Pre-Release Audio QC: What Distributors Actually Check
Published · by Loopin
Most distributors run a set of automated technical checks before a release goes live — knowing specifically what these check lets you verify everything yourself beforehand, avoiding a rejection cycle that costs real time.
Clipping and peak level
Distributors check for clipped or distorted audio, typically flagging files where the true peak exceeds acceptable limits. This is one of the most common automated rejection triggers, and it's directly addressed by ensuring your master has a proper −1 dBTP true-peak ceiling before submission.
Check this yourself with a true-peak meter before uploading, rather than discovering it through a rejection notice after submission.
Silence and duration anomalies
Excessive silence at the start or end of a track, or an unusually short duration, can trigger automated flags — these checks are looking for signs of an incomplete or corrupted file rather than a deliberately artistic use of silence, though very long intentional silences can sometimes need manual review.
If your track has an intentional extended silence for artistic reasons, be aware this might trigger a review flag and potentially require explanation or manual approval, depending on the specific distributor's process.
File integrity and format compliance
Corrupted files, incorrect sample rates, or files that don't match the stated format specification all get caught by automated technical checks. This is generally straightforward to avoid by exporting properly from your mastering tool and not manually editing the file afterward in a way that could introduce corruption.
If you're ever unsure whether a file exported correctly, play it all the way through yourself before submission — this catches most integrity issues a distributor's automated check would also find.
Metadata consistency
Beyond pure audio checks, distributors verify that submitted metadata is complete and internally consistent — missing required fields or obvious inconsistencies can trigger a hold on the submission separate from any audio quality issue.
Double-check this before submission, since a metadata issue is often just as delaying as an audio technical issue, despite being a completely separate category of check.
What these checks don't cover
None of these automated checks evaluate mastering quality, tonal balance, or how genuinely polished a track sounds — passing all of them confirms technical compliance, not that a track is well mastered. Don't mistake a successful submission for confirmation of mastering quality.
Use your own judgment and the mastering checklist practices discussed elsewhere as the actual quality bar — the distributor's automated checks are a technical floor, not a quality ceiling.
Frequently asked questions
What's the most common reason distributors flag an audio submission?
Clipping or excessive true peak level. This is directly addressed by ensuring your master has a proper -1 dBTP true-peak ceiling before submission, which you can verify yourself with a true-peak meter beforehand.
Do distributors check mastering quality directly?
No. Automated checks confirm technical compliance -- clipping, silence anomalies, file integrity, metadata completeness -- not tonal balance or how genuinely polished a track sounds. Passing checks doesn't confirm mastering quality.
Will intentional silence in my track cause a problem?
It can trigger a review flag, since automated checks are generally looking for signs of an incomplete file. An intentional extended silence for artistic reasons might need explanation or manual approval depending on the distributor.