6. References and checks
How to compare with a record without losing your way, what to look for, how to check on different systems and when to call the mix finished.
After an hour, your ears get used to anything. A reference is a professional song that reminds you what you’re after. And checks on other systems show you what your speakers hide.
Choosing and loading the reference
- Two or three songs in the style and with similar instrumentation.
- A good-quality file, not a compressed video.
- On a track that doesn’t go through the Main, so your output plugins don’t affect it.
What to look for
Compare one thing at a time, for a few seconds, and go back to your mix.
The useful questions
- Balance: where’s the vocal? How much kick and snare is there?
- Lows: more or less than yours? Do they boom?
- Brightness: are the cymbals and guitars further forward or back?
- Width: what’s in the center and what’s on the sides?
- Space: how much reverb can you really hear?
Don’t try to copy it: your song, your takes and your room are different. Look for the big differences, the ones you notice in five seconds.
Comparing at equal volume
This exercise trains your ear for that. Switch while it plays and notice how much volume weighs in what seems “better” to you.
How much volume fools you
The AFTER sounds a bit louder. Notice how much of what you like is tone and how much is level. Then compare your mix with the reference with the same attention.
“AFTER” applies this chain to the sound:
- High boost (+4 dB from 4.5 kHz) → more “air” and brightness.
- Gentle compression (≈3:1) → more even and “glued”.
- A touch of volume to compensate.
What to listen for: “AFTER” sounds more bright, present and stable.
- •BEFORE — the raw, unprocessed sound.
- •AFTER — with the chain applied (air + compression + level).
- •🎸 Bass — a synthesized riff with dynamics: ideal for hearing compression.
- •📢 Pink noise — an even sound across the whole spectrum: ideal for “seeing” the EQ.
- •🎵 Load your audio — your own file (MP3, WAV, OGG, FLAC, M4A…); it's processed locally in your browser and isn't uploaded anywhere.
The checks
Other systems
- Headphones: noises, sibilance and exaggerated panning show up.
- Phone or laptop: you hear whether the vocal, snare and bass stay present.
- Car: you notice whether there are too many or too few lows.
- Mono: you hear whether something cancels. The vocal, kick, snare and bass should stay firm.
- Low volume: if the balance works quietly, it works everywhere.
Your speakers and your room hide problems. Checking on other systems and against a reference keeps you from discovering them after publishing.
When you’re done
A mix never ends up perfect: it gets abandoned. It’s done if:
- It passes the checks, with nothing pulling you out of the song.
- Next to the reference, there are no big differences.
- The latest changes no longer show when listening to the whole song.
- It still works the next day.
What you deliver
- 24-bit WAV at the session’s sample rate.
- Peaks near −6 dBFS, with no limiter on the Main.
- A version with the vocal 1 dB higher, in case it’s needed in mastering.
- The session saved as it is.
Common mistakes
What NOT to chase yet
Quick path: closing the mix
Quick path
- Load two references on a track that doesn't go through the Main.
- Match the volume with your mix.
- Compare balance, lows, brightness, width and space.
- Fix only the big differences.
- Check on headphones, phone, car, in mono and at low volume.
- Listen again the next day.
- Export with no limiter and peaks near −6 dBFS.
Expected result
Expected result
A mix checked outside your room, which holds up next to a record in the style once volumes are matched. If you got here, the mix is closed. Next is mastering.