metric AB is a great tool for everything you showed all in just one plugin.... you can have up to 16 reference tracks set as default when you open the plugin and it's only 31 USD!
Instead of using this few plugins to compare I usually use a Metric AB from plugin alliance which gives almost everything what we need to see and hear ! But this is another great video !
Metric AB is a secret weapon, got it too. You got a vision of dynamic range, stereo field, loudness, correlation... You really can match to reference track and see if you mixes are great or not.
The best inverstment I have ever made and I regret so bad that I have it so late. My production skills literally boomed. Chronogically I can say the exact date when I have started to use that from my song. It really made a huge difference.
Of your many, many useful tutorials, I've found this one to be one of the most useful if not *the* most useful. I keep coming back to it. Thank you so much!
Will, this is hands down the best tutorial on mixing I have seen. The free plugins you recommended are super useful and easy to use and your explanations were amazing. Thank you!
Ive come along way with my mixing but the reference loudness was something I was struggling with, after watching this I know I am going to get that extra 10% ive been missing! thanks!
6:40 if you have separate plugins for each task (which is sensible), remember to _rename_ them. So that they're not all called 'Utility' but instead 'Mono Switch', 'Gain' and such.
Ah man i'm totally with you about using a reference track or five from the first stages of mixing and setting it to a set lufs level equal to your mix. From there though I wonder if your approach may be a tad clinical? If we think more artistically then we are talking about things like vibe and groove when judging limiter levels not engaging in the loudness war rubbish.
Another amazing Video, Im loving all your helpful tips tricks and vids, they are bringing my journey on in a nice swift manner instead of spending hours sat experimenting on my own wasting time, im actually excited to finish my day job and head home to get back on the computer, top man once again😂😂👍🏽👍🏽
Will I really appreciate your videos. I’ve learned a lot in the last six months, studying your videos on TH-cam. One of the best songs that I have produced so far is because you gave me advice to use a reference track and the second that I did that my music and improved phenomenally . Thank you DJ Wubzy
@@EDMTips if you have some extra time, this is a sample of what I’ve done with just what you’ve shown me. I do look forward to taking your class once I save the money for a DAW and your course. th-cam.com/video/4JEO8TX7b7g/w-d-xo.html
Super helpful! This track of yours is beautiful and the looping part of it for the gain comparison is some dope material for a deep progressive, melancholic tune/remix.
Carl Cox released his techno album this September. There is one track called - see the sun rising. If you can do something similar like that in your next video that will be great.
Great stuff, really interested in this kind of tutorial to get my sound to a professional level, the only trouble I have is spending age's finding a reference track!!!!
If you use Logic you can actually route a set up and make a AB switch button for reference. Look it up on TH-cam. I guarantee you can do this with Ableton too but I don't use it.
When I saw the reference track's wave signature I was like, "Sheesh! That's gonna be loud and crushed." Just like all commercial EDM tracks. -6LUF is darn there Festival levels where dynamics be damned. -14LUF or if you're pushing it, -10LUF is a good place to STOP with the loudness.
When it comes to streaming services, I absolutely agree, but when it comes to a .WAV that will be played by a DJ in the club or festival, -7 to -8 is a good target (I've found)
In another mixing video they said to keep your true peak at -1 but yours is hitting quite a bit higher any thoughts on this? Another great tutorial thanks!
I finished Will's Becoming A Music Machine course. Combined with these videos they definitely help. I still lack of mixing talent/skills though since I use MPC Beats. But overall very helpful.
@@EDMTips thanks. One thing for sure now. I don't get stuck in a loop. One way or another it turns into a 40-60 bar track. Doesn't have to be the best work of mine, but it's at least complete.
Epic video, these are always so helpful!! The only thing I was having trouble with was when I would try to open the reference vs. master SPAN plugin they kept replacing each other rather than going side by side. Is there a way to fix this? Thank you :)
(sorry for the dumb question, as i am still a beginner trying to navigate all this ) when you were adjusting the volume of the bass after you compared the two tracks on voxengo, why didnt you adjust the volume on the utility of that track? i am just trying to not get confused. thanks!!
if referencing is essential how the first yoghurt could be made without referencing? :d for the guys who doesn't know, yoghurt is being made with putting yoghurt to the milk and waiting until it turns to yoghurt.
