The Mastering Delivery Checklist for Client Work (Copy and Reuse)
Published · by Loopin
Most revision emails are delivery mistakes, not sound mistakes. Copy this 12-point list into your notes app and tick it before every send.
Check the audio before you check the files
1. Listen to the whole master once, start to finish, on speakers you did not mix on. 2. Check the first and last two seconds for clicks, cut-off tails and stray silence. 3. Confirm there is no clipping in the loudest chorus: if it crackles, bring the mix back down, do not re-limit.
4. Play it against the unmastered mix at matched loudness. If the master only wins because it is louder, you have not improved anything yet. The free A/B in the online masterer is loudness-matched for this reason.
Lock the numbers
5. Loudness: about −14 LUFS integrated for streaming, with true peak at −1 dBTP or lower. Heavier genres can sit hotter, but write the target in the job notes so the client knows it was a choice. Our LUFS guide covers the reading.
6. Keep every track in one release within about 1 dB of the others, so playlist order does not make the volume jump. 7. Write the loudest and quietest track in the release in your delivery note. If the gap is more than 1 dB, fix it before sending; consistency is the thing clients hear first and name last. Re-check the sequence in playlist order, not in your session order, because the jump between tracks one and two is the one people notice.
Name and format the files so nobody re-asks
8. Use one pattern: Artist - Title - Master v1 - 44.1k16.wav. Add the BPM and key only if the client works in a DAW. 9. Deliver a WAV master as the main file. Loopin exports 16-bit WAV, so if the client asks for 24-bit or DDP, say so up front and send that job to a human engineer.
10. If they want a lossy copy for a phone, make it from the master, not the mix, and label it as a reference. Never let a lossy file be the only copy in the folder. Keep the project file, the premaster and the final master together in one job folder for at least a year; clients return with “one small change” long after you have forgotten the settings.
Put the metadata in the email, not in the file
11. Send a three-line note: target loudness, true-peak ceiling, and which feel or reference you used. It takes 30 seconds and kills most “why is it quieter than my reference?” replies.
12. State the revision terms in the same email: how many rounds are included, and what counts as a revision (a level change is one; a new mix is a new job). Our client EP walkthrough shows where revisions fit in the sequence.
Use an automatic master as the first pass
For a fast first pass, run it through the free masterer, then spend your own time on the checks above. Mastering, previews and A/B are free and unlimited. The free download is capped at 1 per rolling 24 hours with no account and 2 with a free account, so for a full client EP in one sitting look at Loopin Mastering Unlimited ($10 a month or $59 a year; check the pricing page for your region).
Be honest with clients: an automatic master takes no creative direction and cannot fix a muddy mix. Treat it as a first pass, a reference or a preview, and hand anything with a critical release date to a human engineer.
Frequently asked questions
What should a mastering delivery include?
The master WAV, a note with target loudness and true peak, the file naming pattern, and your revision terms. Optional: a lossy reference copy labelled as such.
What file format should I deliver masters in?
WAV is standard. Loopin exports 16-bit WAV at about -14 LUFS with a -1 dBTP ceiling; if the client needs 24-bit or DDP, use a human engineer.
What true-peak level should I deliver?
-1 dBTP or lower is a safe ceiling for streaming delivery, so lossy conversion does not push peaks over 0.
How loud should a client master be?
About -14 LUFS integrated for streaming. Punchy or club material can sit hotter, around -11 to -10 LUFS, if the client wants that.
How many revisions should I include?
Two rounds is a common limit. Define a revision as a level or tone change on the same mix, and charge for any new mix.
Should I send a lossy copy as well?
Only as a labelled reference made from the master. Keep the WAV as the master of record.