Preparatory mixing of related sound elements into separate groups — dialogue, music, and effects are each premixed independently.
Technical Details
Standard premixes include dialogue stems (mostly 5.1 or 7.1 surround), music stems (stereo to Atmos with up to 128 objects), and effects stems, divided into atmospheres, hard effects, and Foley. The stems are created in Pro Tools, Nuendo, or on specialized mixing consoles like the AMS Neve DFC or Avid S6. Technical parameters follow broadcasting standards: -23 LUFS for European productions, -24 LUFS for US productions. Each stem contains metadata for routing information and automation data. For Dolby Atmos productions, object-based stems are created with separate bed and object components.
History & Development
The premix was developed in 1941 at Disney for "Fantasia," where music, dialogue, and effects were first pre-mixed separately. In 1953, 20th Century Fox introduced the Three-Strip System: one stem for dialogue, one for music, one for effects. With the introduction of Dolby Stereo in 1975, the system expanded to six stems. Digitalization in the 1990s enabled non-destructive premixes with unlimited versions. Since 2012, Dolby Atmos has revolutionized premixing through object-based audio stems that allow dynamic positioning in 3D spaces.
Practical Application in Film
For "Mad Max: Fury Road" (2015), Sound Designer Mark Mangini created over 200 individual tracks that were premixed into 12 stem groups. Christopher Nolan's films typically use dialogue, music, and three effects stems (Mechanical, Organic, Synthesis). Premixing usually occurs 2-3 weeks before the final mix in specialized dubbing stages. Stems enable international versions by exchanging individual track groups – the dialogue stem is replaced for dubbed versions, while music and effects remain unchanged. Netflix requires standardized stem deliveries in six track groups for original productions.
Comparison & Alternatives
In contrast to the final mix, the track groups remain separately editable in the premix. Stems differ from splits in their already mixed and processed form – splits contain raw, unprocessed individual tracks. Modern cloud-based systems like Source Connect enable remote premixing between different studios. Alternative workflows utilize Advanced Authoring Format (AAF) for seamless handover between premix and final mix, preserving all automation data and plug-in settings.