Thanks Will! This makes me go back and reference more things. Haha. Seriously though! I've been struggling with a new song I heard and I am trying to figure out the hardwave style gate they did. It's the latest to drive me mad, because I am unable to re-create it, no matter what I do. I am not trying to copy it or use, just trying to understand it. Its pretty complex and excellent work by the artist. I often find myself trying to reverse engineer how things are done to gain a better understanding of what are the possibilities. When I was 16, I took a car apart all the way down to the frame and rebuilt it, just to gain a better understanding of everything. It's how my engineer brain works. I have since done it as well, with a motorcycle - but the purpose of that was to, in fact, restore it.
It's the best way to learn - reverse engineering - but it is difficult! I have a sound design framework I use - it might help: th-cam.com/video/z-7AQOkBfEw/w-d-xo.html
I tried this and got all of the loudness levels and frequency spectrum almost exactly the same as my reference track. Sounds amazing but the only problem is that I have to push the Pro-L2 too hard when bringing the level back up to match (around -7.5 LUFS) and there is distortion on quite a bit of the peaks. Is this most likely due to/fixed by compression on the individual tracks? Or just different stages of mastering like a multi-band compression etc? I’m so grateful for this video. Helped a ton, thank you! Edit: my problem area is actually just the kick and the low-mid range on a Deadmau5 style synth.
and another question - i was born deaf in one ear so i dont have stereo hearing. is there any advice you have for what someone in my situation watch out for when when mixing? do i just mix all in mono? much appreciate all your content btw. thanks!!!
Hey in your case I wouldn't advise to mix all in mono. I mean, I do recommend checking your song in mono for phasing issues but otherwise keep it stereo and perhaps inverting the L/R channels on the master from time to time making sure none of your elements sits too little or too much on one side. Visual cues may play a bigger role in your production too so check the vectorscope frequently as well. Lastly, share your track with some of your producer buddies and ask them specifically also about the mix and the left/right balance. I'm sure their feedback will be of great value too. I'm wishing you all the best in finding your ways to work with your deaf ear! Andrew Huang might be a TH-camr you will be able to relate to as he's (partially) deaf too. Just an idea for inspiration. :)
Thanks brother :) I’ve always been told it’s a good idea to mix without any mastering on Anyways. So will try this :) I’ve also been told a pre master should be leaving at least -6DB headroom. So if I made sure both tracks has say -12DB when playing through master. Would that work? X
it not posible to live playing and retrigger the envolop for leads when pressing a note on my midi keyboard ? because i can't fine it, noting works , the envolop blue vertical line keeps scrolling
Hi Will, great tuto!!! I wrote everything on my notebook. But there is something I don't understand, I took a reference track, i sampled a loop of it and i run the two tracks (at the same tempo, at the same level heard, with no effects). I added Youlean meter on each track, and what i see? the original track average volume (integrated) is -9db lufs, whereas the loop track average volume is -23db lufs?!! I'd like to understand why please. thanks.
@@EDMTips in fact, i realized that the problem was with the output volume of my sampler, which i had to increase. So, when i mix, do i have to compare the average volume of the reference track with Youlean meter everytime i add a plugin? And compensate for the gain? Or only at the end?
Great videos as always. Quick question... If you don't own the reference track that you want to use and instead record a sample of the song off Spotify, how do you ensure you're comparing the LUFS correctly? The initial section you showed where we sync up the volumes is fine but when it comes to the mastering later, the reference track might be quieter or louder than how it was originally intended? Any way to handle that?
You can buy high quality reference tracks off of beatport for only a $1.29. If you set your faders to zero, your DAW should have a true rendering of the original track loudness. It's worth investing in several good reference tracks, because you will use them again and again, and you are also supporting the artists that are influencing your decisions. You can use the utility to lower the reference track volume so that you can get a fair comparison during mixing. But when you start mastering, you can also drop the reference track into the mastering project at full volume (with the ref track fader at 0 dB) for an apples to apples comparison of how your master track should sound in terms of overall frequency curve and loundess.
@@jl9205 Cool, thanks for explaining! That makes sense! I will go to BeatPort and buy a few tracks I want to be using for reference as Will's description made a lot of sense and I'd like to have something that sounded like the commercial stuff.
