Mix vs. Master: What’s Actually Wrong With Your Track
Mixing balances the parts against each other; mastering treats the finished file as one unit. A symptom by symptom guide to which stage is causing your problem.
Read More →Check Your Mix and Master Before You Release It
Upload a track and get the numbers that decide whether it is ready: integrated LUFS, true peak, clipping, loudness range, phase correlation and spectral balance against your genre. Measured from the file with ffmpeg, not estimated.
What it measures, and what it estimates
Two different kinds of number. We keep them apart, and we tell you which is which.
Measured from your file
Computed directly from the audio. Objective and repeatable: the same file always produces the same numbers.
Loudness. Integrated and short-term LUFS, plus loudness range (LRA), measured with ffmpeg ebur128.
Peaks and headroom. True peak in dBTP, sample peak and crest factor, so you know what happens after lossy encoding.
Clipping. Count of samples pinned at full scale, the percentage, and exactly where in the track they occur.
Stereo image. Mean and lowest phase correlation, plus mono compatibility of the low end.
Spectral balance. Energy across eight bands, compared to reference targets for your genre family.
Tempo and key. BPM, musical key and scale, and tuning deviation in cents.
Assessed by AI
Judgement, not measurement. Indicative estimates that can vary between runs, useful for spotting weaknesses.
Mix quality judgement. How the measured values read together, and which of them matter most for this particular track.
Genre appropriateness. Whether a deviation from the reference curve reads as character or as a fault.
Priority. Which correction to make first when several are outstanding.
Improvement suggestions. Concrete moves for each problem found, phrased as actions rather than observations.
Loudness, true peak, clipping, loudness range and phase correlation are computed, not judged: the same file always produces the same numbers. Everything in the right-hand column is an assessment, and it can vary between runs.
What you get back
A report you can act on the same evening, not a score to look at.
1
The six values
Integrated LUFS, true peak, clipping, loudness range, phase correlation and spectral balance, each against the target for your genre.
2
Mix & Mastering To-Do List
The corrections to make, already sorted into the correct processing order: clipping first, limiter ceiling last.
3
Where the problems are
Timecodes for clipping events and the lowest correlation moments, so you can go straight to the bar that needs fixing.
4
Reference comparison
Your spectral curve against the target shape for your genre family, normalised so you are comparing balance and not volume.
5
A release verdict
Whether anything technical is still standing between the track and distribution, stated plainly.
6
A PDF you can send
Exportable, so a mixing or mastering engineer can see the same numbers you did.
Frequently Asked Questions
What the analysis does, and what it does not.
Can I check my mix online for free?
Yes. A Light analysis is free and requires no account for the first track, and you get 3 free Light analyses every month after signing up, with no credit card at any point. The measured loudness, peak and clipping values are included in the free tier.
What LUFS should my track be?
Around -14 LUFS integrated with a true peak ceiling at -1 dBTP for Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube. The analysis reports your actual value against that target and tells you how much to move, rather than leaving you to work it out.
Does it detect clipping?
Yes, and it reports more than a yes or no. You get the count of samples pinned at full scale, the percentage of the track affected, and a timeline of where the clipping events occur, because the fix depends on whether the damage is in one section or spread throughout.
What audio formats can I upload?
WAV, FLAC, MP3, AAC and M4A. MP3 files up to 50 MB and WAV up to 200 MB. For a technical check, upload the same lossless file you intend to deliver to your distributor rather than a compressed version.
Is this a replacement for a mastering engineer?
No. It measures and it tells you what is out of range, which is the part that does not require judgement. What an experienced engineer adds is taste, reference context and fresh ears on material you have been living with for weeks. The analysis is most useful for deciding whether you need one.
How is this different from a LUFS meter plugin?
A meter shows you a number while the session is playing. This measures the exported file, which is what actually gets uploaded, then compares six values against per-genre targets and returns them as a prioritised fix list in processing order. The measurement is the easy part; knowing what to do first is the rest.
Learn the theory
The guides behind what the analysis measures.
How to Know If Your Song Is Ready to Release
The six technical checks that decide whether a track is release-ready: LUFS, true peak, clipping, loudness range and mono compatibility, with the order to fix them in.
Read More →
What LUFS Should Your Song Be for Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube?
The loudness target for streaming is around -14 LUFS integrated. What that number means, what each platform does with it, and why mastering louder gains you nothing.
Read More →