How to prepare material for sound post-production

Good preparation of material for sound post-production can shorten the work by several hours and save the project from costly revisions. Before you send us a file, it is worth taking care of a few things that will let the editor start with creative work rather than tidying up chaos.

Why preparation matters

A sound studio does not receive a “finished film” — it receives the raw materials from which it builds the track. If those raw materials reach us in an organized form, every line of dialogue, effect and background is where it should be. If not, the first hours of the session are spent recreating the sync and hunting for files. That is time you pay for, which adds nothing to the quality. You can read more about the process itself in the article on what sound post-production is .

Checklist: what to prepare

1. Lock the picture edit (picture lock)

The most important rule. Ideally, the picture edit is approved and there will be no more changes to the length of scenes. Every later cut in the image means the re-recorded dialogue, effects and music drift out of sync with the picture and have to be shifted by hand.

2. Export the project as AAF or OMF

These are the standard exchange formats between picture editing (Premiere, Avid, DaVinci, Final Cut) and the sound workstation. They preserve the track layout and clip positions. When exporting:

• keep separate tracks — don’t flatten everything into a single mix,
• add 1–2 s handles — that is, a reserve before and after each cut,
• include the original audio files (embedded or in a separate folder).

3. Include a reference video file

We need a preview of the picture with a burned-in timecode window (burn-in TC). Thanks to it we are sure the sound and picture share one point of reference. H.264 in reasonable quality works best — it does not have to be a master file.

4. Organize and label the tracks

If you have dialogue, temp music and effects separately, leave them on separate, named tracks. Names like “DIALOGUE_character”, “MUSIC_temp”, “SFX” save a huge amount of time.

5. Flag temp music and rights

If the edit contains “trial” music (a temp track) without a licence, flag it clearly. We’ll settle whether original music production or a licence is needed — before the track goes into the final mix.

Levels and technical order

You don’t have to mix anything — that’s what we’re for — but a few small things help:

• Don’t force-normalize or compress the dialogue — a raw signal gives us more options.
• Avoid clipping — a signal cut off in the red is beyond recovery.
• Leave the original on-set recordings, even the “ugly” ones — sometimes more can be salvaged from them than you’d think, also thanks to audio restoration .

Common mistakes worth avoiding

1. Sending only a mixed-down video file — we get one glued-together sound instead of separated layers, and lose control over the dialogue or music.
2. No handles — hard cuts without a reserve make smooth transitions harder.
3. Changes to the image after work has started — the costliest of mistakes.
4. No timecode — synchronization “by eye” is unreliable.

What to deliver along with the files

Besides the tracks themselves, it is worth including a few pieces of information that will speed up the start:

• Frame rate and sample rate — e.g. 25 fps, 48 kHz. This lets us set up the session straight away without guessing.
• A short director’s note — what you expect from the sound, which scenes are key, where it should be quiet and where it should “hit”.
• References — if you have a film, advertisement or podcast whose sound you like, send it. A shared point of reference saves rounds of revisions.
• A list of output versions — how many lengths, which platforms, whether a surround and stereo version is needed.

The more we know at the start, the more accurately we’ll hit the mark the first time — and that translates directly into shorter work and a lower cost.

Not sure how to export?

That’s normal — not every editor does it every day. We’ll gladly send a short AAF/OMF export guide tailored to your editing program, or connect with your editor. Our whole range of post-production services is designed to join a project at any stage.

The cost of post-production depends on the length and complexity of the material — well-prepared raw materials usually mean a lower quote, because less time goes on tidying up. Treat this as a guide; we’ll prepare a specific estimate after viewing the project.

Summary

A locked edit, an AAF/OMF export with separated tracks and handles, a video with timecode and labelled files — this is the foundation of efficient sound post-production. The better the raw materials, the more time is left for what you can really hear: good sound.

Getting material ready to hand over for sound? Write to us or call +48 602 736 922 — we’ll send an export checklist for your program.