@@graemeturner6187 Lots of tracks can be downloaded from soundcloud for free too. Not all, but generally a nice place to check. Also some labels make them available to download
Make your music BANGING-ER! Hope you enjoy, and let me know what you want me to cover next 🔥
Requesting a classic UK garage track please mate? Tuff Jams or MJ Cole Vibe would be amazing!
great lesson hell yeah. bro can you cover some dua lipa into a final tech house song?! would be amazing
This is a game changer for sure thank you !! My question is that you can leave the utility on with the volume boost? Many thanks!!
You are the only form of the internet courses guru I could ever admire. Great videos.
🫡🙏
Fun fact; The ears/brain adjust to whatever your listening to after 20 minutes.
That's why you need to reference.
Totally agree!
I discovered your channel recently and love it!
Hey you can sidechain your reference track on span so they appear on the same span graph. Instead of having 2 different spans
Is that in the paid version?
@@kylrmusicofficial Nope. In the VST2 version. In VST2 u can enable the side chain version. It wont work in VST3
metric AB is a great tool for everything you showed all in just one plugin.... you can have up to 16 reference tracks set as default when you open the plugin and it's only 31 USD!
This is without question the best vid I've ever seen on how to use reference tracks, bar none. Many thx!
Instead of using this few plugins to compare I usually use a Metric AB from plugin alliance which gives almost everything what we need to see and hear ! But this is another great video !
Thanks for sharing!
+1 for metric ab as well...
Metric AB is a secret weapon, got it too. You got a vision of dynamic range, stereo field, loudness, correlation... You really can match to reference track and see if you mixes are great or not.
The best inverstment I have ever made and I regret so bad that I have it so late. My production skills literally boomed. Chronogically I can say the exact date when I have started to use that from my song. It really made a huge difference.
Yes, you can spend 280 dollars for metric. Or you dont, and have same results with a few (free) plugins... lol
The most useful tutorial I’ve seen in years!!
Awesome again. Your vids are so helpful. Thank you
Happy to help!
Hi...great video.....
I always use a balance between my music sound like other tracks and been creative and be original
Love that! Thanks for sharing 🙌🏻
Of your many, many useful tutorials, I've found this one to be one of the most useful if not *the* most useful. I keep coming back to it. Thank you so much!
You're welcome, glad you found it helpful! 🙌🏻
Thanks for watching and supporting the channel 🙂
Will, this is hands down the best tutorial on mixing I have seen. The free plugins you recommended are super useful and easy to use and your explanations were amazing. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Brad! Glad it helped :)
Agreed!
This is gold..A great guide about how to really use a reference track and plus. Thanks so much :D
Thank you. cheers🙌🙌
You’re welcome!
Another top notch vid, Will. Cheers!
Thanks!
This is just what I asked for. Thankyou Will. Amen Break brother ❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️
You're welcome! 🙂
Man this gave me so much inspiration. Thank you for this!
You're welcome! Thanks for watching and supporting the channel 🙂
Ive come along way with my mixing but the reference loudness was something I was struggling with, after watching this I know I am going to get that extra 10% ive been missing! thanks!
You're welcome, glad you found my videos helpful! 🙂
Kidd Mike track...bought ! Great production, clean ...good reference track
Awesome! Yeah, it's a banger :)
This is very useful, thanks for the tip, I'll try it out on my next song. 🤘
Thnx a million, will🙏🏻
You're welcome...Thanks as always for watching and supporting!
6:40 if you have separate plugins for each task (which is sensible), remember to _rename_ them. So that they're not all called 'Utility' but instead 'Mono Switch', 'Gain' and such.
Great tip!
Great vid ❤ and useful tips 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏 💥
Cracking video mate, we tell so many producers then when we are listening to their demos on our twitch demo sessions….
Cheers, Grahame!
Ah man i'm totally with you about using a reference track or five from the first stages of mixing and setting it to a set lufs level equal to your mix. From there though I wonder if your approach may be a tad clinical? If we think more artistically then we are talking about things like vibe and groove when judging limiter levels not engaging in the loudness war rubbish.
