A good handoff lets someone open the files and understand the record. They should not have to guess which lead is current, where the doubles enter or whether the telephone effect is a mistake. You can keep the artistic mystery. Label the tracks.

These are preparation suggestions for a mix handoff, not prerequisites for the first conversation. If you’re starting a custom project with me, a demo or voice note is enough to explain an idea. The detailed export can happen once we know the work involved.

First, agree on what is being sent

Ask whether the engineer wants individual vocal tracks, grouped stems or the project session. A grouped “backing vocals” stem is useful for some jobs; it prevents separate treatment of the harmonies inside it. Sending a project file can also create extra dependencies on DAW versions and plugins.

Agree on the sample rate, bit depth, file format and delivery method. Give the session’s current settings rather than guessing a more impressive number. If you recorded in one format and the engineer asks for another, discuss the conversion before exporting.

Also establish who is handling comping, tuning and timing. If selecting the final performance is part of the job, send the agreed takes. If it is already done, send the chosen performance and identify any remaining problem sections. Twenty takes called “final” do not count as a decision.

Give every file the same start point

Export from the same position in the song, including silence before a late entrance. That makes it possible to line everything up from one point. In Ableton Live, set Render Start and Render Length across the full arrangement for each export; Ableton’s stem export instructions explain this alignment requirement.

For a chorus harmony that starts a minute into the song, the exported file should retain that minute of silence when using this workflow. Do not trim it away just because it looks empty. The silence is doing administrative work.

Make the export long enough for the ending. Reverb, delay and held notes may continue after the last lyric. Apple documents an Include Audio Tail option for Logic Pro track exports. Check the equivalent settings in your DAW and listen to the last seconds of the result.

Separate the performance from the sound you want

Ask which processing to print. A useful proposed handoff is a clean vocal version for mixing and a clearly labeled processed version for reference. If a distorted lead, tuned effect or timed delay is part of the arrangement, say so explicitly.

“Dry” needs a definition. Does it mean no reverb and delay, or no plugins at all? Should tuning remain? Should a noise edit remain? Agree on those details. Bypassing everything without checking may remove the thing that makes the vocal work; printing everything may make an unwanted effect difficult to change.

Logic’s export controls distinguish bypassing effect plugins, including tails and including volume/pan automation. Those are separate choices, described in Apple’s export guide. Make deliberate choices, and name the rendered versions accordingly.

Name files so someone else can follow them

Use names that identify the song, the part and the version. For example:

  • SongName_Lead_Dry_v03.wav
  • SongName_Lead_FXReference_v03.wav
  • SongName_Double_Left_v03.wav
  • SongName_Harmony_High_v03.wav
  • SongName_Adlibs_v03.wav

These are examples, not a compulsory naming system. The useful part is consistency. Keep separate songs in separate folders, remove obsolete exports from the delivery folder and include one clearly named rough mix.

Add a short note and useful references

Include the tempo, any tempo changes, the key if known and the export settings. Mark unknowns as unknown. Describe which vocal is the lead, which layers are optional and which effects matter to the arrangement.

For references, explain what to listen for. “The vocal distance in the first verse” is more useful than a playlist with no context. Add timestamps for changes you want in your own rough mix: a delay that should end earlier, a harmony that is too prominent or a phrase that needs another take.

Check the actual delivery folder

  1. Import the exported files into a blank session from the shared start point.
  2. Check the beginning, each section change and the ending against the rough mix.
  3. Confirm every required lead, double, harmony and ad-lib is present.
  4. Check that dry and processed versions contain what their names promise.
  5. Open the shared link using the permissions the recipient will have.

Keep the original session and a copy of the delivered files. When revisions start, identify replacements by version and say what changed. If you want production, mixing or mastering as part of the same project, send the project details here and we can agree on the handoff together.

ABOUT SLAKIN

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