Short answer: go to File > Export Audio/Video, set Rendered Track to All Individual Tracks, Normalize Off, and export 24-bit WAV at your session’s sample rate. Every stem should start at the same point and peak below -6 dBFS.
How to export a session from Ableton.
We’ll export all tracks separately to prepare your session for mixing.
Step 1: Save a copy of your project.
Open the File menu and select “Save Live Set As”. Add “for mixing” to the file name and save it in the same folder. This keeps your original session intact.
Step 2: Name your tracks clearly.
Use descriptive names like “Kick”, “Snare”, “Lead_Vocal”. Avoid default names such as “Audio_01” or “Track_05”.
Step 3: Prepare your session.
Make sure vocals are tuned and instruments are time-aligned. If needed, Major Mixing offers tuning, timing, sample replacement, and re-recording services.
If you have multiple takes or layers, consolidate them. For lead vocals, split by sections like:
- Lead_Verse
- Lead_Chorus
- Lead_Bridge
Step 4: Bypass unnecessary effects.
Turn off EQ, reverb, and compression unless they’re essential. If you want both wet and dry versions, duplicate the track and label them clearly:
- “Guitar_1_Dry”
- “Guitar_1_Wet”
Step 5: Check your levels.
Select all tracks (click top track, hold Shift, click bottom track), press Play, and look at the Master Fader (bottom right in Session View).
Make sure it’s not clipping and the peaks are around -6 dB for proper headroom.
Now we are ready to export our multitrack.
- Go to File > Export Audio/Video.
- In the Rendered Track dropdown, select All Individual Tracks.
- Set Normalize to Off.
- Choose your Sample Rate (44.1 kHz or 48 kHz), File Type (WAV or AIFF), and set Bit Depth to 24-bit.
- Press Export.
- Create a new folder for your tracks. Name it after your song and include the BPM (e.g. “MySong_125BPM”).
- Press Save and wait for the export to finish.
Final step:
Open a new Ableton project, drag in your exported files, and make sure everything is aligned and sounding as expected.
Zip your multitrack folder and upload it to MajorMixing when placing your order.
| Setting | What to send | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| File format | WAV or AIFF | Never MP3. Lossy files are already missing information a mix engineer would otherwise have to work around. |
| Bit depth | 24-bit | Gives plenty of resolution below the noise floor. Going to 16-bit throws that away for no benefit. |
| Sample rate | Same as your session | 44.1 or 48 kHz is fine — just don’t convert. Resampling on export adds artefacts nobody asked for. |
| Start point | Bar 1 / timeline zero | Every stem the same length from the same start, so the whole set drops in and lines up without editing. |
| Peak level | Below -6 dBFS | Leaves headroom to work with. Clipped stems cannot be repaired later. |
| Master bus | Bypassed | Any limiter or compressor on the 2-bus prints onto every stem and cannot be undone. |
| Track effects | Bypassed unless integral | Amp sims, special delays and tuned effects are part of the sound — send those as both a dry and a wet version. |
| Naming | Descriptive | “Kick”, “Lead_Verse”, “Gtr_1_Dry”. Not “Audio_07”. Clear names save hours on a large session. |
| Also include | Tempo and key | A one-line text file with BPM, key and any tempo changes prevents a lot of guesswork. |
This is the spec our engineers ask for on every project. Getting it right the first time is usually the difference between a mix starting today and a mix starting after a round of re-exports.
Exporting this session for a mix? Send it to us instead of fighting it yourself: professional mixing and mastering from $133 per song, 2–3 days per song, 6 revision rounds included. Full prices are on the pricing page.
Exporting stems from Ableton Live — FAQ
How do I export all tracks separately in Ableton?
File > Export Audio/Video, then set Rendered Track to All Individual Tracks. Set Normalize to Off — leaving it on rescales each stem independently and destroys the balance between them.
Should I send stems or the whole Ableton Live project?
Stems, in almost every case. Audio files open anywhere, with no missing plugins and no version mismatch. A project file only helps if the engineer runs the same DAW with the same plugin set, and even then it slows the start of the work.
What do I do with virtual instruments and MIDI?
Print them to audio before you export. A MIDI track is not a stem — it’s an instruction for a plugin that may not exist on the other end. Render each instrument to its own audio track, then export that.
Should volume automation be rendered into the stems?
Yes. The rides you’ve already made are part of the performance, not a mistake to be undone, so we ask for them printed. What should stay off is master bus processing and anything added just to make the rough mix listenable.
My session is 96 kHz. Should I convert it down first?
No. Export at the session rate and leave conversion to the end of the chain. Sample rate conversion is one more process between your recording and the finished master, and there’s no reason to spend it before mixing has started.
How do I send the files once they’re exported?
Zip the folder and upload it with your order. Name the folder with the song title and BPM — for example “MySong_92BPM”. If the archive is large, a cloud link works just as well; what matters is that all the stems arrive together.
Send us the mix you are working on
An engineer listens, tells you what is holding the track back and which service fits. No order needed first.
- 2–3 days per song, weekends included
- 11,000+ projects completed
- 6 revision rounds included
