How to review mastering files before release

Ask which version you are hearing and whether this delivery is for review or already labelled for release. Archive Mastering, for example, provides a client listening stage before it sends production files. The Lab describes its own revision allowance. Ask your engineer to spell out the timing and scope of your revision round, especially if changing the mix would mean revisiting work already completed.

Before pressing play, write down the intended running order and identify every alternate that matters, such as the clean edit of a single. Use the names in your brief rather than relying on a file’s duration or the order in which your player imports it. For a band, agree who gathers comments and who can approve on everyone’s behalf.

Start with a full listen in sequence on headphones or speakers you use regularly. For an EP or album, listen through each boundary instead of jumping from chorus to chorus. Check that the opening starts where expected, the endings have room to decay, and a planned crossfade actually joins the right songs. Archive Mastering explicitly makes sequence and transitions part of its listening process.

On a second pass, use another familiar setup and revisit the places you marked. If comparing the master to the approved mix, adjust playback so they sound roughly equally loud before deciding which has the balance you prefer. Keep notes on the sound you hear and the exact spot it happens. A click that you can reproduce at the same time in the downloaded file is a more actionable note than a general comment about one speaker.

Send a single note that names the file and version, gives the timestamp or range, and describes the result you want. Distinguish a possible error, such as a cut-off ending, from a preference, such as a gentler transition. If the issue is also audible in the approved mix, tell the engineer. They can advise whether it can be addressed during mastering or whether the mix needs another pass.

When a revision comes back, confirm which files it replaces. Listen to the changed spot, then replay the adjacent material. If a fade on track two changed, play through the transition into track three. Update the approval note with the filename or version you actually listened to, so the person handling delivery can match it to the approved batch.

Match each approved file to a recipient and confirm that recipient’s current requirements. Archive Mastering describes distinct digital, vinyl and CD manufacturing packages. The Lab describes a CD disc image and separate vinyl files in its own process. These are examples of how engineers package a release. Your distributor or manufacturer can confirm the exact format, naming and packaging to use for your project.

Before forwarding anything, open the delivery manifest and cross-check the title, track order, versions and any supplied recording identifiers against your release sheet. Confirm that the person uploading the files can tell the release master from a reference copy. Keep a dated record of the package sent, who received it and which approval still remains, such as a vinyl test pressing.