This applies primarily to new clients. Established clients can usually skip straight to scheduling.

My process is designed to eliminate technical surprises and keep your production on schedule. It starts with your initial inquiry: what you need done, run times, and your deadline. Once we've confirmed the project is a good fit, we book a date.

Booking is the starting line. That date does three things:

1) your files are due to me,

2) I audit your materials, and

3) we touch base at the end of the day to go over findings and confirm we're moving forward.

If the files are clean, that's usually a five-minute conversation over video or audio (or text via WhatsApp). If something needs attention, that's when we sort it out. Production can begin as early as the same day or first thing the next morning depending on your deadline and any deadlines already present at the studio, so I ask that you're reachable on the booking date. This process is built for producers who are ready to go: files in hand, deadline in mind, ducks in a row.

To hold that date, I ask for a $100 diagnostic fee, credited in full toward your invoice. The audit itself - checking audio quality, sync, and file integrity - is the first step of production, not a hurdle before it.

If we don't end up working together after the audit, I refund it — no questions asked, within 48 hours.

The only exceptions are practical ones: if files aren't delivered within 24 hours of the booking date, or if you cancel after being unreachable for end-of-day sign-off, the fee covers the time already spent. This keeps things fair in both directions.

If the audit turns up files that need significant restoration work or an enlarged scope of work otherwise, we'll talk through a Specialized Engineering plan before anything proceeds. You're never committed to a scope you didn't agree to.

I Take: Pro Tools files, AAF’s, OMF’s, WAV’s, Sync-ready video (if picture is included in your project)…We’ll assess at intake. I can provide checklists for various formats and software platforms to make sure things go without a hitch.

I Provide (by default, but can give you others): Stereo Interleaved WAV files at 24-Bit, 48Khz for mixes and stems (where applicable), and 320 kbps .mp3 for podcast hosting.

• Loudness balanced to -16 LUFS Stereo or -24 LUFS (depending on whether for podcast/streaming or broadcast).

A conformed Premiere Pro Project file if video integration is included.

I’m not working in Atmos at this time, but will consider.

I will provide a Pro Tools project file of the final, approved edit and mix at the project’s conclusion.

Standard Turnaround: 3–5 business days from receipt of all assets (not from the first email). I always aim for ‘sooner’.

Projects are scheduled upon receipt of assets. If you have a hard drop date, let’s discuss it during intake.

Rush services are available for a 50% premium, subject to current studio capacity.

$100 deposit required to book a slot (see “Intake Process” in this FAQ”)

Payment Terms: Net 15 for established entities. 50% upfront upon booking, 50% on delivery for first-time independent creators.

Methods: Zelle

For most of the production process, written communication is the better tool. Descript's sharing and commenting system handles the majority of notes naturally, and a shared Google Doc works well for anything more involved. Written notes create a record both of us can refer back to, and they give you time to listen carefully before responding, as well as to me to consider how to tackle them.

That said, I understand that sometimes at a final stage, like when you're assessing a subtle adjustment, there's no substitute for real-time playback together. For those situations, I offer attended video sessions with high-resolution audio monitoring. These are billed at $125/hr, and we'd schedule them after the standard revision process has run its course.

I’m happy to meet by video after the initial intake to discuss the audit of your materials and confirm forward plans, but all routine communication after that is best kept in writing. It keeps things clear, documented, and on schedule.

Pricing assumes a 2:1 tape ratio: a 60-minute finished episode includes up to 2 hours of raw tape, and a 30-minute episode includes up to 1 hour. This is a reasonable working ratio for most interview and conversational formats.

Tape beyond that ratio is billed at $50 per additional hour (pro-rated in 30-minute increments). So if you're delivering 4 hours of tape for a 60-minute story edit, the overage is $100 on top of the standard project rate — and we'll confirm that at the audit before production begins, so there are no surprises.

If your tape ratio is significantly higher than 2:1 — say, 4:1 or beyond — reach out before booking. Projects at that scale are quoted individually, and the audit conversation will be a bit more involved than usual.

One note on the Story Edit tier specifically: narrative work from raw interview tape can run at higher ratios by nature. If you're handing me unstructured material and asking me to find the story, let me know the approximate tape length in your initial inquiry. We'll discuss ratio expectations before anything is booked.

I use Dropbox for sending and receiving files. Dropbox encrypts files both in transit and at rest: Data is protected while it's being sent and while it's stored, which covers the vast majority of production workflows without any extra setup on your end.

That said: While I handle client materials with the professional discretion which comes from decades of experience with proprietary assets and am happy to sign an NDA, my studio environment isn't a certified secure facility. Dropbox's encryption is robust for standard production use, but if your project involves content with heightened confidentiality requirements, you should know that upfront.

If your organization has its own preferred transfer system, I'm comfortable working within it. Just let me know at intake and we'll set it up before the booking date.

No. Once you've approved the final delivery, I package everything up and send it back to you: your original files, all project files (Pro Tools, Descript, Premiere Pro, and any others generated during production), and the final approved bounces. Everything we made together leaves with you.

Delivery comes as a zipped package via Dropbox Transfer, with a 30-day download window. After that, the transfer expires and I'm not responsible for the materials. I'll typically have the project sitting on my local drive for about 30 days following delivery, but that's not a backup you should count on, it's just the natural rhythm of how I clear my workspace.

Download your package when it arrives. After the transfer window closes, it's gone.

Billing Details

Diagnostic Fee A $100 diagnostic fee is required to hold your booking date. This fee is credited in full toward your project invoice. It is non-refundable only in the circumstances described under “What’s The Process?”

Project Invoicing Clients with two or more completed projects on record are considered established and are invoiced on Net 15 terms. The invoice clock starts when the Dropbox Transfer delivery link is opened.

New clients are invoiced in two installments: 50% of the project total is due on your acceptance of the audit results and green light for me to begin work, with the balance due within 5 business days of the Dropbox Transfer delivery link being opened. The $100 diagnostic fee is credited against the first installment.

Rush Projects Rush projects (subject to studio availability and a 50% rate premium) follow the same 50/50 split, with both installments collected before delivery. The first installment is due before production begins; the second is due before the final package is released.

Late Payments Balances unpaid 30 days past the invoice due date accrue a finance charge of 1.5% per month (18% annually) on the outstanding amount, applied on the first day of each subsequent month until the balance is settled. peffpost.audio reserves the right to suspend work on active or future projects until any overdue balance is resolved.

Payment Method All payments are made via Zelle. Invoices include payment instructions. If Zelle presents a genuine difficulty, reach out before your booking date and we'll find a solution.

Returned or Failed Payments A $25 returned payment fee applies to any failed Zelle transaction, in addition to any finance charges that may have accrued.

Questions If you have questions about an invoice or your account status, get in touch before a due date passes. That's always the easier conversation.

To maintain a clear distinction between 'Work in Progress' and 'Final Master,' all review copies delivered via the Live Script or preview links include a subtle audio watermark. This ensures that the version currently being discussed and edited isn't accidentally published before it has received its final technical pass and loudness normalization.