What are the most common stems/deliverables that libraries ask for?

[mkirbymusic]

Hey all,

Since I'm still young in this journey, and only in two libraries at the moment, I was wondering what the consensus is on this question? More so to make a habit of printing these stems for every track I make going forward.

Full Mix and Stinger seem to be the no brainers (according to Mr. Steve Barden in Writing Production Music for TV)

No Drums Mix? Drums and Bass Mix?

Thanks!

[superkons]

From my experience, it seems that the NoDrums/DrumsOnly/Drum&Bass alt mixes pop up frequently (also, Drums may include Percussion, or being called Percussion). A NoMelody, or a mix without parts that can stand out, also seems frequently requested, much link a no vocals mix for a song, if you will.
Cutdowns (15/30/60 sec versions) are quite popular, too.

[mkirbymusic]

From my experience, it seems that the NoDrums/DrumsOnly/Drum&Bass alt mixes pop up frequently (also, Drums may include Percussion, or being called Percussion). A NoMelody, or a mix without parts that can stand out, also seems frequently requested, much link a no vocals mix for a song, if you will.
Cutdowns (15/30/60 sec versions) are quite popular, too.

Thank you my friend!

[cosmicdolphin]

Personally I wouldn't make them until you know for 100% sure what they want otherwise you can be wasting a ton of time on stuff nobody needs. Some examples of libraries I work with.

Library A

1. Full stereo mix with Mastering plugins applied plus Every stem separated out. Bass - Drums - FX - Guitars - Keys - Percs- Synths - Vox ( they will use these to mix and master with pro engineer )

Library B

1. 15s edit
2. 30s edit
3. Underscore ( no lead )
4. Stems as above

Library C

1. Stinger
2. 30s
3. Bed ( no lead )
4. Bass & Drums
5. No Perc
6. No Drums
7. Bed No Drums

Library D

1. No Lead
2. Drums only
3. Lite version ( no leads , remove one or two more elements also )
4. Drums & Bass

As you can see they all vary in what they want , the most common one seems to be with no lead instrument although they all use different names so you can make those in advance knowing most libraries will want it unless they are mixing professionally from your stems.

Mark

[Telefunkin]

Before you go too far with that, please consider the following non-exhaustive list of things you might be asked for, and this is just from my own limited experience:

- Minor changes to tracks before they are accepted, and that can involve 2 or 3 amendments in some cases.

- Many libraries request similar alt versions made by muting various tracks from your main mix, but its possible (although rare) to be asked for true alternative versions with parts that are different from those in the main mix.

- Cut-downs can include 1m (rare), 30s, 15s, 10s, 5s (or a sting of several seconds).

- There are different interpretations of 'stems'. Mostly, its groupings of similar instruments, but it can be each individual track.

- Some libraries prefer to do their own mastering from your stems, so they don't want any of your mastered tracks, alt versions or cut-downs. They want your stems at pre-mastered levels.

- Most want 48kz, some want 44.1kHz. Most want 24-bit, some want 16-bit.

Making every possible combination/permutation of those things upfront would be a huge waste of time, as Mark (Cosmicdophin) has said, especially if there are change requests. I'd save that job until you know what you need to deliver. Even if you're making tracks for a library who's specification you know, they might still ask for changes, or say 'no thanks' and you'll end up sending them elsewhere with a different spec.

My advice would be to make sure that you could provide any of these things if asked. As long as you can recall the mixes in your DAW they should all be reasonably easy. If not, things get more complicated.

[mkirbymusic]

Personally I wouldn't make them until you know for 100% sure what they want otherwise you can be wasting a ton of time on stuff nobody needs. Some examples of libraries I work with.

