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!
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!
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.
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😂😂👍🏽👍🏽
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.
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!!!!
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!
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)
(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.
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
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
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
Not a very good idea to talk over the track when your listeners are trying to understand the differences in sound.especially when they are so subtle (stereo/mono) heard from a YT video...nice tutorial.cheers !
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.
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!
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.
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 :)
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.
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.
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!
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
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!!
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!
You are the only form of the internet courses guru I could ever admire. Great videos.
🫡🙏
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 just what I asked for. Thankyou Will. Amen Break brother ❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️
You're welcome! 🙂
Cracking video mate, we tell so many producers then when we are listening to their demos on our twitch demo sessions….
Cheers, Grahame!
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 🙂
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.
Mate this seems great! Gonna give it a go!
I swear by it!
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!
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 🙌🏻
Kidd Mike track...bought ! Great production, clean ...good reference track
Awesome! Yeah, it's a banger :)
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?
Thanks!
You're welcome, Tim, I am glad you found it helpful! 🙂
Also, thanks for watching and supporting the channel, really appreciate it!
Great vid ❤ and useful tips 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏 💥
Another awesome video man. Learning heaps watching them. Thanks again!
You're welcome Mark, glad you found them helpful! 🙌🏻
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.
Great video and really helpful. Nice 👍🏻
Glad it was helpful!
When I started using Refs, I levelled up tenfold.
Excellent Will Merci (Y)
You're welcome! 🙌🏻
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
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
You're welcome!
Klasse! Beste Grüße aus Deutschland aus Thüringen 👍
Appreciate it! 🙌🙏
Thank you. cheers🙌🙌
You’re welcome!
Hell Yea, top work brother.
Gold!
Appreciated!
AWESOM!!
Thanks a lot for this tutorial :)
You’re welcome!
really cool video! thanks!
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!
Nice tip!
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)
Fantastic
Thank you so much 😀
(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
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
It helps if the reference track is also in the same key.
That’s true!
Wow what's the name of that reference track??
I reference at master level, and make the track to that without master processing. Then I don't have to bother with mastering.
Can't drag audio in abelton.
great 😊✌
Thanks ✌️
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 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
Can you do a totorial on how to make deep house like anyasa
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
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!
you could just use reference 2 plugin
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?
👍👍👍
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!
Thank you for the vídeo.
The first tip is sad to be needed, know...
"...don't compare watermelons with cars..."
Sadly, that was necessary.
Referencing music is why most EDM and Trap music feels the same....Ya'll recreating other people shit over and over....
Not a very good idea to talk over the track when your listeners are trying to understand the differences in sound.especially when they are so subtle (stereo/mono) heard from a YT video...nice tutorial.cheers !
You missed a second harmonic of bass. hear and even see it
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
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?
Great video Will. Thanks for showing us these tips 🔥👍
Thanks, and you're welcome!
This is very useful, thanks for the tip, I'll try it out on my next song. 🤘
This is without question the best vid I've ever seen on how to use reference tracks, bar none. Many thx!
Hi, very good and valuable video. Keep up! About the reference track you used what was the sample rate? Did you buy it?
Great video! This is the truth!
Thank you so much, I am glad it was helpful :)
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!
Great video you teach so deeply thanks❤
You're welcome, glad you found it helpful 🙌🏻
Awesome again. Your vids are so helpful. Thank you
Happy to help!
please let me know when track is released. thanks. :)
Will do!
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.
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.
cool videos definitely like
Appreciate it! 🙌🙏
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!
Dope tutorial bro! Love the idea!
Appreciate it! 🙌🙏
Awesome, just one thing. Where can we find high quality reference tracks for any genre?
Another top notch vid, Will. Cheers!
Thanks!
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 🤔😂
Great video, Amen brother !Someone have to build you a school Will!
Great!
Thank you, I am glad you found it helpful! 🙌🏻
The most useful tutorial I’ve seen in years!!
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.
thank you so much , it worked :)
You're welcome! Glad it helped 🙂
🔥
Appreciate it! 🙌🙏
Suuuuuuuuuuuuuper useful! Thanx a bunch :)
You're welcome! 🙂
Which volume at start? 50?
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!
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! 🙂
"The perfect mix" 😂
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
Man this gave me so much inspiration. Thank you for this!
You're welcome! Thanks for watching and supporting the channel 🙂
Another great tutorial Will superb
Thank you! Cheers!
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😅
“It would have been a good idea to use a poorly mixed track” yeah but, you don’t have any of those !!!!!
Thanks for this informative video🔥🔥🔥
No problem 👍
Thnx a million, will🙏🏻
You're welcome...Thanks as always for watching and supporting!
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
This is gold..A great guide about how to really use a reference track and plus. Thanks so much :D
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.
Amazing tutorial, Thanks. Just recently started using referencing tracks, and boy does it pay off! :D
Thank you
Sure thing!
Thank you …..! Just great …..