How to prepare your mix for mastering
How to Prepare Your Mix for Mastering
Getting your mix ready for mastering is one of those things that sounds more complicated than it actually is. Done right, it takes about ten minutes and makes a real difference to what a mastering engineer can do with your track. Done wrong, it can limit the result before the session has even started.
Here's exactly what you need to know.
Get the Mix Sounding the Way You Want It
It's worth saying clearly: mastering is not a fix for a mix you're not happy with. A mastering engineer can balance, shape and polish a finished mix — but they can't correct fundamental problems with the arrangement, the performances, or the mix balance itself. If something is bothering you about the mix, address it before you send it. If you're genuinely unsure whether something is a mix issue or a mastering issue, just ask — a good mastering engineer will tell you honestly.
Export at the Right Settings
When you're ready to export, use these settings:
Format — WAV Only. Some engineers will accept AIFF, but I find it easier to just accept one format. Definitely not MP3, or AAC, or any other compressed format. Mastering from a compressed file throws away audio information that can't be recovered
Bit depth — 24-bit. Not 16-bit, not 32-bit float — just 24-bit
Sample rate — whatever your DAW project is set to. If you recorded at 44.1kHz, export at 44.1kHz. If you recorded at 48kHz, export at 48kHz. Don't convert the sample rate at the export stage
Leave Headroom on the Master Bus
This is the one that catches people out most often. Your mix should not be hitting 0dB — the absolute ceiling of the digital signal. If it is, there's no room left for mastering processing to work without causing distortion or limiting the engineer's options.
You don't need to hit a specific target level — the old "-6dB headroom" advice is a useful rough guide but not a hard rule. What actually matters is that your file is not clipping anywhere. Check the peak meter on your master bus and make sure it's not going into the red at any point in the track.
Remove Limiters and Clippers from the Master Bus
If you have a limiter, clipper or any other peak-control device on your master bus purely to keep the level under control during mixing, take it off before you export. These devices restrict what a mastering engineer can do — you're essentially pre-mastering the track yourself, which means the mastering session is working against your own processing rather than starting fresh.
Check for Clipping
Before you export, zoom into the waveform in your DAW and look for any flat-topped peaks — these are signs of clipping, where the signal has exceeded 0dB and been cut off rather than captured cleanly. Clipping can't be undone in mastering; it's baked into the file. Fix it in the mix before exporting.
Most DAWs will show clipping as red on the master bus meter — if you've seen red at any point during the mix session, that's worth investigating before you send anything.
Label Everything Clearly
Label your exported files with the artist name, track title, and if it's part of a release, the track number. Something like:
01 — Artist Name — Track Title.wav
If you're sending an EP or album, include a track listing document in the folder so the running order is unambiguous. It's a small thing, but clear labelling avoids any confusion and means the session can start immediately rather than spending time sorting out which file is which.
Include a Reference Mix
Not essential, but genuinely useful: include a rough reference mix if you have one — even a bounced version of the track with your mix limiter still on, or a phone recording of how it sounds in your room. This helps a mastering engineer understand the balance and energy you were going for, which is especially useful if the export sounds different to what you're used to hearing in your DAW.
Send Reference Tracks if You Have Them
If there's a released record that captures the energy, tone or loudness you're aiming for, share it. Reference tracks are one of the most useful things a client can provide — they give a mastering engineer a concrete target to work toward rather than having to guess at the direction from the mix alone.
A Quick Checklist
Before you hit send, run through this:
☐ Mix sounds the way I want it to
☐ Exported as 24-bit WAV
☐ Sample rate matches the DAW project
☐ No limiter or clipper on the master bus (unless intentional)
☐ No clipping anywhere in the file
☐ Files clearly labelled with artist name, track title and track number
☐ Reference mix included if available
☐ Reference tracks noted if relevant
Any Questions?
If you're not sure about any of this — whether your mix is ready, how to export stems from your specific DAW, or anything else — just ask before you send. It's always better to have a quick conversation upfront than to discover a problem once the session has already started.
[Get in touch] — we're happy to talk it through.
