’t bury them in 6 layers of subfolders.
9. Zip It and Upload It Right
Once everything’s in place:
• Compress the folder into a ZIP file
• Upload it to a solid cloud platform like:
• WeTransfer
• Dropbox
• Google Drive
• Filepass (for studios)
Avoid emailing individual files keep it tight and professional with one link, one package.
10. Send It With a Professional Message
Once you send the link, shoot your engineer a short message:
• Song name
• Number of files
• Any time sensitive notes or deadlines
Also confirm they received and could open everything without issues. Doing this upfront prevents delays later.
A Few Bonus Gems***
• Know what’s included in your mixing package (revisions, turnaround time, delivery format)
• Stay open to feedback your engineer may catch something you missed
• Be clear but respectful with your revision notes (“Can the snare hit a bit harder?” > “I don’t know… it just sounds off”)
• Trust the process. You hired a pro let em cook…
And for the producers, its best to send the stems and a reference of the beat vs a 2 track that has no dynamics or is maxed out in headroom because at the end of the day WE (Engineers) are only working with what is sent to us… There is no amount of “fixing” a shitty (mixed) two track beat that has a ton of effects but if thats the sound you’re aiming for, you’ll be accomodated.
Final Thoughts:
Professional Sound Starts With Professional Prep Work
Working with a mix engineer isn’t just about handing off files, it’s a creative collaboration. When you show up prepared, it sets the tone for a smooth process and a strong final product.
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