How to send a mix to a client for feedback and approval
Most mixes still go out as an MP3 in an email or a DM, and the feedback comes back as a wall of text with no timecodes. That quietly costs you on what the client actually hears, on how precise the notes are, and on whether anyone can point to the version you agreed on. Here's a cleaner way: lossless review, feedback on the waveform, a fair version compare, and a recorded sign-off.
You bounced the mix. Now it has to survive the artist, the band, and maybe a label, and each of them will listen on a phone, in a car, and on one good pair of headphones. How you send it decides whether you get useful notes back or three separate texts saying "the vocal's a bit weird." This is how to send a mix so the feedback is precise and the sign-off is real.
Why the "MP3 in a DM" workflow costs you
Firing off a bounce is fast, but it leaks quality and clarity in ways you only notice when a revision goes sideways:
- They judge a lossy file. An MP3 changes the low end and the top, so a note about "muddy bass" or a "harsh S" can be about the encoder, not your mix.
- Notes with no timecode. "Turn the guitar down in the second chorus" sends you hunting for the spot, and often the wrong one.
- Feedback scattered everywhere. Some in email, some over text, some in a voice note, so nothing is in one list you can work through.
- The louder bounce wins. When a client A/Bs two versions at different levels, the louder one just sounds "better," and you revise toward volume instead of the mix.
- No agreed version. Nothing records that they approved this mix, so "can we go back to the older one" reopens a job you thought was done.
A cleaner way to send a mix
Four steps, one link, and no account for the client:
1. Share a lossless review link
Send one link. The client plays the mix losslessly in the browser, with no login and no download, so they hear the real balance instead of MP3 artifacts. That matters more for a mix than people think: the decisions they're reacting to (bass weight, vocal air, stereo width) are exactly what a lossy encode blurs. If you want the detail on why the file format changes the sound, see loudness and true-peak metering explained.
2. Take feedback on the waveform
Precise notes make fast revisions. When the client pins a comment to an exact point on the waveform, "the vocal at 1:12" replaces "somewhere in the second verse," and your revision list becomes a set of timecodes instead of a paragraph to decode. Point comments mark a moment; range comments mark a section, like a whole chorus that needs the guitars pulled back.
3. Compare versions loudness-matched
This is the step that saves mixes from getting worse. When you upload a revision, let the client compare v1 and v2 at matched loudness, so they react to the change you made instead of whichever bounce is louder. "Louder sounds better" is a real perceptual trap, and it's how the wrong version gets approved. There's a whole guide on it: why louder sounds better, and how to A/B fairly.
If the client can't tell you what changed with the levels matched, the change probably wasn't the mix. That's useful to know before you keep going.
4. Get the sign-off, then deliver
When the mix is right, have the client approve a specific version, and capture it: which mix, who approved it, and when. That record is what turns "can we use the other one" into a clear answer, and it marks the handoff. Then deliver the final files protected, rather than a raw link anyone can forward. For the mechanics of a clean sign-off and safe delivery, see how to get client sign-off and how to send music privately.
Handling revisions without the endless loop
Mix revisions are where a job either wraps or drags for a month. Two things keep it bounded. First, agree the number of rounds up front: two or three included, more billed, in writing before you start. Second, upload each revision against the same track so open comments carry forward and the client compares v1, v2 and v3 at the same timecode, loudness-matched. Nothing gets lost between rounds, and a new request after sign-off is plainly a new round, not a free one. If getting paid cleanly is the part that trips you up, see how to get paid for mixing and mastering.
What to actually send
Keep the review and the handoff separate:
- For review: one stereo mix. Don't send stems for feedback, you'll get notes on the wrong thing.
- For the final handoff: the stereo mix at full resolution (a 24-bit WAV at the session sample rate), plus a labeled reference so everyone knows which file is which.
- If it's in your agreement: stems or an instrumental and a TV mix.
- Leave room for mastering. Keep headroom and don't bake in a limiter you can't undo. What the mastering engineer needs is its own checklist: delivery formats and what to deliver.
The short version
Stop sending mixes as MP3 attachments. Send a lossless review link, take feedback on the waveform, let the client compare versions at matched loudness, record the approval of a specific version, and deliver protected. The client hears the real mix, your revisions stay precise, and you finish with a sign-off you can point to.
Frequently asked questions
What's the best way to send a mix to a client?
Send a review link that plays the mix losslessly in the browser with no login, lets the client leave timestamped comments, and records their approval of a specific version. Once it's approved, deliver the final files protected. This beats a lossy MP3 in an email or DM because the client judges the real mix and you keep a clear sign-off before it goes to mastering.
Should I send a mix as an MP3 or a lossless file?
For feedback, let them hear lossless. An MP3 smears the low end and high frequencies, so a client reacting to a bass balance or a harsh 's' may be reacting to the encoder, not your mix. Browser-based lossless (FLAC) playback lets them judge the real thing without downloading a file.
How many mix revisions should I include?
A common freelance norm is two or three rounds of revisions included, with further rounds billed. Put the number in writing before you start, and make each round count by collecting all the feedback in one place instead of a trickle of separate messages.
How do I stop endless mix revisions?
Two things end the loop: a stated revision limit, and a recorded approval. When the client signs off on a specific version, that version is the agreed one. Carry open comments across versions so nothing gets re-opened by accident, and a new request after sign-off is clearly a new round.
What files should I send the client for a mix?
For review, a single stereo mix is enough. For the final handoff, send the stereo mix at full resolution (24-bit WAV at the session rate), plus a labeled reference and, if it's in your agreement, stems or an instrumental and a TV mix. Keep the mastering engineer in mind: leave headroom and don't bake in a limiter you can't undo.
Send your next mix like this
Soneam is the review-to-delivery platform for engineers and producers: lossless review links with no client login, comments pinned to the waveform, loudness-matched version compare, a recorded approval, and password-protected delivery.