A Checklist to Verify Recording Quality Before You Deliver

Last updated: October 24, 2026

In voice-data and transcription projects, a batch is often accepted or rejected on the basis of a handful of technical points. Checking them yourself before you deliver saves a round of rejections. Here is the checklist, in the order that wastes the least time.

1. Format and container

Is it the format the project asked for (usually WAV), and does it open without errors? A file renamed from .m4a to .wav is still an M4A file inside. Check the real format, not the extension.

2. Sample rate

Common requirements are 16 kHz, 24 kHz or 48 kHz. Remember that many tools silently resample, so verify the final file and not the setting you picked. See our guide to sample rates.

3. Channels and bit depth

Mono or stereo, 16 or 24 bit. A stereo file whose two channels are identical is a sign of a wrong export. See mono vs stereo and bit depth.

4. Level

The peak should usually be below -1 dBFS and not far below -12 dBFS. A very low level means more noise after amplification. A level at 0 dBFS suggests clipping.

5. Clipping

Any visible or audible clipping is usually a reason to reject a take. See what clipping is.

6. Background noise

Measure the noise floor in the pauses: the quieter, the better. Steady hum, air-conditioner noise and fans are the usual offenders. A signal-to-noise ratio under about 25 dB is difficult to work with.

7. Silence at the start and end

Many specs ask for a fixed margin, such as 0.3 to 0.5 seconds before the first word and after the last. Too little means cut-off words; too much wastes storage and annotation time.

8. Length

Check that each file fits the minimum and maximum duration of the project. Very short files are often accidental recordings.

9. Duplicates

The same file delivered twice under two names is a common mistake when folders are merged. Compare content, not just names.

10. Listen to a sample

Numbers cannot catch everything: wrong text read, mumbling, background speech or a second speaker. Always listen to a random sample of each batch.

Check them all at once

Doing this by hand for hundreds of files is slow. The Sayvoi Recording Quality Checker measures points 1 to 9 for every file in a batch, lets you enter your project's specification, marks each file as passed, warning or rejected with the reason, finds duplicate files, and exports a CSV report. The audio never leaves your device. If some files only need their format or sample rate corrected, fix them in the converter and check again.

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