How to Bounce a Mix for Mastering
Updated July 2026 · by Loopin
Mastering can only work with what you give it. Bouncing your mix the right way — clean format, real headroom, nothing crushing the master bus — is the difference between a master that opens up and one that fights itself.
Leave headroom on the master bus
The single most important step: leave headroom. Aim for your mix to peak around −6 to −3 dBFS, with the loudest moments comfortably below 0. Mastering needs room to add EQ, glue and loudness; a mix that’s already slammed to the ceiling gives it nothing to work with.
If your mix is too hot, don’t reach for the master fader and call it done — pulling the whole bus down can still leave intersample peaks and a squashed balance. It’s better to address loud individual elements in the mix first. For the bigger picture, see how to prepare your mix for mastering.
Take the limiter off the master bus
Remove any limiter, maximiser or clipper from your master/2-bus before you bounce. Those tools are mastering’s job, and leaving them on means the mastering stage is working on an already-crushed signal — double processing that flattens dynamics and can’t be undone.
Bus compression and EQ that are genuinely part of your sound can stay, since they shape the mix itself. The rule of thumb: keep what makes the song sound like the song, but pull the final loudness-maximising stage. Mastering will add that back, properly, at the end.
Export the right file
Bounce a 24-bit WAV at your project’s native sample rate (usually 44.1 or 48 kHz). 24-bit preserves the quiet detail and headroom you carefully left; exporting a 16-bit MP3 throws that away before mastering even starts. Don’t add dither at this stage — that’s a final-export step, after mastering.
Export the full song, not a loop or a clipped selection, and let any reverb or delay tails ring out naturally rather than cutting them off. A clean WAV from start to silence is exactly what a mastering stage wants. If you’re unsure on format, see WAV vs MP3 for mastering.
Bounce, then master
Quick checklist before you hit export: limiter off the 2-bus, peaks around −6 to −3 dBFS, 24-bit WAV, full length with tails intact, native sample rate. Get those right and your pre-master is ready.
Then drop that WAV into Loopin’s free online mastering — it measures your bounce, targets streaming loudness and limits true peak automatically, turning a well-prepared mix into a finished, platform-ready master. Bounce it clean and the master does the rest.
Frequently asked questions
How much headroom should I leave when bouncing for mastering?
Aim for your mix to peak around -6 to -3 dBFS, with the loudest moments comfortably below 0. That headroom gives the mastering stage room to add EQ, glue and loudness without clipping.
Should I leave a limiter on the master bus?
No. Remove any limiter, maximiser or clipper from the master bus before bouncing. Final loudness is mastering's job, and leaving it on means processing an already-crushed signal. Mix-defining bus EQ and compression can stay.
What file format should I bounce for mastering?
Export a 24-bit WAV at your project's native sample rate, full length with reverb and delay tails intact. Avoid MP3 or 16-bit at this stage, and don't add dither until after mastering.