Sound Editing Guide:

Stop Sabotaging Your Sound Mix: Get My FREE Professional Editors Sound Handover Checklist

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"A clean, well prepared timeline doesn't just make your mixer's life easier. It directly impacts how good your project can sound.”

Most mix problems don’t actually start in the mix. They start weeks earlier, sitting right there in your edit timeline.

I’m Tom Edwards, a Supervising Sound Editor, and recently I’ve been posting about the "friction" that happens when a project moves from the edit suite to the sound house. The feedback from editors, mixers, and producers has been incredible - and it all points to one thing: intentions are getting lost in translation.

When a sound editor or mixer has to spend the first day of a session "archaeologically digging" through a messy timeline or stripping away broken AI plugins, they aren't mixing. They’re cleaning.

Every hour spent cleaning is an hour NOT spent making your project sound incredible.

To bridge this gap, I’ve consolidated these professional workflows into one definitive resource: The Editor’s Sound Checklist. And I’m giving it away for free.

Why You Need This (Regardless of Your Role)

I’ve designed this checklist to be the "universal translator" for the post-production bridge.

  • For Video Editors: Learn exactly how to prep your timeline so your creative intentions. Those specific levels, temp tracks, and pacing choices actually survive the export and make it to the final speakers.

  • For Sound Departments: This is the document you’ve been wishing you could send to your editors. It sets clear expectations and saves you hours of technical "un-picking" on day one.

  • For Production Teams & Producers: Get a high level look at what actually happens in a mix. Use this to plan your schedules and budgets more accurately by avoiding the "fix it in post" traps that eat up time and money.

A Sneak Peek at the Checklist

I’m keeping the full guide for my subscribers, but here is the framework I use on every professional production:

  1. The Timeline Foundation: How to organize by category (Dialogue, SFX, Music) so your mixer understands the story at a glance.

  2. The "Strip It Back" Rule: Why your noise reduction and clip-based effects are likely doing more harm than good in a professional dubbing suite.

  3. The Anti-Goldfish Protocol: A simple rule to ensure you never accidentally delete the "soul" of a scene under your B-roll.

  4. Intentional Communication: Using markers and notes to stop the mixer from guessing what you were trying to achieve.

  5. The Perfect Technical Export: The exact specs (handles, bit-depth, and sample rates) to avoid the dreaded "Error on Import" email.

Get the Checklist for FREE

I want your projects to sound better. I want the handovers to be smoother. And most importantly, I want the editor and the mixer to be on the same team.

I’m giving the full Editor’s Sound Checklist away for free to everyone on my Substack Newsletter.

How to get it: Simply subscribe below. As soon as you join, the high res PDF checklist will be sent directly to your inbox in your welcome email.

Keep it on your desktop or print it out for your edit suite. Your sound mixer (and your ears) will thank you.