Description
Release-Ready-Check, technical audit protocol
Before your song goes online: the technical reality check
No gut feeling, but a fixed audit protocol: I check your finished mix or master with measurement tools for loudness, clipping, stereo image and compatibility, and tell you in writing whether it is ready for release.
A good fit if: Your song is fully mixed and mastered and about to be uploaded to Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube or a label. You want to avoid technical surprises (quieter than other songs, distortion, mono issues) before it goes live.
The technical audit protocol
- Loudness (LUFS): Integrated loudness and true-peak level measured and matched against the target values of Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube
- Overload and clipping: Check for digital clipping and inter-sample peaks that only become audible after platform compression
- Stereo image: Mono compatibility and phase alignment, so the song does not fall apart on phone speakers and in mono systems
- Frequency balance: Tonal balance across the whole spectrum, anomalies in bass, mids and highs
- Playback compatibility: Listening on several devices (studio monitors, headphones, laptop speakers) for clicks, dropouts or errors in the exported file
- Brief content assessment: Whether the song overall seems ready for release, with a clear go or rework recommendation
What you get
Not a wall of text, but a structured written approval report: every check point listed individually with its measured value or finding, plus a clear overall assessment.
- Written approval report with every check point from the protocol above
- Concrete figures (e.g. measured LUFS and true-peak values) instead of a general impression
- Clear approval recommendation: ready for release, or what still needs to be done first
- Optional: a short video call to discuss the report
How it works
- Choose a format and provide a link: You choose whether with or without a video call, and enter the link to your finished mix or master.
- Technical audit: I check your file with measurement tools against the complete protocol and additionally listen to it myself.
- Receive your approval report: You get your written report by email within 2 to 4 business days, or within 48 hours with the express option.
- Optional discussion: If you booked a video call, we clarify any open points directly in conversation.
Important note, difference from the song analysis: The Release-Ready Check combines technical measurements with a brief artistic assessment. I document both in the written report. For a more detailed assessment of your mix, vocals and the overall impact of your song, choose the Song Analysis with Feedback is the right, independent offer for that. Many book the song analysis before mixing or mastering, and the Release-Ready-Check afterwards, right before release. If your song is still at a very early stage and it's about the structural build-up rather than the technical release check, the Songdoctoring is the right service before that.
What is not included
- No mixing or mastering: I do not edit your audio file, I check it. Mixing and mastering can be booked separately.
- No detailed analysis of song structure or vocal performance; the separate song analysis covers these aspects.
- No distribution service: uploading to streaming platforms or labels is up to you.
Frequently asked questions about the Release-Ready-Check
What is the difference to the song analysis?
Die Songanalyse ist meine persönliche, inhaltliche Einschätzung zu deinem Song (Mix, Stimme, Wirkung) als Fließtext-Feedback. The Release-Ready Check is a technical assessment with measured values and a brief artistic opinion, documented in a structured report. Beide lassen sich unabhängig voneinander buchen und ergänzen sich gut, zum Beispiel Songanalyse vor dem Mastering, Release-Ready-Check direkt davor.
Do you also edit my song?
No. The Release-Ready-Check is a pure audit, I do not touch your audio file. If the check finds a problem (e.g. clipping or loudness that is too low), you get a concrete recommendation for action; the correction itself (mixing, mastering) is a separate, separately bookable service.
Which LUFS values do you check?
I measure integrated loudness and true peak and assess them in relation to your material and intended release. Playback normalisation is not a universal mandatory mastering target. You receive the measured values and my assessment.
How long does the audit take?
Normally 2 to 4 business days. With the express add-on you receive the approval report within 48 hours.
What happens if the song is not ready?
You get a clear list of what still needs to be done before release. With the add-on “Second check after correction”, I check the revised version again afterwards, without you having to book the complete check a second time.
Is it worth it if I already had the mastering done elsewhere?
Yes, especially then. The Release-Ready-Check is independent of who did the mastering, a neutral second check before upload, regardless of whether I did the mastering myself or another studio did.
Go into your release with confidence
A structured technical report instead of a gut feeling, before your song goes online.
