Two revisions, in writing, every time

Almost every difficult client relationship traces back to one thing: nobody agreed what finished means.

It is rarely bad faith. The client believes they are refining; you believe you are being asked for a new mix. Both of you are right, because the word revision was never defined and everybody filled the gap with their own assumption.

The clause

Two rounds of revisions are included. Each round is one consolidated set of notes, delivered together. Additional rounds are charged at a stated rate. Put it on the quote, not in a conversation.

The consolidated part matters as much as the number. Notes arriving one at a time over a week is not one round, it is seven, and it is the format in which small changes quietly become a second mix.

Unlimited revisions is not generous. It is unpriced work.

Defining the boundary

The clause handles quantity. You also need a line between a revision and a new job, because the expensive disputes happen there rather than over the count.

A workable definition: a revision adjusts the mix you delivered. A new job changes what is being mixed. Vocal up two decibels is a revision. Replace the drum take, add a new part, change the arrangement, or try it in a different key is a new job — not because you are unwilling, but because the thing you quoted for no longer exists.

• Level, tone and effect adjustments to existing elements: revision.
• New or replaced audio, structural edits, tempo or key changes: new job, re-quoted.
• Alternate versions — instrumental, clean, radio edit, TV mix: separate deliverables, priced up front.
• Changes arising from your error: not a revision, and not charged. Fix it and say nothing.

That last line is the one that keeps the policy honest. A revisions clause used to charge for your own mistakes is a clause that will cost you the client and deserve to.

Getting usable notes

Most of the friction in revisions is not the number of rounds, it is the quality of the notes. A client writing make the chorus bigger is not being difficult; they are describing a feeling and expecting you to translate it, which is exactly what they hired you for and also the thing most likely to produce a wasted round.

Ask for notes with timestamps and, where possible, references. Not adjectives — moments. At one minute twelve the vocal disappears is actionable. It needs more energy is a conversation, and it is cheaper to have that conversation before the round than to spend the round guessing.

A short call before a revision round is worth more than any written form. Ten minutes on the phone regularly saves an entire pass, because you find out in the first two that what they actually mean is something you would never have guessed from the email.

Saying it without it sounding like a threat

The clause reads as bureaucratic when delivered defensively and completely normal when delivered as information. It is a standard term in every professional trade. Put it in the quote alongside the price, in the same tone as the price, and do not apologise for it.

When a third round is requested, the response is not a refusal. It is a price and a timeline, offered as helpfully as the original quote was. Most clients take it without complaint, because by then they understand exactly what they are asking for.

The clause is not there to limit the client. It is there so nobody has to guess what finished means at eleven at night.