Session Delivery Guidelines
A quick note here, on how to best deliver your work, so I can do my thing most effectively. Also, when in doubt, please email with any questions. Always easier to talk these things through ahead of time.
Music Mixing (Pro Tools Session File)
Name all tracks clearly, and remove or deactivate all unused tracks.
Render all virtual instrument tracks to audio. Leave MIDI instrument tracks in the session, hidden + deactivated.
Make all needed edits, ensure all edit points are clean + crossfaded. Leave edited playlists intact, rather than consolidating.
Do all needed pitch correction. Render all pitch correction to audio on a new playlist, keep the un-corrected version on the immediately preceding playlist.
Leave all plugins and automation active.
With any unusual plugins (i.e. not just EQ + compression, but strange vocoders, etc), please render to audio, and keep a non-rendered version on a duplicated, deactivated track with plugins still active (e.g. "Vocal Synth WET" and "Vocal Synth DRY").
If you're uncertain about using a track, and want that decision made in mixing, please include "???" in the track name.
Include a rough mix from the most recent session, that exactly matches the most recent session file, and represents the intended vibe of the song.
Music Mixing (stems from other DAWs)
Export at the source bit depth + sample rate of your session file. no conversions.
Name all tracks clearly. Ensure all files start at the same point in time. Please mention the song’s tempo.
Make all needed edits, ensure all edit points are clean + crossfaded.
Do all needed pitch correction. render all pitch correction to audio, and send over an un-corrected alternate stem (e.g. "Lead Vocal TUNED" and "Lead Vocal NO TUNE").
Print stems with all plugins that were part of the production process. For any stems with plugins you’re unsure about, send alternate dry versions (e.g. “Kick Drum WET” and “Kick Drum DRY”).
If you're uncertain about using a track, and want the decision made in mixing, please include "???" in the track name.
Include a rough mix from the most recent session, that matches the stems exactly, and represents the intended vibe of the song.
Music Mastering
Make sure you really like the mix, and that the mix is really finished.
Send over the .wav of the approved mix, with *all* stereo bus processing still active, except for any final limiter that’s only there for loudness. Keep any EQ, compression,
Send at the source sample rate/bit depth of your mix session. No conversions/truncations.
If you’ve been listening to a loud limited version, please send that over too, for reference.
Film Mixing
Send audio in OMF session. Remove video from all OMFs.
Send audio as .wav files at the source bit depth + sample rate of the picture edit session. Please include long handles (5+ seconds).
Convert any mp3/m4a files to .wav before export.
Remove any unused audio clips from the session before sending.
If the OMF export is too large, send multiple OMFs split up by track (e.g. tracks 1 + 2 in the first OMF, tracks 3 + 4 in the 2nd OMF, etc).
Please do NOT split up the OMF by sequence (e.g. please do NOT send first 20 minutes in the first OMF, next 20 minutes in 2nd OMF, etc).
Put a 2-pop 2 seconds before the first frame of picture, and 2 seconds after the last frame of picture.
Send video file separately, as .mov file, either Avid or ProRes codecs (absolutely no H264 ever).
Include Timecode burn-in on lower right corner of video.
Include reference audio + 2-pops in video file.