Antídoto Music guide
How to prepare a song for mastering
A practical check of headroom, mix balance, references, and files before sending a master.
Mastering starts before the bounce
Mastering is not a stage for hiding balance problems. Before exporting, listen to the full mix at a moderate level and write down what distracts you: a buried vocal, unstable bass, a chorus that does not lift, or a tiring top end. That list is more useful than chasing one isolated number.
What to check in the file
Deliver a stereo file at the project's sample rate when practical, without automatic normalization and without cutting the beginning or end. There is no single magic headroom number; what matters is that the limiter is not destroying transients and the mix is not clipping before mastering.
Bring a reference with intention
A reference helps describe an intention: vocal position, sub-bass weight, or contrast between verse and chorus. It does not mean your song should copy it. Write down what you want to learn from it and which part of your identity must remain.
Keep working
Use Antídoto's tools as support and return to listening in context. The best next action depends on what you actually hear.
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