The Final Mix and Deliverables

The re-recording mix is the last stage of postproduction. This is where dialogue, ADR, Foley, effects, ambiences, and music are balanced into a single soundtrack. For the final project, you will handle both editing and mixing, so the session needs to stay organized through both stages.

The mixing workflow below follows Purcell’s Dialogue Editing for Motion Pictures. The loudness targets come from current delivery standards.

Mix dialogue first

Mix dialogue first, then balance the other elements against it. The dialogue premix establishes the level, tone, and noise floor that the music and effects must work around. If the film has spoken lines, set their levels before adding the other elements. Adjust an effect rather than moving the dialogue to make room for it.

For the final mix, work in this order: dialogue, Foley, effects, ambiences, and music. The final project brief uses the same order.

Do not use heavy compression or limiting simply to make dialogue loud. Purcell warns that this can make dialogue sound thin and metallic on more revealing speakers. Match levels from shot to shot with fader automation and preserve most of the original dynamics.

Session organization

Professional mix sessions keep the same track layout from reel to reel. They also include muted work tracks, sync pops, and cue sheets for navigating the film. The dialogue editing lesson covers the related editing practices: splits, checkerboarding, and safety tracks.

For the final project:

• Name each track for its contents and group the tracks into dialogue, Foley, effects, ambience, and music categories.
• Use one folder or bus for each category so you can render stems later.
• Mute and hide your work tracks instead of deleting them.
• Keep any sound that is not speech off the dialogue tracks. Door slams and props captured with dialogue belong on separate tracks.

Stems and the M&E

A film mix includes more than a single stereo file. It is also rendered as stems: separate, synchronized files for dialogue, music, and effects that combine to reproduce the full mix. These files allow someone to create a TV cut, trailer, or censored airline version without rebuilding the mix.

The M&E track contains music and effects without dialogue. Foreign distributors use it when dubbing a film into another language. If a door slam remains on the dialogue track, removing the original dialogue will also remove the slam. Keep non-speech production sound on separate tracks so it remains in the M&E.

To render stems in REAPER, select the tracks in one category and choose File > Render. Set the source to the selected tracks or the category’s parent folder.

The loudness spec

Delivery specifications define a measured loudness rather than relying on the listener’s monitoring level. They use integrated loudness in LUFS, also written as LKFS, along with a true peak ceiling.

Netflix measures a film program-gated at -24 LKFS when dialogue makes up less than 15% of the program. Many projects in this class fit that description. Use the same target for the final render: -24 LUFS integrated with true peak below -2 dB.

In REAPER, right-click the master meter and enable the loudness readout to monitor LUFS-I as you work. To measure the finished file, select “Calculate loudness” in the render dialog or run a dry render. If the result is -20 LUFS, lower the master until it reads -24. If it is -30 LUFS, raise the master. Do not use a limiter simply to reach the target.

Reference

• John Purcell, Dialogue Editing for Motion Pictures: A Guide to the Invisible Art, chapters on premixes and delivering to the mix
• Loudness delivery specs explained , a current survey of the standards above