If you’re working in Pro Tools and preparing your project for mixing or stem mastering, how you send your session matters just as much as the music itself.
A well-prepared session allows your engineer to open your project smoothly, understand your intent, and begin working immediately.
A poorly prepared session, on the other hand, can lead to missing files, broken routing, delays, and unnecessary back-and-forth.
Here’s how to send your Pro Tools session correctly.
The most complete and reliable way to send your project is by creating a new, self-contained Pro Tools session.
This ensures your mixing engineer receives everything exactly as you intended.
To do this:
This process creates a new folder containing:
This is the safest way to send your project, as it avoids missing files or broken references.
Before exporting anything, take time to clean your session.
This will make the mixing process faster and more accurate.
Make sure to:
Clear naming helps a lot:
Instead of:
A clean session saves time and improves results.
If your session relies heavily on plugins or virtual instruments, committing tracks can be a great option.
This prints your processing into audio files, ensuring your sound translates correctly.
To commit tracks in Pro Tools:
This is especially useful when:
You can also choose to send both:
This gives your mixing engineer flexibility.
If you’re not sending a full session, you can export your tracks as audio files.
This is common for both mixing and stem mastering.
To do this:
Important:
This ensures everything lines up perfectly in a new session.
Before sending your session or exporting stems, check your master bus.
Remove any processing related to loudness or mastering:
Why?
Because your mixing or mastering engineer needs headroom to work properly.
If your mix is already heavily limited, it restricts what can be done later.
However, keep any processing that is part of the sound design (e.g. distortion, amp sims, vocal FX).
Always include a rough mix.
This helps your engineer understand your intent.
Your rough mix should:
This can make a huge difference in how efficiently your track is mixed.
Before sending, organise everything clearly.
A good folder might include:
Then send via:
Clear organisation speeds everything up.
These issues come up often:
Avoiding these will immediately improve your submission quality.
For a broader explanation of audio workflows and stems, this reference is useful:
Wikipedia: Stem Mixing and Mastering
Sending your Pro Tools session correctly is one of the simplest ways to improve your final mix.
A well-prepared session allows your engineer to:
At Moreish Studios, we’re always happy to guide artists through this process if needed.
If you’re preparing a track for Mixing or Mastering, or you’re unsure whether your session is ready, get in touch and we’ll help you get it right from the start.
