In the recording studio we have the ability to send off sessions that have been recorded at one studio and then mixed at another. The most frequently used term is stems, and by that they mean the individual tracks rendered as audio.
Trackouts and stems are technically different from each other, but these two terms are often used interchangeably. I will work with either type; it's just a matter of grouping and how much FX. Stems will be grouped by object and have the FX turned on for each channel. A good example of this would be the drums. As a stem it would be the stereo track playing altogether, while the trackouts would be the individual kick, snare, tom and overhead mic channels—No FX.
Trackouts are the preferred choice for full service mixing and editing
I can also import session data from a Pro Tools session. This is the easiest option.
Key points with sending trackouts:
- They all need to start at the same point in time from the beginning.
- All FX (effects) need to be turned off.
- Faders set to 0, including the master fader.
- WAV or AIFF at 24 bit, 44.1 kHz
- Render mono files for most things, unless it is specifically a stereo track with a L and R channel.
The trackouts should start together so they sync up, even if the audio doesn't start until minutes later. This can be done by making the selection and rendering each track individually, on solo. (yellow S button) The master fader also needs to be at 0, so it does not reduce the gain from the solo trackouts. Any lossless format is preferred, WAV and AIFF being the most popular. 16 bit is OK, 24 bit is best. High quality mp3s can work, but this is not recommended as a first option. Bounce is the Pro Tools term for what most programs now call render, they mean the same thing. Mono files, like vocals, should be rendered as mono. It is easy to bounce these as stereo interleaved, without realizing it. I have done it myself. It is bad practice because it wastes twice the file storage space, as that is a single track then repeated in both L and R channel. I have to split these off on my end also, so it adds some extra time to the session clock. Normally the FX are completely turned off so that the mixing engineer can put the magic in there. The goal is to bring out the great qualities for the ear candy.
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