/ PREMASTER DELIVERY GUIDE
Prepare your premaster. Get a better master.
Mastering enhances loudness, depth, tone and translation, but it cannot fully repair a heavily processed mix. A clean, balanced premaster gives me room to do the job properly.
/ 01 / FORMAT
File format & resolution
Maximum upload size: [SIZE] per file. For larger session bounces, use WeTransfer or Dropbox and paste the link in the brief.
- ✓Export WAV or AIFF (uncompressed). MP3 only as reference.
- ✓24-bit or 32-bit float preferred.
- ✓Keep the original session sample rate (44.1, 48, 88.2 or 96 kHz). Do not resample.
- ✓Do not normalize and do not dither at this stage.
- ✓Export the full song length, including intro silence and reverb tails.
/ 02 / HEADROOM
Headroom & limiting
- ✓Aim for peaks around −6 to −3 dBFS. The exact number is less important than: no clipping anywhere.
- ✓Bypass any final brickwall limiter or loudness maximizer on the master bus.
- ✓Bus compression and tone-shaping are fine if they are part of the sound. Just don't slam.
- ✓If a loud limited version is part of the creative intent, send both: the unlimited premaster AND the loud reference.
- ✓Watch inter-sample peaks. True-peak above 0 dBTP causes streaming codec distortion.
/ 03 / MIX BUS
What to remove before sending
- ✓Final loudness maximizers (Pro-L, OTT-style maximizers, master clippers): bypass.
- ✓Reference-matching plugins active on the master bus: bypass.
- ✓Anything you wouldn't want on the final master.
- ✓Keep individual channel processing intact.
/ 04 / NAMING
Naming & metadata
- ✓File: Artist - Track Name - Premaster.wav
- ✓Include BPM and key in the brief if relevant for club versions.
- ✓Mention the target platform: Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Beatport, Bandcamp, club, vinyl.
- ✓Mention genre and 1 to 3 reference tracks (links or files).
/ 05 / COMMON MISTAKES
What kills a master
- ✓Heavy limiting on the master bus: flattens dynamics permanently.
- ✓Clipping on the master bus: adds harshness mastering can't undo.
- ✓MP3 sources: lossy artifacts get amplified.
- ✓Wrong sample rate after offline rendering: causes pitch or timing drift.
- ✓Stems and stereo mix not matching: confuses revision rounds.
/ FINAL CHECK BEFORE UPLOAD
- ✓WAV or AIFF, 24/32-bit, original sample rate.
- ✓No clipping, no brickwall limiter on the master bus.
- ✓Full track length with tails.
- ✓Clearly named file.
- ✓Reference tracks ready to attach or link.
- ✓Target platform and genre noted.
/ READY?
Start your project. Secure upload, clear pricing.