That final comment about the students not wanting to use a reference track cracked me up. That was me last week and now here I am😅
Great video Will. Thanks for showing us these tips 🔥👍
Thanks, and you're welcome!
Another amazing Video, Im loving all your helpful tips tricks and vids, they are bringing my journey on in a nice swift manner instead of spending hours sat experimenting on my own wasting time, im actually excited to finish my day job and head home to get back on the computer, top man once again😂😂👍🏽👍🏽
Appreciate the kind words of support, and stoked my videos have helped you so far!
Great video you teach so deeply thanks❤
You're welcome, glad you found it helpful 🙌🏻
Hi Will, always appreciate your help. Would you mind making an Alan Walker style EDM with stock plugins?
Great suggestion! What's your favourite track of his?
thank you so much , it worked :)
You're welcome! Glad it helped 🙂
Mate this seems great! Gonna give it a go!
I swear by it!
Will I really appreciate your videos. I’ve learned a lot in the last six months, studying your videos on TH-cam.
One of the best songs that I have produced so far is because you gave me advice to use a reference track and the second that I did that my music and improved phenomenally .
Thank you
DJ Wubzy
You're welcome, I am really stoked my videos have helped you so far! 🙌🏻
@@EDMTips if you have some extra time, this is a sample of what I’ve done with just what you’ve shown me. I do look forward to taking your class once I save the money for a DAW and your course.
th-cam.com/video/4JEO8TX7b7g/w-d-xo.html
@@EDMTips also this is all done with FL mobile on my iPhone. Lol
Klasse! Beste Grüße aus Deutschland aus Thüringen 👍
Appreciate it! 🙌🙏
Thanks!
You're welcome, Tim, I am glad you found it helpful! 🙂
Also, thanks for watching and supporting the channel, really appreciate it!
Another awesome video man. Learning heaps watching them. Thanks again!
You're welcome Mark, glad you found them helpful! 🙌🏻
AWESOM!!
Super helpful! This track of yours is beautiful and the looping part of it for the gain comparison is some dope material for a deep progressive, melancholic tune/remix.
Carl Cox released his techno album this September. There is one track called - see the sun rising. If you can do something similar like that in your next video that will be great.
Great video and really helpful. Nice 👍🏻
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you
You're welcome!
Suuuuuuuuuuuuuper useful! Thanx a bunch :)
You're welcome! 🙂
Dope tutorial bro! Love the idea!
Appreciate it! 🙌🙏
Great stuff, really interested in this kind of tutorial to get my sound to a professional level, the only trouble I have is spending age's finding a reference track!!!!
It's worth collecting a library of music you like over time! Just throw them into a favourites playlist
Great video! This is the truth!
Thank you so much, I am glad it was helpful :)
Excellent Will Merci (Y)
You're welcome! 🙌🏻
Thanks for this informative video🔥🔥🔥
No problem 👍
Awesome, just one thing. Where can we find high quality reference tracks for any genre?
When I started using Refs, I levelled up tenfold.
Hell Yea, top work brother.
Another great tutorial Will superb
Thank you! Cheers!
Amazing tutorial, Thanks. Just recently started using referencing tracks, and boy does it pay off! :D
If you use Logic you can actually route a set up and make a AB switch button for reference. Look it up on TH-cam. I guarantee you can do this with Ableton too but I don't use it.
When I saw the reference track's wave signature I was like, "Sheesh! That's gonna be loud and crushed." Just like all commercial EDM tracks.
-6LUF is darn there Festival levels where dynamics be damned. -14LUF or if you're pushing it, -10LUF is a good place to STOP with the loudness.
When it comes to streaming services, I absolutely agree, but when it comes to a .WAV that will be played by a DJ in the club or festival, -7 to -8 is a good target (I've found)
Great!
Thank you, I am glad you found it helpful! 🙌🏻
Hi, very good and valuable video. Keep up! About the reference track you used what was the sample rate? Did you buy it?
Thank you …..! Just great …..
Amazing great video ♥️💪🙌🙏
Awesome, I am glad you found it helpful! 🙂
Anything else in particular you’re struggling with and would like me to cover on the channel?
In another mixing video they said to keep your true peak at -1 but yours is hitting quite a bit higher any thoughts on this? Another great tutorial thanks!
really cool video! thanks!
