Hi! ive been mixing for years now, including many songs that have been placed. However, ive never used a reference track, and feel like i should be. I know my mixes sound good, but i think they could improve. I understand the basic concept of using a reference track, checking where the drums sit compared to bass etc, but are there any other tips anyone can recommend? Any tutorials to watch? Advanced reference techniques using AI stem seperation? etc etc.

Assume im brand new to mixing, and i know nothing about using a reference. Any tips greatly appreciated !! tagging @Stevie Dude cuz he's always bringing excellent insight and ideas.

 

Your post reminded me that there is a method being taught where you split a reference track into isolated instruments using AI then EQ match them with your corresponding busses to get a finished product that now sounds as high quality as the original reference track. Sounds like it could work to get beginners in the ballpark quickly but would likely still require some additional processing to actually get it sounding "finished".

 

Haha, this is one area which that I actually have questionable method. I have close to 50+ folders/playlists fully organized, collected, stolen from other on Spotify FREE. Keyword being "free" where I usually do referencing. I actually forgot, it was a book or maybe an interview, it could be Dave Pensado, can't tell. The suggestion was to use low quality stuff for referencing, reference the song at its shitty condition for some reason and make it better on my end. I had my doubt few years ago, but it turns out working well, as simple as referencing on audio with high fidelity tends to make you focus on the unnecessary details like the super high end Air or shit like that, or the overall balance sometimes when all we want just to hear how the mixer of the song did the body of the toms/snare or how he deep he placed the drum in the stereo spectrum. It's our nature for someone that's working in audio to be more attracted to shinny, smooth, beautiful thing and forgot why we we referencing at the first place. It's questionable I know, but I can't tell how effective it is, just give it a try. I think I have mentioned it before here few years ago.

About the reference songs and some other suggestions, I will write it down later, I'm between renders now and need to clean the studio. It smells like a pub here. TBC

 

If I'm doing something genre or era specific I like to audition a track or two to get the vibe in my head. I don't go beyond that though, matching and a/b-ing everything.
I think ultimately everything should be your vision for a sound. Jeff Lynne wasn't comparing his mixes to anyone. I kind of think his stuff sounds like utter shit but damn, it's distinctive. And of course, many love his sound. It's a sad thing that music now has to sound so utterly uniform.

 

Someone once told me (I cant remember who) take a reference track and make 2 copies of it, giving 3 in total. It might have been someone who got this concept from Deadmau5, although I cant swear to it.

Using 'Engineer's Filter' Can be d/l for free, type into Google

Take one and filter out the top end
Another and filter out the low end
and the remaining one filter top and bottom to leave just the middle

Now do the same with your own track.

Just compare all three against yours individually.

When finished, blend your three back into one using just the original track (without filtering) as a reference.


EngFilter is here:- http://www.rs-met.com/freebies.html

32 bit though, so it will need bridging

 

A reference track doesn't require any specific technique LOL
It's a pallette cleanser. When you mix for a time, your ears inevitably start adjusting to your mix as the new norm. You lose the sense of balance, whatever you mix is lacking or having in excess starts feeling okay. In order to reverse this, you should periodically listen to a professionally mixed track in the same genre you're currently working in. It is, as I said, a reality check and a pallette cleanser.
You can also get ideas on where to move next from the reference track, if you're ever unsure what to do.
You don't have to match your track to the reference, or to approach it with some special technique. It's useful for the same reason coffee is useful at the perfume shop.

 

There are lots of plugins now that support importing reference tracks. When you use a plugin like Match EQ in Logic, you can quickly compare your track to a reference and have it show you what an EQ Match would produce. You do not have to use the corrections, so you can get an idea of your target and then turn it off. You can also de-mix a reference track and get a ballpark comparison with the stems. Start with lossless files only, when possible.