A mastering delivery checklist that survives the handoff

1. Freeze the delivery contract

Write down what is expected before opening another analyzer. Confirm the final titles, version suffixes, sequence, sample rate, bit depth, channel layout, and delivery destination.

If a label copy sheet, ISRC list, UPC/EAN, or alternate version list exists, treat it as source material—not as something to reconstruct from memory at the end.

• Final and alternate version names
• Target format and channel layout
• Track order and identifiers
• Recipient and delivery deadline

2. Analyze the files you will actually send

Run loudness, true-peak, headroom, phase, format, and integrity checks on the exported delivery files. A clean session or an approved preview does not prove that the final bounce, conversion, or rename step was correct.

Read each result in context. Loudness does not prove the absence of clipping; true peak does not prove musical balance; phase displays do not decide whether intentional width is acceptable.

3. Make file identity verifiable

Generate checksums after the files are final. Store the checksum manifest beside the audio and make the verification instruction explicit in the handoff note.

A matching checksum proves byte-for-byte identity with the file that produced the manifest. It does not prove that the chosen master, metadata, or format was correct.

4. Package evidence with the audio

Include a concise report that names the files, relevant analysis results, marks or exceptions, and the date of the check. Keep the report readable for someone who was not in the mastering room.

Reopen the complete delivery folder once more from its final location. Verify that links, reports, audio, and checksum manifests all travel together before sharing it.