How to prepare files for a mixing engineer in Canada

Start with the person receiving your material. MusicList’s first page of producer and engineer results showed 24 entries on October 28, 2026: 17 artists with production credits and seven producer or engineer profiles. This is a snapshot of that page, not a count of available mixers or a quality ranking. Check the specific role, listen to relevant released work and ask whether the person accepts your project before preparing a large upload.

Send a small project summary through the provider’s published contact route. Describe the song count, recording stage, target dates and the work still needed. Ask for the engineer’s current preparation instructions and accepted delivery method. The sources below illustrate different professional preferences; none creates a single Canadian export standard. Use the recipient’s instructions to settle differences before you bounce files.

Name the requested package explicitly. An individual audio track preserves a separate recorded element; a stem combines several elements into a grouped audio file. A native session is a different delivery that can depend on software and plug-ins. Jonas Kroon’s guide distinguishes individual tracks from grouped stems and generally prefers exported audio to a Pro Tools session. That is his workflow, so confirm your own engineer’s preference rather than treating one format as universally correct.

Ask which decisions remain open. Combining all backing vocals into one file commits their internal blend, whereas separate files preserve more control. Neither choice is automatically better. Agree on any grouping, alternate takes and stereo elements with the mixer, then give those choices a written home in your delivery note. Keep your original production project intact while you prepare a separate delivery copy.

Ask the engineer to confirm format, sample rate, bit depth and the common start point. Studio Moe’s checklist requests WAV or AIFF, at least 24-bit resolution and the source sample rate without upsampling. Abbey Road asks for files bounced from a shared starting point, with matching lengths and sample rates. These are attributed examples, not a demand to convert every project to one arbitrary setting.

Turn the agreed settings into a repeatable export pass. Write them beside the song title so another band member can check the delivery without guessing. Preserve the silence before a late entrance when it is needed for alignment. If your original material falls outside the requested specification, disclose that before conversion; changing a file label or choosing a higher export number does not establish that the source was recorded that way.

Do not strip every effect simply because a generic checklist says to send dry tracks. Abbey Road asks for dry multitracks but makes provision for effects that are integral to the production. Jonas Kroon often wants processing and automation printed. The difference is a reason to have the conversation: distinguish a sound you are committed to from a temporary mix treatment you want the engineer to reconsider.

Identify essential sounds by track name in the notes. Describe the result to preserve, such as a rhythmic delay that functions as part of the arrangement, rather than sending an unexplained list of plug-ins. Studio Moe suggests a clearly named second version without an uncertain effect. Ask whether the mixer wants that option; label processed and unprocessed files so they cannot be mistaken for two parts intended to play together.

Keep the note short enough to use while listening. Include the artist and song names, tempo information, delivery version, current rough mix and the most important creative priorities. Studio Moe recommends a rough mix, reference tracks and written requests. Explain the particular feature of each reference that matters; a reference is a conversation about direction, not a promise to reproduce someone else’s recording.

Use one named person to collect the artist’s feedback. Mark what is final, what is open to interpretation and what needs an answer before work begins. The example below is a suggested handoff note, not a provider’s form or a claim that these outputs are included. Replace every placeholder with agreed information and ask the mixer to confirm anything unresolved.

Before sharing, check that the folder contains the intended version of every song and that names describe the musical roles. Open the sharing link using a separate browser session to test access, without exposing private work publicly. Tell the recipient which folder is the delivery and keep an unchanged copy yourself. If a file must be replaced, send a dated change note rather than silently swapping audio under an existing name.

Agree on how revisions will be collected and what counts as a change of scope. Abbey Road’s published package describes one revision for adjustments to balance and effects; that is its service term, not a Canadian industry entitlement. Ask your engineer how replacement takes, additional versions or further rounds are handled. Keep feedback tied to the exact mix filename so comments on an earlier mix do not overwrite decisions already settled on a later one.