Finishing Tracks – Check Against the Metronome and Listen to Every Track Through

Before I call a track finished - before the mix, before the bounce - I solo every single track and listen all the way through with the metronome on.

No skipping. No guessing. Just me, the grid, and every stem laid bare against the pulse of the metronome.

Finishing Tracks – Check Against the Metronome: The Final Check

This is where I catch everything: clicks, pops, bad edits, late hits, tails that don’t fade right. I’ve heard things sound great in context, only to fall apart when soloed against the click. The metronome never lies.

So I solo each stem and run it start to finish. If it doesn’t feel tight, I fix it. Every time.

DC Offset – The Quiet Saboteur

One thing I always check for here is DC offset. It’s subtle, but it can really mess with your mix and master.

DC offset is when the waveform isn’t centred around the zero line - it’s shifted slightly up or down. You might not hear it as a sound, but you’ll feel it in how your processors behave. Compressors don’t react properly. Faders behave strangely. You get clicks, phasing issues, and worst of all: reduced headroom. It can even cause clicks at the start or end of files - stuff you maybe don’t catch until this very step.

It shows up more often than you think - especially when using hardware or resampling external gear. But I’ve had it appear even when working fully in the box. So I always run a quick DC offset removal pass if something looks or feels off.

Check the waveform. If it’s floating high above the zero line or hugging the bottom? That’s a flag.

Hardware or In-the-Box? Still Matters

If I’ve used hardware, this check is essential. Tiny timing drifts, glitches, or noise can creep in - especially if you’re recording longer takes or syncing gear manually. But even with a purely digital setup, things like DC offset or poor edits can still slip through. Nothing’s bulletproof.

No Shortcut (Unless You’ve Got Help)

There’s no hack for this. Unless you’ve got an assistant going stem-by-stem, this is on you. And yeah, it takes time - but it saves time later. When the mix starts, everything just works. No weird problems hiding under the surface.

It Gets You Over the Line

Once this check is done, I know the track’s solid. I trust what I’m mixing. I’m not second-guessing transients or chasing phantom clicks in the master. It feels clean because it is clean - all the way through.

That’s how I finish tracks.

This process is a core part of how I approach finishing tracks – check against the metronome is more than a tip—it’s the

process that gets results.

Check against the metronome. Listen all the way through. Every stem. Clean it up. No shortcuts.