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  TOMMY MARMAN — MIX PREP TEMPLATE
  tommymarman.com  ·  hello@tommymarman.com
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Thanks for trusting me with your song. This template is the exact
folder structure I mix from. Fill it in, zip it, and upload it at:

    https://tommymarman.com/upload

The example .wav files inside are empty placeholders (0 bytes) —
they only show the naming style. Replace them with your real files
and delete any examples you don't use.

Full guide: https://tommymarman.com/prep


────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 STEP 1 — RENAME THE MAIN FOLDER
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Rename "Artist - Song Title (BPM, Key)" to your song, e.g.:

    Nova Waves - Midnight Run (98 BPM, F minor)


────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 STEP 2 — THE FOUR FOLDERS
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

01 WET   — Your tracks with YOUR processing printed: track and bus
           plugins, printed effects, the sounds you've chosen.
           But with NOTHING on the master/mixbus. This is the main
           set — it's what I mix from.

           Multitracks (separate layers) are preferred over summed
           stems — separate layers give me more ways to improve
           things — but both are welcome.

02 DRY   — The same tracks with no processing at all. Same start
           point, same length, and IDENTICAL file names to 01 WET.
           If I can take something further by rebuilding the
           processing from scratch (vocals especially), this is
           where it happens.

03 DAW PROJECT FILE
         — Your full project/session folder with EVERY track frozen
           or committed to audio, so it opens on any system without
           your plugins. My safety net if the stems leave a question.

04 REFERENCE
         — Your latest rough mix (the bounce you're happiest with)
           and a screenshot of your master/mixbus chain so I can
           see the plugins, their settings, and their order.

           References are optional — no files needed. Artist + song
           in a text file, or a link to a Spotify/streaming
           playlist, is plenty. A note on WHY you picked each one
           helps most.


────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 STEP 3 — EXPORT SETTINGS
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

    Format       WAV
    Bit depth    32-bit (float)
    Sample rate  Same as your session — don't convert
    Start point  Every file from bar 1 / 0:00, same length
    Mixbus       Bypassed while exporting (screenshot it first)
    Group buses  Same routine — glue on e.g. your drum bus won't
                 print to individual tracks, so screenshot the
                 chain, then bypass it. Unsure? Just ask.

Exporting every file from the same start point is the big one —
it lets me drop everything in and have the whole song line up
instantly.


────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 STEP 4 — NAMING & NUMBERING
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

The numbers are not random — they are my session order. Sorted
alphabetically, the files build the session exactly how I work:
vocals on top, bass right above the drums, then music and FX.

    KEEP THE NUMBERS, CHANGE THE WORDS.

    01–09   Lead vocals              01 Lead Vox
    10–19   Backing vocals           10 BGV Stack L
    20–29   Vocal FX prints          20 Vox Throw FX
    30–39   Bass                     30 Bass DI
    40–69   Drums
              40–44  Kick            40 Kick In
              45–49  Snare / claps   45 Snare Top
              50–59  Toms / low perc 50 Rack Tom
              60–69  Hats / cymbals  60 Hi-Hat, 62 Overheads
    70–89   Music
              70–79  Guitars         70 Gtr Rhythm L
              80–84  Keys / synths   80 Piano
              85–89  Other           85 Strings
    90–99   FX / risers / hits       90 Riser

Name files "number + what it is": "01 Lead Vox", not "Audio 14"
or "VOX (use this one)". If you run out of numbers in a group,
add letters: 01 Lead Vox, 01b Lead Vox Adlib.

02 DRY must use the exact same names as 01 WET — that's how the
two sets pair up on my end.

Folders that don't apply to your song (no horns? no FX prints?)
can simply stay empty or be deleted.


────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 STEP 5 — SEND IT
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

1.  Quick check: wet + dry complete, frozen project in, rough mix,
    mixbus screenshot, BPM & key in the folder name — plus
    references, if you have them.
2.  Zip (compress) the main folder.
3.  Upload at https://tommymarman.com/upload — it lands straight
    in my Dropbox and I can start right away.

Questions before you export? hello@tommymarman.com — always faster
to ask first.

— Tommy
