How to prepare stems and demos for a mixing engineer

What stems are

Stems are the individual audio tracks of your song, exported as separate files: the kick, the snare, the bass, each guitar, each vocal and so on. The mixing engineer loads them into a project and balances them. If you send only a finished stereo file, the engineer cannot change the balance, which is the main thing mixing does.

A demo or rough mix is your own quick mix of the song. It tells the engineer what you are going for, and it is the target they try to improve on.

Before you export

1. Finish recording. Pick the best takes. Mixing is not the time to find a missing part.
2. Edit. Tidy timing, remove noises between phrases, add short fades at the start and end of clips to avoid clicks.
3. Tune if needed. Fix vocal or instrument tuning now, as a mixer may not do it unless you ask.
4. Remove clipping. If a track distorts in a bad way, re-record or lower the gain at the source.
5. Save a backup of your project before you export.

Export settings

Levels and effects

• Leave headroom. Peaks should stay well below the maximum, and no track should clip. Many engineers ask for peaks at around -6 dBFS or lower.
• Master bus. Remove any limiter, compressor or loudness maximizer from the master bus before exporting stems. Those belong in mastering.
• Effects that define the sound, such as a guitar amp simulator or a heavy creative effect, can stay on. If an effect is only there to make the track sit better, such as reverb on a vocal, send the dry track and a note, or send both versions.
• Automation that is part of the performance (volume rides, muted sections) can stay. If you are unsure, ask.

Name and organize your files

Use clear names with a number so they sort in order, such as:

• 01_Kick.wav, 02_Snare.wav, 03_Overheads.wav
• 10_Bass_DI.wav, 11_Guitar_L.wav, 12_Guitar_R.wav
• 20_LeadVox.wav, 21_Vox_Harm1.wav, 22_Vox_Ads.wav

Put one song in one folder, and put the stems in a subfolder. Zip the folder and share it with a link from a cloud service rather than an email attachment.

Send a rough mix and a reference

• Rough mix. Export your own mix as a WAV or a high-quality MP3. Name it clearly, for example Song_RoughMix.wav.
• Reference songs. Send one or two finished songs that sound the way you want yours to sound, and say what you like about each: the low end, the vocal, the space.

Write a short note

Include a plain text file or message with:

• The tempo and key, and any tempo changes.
• What you like and dislike about your rough mix.
• The most important element, usually the vocal, and anything that must not change.
• Parts that are meant to be messy or distorted, so they are not fixed by mistake.
• Your deadline and how many revisions you expect.

A final checklist

• All files are WAV, same sample rate, same length, starting at 0:00.
• No track clips, and no processing on the master bus.
• Files are named and numbered.
• The rough mix, references and note are included.
• You tested the zip file by opening it once yourself.

When you are ready, find a mixing or mastering engineer and attach this folder to your conversation.

More guides

• How to collaborate with a music producer remotely
• Where to find singers for your original songs
• How to find musicians for a band or recording project
• All artist resources

This is general information for musicians, not legal or financial advice. For a contract that matters, ask a music lawyer.