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August 25, 2022

How to Choose The Perfect Reference Tracks When Mixing Your Music

 

Mixing is all about perspective. And when you’re deep into the mix for your latest song or album, it can be easy to lose that perspective.

The simple reason is that as you mix, your ears and brain are acclimating to the sounds you’re hearing.

In fact, a muddy or uninspiring mix can, over time, start to sound kind of nice! The more time you spend “in the weeds,” the more likely you’ll lose your perspective on your mix.

Then, when you head out to the car to listen to how your track is coming together, you might be a little surprised (in a not-so-good way 😫).

But there is a way to keep your ears and mind tuned to the sound of a great-sounding mix. And that’s by using reference tracks while you mix.

I’ve been mixing alongside references for years. They are such a help in guiding me through the ups and downs of a mix. And that’s because I have a way to compare how close (or far) my mixes are from sounding great!

But what is a reference track? Where do you find these magic tracks? And how do you use them in your Logic Pro Projects?

“Reference track” is fancy speak for “great sounding mix.”

They’re typically professionally mixed and mastered tracks you dig for the track’s production value. You’re not necessarily focusing on whether you like the song itself (though it certainly helps). But you’re looking for tracks that you think sound great for the quality of the mix.

So if you’re mixing a rock song, you’d most likely choose 2-3 rock-based references from different albums/artists. And you’d load those references into Logic Pro so you can occasionally compare your mix against those references.

But where can you find reference tracks you like? How do you download them? And how do you get them into Logic Pro?

That’s what today’s video is all about. In the video above I’ll explain how to:

  • Identify reference tracks to use to help guide your mix efforts
  • Download tracks from iTunes
  • Load your references into Logic Pro
  • Watch out for Apple Music/iTunes settings that might trip you up
  • Create a library of reference content that you rely on
  • Working around Atmos file limitations using a 3rd party app from Sonnox called ListenHub (affiliate link)

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Filed Under: Mastering, Mixing, Producing, Spatial Mixing

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Dan Morris says

    August 29, 2022 at 8:01 am

    Super video Chris and really helpful to have a walkthrough of setting up ref tracks in a mix session.
    Will definately use these tips and let you know how it goes
    Thank you 😊

    Reply
  2. Ron Spencer says

    September 16, 2022 at 8:44 pm

    So, no more Match? Sure seems complicated , what with ATMOS, etc.
    There is a threshold, which most of us live beneath, where ATMOS and Lossless audio and Super Audio CD’s, don’t make much difference, I regret to say. Chris, you have great ears, and I salute you and those similarly blessed.
    ps, everybody need to learn how to spell “definitely”.

    Reply
    • Chris says

      September 17, 2022 at 8:36 am

      Hey Ron, thanks for your comment. I still use the Match EQ to analyze how my mix differs from my references. The question of “how to choose the ‘perfect’ reference,” just crops up so much I wanted to help users identify and download references to load into their projects.

      I agree regarding hearing the differences between lossy and lossless audio from Apple Music/iTunes. I myself would be hard-pressed to hear any differences, as the Apple codecs are actually very good for compressing audio without perceivable degradation.

      As a YouTuber/guy on the internet claiming to “know things,” I’m constantly attempting to anticipate the “ifs, ands, buts” that people watching might be thinking. And some folks undoubtedly will be morally offended by the idea of downloading lossy files 😝 That’s why I mentioned Qobuz.

      I will say that Spatial Audio is at its most convincing with iOS 16’s new Personalized Spatial Audio and a pair of AirPods Max. When something happens “behind” me now, I absolutely can hear and perceive it. I’m excitedly hoping for Personalized Spatial Audio to make its way to Logic Pro in the near future.

      Reply
  3. Ron Spencer says

    September 17, 2022 at 11:46 am

    Thanks Chris.
    I’ve learned a ton from you. I still say you should be on Apple’s payroll.
    Ron

    Reply

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