Phone-line clarity
A narrow phone path removes much of the deep bass and bright detail that headphones reproduce.
Free audio check · nothing uploaded
Will your hold music survive a phone line?
Drop in an audio file. The Doctor checks level, clipping, silence, mono safety and loop quality, then builds an approximate phone-line preview. Everything runs in your browser.
See what it checksYour audio
Drop your hold music here
MP3, WAV, M4A, AAC or OGG · up to 25 MB · 10 minutes max
Your audio never leaves this browser.
What the Doctor checks
A harder job than ordinary music.
Music on hold must stay clear through a speech-first phone line, begin without dead air, survive mono playback, and repeat cleanly. These six checks catch the common file-level failures before customers hear them.
Average level
Tracks that run too quiet disappear; tracks that run too hot leave no room for peaks.
Peak clipping
Full-scale peaks may become brittle or crackly after another round of processing.
Mono compatibility
Wide stereo effects can partially cancel when the line combines both channels.
Dead air
Long quiet openings and endings make a working line feel broken and make repeats obvious.
Loop restart
A sudden jump between the last and first samples creates a click, bump, or noticeable reset.
Prepare the file
Five steps before you publish.
The Doctor catches measurable problems. A final call from a real phone catches everything your phone system adds after the file leaves your computer.
- 1
Choose a simple track with a clear midrange.
- 2
Keep the level even and leave room before clipping.
- 3
Trim dead air and make the restart gentle.
- 4
Export the exact format your phone system requires.
- 5
Place a real test call before publishing it.
Need a better track?
Start with music made for phone lines.
Eight original tracks, mastered for the narrow world of a phone call. Free for commercial use, with no signup or attribution required.
Questions, answered
Hold-music preflight, plainly explained.
The score is useful. Your own ears on a real call still make the final decision.
What does Hold Music Doctor check?
It checks file details, average RMS level, peak clipping, opening and ending silence, mono compatibility, loop continuity, and how much level remains after an approximate phone-band pass. It also builds a phone-line preview and a prioritized fix list.
Why does hold music sound worse over the phone?
Phone calls are optimized for speech rather than full-range music. Bass, bright detail, wide stereo, and dense mixes may be reduced or distorted, so headphones alone are not a reliable test.
What file format is best for music on hold?
Requirements vary. Many business phone systems accept MP3 or WAV, while some require mono, 8 kHz WAV. The Doctor reads your file, but you should confirm the required format in your phone system.
How loud should hold music be?
There is no universal target. It should feel even and comfortable after phone playback, with enough room to avoid clipping. Use this level check as a preflight, then confirm it with a real test call.
Can the score guarantee how my phone system will sound?
No. The score measures the file and uses an approximate phone-band preview. Your phone system, call path, handset, and volume settings can change playback. Always place a real test call.
Is my audio private?
Yes. The checkup runs in your browser, so the audio file is not uploaded to or stored by Lobby.
Can I use music from Lobby's free library?
Yes. All eight original tracks are free for commercial use under the Lobby Free License, with no attribution required. They may not be resold or repackaged as a music library.
The honest next step
Better hold music helps. Answering helps more.
Lobby answers inbound calls, handles common questions, books appointments, and routes callers when a person is needed, day or night.
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