How to export tracks for mixing: a step-by-step guide

A well-prepared session saves time at the start of a mix. Badly exported tracks can hold a project up for days, because they have to be fixed and sent again.

Here’s a checklist you can use before sending your material. It works whichever program you use.

1. Export WAV or AIFF files

Tracks should be in a lossless format. MP3 files are fine for listening to a demo, but not for mixing.

The safest option is to keep the sample rate of your session and export at 24-bit or 32-bit float. There’s no need to change these settings before sending.

2. Give all tracks a common start point

Every file should start at the same point, even if the instrument only comes in during the second verse. The time before it enters is simply silence.

That way all the tracks land in the right place as soon as they’re imported into a new session. The easiest method is to set the export range from the start of the first bar to the end of the song and use it for every track.

3. Turn off processing on the master bus

If you have a limiter, compressor or EQ on the master output, switch them off before exporting. Tracks shouldn’t clip either: keep the meters out of the red and turn off normalisation in the export settings.

4. Decide which effects stay

Plugins used for EQ or compression are usually better switched off, leaving the mix engineer room for their own decisions. Effects that create the sound are different, for example a distinctive vocal delay or a distorted synth.

You can send those tracks in two versions, with and without the effect. Add a short note saying which one is the intended version.

5. Name files so it’s clear what’s what

Names like “Audio 14_bounce” don’t say much. Simple descriptions work better, for example:

• 01_Kick_In
• 02_Kick_Out
• 03_Snare_Top
• 12_Bass_DI
• 20_Vocal_Lead
• 21_Vocal_Double_L

Numbers keep the order, and one naming convention for the whole session makes the work easier.

6. Export mono instruments in mono

A vocal recorded with one microphone or a bass from a DI should be a mono file. Exporting them in stereo won’t improve the sound; it only makes the session bigger.

7. Include information about the song

It’s worth adding to the package:

• the tempo of the song and any tempo changes;
• the current rough mix, meaning your working version;
• one or two reference tracks;
• a short list of what you like in the current version and what you want to change.

The rough mix matters a lot, even if you think it’s bad. It shows the balances and ideas you’ve grown attached to while working on the song.

8. Check the package before sending

Import all the files into an empty session and listen from start to finish. It takes a few minutes and catches a missing track, a shifted part or an accidentally muted section. Finally, put everything into a single archive.

You don’t have to solve every technical problem yourself. If you’re not sure how to export something, write to me first and we’ll sort it out before starting work.

Mixing and mastering at C2 Studio in Poznań

You can send your tracks remotely from anywhere. You can read more about how I work on the mixing and mastering page.

Have your tracks ready? Write to me and tell me about your song.