🥁PRE-MASTER DELIVERY SPEC
FORMAT
Sample Rate: Same as the project/session (typically 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz — do NOT upsample
Stereo (interleaved), not split-L/R
No MP3, AAC, or other lossy formats
HEADROOM
Peak level: Between –6 dBFS and –3 dBFS (no higher)
Youlean Loudness Meter 2 is a good free metering plugin
This ensures clean headroom for limiting and final processing.
LIMITING / DYNAMICS
No master bus limiter, maximizer, clipper, multiband compressor, or loudness maximizer
If you mixed into a limiter for vibe, keep a version of that for reference, but also provide a clean, un-limited pre-master.
PROCESSING THAT IS OK
Saturation, glue compression, console/tape emulations, bus colour — YES, if it’s part of your sound.
Clipping on individual tracks or buses — YES, if intentional.
True peak limiting or brickwall limiting — NO.
LOUDNESS
No target needed for pre-master, but ideal mixdown loudness:
Integrated LUFS: –16 to –12 LUFS (not louder)
Avoid modern “almost-mastered” mixes; that defeats the mastering stage.
FADE-INS / FADE-OUTS
If artistic, include them.
If unsure, leave ends clean and discuss with the engineer.
START & END
Leave at least 0.5–1 second of silence at the start and end.