Stem Prep Guide

How to send stemsthat actually mix.

Following this checklist saves a round of revisions on almost every project. If you’ve never prepped stems before, read top to bottom — it won’t take long.

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Structure

Bounce all stems from the same start point — ideally bar 1, beat 1. Don’t strip silence. We’ll match the timeline in our session.
Run every stem the full track length — even if a part only plays once. Keeps timing airtight.
Leave room at the end for reverb and delay tails. Don’t cut them off.

Creative intent

Keep effects and automation intact — we can tone them down, we can’t recreate them from scratch cleanly.
If you’re using a master chain on the stereo buss, deliver two versions: one with the chain engaged (reference), one clean for the actual mix.

Format

WAV or AIFF. No MP3, no AAC.
24-bit (unless otherwise discussed).
Match your session sample rate — don’t resample unless you know why.
No normalisation.

Grouping & naming

Keep names short and specific. KICK, SNARE, BASS, LEAD beats long descriptive filenames.
Isolate elements you’re concerned about so we can A/B them in the mix.
Useful baseline grouping: Drums (Kick and Snare as own stems), Bass, Synths & Keys, Guitars, FX, and Vocals (dry and wet versions where possible).

Final check

Import your stems into a fresh session — if they line up and sound like your mix, you’re good.
Include a stereo reference mix of your track. This is the single most useful thing you can send.
Drop everything in a zipped folder with the track name and BPM in the folder name.

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Prepped and ready? Let’s mix it.

Send the folder link and a short note on references and deadline — we’ll reply with a slot inside one business day.

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