Should You Master an Exclusive Beat Before You Sell It?
Published · by Loopin
Master the preview you pitch with, but deliver the exclusive buyer an unmastered WAV with headroom and the stems. The vocal changes the balance, so the real master happens after it is on.
Split the job into two files
You need a pitch file and a delivery file. The pitch file is what the artist or A&R hears in a DM or on a link: it should be loud, finished and competitive with a commercial track. The delivery file is what they put in a session to record over.
Making one file serve both is how beat makers end up delivering a limited WAV that the artist cannot mix around. Keep two exports from the same mix and label them clearly. For beat-store listings, the pitch file also doubles as the tagged preview, so you only maintain one loud version.
Master the pitch file to match what the buyer hears all day
Run the beat through free online mastering and audition the feels: Punchy for hard trap and drill, Club for loud dance cuts, Warm for soulful or sampled beats. Previews and the loudness-matched A/B are unlimited, so you can hear each against the original before you decide. The default export lands at about −14 LUFS with a −1 dBTP ceiling; Punchy is about −11.
Downloads are capped at 1 per rolling 24 hours with no account and 2 with a free account, so master your pitch files for the week in one sitting rather than the night you need them. Our how to master a beat guide covers the checks.
Deliver the exclusive with headroom, not a limiter
Export the delivery WAV from your mix with the limiter off, peaking around −6 dB, and add the stems. The artist’s engineer will stack vocals, reverb and a bus compressor on it, and a pre-limited file leaves them nothing to work with. If the 808 or kick pushes the peak, lower the track, not the export.
State in the delivery note that the file is unmastered on purpose. It saves you a thread of “why is it quieter than the preview?”. Add the BPM and key to the note; it saves the artist's engineer from guessing.
Offer the master as an add-on, not the default
If an artist wants the beat as the final song instrumental, with no vocal, a mastered file is useful. Otherwise, the whole song gets mastered after the vocal is on, and that is the file that goes to streaming. See leased vs exclusive beats for what each licence usually includes.
Be honest about what automatic mastering does: it is a quick first pass for a beat, with no creative direction, and cannot fix a muddy mix. If an exclusive is worth real money and the mix is finished, ask a human mastering engineer to look at the pitch file. If the buyer insists on a mastered file, master the track free and send the −14 LUFS export alongside the unmastered one, clearly labelled.
Run a two-minute pre-send check
Play the pitch file and the delivery file on your phone speaker, level-matched by ear. They should be the same song at different loudness. Confirm tempo and key are in the file name (the key and BPM finder helps if you are unsure) and that both exports start on the downbeat at the same point.
Then send the pitch, hold the delivery until the deal is agreed, and keep a copy of exactly what you shipped. Keep the sent files in a dated folder so you can prove what the buyer received if there is a dispute.
Frequently asked questions
Should I send a mastered or unmastered exclusive beat?
Pitch with a mastered file, deliver the exclusive buyer an unmastered WAV peaking around -6 dB plus stems, so their engineer has room to mix a vocal.
How loud should a beat preview be?
Close to what the artist hears on streaming. Loopin's default is about -14 LUFS, and the Punchy feel is about -11 LUFS for a harder preview.
How much headroom should I leave on a beat I sell?
Peak around -6 dB with no limiter on the master bus, so the artist can add vocals and processing without clipping.
Do I master a beat before or after the vocals?
After. The vocal changes the balance, so the final song gets mastered once the vocals are in.
Is free online mastering good enough for beat previews?
For a fast, loud preview, yes. Downloads are capped at 1 per 24 hours with no account or 2 with a free account, and it takes no creative direction.