Library A

1. Full stereo mix with Mastering plugins applied plus Every stem separated out. Bass - Drums - FX - Guitars - Keys - Percs- Synths - Vox ( they will use these to mix and master with pro engineer )

Library B

1. 15s edit
2. 30s edit
3. Underscore ( no lead )
4. Stems as above

Mark

Thanks Mark. That helps explain just how varied the libraries can be

[mkirbymusic]

Before you go too far with that, please consider the following non-exhaustive list of things you might be asked for, and this is just from my own limited experience:

- Minor changes to tracks before they are accepted, and that can involve 2 or 3 amendments in some cases.

Making every possible combination/permutation of those things upfront would be a huge waste of time, as Mark (Cosmicdophin) has said, especially if there are change requests. I'd save that job until you know what you need to deliver. Even if you're making tracks for a library who's specification you know, they might still ask for changes, or say 'no thanks' and you'll end up sending them elsewhere with a different spec.

My advice would be to make sure that you could provide any of these things if asked. As long as you can recall the mixes in your DAW they should all be reasonably easy. If not, things get more complicated.

Thanks for the advice Graham. Much appreciated!

[cosmicdolphin]

Personally I wouldn't make them until you know for 100% sure what they want otherwise you can be wasting a ton of time on stuff nobody needs. Some examples of libraries I work with.

Library A

1. Full stereo mix with Mastering plugins applied plus Every stem separated out. Bass - Drums - FX - Guitars - Keys - Percs- Synths - Vox ( they will use these to mix and master with pro engineer )

Library B

1. 15s edit
2. 30s edit
3. Underscore ( no lead )
4. Stems as above

Mark

Thanks Mark. That helps explain just how varied the libraries can be

Yeah an I also forgot to say about them wanting different file format and/or bit rates etc and sometimes edit requests to the actual cue like Graham ( Telefunkin ) mentioned so even more reason to wait until you know for sure what's required.

[Paulie]

Mark nails it again.. wait until the tracks are accepted and then refer to the library's composer guidelines documents. Some libraries are super simple, a main mix and a mix without the vocal or melody. Some libraries ask for up to eight alt mixes, which sometimes can be challenging depending on the genre. Some libraries ask for 30sec and 60sec edits, but some libraries don't because they figure the editor will create their own edit based on the context of their scene.

File formats vary, be SURE to verify this before you start bouncing mixes. The last thing you want to have happen is you create a batch of music plus the required alt mixes, then the library file uploader rejects your files because they are not the correct bit-rate.

I've got a text file on my desktop listing the details for the libraries I'm in for easy reference, because there are no standards Things to keep track of:

• Which alt mixes do they require? For example
  • Full/Main Mix
  • Bed/Narrative (no melody)
  • Reduced (melody remains, but less elements)
  • No Drums
  • Drums Only
  • Bass and Drums Only
  • Stinger
  • Bumper
  • 30sec, 60sec
  • Any other unique mix that might make sense
• What file format?
  • .wav, .aiff, .mp3
  • 16bit or 24 bit
  • 44.1k or 48k?
  • some libraries want more than one format
• What is the library's file naming convention? (here are examples for just a main mix)
  • Catchy Song Title
  • Catchy Song Title - Full Mix
  • ABCD (library required code) Catchy Song Title
  • XYZ (library required code) Catchy File Name - Full Mix - LMNOP (library composer code)
• What are their uploading requirements?
  • Upload files to a specific DropBox folder (or other service)
  • Deliver compressed folder of files via WeTransfer (or other service)
  • Upload using libraries proprietary web interface (these vary wildly between libraries... some are great, some really need to be updated)
• What meta data will you need to provide?
  • Genre and Sub-genre
  • Tempo (some use words like "medium," others ask for the specific BPM
  • Key
  • Mood
  • Keywords
  • reference/sounds like artist..
  • Instrumentation
  • Lyrics
  • Co-writer information
  • Library-provided spreadsheet, PDF or Word document
  • Library web form
  • Encoded in the files

I'm sure there is stuff I'm forgetting. This part of the business can be frustrating and is certainly time consuming, but having a good grip on this is essential to a proper workflow and helps to ensure a professional and productive relationship with your libraries.

Paulie