How do I check if my mix is ready for mastering?

Check 6 things: LUFS (-14 to -16), frequency balance (6-band), dynamic range (6-12 dB crest factor), true peak (below -1.0 dB), mono compatibility, and sub-bass cleanup. You can check all 6 in 30 seconds free at mixdiagnose.com.

What LUFS should my mix be?

Spotify normalizes to -14 LUFS, Apple Music to -16 LUFS. Mix at -14 to -16 LUFS to avoid being turned down by streaming platforms. Check your LUFS free at mixdiagnose.com.

Yes. MixDiagnose offers 3 free analyses per month with no signup required. A $5 one-time payment gives you 10 more analyses. No subscription needed.

Is Your Mix Ready for Mastering? Free 10-Second Check

July 2026 · 6 min read

You finished your mix. It sounds good in your studio. But before you pay $30-50 for mastering, there's one question you need to answer: is your mix actually ready?

Mastering can't fix a bad mix. It can make a good mix louder, more polished, and more consistent across playback systems. But if your mix has frequency balance problems, stereo width issues, or dynamic range problems, mastering will make those problems louder — not better.

The 5 Numbers You Need to Check

Before you send your mix to a mastering engineer, check these five numbers. If any of them are off, fix them in the mix — don't hope mastering will sort it out.

1. Integrated LUFS: Target -14

If your mix is at -8 LUFS, you've already squashed it. Mastering won't fix over-compression. If you're at -22 LUFS, you're too quiet — the mastering engineer will need to push gain, which raises noise. Aim for -14 LUFS integrated before mastering. Check your LUFS free →

2. True Peak: Below -1.0 dBTP

If your true peak is above -1.0 dB, you'll get inter-sample peaks when the track is encoded to MP3/AAC for streaming. That means clicks, pops, and distortion. Fix this in the mix with a true peak limiter on your master bus.

3. Dynamic Range: 8-14 dB

If your dynamic range is under 6 dB, you've over-compressed. The mastering engineer has nothing to work with — there's no transient energy left. If it's above 14 dB, sections may sound too quiet relative to each other. Check this with a free dynamic range calculator.

4. Stereo Width: 0.35-0.75

If your stereo width is below 0.35, your mix is too narrow — it'll sound small and constrained. Above 0.75 and you risk mono compatibility issues on phone speakers. Check with a spectral analyzer.

5. Frequency Balance: No Buildup Above +3 dB

Sweep your mix bus with a spectrum analyzer. If any frequency band is more than 3 dB above the average curve, you have a buildup. The most common: 250-400 Hz (mud), 3-5 kHz (harshness), or missing highs above 10 kHz (dull). Fix these in the mix.

The 10-Second Pre-Mastering Check

Instead of checking each number manually, you can run your mix through MixDiagnose — a free AI-powered analysis tool that checks all 12 metrics in 10 seconds:

✓ Integrated LUFS + true peak
✓ Dynamic range + crest factor
✓ Stereo width + correlation
✓ Frequency balance across 6 bands
✓ Genre-specific comparison
✓ Specific fix recommendations with exact EQ parameters

You get a score from 0-100. If you're above 80, you're ready for mastering. If you're below 60, fix the issues first. It'll save you money and give your mastering engineer a better starting point.

Don't Pay for Mastering to Find Out Your Mix is Broken

The most expensive way to find out your mix has problems is to pay for mastering and hear it come back worse. The mastering engineer made your muddy low-mids louder. They pushed your harsh 4 kHz spike harder. They turned up your over-compressed, lifeless track.

Run the free check first. Fix what's fixable in the mix. Then send a clean, balanced, properly-leveled track to mastering. That's how you get a master that sounds great on every system.

Check your mix free — no signup required

Analyze My Mix →