Using References

[explorer]

Hey guys,

In an effort to make my mixes translate better and be more balanced i have been trying to reference to other tracks. Do you have any tips for how to choose a good reference and how to use it without losing focus on what your own track is like?

[Fletcher]

If I find myself getting lost I throw in a CD with which I'm intimately familiar just to get myself 'grounded'...

Usually when I do that it's because I've become confused as to what the speakers sound like... this reference point reorients me... kinda puts the confusion to rest a bit. The CD can have absolutely nothing to do [on a musical level] with the material on which I'm working... it's sole purpose is to get me oriented as to what needs to be where in terms of top, bottom and mids.

[Yoni]

I find using references most helpful when trying to get the bass right.

[not_so_new]

Originally Posted by Fletcher

If I find myself getting lost I throw in a CD with which I'm intimately familiar just to get myself 'grounded'...

Usually when I do that it's because I've become confused as to what the speakers sound like... this reference point reorients me... kinda puts the confusion to rest a bit. The CD can have absolutely nothing to do [on a musical level] with the material on which I'm working... it's sole purpose is to get me oriented as to what needs to be where in terms of top, bottom and mids.

thumbsup

Yep...

The only thing I do different is I try to pick a CD that is in the same ballpark as what I am working on. If I am working with a heavy band I will not put Abby Road in even though I know it like the back of my hand. I might put Tool's Aenima (which I also know like the back of my hand) to get in the same head space. Some of the reason for these choices are due to changes in production techniques over the years, some of it is due to stylistic decisions and the like.

That said I do this to re-ground myself to the speakers and the outside world. I find what I get most out of the ref track is EQ and front to back balance, reverb trails and the like. Unless something is way out of wack between the ref and my mix I tend to not worry too much about track levels between the two.

For example snares in general seem to be mixed down more on newer productions (could be the *cough* generous use of 2 buss compresion) but I tend to like my drums up in the mix a bit so I don't care what the ref track sounds like in that regard unless my snare seems to be WAY too upfront after listening to the ref….. even then it might be what the mix calls for so who cares.

As Fletcher said, I think it is more about getting back to a center place with my speakers than it is about direct comparisons between my mix and someone else's. YMMV.