M&E Creation & Delivery Guidelines

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Netflix is available in over 190 countries, and a rapidly growing number of our subscribers will consume our titles in a language other than the original. It is therefore imperative to the creative intent of the film or series that the Music and Effects Package reflects the original version mix. For non-fiction titles, please check with a Netflix representative for depth of fill required.

Please deliver a fully-filled Music & Effects Package as long-play, discrete channels according to the Netflix Nearfield true-peak requirements (Sound Mix Specifications and Best Practices) with the program content of each file conformed and in sync with that of the final media delivered to Netflix. M&E levels should generally match the original mix. Do not modify Music levels at all, and do not modify FX levels beyond what is required for a properly filled M&E. Optional channel assignment should match that of the top-level mix. Please name files according to Netflix naming conventions outlined here.

For selected titles, Netflix will provide specific notes for the mixing of the M&E elements. Unless those notes specify otherwise, please apply the following general guidelines to the M&E mix and contact Netflix Post or International Dubbing if they cannot be followed.

M&E QC REQUIREMENTS

To ensure viewers experience an accurate presentation of the creative intent, the following assets are required for M&E QC:

Reference Video (ProRes, DNxHD etc.) - The same picture used during Mix. (MnE Request).
M&E Track (5.1 wav) - MnE Request.
Optional Tracks (5.1 wav) - MnE Request^1.
Dialogue Guide (5.1/5.0 Dialogue Stem or Mono Mix down of 5.1/5.0 Dialogue Stem) - MnE Request².
Print Master (5.1 wav) - This is uploaded to the Printmaster Request in Content Hub (per episode number).

¹What is a Dialogue Guide? A Dialogue Guide is either the 5.1/5.0 Dialogue Stem or Mono Mix down of 5.1/5.0 Dialogue Stem. It is used and usually included with an M&E for reference.

²What is an Optional Track? An Optional Track is a separate audio track containing valuable but language-specific material. For more information see Optional Tracks guidelines below

M&E GUIDELINES AND BEST PRACTICES

Preparing M&E assets

The audio deliverables should sync to the final IMF picture. Head leader and pops may be present on these assets.

A step by step guide to create M&E assets can be found in the M&E Creation video.

Alternate Audio: Brazilian Portuguese, Castilian Spanish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Latin American Spanish, Polish, Turkish, Korean, Mandarin, Thai

Naming Convention

All pertinent information regarding the M&E asset should be included in the file name. Please follow the instructions in this Naming Convention article to properly name the files before uploading to Content Hub.

Optional Tracks

An Optional Track is a separate audio track containing valuable but language-specific material. For example:

Non dialogue vocalizations (breaths, effort, neutrals, humming, crying and laughing etc)
Language-specific walla, crowd chants, cheers.
Dialogue from TV shows playing on-screen or from real-life/historical people.
Pre-Existing IP/Archival Material (Film, TV program, Radio, game etc)
Digital voice and public announcements (Transportation, airport, elevator), phone, announcements etc.
Language(s) being spoken that is foreign to that of the original language of production.
Vocals from a character singing on-screen (It may be dubbed IF the song's lyrics are story pertinent).

However, in the following cases, it is recommended to exclude these in the optional track or the body of the M&E:

Breath and effort vocalizations during a brief pause in a character’s dialogue.
Any breath and effort vocalizations within 2-3 seconds before or after a line of dialogue
Character's telephone-filtered voice, not telephone announcements
PFX ambience and sound effects

Optional tracks also contain dialogue of other languages that are spoken in a Film/Show. You may provide any number of optional tracks in any channel configuration from Mono to 7.1.2. Below are some examples of how to organize them. When in doubt, add it to the optional tracks.