Thanks a lot for this tutorial :)
You’re welcome!
please let me know when track is released. thanks. :)
Will do!
Great video, Amen brother !Someone have to build you a school Will!
The goal is to make your track sound BETTER than the reference 😊 great video
Absolutely! Always pushing thing forwards
I finished Will's Becoming A Music Machine course. Combined with these videos they definitely help. I still lack of mixing talent/skills though since I use MPC Beats. But overall very helpful.
Glad you enjoyed the course, and thanks for supporting my channel :)
@@EDMTips thanks. One thing for sure now. I don't get stuck in a loop. One way or another it turns into a 40-60 bar track. Doesn't have to be the best work of mine, but it's at least complete.
Epic video, these are always so helpful!! The only thing I was having trouble with was when I would try to open the reference vs. master SPAN plugin they kept replacing each other rather than going side by side. Is there a way to fix this? Thank you :)
just go to preferences -> plug-ins and turn audo-hide plug-in windows off, keep multiple and auto open plug-in windows checked!
Beautiful ❤️
It helps if the reference track is also in the same key.
That’s true!
Gold!
Appreciated!
Nice tip!
Fantastic
Thank you so much 😀
Hi Will! Can you make a tutorial "how to make a track like Funkin Matt's "Joi"? This banger is very original, with it's unique vibe.
(sorry for the dumb question, as i am still a beginner trying to navigate all this )
when you were adjusting the volume of the bass after you compared the two tracks on voxengo, why didnt you adjust the volume on the utility of that track? i am just trying to not get confused.
thanks!!
if referencing is essential how the first yoghurt could be made without referencing? :d for the guys who doesn't know, yoghurt is being made with putting yoghurt to the milk and waiting until it turns to yoghurt.
God made the first ever yoghurt with no reference. Since then, all subsequent yoghurts have been referenced.
@@EDMTips so God also made these genres of EDM that we should take reference :p
Thanks Will! This makes me go back and reference more things. Haha. Seriously though! I've been struggling with a new song I heard and I am trying to figure out the hardwave style gate they did. It's the latest to drive me mad, because I am unable to re-create it, no matter what I do. I am not trying to copy it or use, just trying to understand it. Its pretty complex and excellent work by the artist. I often find myself trying to reverse engineer how things are done to gain a better understanding of what are the possibilities. When I was 16, I took a car apart all the way down to the frame and rebuilt it, just to gain a better understanding of everything. It's how my engineer brain works. I have since done it as well, with a motorcycle - but the purpose of that was to, in fact, restore it.
It's the best way to learn - reverse engineering - but it is difficult! I have a sound design framework I use - it might help: th-cam.com/video/z-7AQOkBfEw/w-d-xo.html
I tried this and got all of the loudness levels and frequency spectrum almost exactly the same as my reference track. Sounds amazing but the only problem is that I have to push the Pro-L2 too hard when bringing the level back up to match (around -7.5 LUFS) and there is distortion on quite a bit of the peaks. Is this most likely due to/fixed by compression on the individual tracks? Or just different stages of mastering like a multi-band compression etc? I’m so grateful for this video. Helped a ton, thank you!
Edit: my problem area is actually just the kick and the low-mid range on a Deadmau5 style synth.
Try using multiple limiters in a chain to reduce the work each one has to do :)
@@jamesgrove1 Thanks for the tip. I will definitely give that a try 👍🏼
@@jamesgrove1 yes, never more than -3 on each limiter.
Great video will
Very useful ❤️
What Monitors are you using by the way?
Thanks, and check description for monitors!
@@EDMTips I can’t see any links to monitors mate?
Am I being thick 🤔😂
and another question - i was born deaf in one ear so i dont have stereo hearing. is there any advice you have for what someone in my situation watch out for when when mixing? do i just mix all in mono? much appreciate all your content btw. thanks!!!
