Creating Alternative Versions To Your Songs Explained!

When it comes to mixing for your clients or sending your tracks out to a publishing library, you will often need to deliver alternative versions of the mix. These are mixes that can be used for different situations, different types of placements, & various performance scenarios.

When we mix for our clients at SoundOracle.net we send all these versions once the mix is finalized regardless of if they are requested or not. There are also versions of the mix that we prepare for publishing companies as well.

It is typically good practice to have each alternative mix have the exact same starting point. Meaning if the audio starts playing 1 second in on one version, then it should start playing at 1 second on all the other versions. That way if a DJ or even the artists blends versions for a performance, everything will line up exactly together.

Another question you may have is if you need to increase the overall volume if you are just bouncing out an A Capella or Instrumental. The answer is usually no. You will not need to enhance the gain on your limiter. The reason being is if the artist or producer wants to later blend the Instrumental & A Capella tracks together. Keeping the limiter at the same volume as the original mix & master will allow someone to blend the two together without the combined volumes clipping. Another example is if a DJ uses the A Capella to blend on an entirely different beat or vice versa. If the A Capella’s volume is set to be overly loud, it will cause headroom conflicts with the track it is being blended with.

ORIGINAL MIX & MASTER

This is the mix as is. Nothing is censored & nothing is muted from the final mix. The song is not shortened or extended either.

INSTRUMENTAL

All the vocals, including adlibs & vocal FX are muted. This mix only contains the instruments or beat. You will not need to bounce out the individual beat stems for this version; all of the instruments are summed to one two track file.

A CAPELLA

Only vocals. All of the instruments are muted. This is usually all of the vocals: lead vocals, background vocals, harmonies, & adlibs. The vocal reverbs, delays, & vocal effects usually remain in this version. You will not need to bounce out the individual vocal stems for this version; all vocals are summed to one two track file.

TV MIX

The lead vocals are the only thing muted. Background vocals usually remain in the track. This is the version an artist will use when they perform on TV or in front of an audience. Sometimes this version could be used for a commercial or an ad placement for a narrator to speak over the music.

RADIO EDIT

The biggest noticeable change on this mix is the explicit & suggestive language will be censored or muted. Sometimes this may be a shorter version of the song too, so it can fit better in the rotation of radio stations. If the song has a long intro, outro, or an added skit, they may be cut to shorten the playing time of the record. A long solo or instrumental section of the song may be another area that gets cut. Sometimes if the chorus is repeated at the end, that will be cut as well to shorten the length. This is not always the case though & most of the time a radio edit only entails censorship on explicit or suggestive language.

PERFORMANCE MIX

This is basically like the TV mix; however, some type of lead vocal at the request of the artist is left in. Oftentimes it is the lead chorus vocals that remain intact. Along with background vocals & adlibs throughout the track. Sometimes the lead vocals will remain & the background vocals will be cut.

It basically mutes the vocals that the artist would like to perform live & keeps the vocals they will not be performing intact. Sometimes the lead vocals will actually remain in the mix; however, the client will want them to be lowered in volume by 5-6dB from the original mix. This volume will serve as a guide for the artist in their in-ear monitors but won’t be very audible for the audience to hear.

EXTENDED MIX

This is a version of the mix that has an extended intro, outro, or breakdown section. Usually, it is an instrumental section without vocals that gets extended. Sometimes a faster drum pattern is used in this section as well. This is a version that is usually for DJ’s so they can blend mixes together for their performances, or have a dance section, or a section they can speak over & hype the crowd up.

ALTERNATIVE VERSIONS FOR PUBLISHING COMPANIES

These are for sync-placements or publishing library submissions. You will often be asked to deliver a few different versions of the mix. For just instrumental submission you may be asked to upload the full version, as well as a version that has the drums & bass muted & another version with all instruments muted except the drums & bass.

This allows companies that are purchasing your music for their commercials, TV shows, or movies to have options for what they want playing in the background. There may be a narrator speaking over the music, so the drums may make the overall sound appear too busy. While another company may want to start out with the drums playing by themselves for the intro of their ad before the rest of the instruments come in later on. There are endless possibilities a buyer may want to do with alternative versions.

Some publishing companies may also want preview versions of the mix as well. Usually a 5 second clip, 15 second clip, & a 30 second clip. This allows a publishing company to display previews inside of their library for potential buyers to get a quick listen to records as they are browsing. So, because of this, it’s usually a good idea to create a preview of the most exciting or enticing section of the song. In most cases this would be the chorus.

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Realistic Production - Engineer

Realistic is a Producer/Engineer located in Atlanta, GA specializing in Hip-Hop, R&B & Pop music. Realistic has been involved in the music industry for over 15 years. He has worked on projects for Talib Kweli, Just Blaze, Musiq Soulchild, Pharoahe Monch, NBA 2k, Skyzoo, BJ The Chicago Kid, Madlib, Ayo-N-Keyz, Billboard Hitmakers, Atmosphere, Brother Ali, Rhymesayers, Hamburger Helper, & LoveOfPharaoh.

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