How to Write a Good Brief for Your Mixing or Mastering Engineer

Sending your track to a mixing or mastering engineer for the first time can feel uncertain. You know what you want the music to sound like, but translating that into useful written direction is a skill in itself.

A good brief doesn't need to be long or technically detailed. It needs to be honest, specific where it matters, and clear about your priorities. Here's how to write one that actually helps.

Start with the track itself

Before anything else, give context about the music. What genre is it? What's the tempo and energy? Is it a club record, a listening track, something in between? Is it part of an EP or a standalone single?

This context shapes every decision made during the mix or master. A mastering engineer approaching a 140bpm drum and bass track will make very different choices to one approaching a 72bpm soul ballad, even if the technical brief is identical.

Describe the sound you're going for

This is the most valuable part of the brief and the part most people skip. What do you want the finished track to feel like? What's the emotional intention?

You don't need technical language to answer this. Descriptions like "I want it to feel heavy and claustrophobic" or "it should feel open and warm, not too aggressive" are genuinely useful. They give direction that technical instructions alone cannot.

If you have a reference track, include it here. A well-chosen reference communicates more clearly than a paragraph of description.

Flag anything you're unsure about

If there's something in the mix you're not happy with but couldn't fix, say so. If the low end feels unbalanced, mention it. If the vocal sits slightly too loud or too quiet in your opinion, flag it. If you're not sure whether the snare has enough presence, ask.

Engineers are not mind readers. If something is bothering you and you don't mention it, there's a reasonable chance it will still be bothering you when you get the file back.

Be clear about what you don't want changed

Sometimes the most useful direction is negative. If there's a specific element you want preserved — an unusual mix decision, a deliberate lo-fi quality, a particular vocal effect — say so explicitly. What sounds like a problem to an engineer might be intentional, and without that context they may correct something you wanted to keep.

Include technical requirements

At the end of the brief, include any technical specifications relevant to the delivery. Do you need stems returned as well as a stereo mix? Do you need specific export formats for your distributor? Is there a target loudness you're working towards? Are there multiple versions needed — radio edit, extended mix, instrumental?

These details are easy to forget and time-consuming to chase after the fact. Including them upfront keeps the process clean.

Keep it proportionate

A brief for a mastering session on a finished, well-mixed track can be short — a few sentences of context, a reference, and any technical requirements. A brief for a full mix from stems warrants more detail.

The goal is not to write an essay. It's to give the engineer enough information to make good decisions without having to ask you about everything.

The bottom line

A clear brief saves time, reduces revisions, and leads to a better result. The engineer's job is to serve the music — but they can only do that effectively if they understand what the music is trying to be.

When you book a session through MORTY Audio Lab, you'll be asked for this kind of context as part of the process. The more you can share upfront, the better the outcome.