How to send stems to a mix engineer: the checklist that saves the first day

6 October 2026 · ~5 min read

Short answer: a mix engineer needs every part of your song as a separate, dry, full-length audio file from the same start point, named so a stranger can read the names, with the tempo, the key, one or two reference tracks and proof of your beat licence. That is the whole checklist, and every item on it exists because a session has been delayed by its absence. Sending it right means the first day of the mix is spent mixing rather than asking questions, which is the cheapest thing you will ever do for your track.

The export

1. Every part as its own file: each vocal take you want used, the doubles, the ad-libs, and each element of the beat if your licence includes the stems. Not the whole session folder, and not one stereo file with everything in it.
2. All files the same length, starting from bar one of the song, even if the part only comes in at the chorus. Silence at the front is what lines them up on import.
3. 24-bit WAV at the session's sample rate. Do not convert, do not normalise, do not send MP3.
4. Dry. No reverb, no delay, no tuning, no compression baked in, unless an effect is part of the performance, in which case send both versions and say so.
5. No limiter or loudness plugin on the master bus when you export. Peaks around -6 dBFS is right; a stem that is already slammed cannot be unslammed.

The names

Name each file for what it is, not what it was called in your project: Lead Vocal, Double L, Double R, Ad-libs, Hook Lead, Kick, Snare, Hats, 808, Melody, Pad. If there are two takes of the lead you want considered, Lead Vocal Take 2. A folder of Audio 14 and Untitled is an hour of the engineer's time spent listening to identify things, and that hour is yours.

The notes

• Tempo in BPM and the key, so time-based effects and any tuning are set correctly from the start.
• One or two reference tracks, named, with a sentence each on what to take from them.
• What you want tuned and how much, from untouched to tight, and anything you want left raw.
• Where the song's sections fall, if the arrangement is unusual, and any part that must not be touched.
• The licence for the beat. Premium and Exclusive licences include the stems and allow the release; a Standard licence usually does not include stems, which is worth knowing before the mix starts rather than after. The beat licence guide sets out what each tier includes.

Before you export: three checks inside the session

1. Consolidate the takes you want used and mute the ones you do not. A folder with nine lead takes and no note about which one is the one hands the engineer a decision that was yours to make.
2. Check the start point. Every track exports from bar one of the song, including the parts that come in at the chorus; a single part exported from where it starts will land in the wrong place on import and sound like a timing problem.
3. Listen to the exports once, in order, with the project closed. A stem that was accidentally exported with the reverb on, or with a mute still engaged, is caught here in five minutes and nowhere else without a day's delay.

What not to send

The project file, unless the engineer uses the same software and asks for it. A stereo bounce with everything in it, which cannot be mixed, only mastered. MP3s of anything. Stems that have been through a limiter, a mastering plugin or a loudness preset, because what they did cannot be undone. And a note that says make it sound professional, which describes every mix ever asked for and helps with none of them.

The handover

Zip the folder, name the zip with the artist and the track, and send a download link rather than an email attachment. Include the notes as a text file inside the folder, because a message thread gets lost and a file in the folder does not. Then expect a reply with three or four questions; a mix engineer who asks nothing has either received a perfect folder or has not opened it.

What this gets you

A mix that starts on the right foot and finishes sooner, a vocal that sits where you heard it, and a master that was built on a clean mix rather than fighting one. The mixing and mastering guide explains what each stage does, and the service page says how to book and what comes back.

Questions I get asked

What format should stems be? 24-bit WAV at the session's sample rate, usually 44.1 or 48 kHz, every file the same length from the same start point. No MP3s, and no stems bounced through a limiter.

Do I send the beat as one file or as parts? As parts if your licence includes the stems, which Premium and Exclusive do. A two-track beat can still be mixed, but the vocal and the beat cannot be balanced against each other properly.

Should I tune the vocal before sending? No. Send it dry and untuned, and say whether you want it tuned and how hard. Baked-in tuning cannot be undone, and a light touch at mix usually sounds better than a heavy one at home.

How many reference tracks? One or two, named, with a sentence on what you like about each: the vocal sits like this, the low end hits like that. A reference without a reason is a guess.

What if I forget something? The engineer asks, and the day waits. The checklist exists so the day does not wait.

Photo: blocks, Unsplash licence.