The complete music production checklist
Four stages, every step accounted for, in the order that prevents rework. Print it, or track it per project in the Workpad.
Most unfinished tracks don't die of hard problems — they die of unordered ones. Mixing a song whose arrangement isn't final means mixing it twice. Sound-designing before the writing is done means designing sounds for parts that get cut. This checklist exists to enforce one idea: each stage closes before the next opens, and each stage has an exit test.
Stage 1 — Songwriting
EXIT TEST: the song holds attention played on one instrument, no production.
- Key and scale chosen; every part written inside them
- Chord progression finished and satisfying played solo
- Main melody singable from memory after one listen
- Counter-melody / secondary hook written (or deliberately skipped)
- Song structure mapped: intro, verses, builds, drop or chorus, break, outro
- Emotional intention stated in one sentence — you know what this song is for
Stage 2 — Production
EXIT TEST: a full listen stays interesting with zero mixing moves; muting anything makes it worse.
- Tempo and groove locked; drums follow a genre-appropriate pattern, not a guess
- Sound selection final — every placeholder replaced
- Layers chosen for contrast (frequency, stereo width, wet/dry), not sameness
- Bass and kick relationship decided (who owns the low end, when)
- Every section transition built — no cut feels like an edit
- Fills, risers and ear candy placed where the energy curve needs them
- Automation pass complete: filters, volume or space moving in every 8-bar block
- Arrangement length final — nothing overstays; nothing essential missing
Stage 3 — Mix
EXIT TEST: loudness-matched against two references, the mix translates on earbuds, car and phone speaker.
- Session prepped: tracks named, colored, bused; static balance with faders only
- Volume balance done before any plugin — volume is the mix's biggest tool
- EQ: each element has a home; masking resolved between competing parts
- Compression with a purpose per track (control, glue or color — name which)
- Space assigned: front/back (reverb, delay) and left/right (pan) deliberate
- Vocal or lead intelligible on every playback system tested
- Low end checked in mono
- Each bus soloed once: no clicks, pops, clipped transients or bad fades
- Two reference tracks compared loudness-matched — no embarrassing gap
- Headroom for mastering: peaks ~−3 to −6 dB, no limiter on the master bus
If you're stuck circling this stage, the problem is usually the definition of done, not the mix. See: how to know when a song is actually finished.
Stage 4 — Mastering
EXIT TEST: competitive loudness against references with no audible damage, on the small speaker too.
- Fresh ears — at least one day between final mix and master
- Corrective EQ (if needed) before any loudness processing
- Loudness matched to two references on the target platform
- No pumping, distortion or collapsed transients introduced
- Final translation check: earbuds, car, phone, loud monitors
- Exports: 24-bit archive master + platform versions, named and tagged
- Project archived: stems bounced, session backed up
How to use this without it becoming decoration
Two rules turn a checklist from a nice PDF into finished tracks:
1. Steps get checked, not remembered. "I basically did that" is how steps get skipped. If it's done, check it; if you can't check it, it isn't done.
2. Closed stages stay closed. Reopening a stage requires naming the concrete defect ("the second verse drags") — not a feeling. This single rule kills the endless loop where every listen reopens every decision.
This checklist, per project, with progress that persists.
The Engineer's Workpad tracks all four stages with every step accounted for — plus notes, a progress log, and reference charts where you need them. In the browser, on your phone. One active project free · $4.99 one-time unlocks full features · plans for 10+ projects.
Open The Engineer's Workpad