By now, you’ve probably heard the advice that you should use reference tracks if you want a great mix that translates everywhere. References can give you objective clarity about what a finished mix in your genre actually sounds like. They can help you calibrate your ears and understand how different frequencies sound in your room and on your speakers.
Over the last few years I’ve seen many different students run into the same trap when using references. The reference is supposed to guide you, but if you’re not careful it can quietly start steering your whole mix. Sometimes you don’t even realize it’s happening until your mix starts sounding worse and worse.
In today’s edition of Sound Advice, we’re going to talk about how to use reference tracks to level up your skills as an engineer without falling into that trap, getting frustrated, and wanting to start the mix all over from scratch.
The trap is really subtle. After some time you stop using the reference to inform your decisions and start trying to make your mix conform to the reference.
It’s really easy to forget that even within the same genre, every track is completely unique. Different arrangements, different sound choices, different processing chains, and different mic techniques all add up to a unique snow flake of a song. When you force your mix to conform to the identity of the reference, you risk removing the very things that make your track yours.
I fell into this alot when I was learning. I’d pull up a reference, hear the refs top end, and start pushing my mix towards that. I’d boost the highs until my frequency curve looked identical. This gave off the illusion of moving closer to the finish line.
But the closer I got to the end of the mix, the worse my song felt. The high end was harsh and brittle, the balance was all over the place, and everything sounded way less controlled then when I started the mix. That was the most confusing part of this. I though I was doing the “pro” move by using a reference the way everyone told me to.
It finally clicked that the reference was only ever supposed to be the guidepost, and once I started treating it that way, referencing gave me much better results.
One concept really helped this land for me. Think about the difference between a cook, and a chef. A cook works systematically. They follow the procedure as written, aiming for consistency. It’s a repeatable, reliable, way of thinking.
On the other hand a chef knows the recipe too, but the goal isn’t imitation. The end goal is a great dish. If an ingredient, a step or timing choice isn’t serving the end goal, they make decisions on the fly that deviate from the plan because in the end, they understand what the dish is supposed to become.
For a long time, I approached referencing like a cook. I treated the reference like the recipe, I tried to recreate that exact dish but with completely different ingredients.
When I started thinking more like a chef, i realized that I could borrow what served my track and leave out what didn’t, so the mix could stand next to the reference without losing what made it mine.
So what does thinking like a chef look like when you’re in a mix session with a reference track open? It’s one simple habit.
First, compare your mix to the reference.
Then name what you’re going to borrow from it.
Next, name an area of the reference that you should avoid trying to replicate all together. Remember your song is unique, so every move won’t always translate.
Before you close the reference in your next mixing session, here are 3 things to think about.
1. Make Sure Levels Are Matched
Before you compare the reference to your mix, level match them first. If the reference is even a little louder, it will feel fuller and clearer, and your mix will seem smaller. That’s how you end up “fixing” things that aren’t broken.
Level matching also keeps your ears honest in your room because your comparing two mixes, not two different volumes. Once the levels line up, the comparison stops being a vague feeling and turns into specific questions you can answer. Is their low end tighter? Does their vocal sit more forward?
When you match, focus on perceived loudness, not just peaks. Two songs can hit the same true peak and still feel very different in loudness. That’s why I like Reference 3 for referencing. Its loudness match and layered spectrum make it quick to get both tracks into the same ballpark with one click.
2. Borrow 3 Things
Pick 3 specific things you’re choosing to borrow from the reference and write them down. Make them concrete and adjustable, like how forward the vocals feel, how much sub sits under the kick, and how much presences lives around 2k in the guitars. Avoid vague goals like “make it identical: These three notes should be clear enough that you can act on them immediately, and they should stay in front of you as a guide while you mix.
3. Leave 1 Thing Out
Find the one spot where your song clearly needs the opposite move. Write the reason in one sentence. If you can’t write that sentence, it isn’t a decision yet. Once you can explain the deviation, you can commit to it and protect the sonic identity that makes your track yours.
Once you’ve written those notes, put the reference aside and get back to mixing. Keep it nearby for occasional check-ins, but stop letting it make every single decision for you.
Over time, you might borrow more than three things, and you might choose to deviate more than one spot. That’s completely fine. The point isn’t sticking to the numbers. The point is being intentional, instead of letting the reference dictate the mix the way I did for years.
The next time a reference makes you feel like your mix needs to be scrapped, that’s usually the “cook” mindset creeping back in. Switch to the “chef” mindset, make a clear decision, and bring the art back into your mixes.
