FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Mixing is the stage in which the separate elements / stems of a track are carefully summed together, with the sounds shaped and positioned in the stereo field to give maximum impact and clarity. This is done through a series of specialised techniques, and high end audio equipment.

Included in all mixing package you will receive 3 mix revisions. We will never normally exceed more than 2 revisions which is why we have added an extra revision so that it gives you the peace of mind that the end result is going to be exactly as you want it. We understand mistakes can be made when sending your stems. To limit mistakes we will always ask for a rough mix. This is used to determine that the stems you have sent are correct and used as a guide to hear your intended balance for the song. By supplying this file we can dramatically decrease the amount of revisions required.

We aim to return your first mix back to you within 5 working days. Depending on if any edits are required to be made, mixing can take longer. On average mixes are signed off as complete within 5-8 working days. If you require your song back by a certain date, please let us know when sending your files. We will make sure your song is returned to you mixed before your deadline. Mixing is not something that should be rushed. Leave plenty of time for any changes or edits.

Payments must be made before work on your song begins. This ensures our engineers, take the necessary time and care required to return you the very best mix. We do not believe in performing a sub par mixing service and this would be exactly what you would get from a service that doesn’t require paying for their services.

Yes mixed stems can be purchased additionally either with your order or after your mix is completed. Printing stems as I am sure you are aware is a highly time consuming process that has to be performed in real time as we are using an analogue console and outboard equipment. Therefor mixed stems are charged at £20 per song.

Mastering is included in the mixing and mastering packages only.

No, any processing that is part of your sound design must be applied to the stems. Anything you have applied in your mix that is intended to stay in the mix must be applied to the stems. All plugin automation must be applied to the stems. When playing back your summed stems, we should hear almost identical playback of your rough mix / reference mix. If you are unsure what stems to send. You can by all means print a folder of wet stems and a folder of dry stems. For the best mixing results, print your stems with all plugins active in your session. We can then take your rough mix and build from this.

If you have set your panning how you intend it to be, then by all means print the panning to your stems. Alternatively leave your panning off and send us panning mix notes. We will need as much details as possible. Including stem name and pan position. Such as "Lead Guitar Hard Left" and "Rhythm Guitar 30% Right."

100% yes, automation should always be active. Automation is part of your production and sound design. To bypass automation would be to send a half finished song for mixing. All automation including volume, modulation, EQ, reverb or delay automation should be kept active.

Reverb can be left active if you 100% want the reverb you have added in your song. We will always add reverb where we see fit. Any specific reverb you want 100% exactly the same as you have it in your mix, must be printed to the stems. Any creative reverb that is specific to a particular stem should be left active. Any reverb that is part of your sound design or essential to your sound must be left active.

Yes. Delay is something that can have a million different outcomes. You add delay specific to your taste and how you want delay to sound. To remove this delay would be to remove an essential part of your sound. We always recommend leaving delay active if you want it in your track. We will not add delay as this is a creative effect that is specific to the production and not the mix. If delay is required from a mix perspective we will by all means add it how we see fit to get the best results.

No. Vocals should be organised ready to be mix. Unwanted clicks, pops and breathes should be removed. All vocals should be tuned and ready to be mixed. You should never send a raw unedited vocals for mixing.

We can add Autotune to vocals to ensure they are kept in tune. This is included in the price. Detailed tuning of vocals using Melodyne is not included in the price and can be ordered as an additional service.

100% yes, this is essential when working with an online mix engineer. The rough mix will be used to establish that the stems you have sent play back correct as well as include all automation and necessary processing. The rough mix is also used to correctly establish the balance you intend each stem to have in the mix. By listening to the rough mix we can establish at what volume you intend a certain stem to be and where you intend it to be panned in the mix.

The engineer will always print a full mix, instrumental and acapella with every mix that includes vocals. Alternate mixes can be sent free of charge such as extended DJ edit and radio edit. To print alternate versions you will need to supply the stems. Stems must be the exact same volume as the stems in the full mix in order for them to both run through the same mix session.

SSL / Solid State Logic is renowned for providing the mixing community with the very best super analogue mixing consoles. By using a SSL console we are able to achieve a spacious, separated mix that is otherwise unachievable in the digital domain. The SSL console we use combines 36 channels of summing as well as both 9000 K-Series and 4000 E-Series channel strips.

Your stems can be uploaded safely and securely via our upload form here. Bypass any compression / limiting you may have on your master bus. We advise leaving all sound design processing active on each stem. Do not normalize stems or change their volume. Playback of your stems should be exactly as your rough mix plays back.

File Type : Wav / Flac / Aiff
Bitrate : 16–24–32 bit / 44,100 khz - 96khz
Headroom : -3db / -6db

Full Mix (24bit 44,100kHz wav)
Instrumental Mix (24bit 44,100kHz wav)
Acapella Mix (24bit 44,100kHz wav)
Live Mix (at the request of client)
Radio Edit Mix (stems must be supplied)
Extended Edit Mix (stems must be supplied)
Mixed Stems (ordered additionally)

Whilst many artists believe mixing is subject to the artists taste, a good engineer can establish the vibe and tone the artist is wanting to achieve and build upon that. Resulting in the track being taken to the next level. Working with a trained engineer and high quality analogue mixing equipment, a track can be transformed into a masterpiece. A trained engineer can assess a track and iron out any issues the artists has not previously heard, often due to the fact they have either heard the track too many times and can't make an accurate decision or that their ears are not trained in the way a professionals are.

Get in contact with us via email and we can simply replace the files. Please be sure to get in contact with us ASAP to ensure we have the correct files to mix before work commences. If work has already started on your mix and the entire mix requires new stems, charges will apply.

A good mix engineer will be able to work with all genres of music not just one. At Audio Animals we work with all genres of music. There is not a genre of music we have not worked with.

Yes, if you would like to credit Audio Animals for the mixing of your music you can do so. Please credit Audio Animals and Paul Ashmore as the mix engineer. This is not required but is greatly appreciated.