What is a reference track, and how do you compare against one?
A reference track is a released master you trust, played beside your own so your ears and your meters have something to measure against. Compare the two at the same loudness and section by section, or the louder track and the busier moment will win every time.
Choosing a reference
- The same genre, and close to the same sub-genre. A reference sets expectations for weight, width and density; a record from another world sets the wrong ones.
- The same destination. A master for streaming and a master for club systems are made to different levels on purpose. Compare against one made for where yours is going.
- A released master, at the best quality you have. Not a demo, a live rip or a clip with something on top of it.
- Two or three, not one. One reference tells you about one record. Where two references agree, you have learned something about the genre.
Match the levels before you judge
A version only a little louder tends to sound fuller, brighter and more exciting, whatever it is. So a comparison that is not level-matched mostly measures volume: the louder of the two wins, and the change you make to catch up is usually more limiting.
Match them first, by integrated loudness, then listen. If yours still sounds smaller, the difference is in the balance or the dynamics, and that is something you can act on.
Compare section by section
A whole-track figure hides the moments that matter. An intro, a breakdown and a drop each have their own level, width and balance, and comparing your drop with the reference’s intro tells you nothing. Pair them in order instead: your drop against its drop, your breakdown against its breakdown, each pair at matched loudness.
What to look at
- Loudness over time. Where each section sits, and how far the level moves between the intro and the drop.
- Dynamics. How far the peaks rise above the loudness around them. A master much flatter than its reference is usually being limited harder.
- Spectral balance. The weight of the low end against the air at the top, across the whole record and section by section.
- Width, and the bass in mono. How much the two channels agree, and whether the low end holds together when it is summed to mono, as it is on a club sub, a phone or a laptop.
Comparing in RefBooth
Compare is part of Studio. Drop your master and a reference, and the report pairs your sections with its sections, in order, and compares each pair at matched loudness. What the plan includes:
- Compare up to 8 sources at once, level-matched
- Level-matched A/B player with band solo
- Suggested EQ moves against the reference
- Reference library, 16 saved slots
The report already reads one master against the platform you deliver to; the guide to mastering loudness explains what those targets mean, comparing to a reference in RefBooth shows the steps, and pricing has the plans side by side.