Anybody using "Reference" A/B Plugin?

[guscave]

I've been using Izotpoe's "Tonal Balance Control". IMHO it's better than any reference plugin I've used before. I think that with reference tracks we sometimes can get too caught up in having our songs sound too much like it and wind up with a not so great mix.

What I like about TBC is that it gives you an average across the eq spectrum depending on the style of music you're working on. This has basically cut down my walks out to the car to listen to my mix by more than half https://www.izotope.com/en/products/ton ... rol-2.html

I think they have a trail version. Check it out first, see if you like it.

[cosmicdolphin]

I've been using Izotpoe's "Tonal Balance Control". IMHO it's better than any reference plugin I've used before. I think that with reference tracks we sometimes can get too caught up in having our songs sound too much like it and wind up with a not so great mix.

Yeah me too but it's a very different tool IMHO.

TBC is great to know is your mix is spectrally balanced. However , you can have a balanced track that sounds zero like the references though.

The value of A-B-ing is like a production tutorial..is my kick as punchy as the refs ? is my vocal around the same level...that sort of thing. Also bear in mind many great mixed also don't always stay within the lines set out by TB..they are an average.

[guscave]

I've been using Izotpoe's "Tonal Balance Control". IMHO it's better than any reference plugin I've used before. I think that with reference tracks we sometimes can get too caught up in having our songs sound too much like it and wind up with a not so great mix.

Yeah me too but it's a very different tool IMHO.

TBC is great to know is your mix is spectrally balanced. However , you can have a balanced track that sounds zero like the references though.

The value of A-B-ing is like a production tutorial..is my kick as punchy as the refs ? is my vocal around the same level...that sort of thing. Also bear in mind many great mixed also don't always stay within the lines set out by TB..they are an average.

I agree but remember, your reference track is also just an average. You're most likely not using the same equipment, samples, musicians etc.. as your reference track. So you might end up spending a long time trying to get that same kick or guitar sound and miss out on the overall balance of the mix.

I rely on 4 things to reference my track: 1) My AKG headphone which Ive had for almost 10 years. 2)Tonal Balance Control. 3) My cheap PC speakers with sub woofer, 4) I reference it against a similar styled song on earbuds. I'll listen to the mix in both Mono and Stereo. If it sounds good on all of these, I don't have to worry how it sounds in other systems.

[Tunesmith]

Hi! f you have Studio One Pro 4, (other versions may have it too, perhaps Artist which is free) you can use the Project mode which has a full mastering tool. Here you can drag your tracks and reference tracks into to compare. It has the capability to show you the loudness with all the specific meters so you can match the levels etc.

There is a full course on this on Groove3.com which offers awesome affordable tutorials and I am an avid user!!!

Best to you!
Linda C

[cosmicdolphin]

an avid user!!!

Pro Tools ?

[Tunesmith]

I use Studio One so I don't know if Pro Tools has that mastering option?

[cosmicdolphin]

I use Studio One so I don't know if Pro Tools has that mastering option?

It was a joke ....Avid make Pro Tools

[guscave]

Hi! f you have Studio One Pro 4, (other versions may have it too, perhaps Artist which is free) you can use the Project mode which has a full mastering tool. Here you can drag your tracks and reference tracks into to compare. It has the capability to show you the loudness with all the specific meters so you can match the levels etc.

There is a full course on this on Groove3.com which offers awesome affordable tutorials and I am an avid user!!!

Best to you!
Linda C

I use Studio One Pro. You can assign a 2nd master output under the song setup= Audio I/O setup. Use that one for your reference track.

https://s1manual.presonus.com/Content/S ... Output.htm

[AlasdairEaston]

I got Metric AB recently (on a great deal, about $35 after paying UK tax) and it's been a revelation. It's fantastic. It doesn't *do* anything to your mix but it does allow you to compare it to a number of reference tracks in a really useable way. I much prefer that to something that magically applies fixes to my mix to make it better. I want to understand the differences between my mix and the sound I'm aiming for, and then learn how to use the tools I have to bring mine closer. I want to be the one making the changes to create the sound. I like it that way partly because I'm fascinated by all this audio and musical stuff, but also because as Taxi members we're sometimes not aiming for what might be the "perfect" sound. For example, if the ref tracks are old motown then sonically, comparing them with say a Carrie Underwood single, they're often terrible. Totally distorted drums, no real bottom end anywhere, muffled cymbals, etc. They're great records though! And if our job that day is to recreate that vibey sound then a sonically perfect mix is not going to help.

So Metric AB is great. It makes certain aspects of the comparison so apparent. For example I was messing about with something the other day, trying to get a kind of Black Keys sound. One quick check on Metric AB and it was clear my mix was too thick on bass and low mid. It was obvious to my ears the moment I hit the button to switch between my mix and the Black Keys, but more than that, I was also able to see on the graphs where the problem was, that mine was consistently reading louder than the Black Keys track beneath 200Hz and especially below 80Hz. So off to my kick drum and bass guitar channels to tweak the EQ, filtering and their relative levels.

It'll also analyse and compare your stereo imaging, dynamics and loudness to the ref tracks. The dynamics one I really want to get into although haven't had time yet. It shows you things like whether your track is too dynamic or is competitive with the ref track so you can adjust your compression or limiting to make it into the commercial/competitive zone without crushing it.

I find that stuff really useful.

Cheers,
Alasdair.

[AlasdairEaston]

Just to follow up on my last post, I see Metric AB is now back at $199. That's a lot of money! I'd say wait for a sale, definitely, but I think Plugin Alliance often have crazy sales ("Any plugin $29.99!!" type things). Might be worth keeping an eye on their website or getting on their mailing list.

Cheers,
Alasdair.