The Track Prep Checklist That Saved Me $2,000 (And Will Save Your Mix)
MixingClient Guides
Three years ago, I sent what I thought was a "finished" track to a top mixing engineer. $800 later, I got back a mix that sounded... fine. Not great, not terrible, just fine.
The problem wasn't the engineer—it was me. I had sent him a mess of poorly organized, badly recorded, and technically flawed stems. He spent most of his time fixing my mistakes instead of making my music shine.
That expensive lesson taught me something crucial: The quality of your mix is determined before the mixing engineer even touches your track.
Since then, I've developed a track preparation process that has:
A professional mixing engineer charges $100-200/hour. If they spend 2 hours fixing your prep mistakes instead of mixing, that's $400 wasted. This checklist pays for itself on the first track.
Let me tell you exactly what I sent to that mixing engineer:
The engineer did his best, but he had to guess what I wanted. The result was technically competent but creatively flat.
Here's the preparation system that fixed everything:
Before you even think about mixing, your track needs to pass the radio test. Here's what I mean:
Play your rough mix on:
If any of these are true, STOP and fix them first:
If your track doesn't work on terrible speakers, no amount of professional mixing will save it. Fix the arrangement and recording first.
Real Example: I once spent $600 mixing a track where the chorus vocal was recorded 6dB quieter than the verse. The engineer did his best, but it never sounded right. I should have re-recorded it.
Stop naming tracks "Audio_01.wav." Here's my system:
Format: [INSTRUMENT]_[PART]_[TAKE]_[NOTES].wav
Examples:
VOX_Lead_Verse_Comp.wav
VOX_Lead_Chorus_Comp.wav
VOX_Harmony_Chorus_Stack.wav
GTR_Electric_Main_Riff.wav
GTR_Electric_Solo_Take3.wav
DR_Kick_Sample.wav
DR_Snare_Sample.wav
BASS_DI_Main.wav
KEYS_Piano_Verse.wavWhy this works: Your mixing engineer instantly knows what everything is, where it goes, and how it fits together.
Before: 12 vocal takes spread across the timeline After: One comped vocal file with the best parts
Before: Drum kit with 47 individual hits After: Consolidated drum stems (kick, snare, hi-hats, overheads, room)
Before: Guitar with 6 different amp settings After: One main guitar track, one double track
Aim for 12-20 stems maximum. If you have more than 25 tracks, you're probably not being decisive enough about what's actually important.
Export Settings (Non-Negotiable):
- Format: WAV (never MP3, never AIFF)
- Sample Rate: Match your project (44.1kHz or 48kHz)
- Bit Depth: 24-bit minimum
- Start Time: All files start at 00:00:00
- Length: All files same length (include the silence)Why the same length matters: If your verse vocal is 30 seconds but your chorus vocal is 45 seconds, the mixing engineer has to guess where they line up. Make all files the same length as your full song.
This is where most people screw up. Here's the truth about levels:
Target Levels for Mixing:
Peak Levels: -12dB to -6dB (never higher)
Average Levels: -18dB to -12dB
Headroom: At least 6dB on every trackTranslation: Your loudest parts should hit around -6dB, your average level should be around -15dB, and you should NEVER see red on any meter.
Before exporting anything:
Digital clipping cannot be fixed. If your tracks are clipped, you need to re-record or re-export them. No mixing engineer can fix digital distortion.
This is the secret sauce that separates good mixes from great ones. Your mixing engineer needs to understand your vision.
Don't just send one reference track—send three:
Example Package:
TRACK: [Song Title]
TEMPO: [BPM]
KEY: [Key signature]
GENRE: [Primary genre]
VISION:
"This song should feel like [emotion/mood]. The vocals need to be [adjective],
the drums should [description], and the overall vibe is [description]."
REFERENCES:
1. Overall: [Artist - Song]
2. Vocals: [Artist - Song]
3. Sound: [Artist - Song]
SPECIAL NOTES:
- Any specific requests
- Problem areas you're aware of
- Creative ideas you want to tryInstead of "make it sound good," try "I want the vocals to cut through like Adele but with the warmth of John Mayer." Specific references give your engineer a clear target.
Before you hit send, run through this checklist:
✓ All files are WAV, 24-bit, same sample rate
✓ All files start at 00:00:00 and are the same length
✓ File names follow the naming convention
✓ No files peak above -6dB
✓ No clipping anywhere
✓ All tracks are consolidated/comped
✓ Unused tracks removed
✓ 12-20 stems maximum✓ Reference tracks selected and included
✓ Vision document written
✓ Tempo and key documented
✓ Any special requests noted
✓ Problem areas identified
✓ Rough mix included for contextImport all your stems into a fresh project and:
If anything sounds wrong, fix it before sending.
Since implementing this system:
Before: 3-4 revision rounds per mix, $200-400 in revision fees After: 95% of mixes approved on first pass, zero revision fees
Before: 2-3 weeks turnaround time After: 3-5 days turnaround time
Before: Mixes that sounded "fine" After: Mixes that sound radio-ready
The secret: When you remove all the guesswork and technical problems, your mixing engineer can focus 100% on making your music sound incredible.
Yes, this preparation takes time. But spending 2 hours on prep saves you $400 in revisions and gets you a better mix. That's a $200/hour return on your time investment.
The difference will be immediately obvious.
Ready to transform your mixes? Start with your next track and follow this exact process. Your mixing engineer (and your wallet) will thank you.