Engineering

Delivering Stems

Delivering your stems correctly is crucial for me to provide the best results. Follow this guide to ensure your files are prepared and organized properly.

1. What Are Stems?

Stems are audio files for each element (or grouped element) of your song (e.g., vocals, drums, bass). These allow me to work on each part separately for a more refined mix or (stem) master.

2. Comparing Mixing vs. (Stem) Mastering

• Mixing
• Stem Mastering
• Mastering

2. Preparing and Exporting Stems

To ensure I can work efficiently, please follow these guidelines when preparing and exporting your stems:

• Finalize Everything: Ensure all edits, fades, and arrangements are complete before exporting. No changes should be made after this point.
• Check Levels: Avoid clipping on any track and leave some headroom (typically between -6dB to -3dB). Disable any processing on the master bus unless it's integral to your sound.
• Export Settings: Export each track separately, using 32-bit, 44.1kHz WAV files. If 32-bit isn’t possible, 24-bit is acceptable. Ensure all exports cover the full length of the song, including any silence.

3. Organizing & Delivering Stems

Proper organization of your stems is essential for a smooth workflow. Here’s how to do it:

• Logical Naming: Name each stem clearly and logically (e.g., "Kick," "Bass," "Lead Vocal"). For easy reference, start each name with a number that reflects the order of importance or entry in the track (e.g., "1. Kick," "2. Snare," "3. Bass").
• File Formats: For any reference tracks you provide, please use high-quality formats like .wav or .flac. If necessary, a 320kbps mp3 will suffice, but lossless formats are preferred.
• Folder Structure:
  • Mixing
  • Stem Mastering
  • Mastering

Compress stems into a .zip file. Name it with the song title and date. Send it either by WeTransfer, or upload it to our Highnote project.