Optional A - Principle character Vocalizations (breaths and efforts)
Optional B - Group ADR and Walla (separated by Language if necessary)
Optional C - Foreign language dialogue
Optional D - Archival Material
Optional E - Song vocals (separated out if possible)

	Music and Effects Mix	Optional Tracks	DX Guide/Remove
Crowd	Walla and non language-specific crowd noises, reactions, cheers, etc. Generic crowd walla bed that matches the intent of the crowd reaction in original mix (if production bed contains crowd noises with discernible language that must be removed)	Group dialogue that is not discernible in mix but is made up of distinct individual dialogue (possibly on group-specific stem) Live (and/or database) audience laughter/reactions (should be placed on reax-specific track) Crowd chants of a person’s name	Specific, distinct lines of dialogue within walla bed or crowd stems Discernible language within audience reactions
Music	Background music exactly as it is represented in the original language mix Instrumental tracks for on-screen musical performances original to or produced for show.	Vocals from performances original to or produced for show. Instrumental/vocal mix if isolated vocals from on-screen performance are not available	Discernible dialogue overlapping with musical performance
Foreign/Fictional Dialogue		All dialogue that is in a language (recognized or original to content) different than the original version language. Separate overlapping speakers if possible.	Short words/phrases interrupting lines of original language dialogue
Existing IP/ Archival Audio	Music and effects from audio source	Dialogue of audio from outside sources (archival, outside film/ television IP, etc.) Full audio mix of outside sources if tied together	Dialogue of anything scripted and recorded specifically for mix
Babies	Babies/ young children crying, screaming, etc. in non-discernible language Non-language “mouth sounds”: groaning, coughing, grunting, heavy breathing, etc. occurring separate separate from dialogue	Non-language “mouth sounds”: groaning, coughing, grunting, heavy breathing, etc. if it occurs close to dialogue	Babies/young children speaking in a discernible language

Optional Track Recommendations:

Unless otherwise specified by Netflix, please use best judgment in placing this material on Optional tracks.

	Body of M&E	Optional Tracks	DX Guide/Remove
Yelling	Non-dialogue yelling, screaming, crying, etc. from characters who never speak discernible language in program	Non-dialogue yelling, screaming, crying, etc. from speaking characters	Yelling, screaming, crying, etc. that contains dialogue
Breaths/efforts	Breaths/efforts from characters who never speak discernible language in program	Breaths/efforts from speaking characters not occurring next to dialogue	Breaths/efforts from speaking characters occurring within lines of dialogue

Delivery Guide

M&E is delivered to Netflix via Content Hub. If you have never delivered to Content Hub, please visit this article which details how to access Content Hub for the first time.

Before delivery, you should have been onboarded to your given project/s in Content Hub. If you are unable to access your specified project in Content Hub please contact your Netflix Post Production representative.

In preparation for upload to Content Hub, please organize the files accordingly:

Nearfield M&E mix will be uploaded with the Stage Mix Reference Video.
- The Stage Mix Reference video is defined as the video file the Sound team used as a reference for their mixing and Print Mastering process.
- Please do not transcode this file; deliver as you received it.
Once organized, navigate to the Contenthub.netflix.com.
- Search the title in the search bar at the top of the screen.

On the Requests page, open the 5.1 Nearfield M&E by clicking on the Request row.

Click the Upload files button - Auto submit to the request will be selected by default
- If all required tracks are not included, please de-select auto upload option.

The uploader will select the files from the folder location
- Folders can be accepted. Subfolders are not allowed, please only deliver tracks within one folder.

Upload will begin and Aspera Connect plugin will launch.

After a successful upload, please email your Netflix Post Production contact to let them know the delivery is complete.
- If upload errors or issues occur, consult the tutorials and documentation button in the top right corner, where you can type in a question to find articles or help:

If these do not assist you, submit a ticket via the “?” Icon:

Once upload completes, your files will appear in the request like so:

For Redeliveries

The Post Coordinator assigned to the show shall delete all the Version 1 files in the Content Hub Request bucket.
The sound team will adhere to the naming convention and add a version number to each file that has been changed, along with an update created date.
Upload instructions are the same, please always include the Stage Mix Reference Video in all M&E Deliveries.

For Workspaces

Workspaces is a convenient tool within each project in Content Hub which allows users to upload, stage and share files with other project collaborators. More in depth information can be found here .