Sluttmiks

Sluttmiks is the final stereo mix of a musical recording, produced during the mixing stage by a mix engineer or producer. It combines all recorded tracks into a single audio file that represents the artistic balance, tone, and spatial decisions intended for release. The slutmiks follows earlier mixes, edits, and any arrangement changes, and precedes mastering.

During the slutmiks, engineers finalize levels for vocals and instruments, apply equalization and dynamics processing as needed, shape the stereo image, and place effects such as reverb and delay. The goal is to ensure vocal clarity, consistent energy across sections, and sufficient headroom for mastering. Engineers typically review the mix on multiple monitoring systems and environments to avoid phase issues, clipping, and tonal imbalances.

Deliverables commonly include a high-resolution stereo file, such as 24-bit WAV or AIFF at an appropriate sample rate, prepared for mastering. Many projects also retain the DAW session files for revisions and may provide stems (grouped tracks) to assist the mastering engineer or future remixes.

Relation to other stages: the slutmiks is distinct from the rough or guide mix, which may be more exploratory in nature, and from the mastered track, which is the final optimized version released to distribution after mastering. In Scandinavian studio practice, sluttmiks denotes the finalized mix that the mastering stage will polish further for commercial release.