For metal bands, having a great sounding mix is essential to convey the intensity, power, and complexity of their music. How you prepare those tracks could be the difference between getting a killer mix and having your engineer secretly plotting revenge.

By preparing your recorded tracks for mixing you provide the mix engineer with the tools needed to bring your sonic vision to life.

A few years ago I was hired to mix a single for a band that self recorded. I was sent a folder with over 100 tracks, all labeled audio-1 audio-1.1, audio-1.2 and so on. On top of that their tracks were clipping, had heavy processing on them, and didn’t line up when I imported them into my DAW.

It was a nightmare!

I spent more time trying to make sense of what was sent to me than being creative. Dealing with this mess took my focus away from what was most important, making the song sound as good as possible.

Now I don’t want this to be you!

In this week’s episode, I’m going to give you all the details on how to prepare your tracks for mixing like a pro.

The major topics I discuss include:

• Cleaning up your recorded tracks.
• Exporting your tracks
• Labeling your tracks
• Organizing your exported tracks

If you want a clear breakdown of everything covered in today’s episode, I’ve put together a free Mix Prep Guide that is simple to follow and covers everything you need to make sure you’re sending your tracks like a total pro.

GET YOUR FREE MIX PREP GUIDE HERE

By following these steps, you’ll ensure that your tracks are clean, organized, and ready to be mixed into the crushing metal masterpiece you know they can be.