While it's probably another step you've been taking as you work, the telltale sign that your mix is ready to head off to be mastered is that it sounds decent in nearly any situation you've put it through. If you're in a studio with multiple sets of monitors, listen through the entire song through each pair.

You can search YouTube using sound. By humming or recording a song that's currently being played, you can find related YouTube videos, Shorts, and official music content.

A good setting would be from -9 to -13 LUFS with the dynamic range reading on LEVELS not exceeding 8DR. This preset is get your track sounding great when played back through large sound systems. The louder club tracks sit around -4 to -6 ST LUFS during the drops.

The aimed true peak for mixing music can be the same as the peak loudness of -6 dB to leave headroom for mastering. The mastering engineer will, in turn, raise the true peak parameter as recommended by streaming platforms such as Spotify or Apple Music, to -1 dB, or -2 dB for louder songs.