Map Every Sample to Its Clearance — Free, Before the Track Goes Out
A track with six samples and five licences is a track with one problem, and the problem is usually the vocal chop nobody documented. Mapping each sample to its paperwork turns a pre-release panic into a five-minute check.
The proof surface
Free path: the tool computes locally in this browser with no key and no account. Where an AI step helps, any free chat assistant works — free tiers exist (Google AI Studio, Groq), but plans and limits change, so check the provider's own page. No third-party service is claimed here as verified: UNCONFIRMED — model has no browsing access this session.
Why the flat version breaks
A folder of receipts does not say which track a sound ended up in, and a session file does not say what rights came with it. One card listing each sample against its source is what connects the two when a distributor or a platform asks.
How to use the sample clearance index card in four passes
Loops, one-shots, vocals, dialogue and textures. If a sound was performed or recorded by you in a session, it is a row too, with a session record rather than a licence.
Purchase receipt, library licence, direct permission or session record. A sample with no number is the one to deal with, and the card will keep flagging it until it has one.
For each unsupported sample: replace it, clear it or document a permission. Making that decision now, with the track unshipped, is the cheapest it will ever be.
A dated request that was refused is still a record, and it often leads to a different arrangement later. Add the outcome to the note column so the card reflects what actually happened.
SAMPLE DATA, NOT A VERIFIED CLAIM: the starter record is six samples in one track mapped to a four-part source key, with the spoken-word clip unsupported. Replace these values with your own source before you rely on anything.
What breaks first
Assuming a subscription library covers commercial releases
Terms vary between personal, commercial and broadcast use, and some exclude sync or streaming monetisation. Read the licence tier rather than the product page.
Leaving the one unclearable sample in and hoping
Platforms identify audio automatically and distributors ask for clearance on release. One replaced sample is cheaper than a takedown on release day.
Relying on a deleted e-mail as permission
Save every permission as a PDF or a screenshot with the date and the name. If you cannot produce it, it is the same as not having it.
What you pay otherwise
| The usual route | What it leaves out | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| A takedown after release | Streams, playlist placements and campaign spend lost to a claimed track | the release |
| A retroactive clearance | The cheapest price is always before release; afterwards the rights holder sets the number | a share of the master |
| A clearance service | Hourly rate for the folder check a card does in five minutes | $150–$400 an hour |
| This page + the free sample clearance index card | Computed in your tab, result on screen before you type anything | $0 |
Try the free sample clearance index card right here
Load the starter track and clear a source number from one sample to see it flagged.
FIRST-LOAD · sample record filed
Take it into the free sample clearance index card
The companion app runs the same logic with a numbered intake, three starter records, a stateful share link, the one-time printable layer, and the local history shelf.
Open the free sample clearance index card →Keep the work if you will use it again
The full card: every sample with its source coverage, the unsupported rows flagged and the source key printed, unlimited re-runs.
The on-screen result is free and complete. The one-time layer adds a tangible file you keep and the saved history that comes with it.
Boundary: This records the sources you hold for samples you use; it is not legal advice and it does not determine whether a use is licensed, fair or lawful. Copyright, sampling and sync rules differ by jurisdiction and by how a track is used — check the licence terms and take advice from a music lawyer or a rights organisation before releasing anything uncertain.