Hey in your case I wouldn't advise to mix all in mono. I mean, I do recommend checking your song in mono for phasing issues but otherwise keep it stereo and perhaps inverting the L/R channels on the master from time to time making sure none of your elements sits too little or too much on one side. Visual cues may play a bigger role in your production too so check the vectorscope frequently as well. Lastly, share your track with some of your producer buddies and ask them specifically also about the mix and the left/right balance. I'm sure their feedback will be of great value too. I'm wishing you all the best in finding your ways to work with your deaf ear! Andrew Huang might be a TH-camr you will be able to relate to as he's (partially) deaf too. Just an idea for inspiration. :)
Can you do a totorial on how to make deep house like anyasa
Can you also just use the master to check the overall DB that reference track is peaking it? :) thanks
You can, but only if you have no mastering plugins turned on
Thanks brother :) I’ve always been told it’s a good idea to mix without any mastering on Anyways. So will try this :)
I’ve also been told a pre master should be leaving at least -6DB headroom. So if I made sure both tracks has say -12DB when playing through master. Would that work? X
Wow what's the name of that reference track??
great 😊✌
Thanks ✌️
cool videos definitely like
Appreciate it! 🙌🙏
have you tried Metric AB plugin?
I haven't, but I'm aware it's out there and many people use it
I’m still sussing it out, but it’s decent!
🔥
Appreciate it! 🙌🙏
it not posible to live playing and retrigger the envolop for leads when pressing a note on my midi keyboard ?
because i can't fine it, noting works , the envolop blue vertical line keeps scrolling
Which volume at start? 50?
Hi Will, great tuto!!! I wrote everything on my notebook.
But there is something I don't understand, I took a reference track, i sampled a loop of it and i run the two tracks (at the same tempo, at the same level heard, with no effects). I added Youlean meter on each track, and what i see? the original track average volume (integrated) is -9db lufs, whereas the loop track average volume is -23db lufs?!!
I'd like to understand why please. thanks.
Something has gone wrong somewhere in terms of the level you sampled the loop at, or the level you are playing it back at
@@EDMTips in fact, i realized that the problem was with the output volume of my sampler, which i had to increase. So, when i mix, do i have to compare the average volume of the reference track with Youlean meter everytime i add a plugin? And compensate for the gain? Or only at the end?
I reference at master level, and make the track to that without master processing. Then I don't have to bother with mastering.
you could just use reference 2 plugin
Great videos as always. Quick question... If you don't own the reference track that you want to use and instead record a sample of the song off Spotify, how do you ensure you're comparing the LUFS correctly? The initial section you showed where we sync up the volumes is fine but when it comes to the mastering later, the reference track might be quieter or louder than how it was originally intended? Any way to handle that?
You can buy high quality reference tracks off of beatport for only a $1.29. If you set your faders to zero, your DAW should have a true rendering of the original track loudness. It's worth investing in several good reference tracks, because you will use them again and again, and you are also supporting the artists that are influencing your decisions.
You can use the utility to lower the reference track volume so that you can get a fair comparison during mixing. But when you start mastering, you can also drop the reference track into the mastering project at full volume (with the ref track fader at 0 dB) for an apples to apples comparison of how your master track should sound in terms of overall frequency curve and loundess.
@@jl9205 Cool, thanks for explaining! That makes sense! I will go to BeatPort and buy a few tracks I want to be using for reference as Will's description made a lot of sense and I'd like to have something that sounded like the commercial stuff.
@@graemeturner6187 Lots of tracks can be downloaded from soundcloud for free too. Not all, but generally a nice place to check. Also some labels make them available to download
This is what I do, too :)
@@jl9205 great advice, thank you
Daft question, but how do you set up the mono shortcut?
Look up keyboard shortcuts in the DAW manual. It's a pretty straightforward process in Ableton. I think he uses Opt+m (Alt+m in windows).
I do!
Has anyone any idea's how I go about finding a reference track, if I'm struggling to find one that suits my track..??
You'll need to know what genre you're trying to produce to make it easier. Then, you can search in Spotify or TH-cam or Beatport
U don’t work on logic any course u offer online, am in Cape Town, SA plse
Hey will, you moved again?
I am constantly moving :)
@@EDMTips so where abouts now? No more Portugal?
Can't drag audio in abelton.
👍👍👍
Thank you for the vídeo.
The first tip is sad to be needed, know...
"...don't compare watermelons with cars..."
Sadly, that was necessary.
"The perfect mix" 😂
BTW, it's important to remember that we're referencing a mastered track to a mixing stage track...