🎬 Sound Mixing Starts in the Edit: A Sound Designer’s Guide for Filmmakers & Editors
By AudioMistry
Over the last 5+ years of working on indie films—mostly remotely—one truth has become crystal clear to me: great sound mixing doesn’t start in the sound studio; it starts in the edit timeline.
If you’re a filmmaker or video editor, and you want clean dialogue, immersive sound design, and a faster post workflow, here are some hard-earned lessons I wish every team followed—lessons I’ve gathered from over 25 feature-length projects.
🎯 Tip 1: Separate Mono and Stereo Audio Files
Mono tracks (like lavaliers or boom) should go on separate tracks from stereo elements (ambience, music, or SFX).
Mixing these can cause AAF/OMF export issues. I once had a project where the stereo ambience and lav mics were merged, leading to a messy export and two lost days.
Case Study: Keep stereo & mono tracks cleanly separated from the start.
🧩 Tip 2: Use Consistent Track Layouts
Track discipline is a superpower. If you assign Track 3 to Actor A’s lav and Track 4 to Actor B’s boom, stick with it. Jumping between random tracks causes confusion and delays in post.
Case Study: On a doc I worked on last year, each interview was edited with different layouts. It added 3–4 hours of unnecessary prep time on my end before I could mix.
🎬 Tip 3: Sync All Audio Before Cutting
Always sync audio with video before cutting. Whether it’s via clapper slates or waveform matching, get it synced and grouped early. This ensures that any trims or edits apply to both.
Case Study: On a thriller project, syncing after edits caused severe desyncs in ambient tracks. It led to multiple roundtrips for fixes.
📦 Tip 4: Prep Your Timeline for AAF Export
- Ungroup all audio/video clips
- Delete empty tracks
- Clearly label tracks (“LAV_A”, “BOOM_B”, “MUSIC_TEMP”)
These steps help ensure your session imports cleanly into any DAW.
✅ Ideal Track Layout
| Track Name | Type | Example |
|---|---|---|
| LAV_A | Mono | Actor A (lav mic) |
| BOOM_A | Mono | Boom mic for Actor A |
| LAV_B | Mono | Actor B |
| AMBIENCE | Stereo | Room tone, SFX |
| MUSIC_TEMP | Stereo | Temp Score |
| VO_NARR | Mono | Narration |
Coming soon: A video walkthrough of this track layout for Premiere & Resolve.
🎤 Final Thoughts
I’ve worked on films where the edit timeline was like a conductor’s score—clear and purposeful. And I’ve worked on others that felt like untangling headphones in your pocket. Your track layout reflects how much you value your story’s sound.
Need help with post prep or want a full sound mix for your film? Contact me here or visit audiomistry.com.