To compare your mix to a reference track, open Mix vs reference, drop your mix, then drop a released song in the same style. Both play in step, so switching keeps the same spot, and the louder one is turned down so you judge the mix, not the volume. While they play, each band from sub to air shows how much more or less of it your mix has than the reference. It is free, runs in your browser, needs no account, and both files stay on your device.

Why compare your mix to a reference?

Your ears adjust to whatever you listen to for long. After an hour on one mix, too much low end starts to sound normal. A reference resets your ears: it shows what a finished record in your style sounds like on the same speakers, in the same room, right now.

Referencing is not copying. You are checking the balance (how much bass, how bright, how loud the vocal sits), not trying to match every move.

How do I compare my mix to a reference track?

1. Open Mix vs reference at tools.aden.space/reference.
2. Drop your mix, or press Upload your mix. WAV, MP3, FLAC, AIFF and M4A all work.
3. Add the reference. Drop a released song on the panel, or press the Add a reference song lane. You can also drop both files at once: the first is your mix, the second the reference.
4. Press play. Space plays and pauses.
5. Switch between them. Press 1 and 2, or the left and right arrows. The switch happens at the same spot, without a gap.
6. Read the tone. Under your mix's lane, six bands show the difference from the reference in dB.

Want to try a new bounce? Another mix swaps your mix and keeps the reference.

Why match the loudness?

A louder song sounds better at first listen, even when it is not. A finished master is usually much louder than a mix in progress, so without a match the reference wins every time and tells you nothing.

Match is on from the start. It measures both songs while they play and turns the louder one down to the quieter one's level. It never turns anything up, so nothing clips. Each lane shows how far it was turned down.

Want to see the numbers? Loudness adds a live LUFS meter to each lane. For loudness targets per streaming service, see LUFS targets for streaming and the Loudness check.

How do I read the tone bands?

Tone turns on when you add a reference. It splits the sound into six bands and shows, for each, how much more (+) or less (-) of it your mix has than the reference, in dB. Overall loudness drops out of this reading, so a quieter mix doesn't show as "less of everything".

A band turns amber at 3 dB or more of difference. That is where to look first. The tone is measured while both play, over the same passage, so play a section long enough to be fair: a whole chorus, not two seconds of the intro.

How do I use blind mode, loop and auto switch?

• Blind hides the names, so each lane shows only its letter. Switch a few times, pick the one you prefer, then turn Blind off to see which it was.
• Loop repeats the playback, so you can A/B one passage again and again.
• Auto switches to the other song on its own every few seconds, at the same spot. The default is every 8 seconds, and the button beside it sets anything from 1 to 30.

Blind and Auto keep you honest. When you choose by ear, without knowing which is yours, you hear what is really different.

What makes a good reference track?

• Same style and tempo range. A trap reference for a trap mix. A folk record tells you little about a club track.
• A record you know well. You have heard it on many systems, so you know how it should sound.
• Well mixed, not just famous. Pick something whose low end and vocal you admire.
• Same section against same section. Compare your chorus to its chorus, your verse to its verse. A quiet intro against a loud drop is not a fair test.

What to listen for, and common mistakes

• Too much low end. The most common gap in home mixes. If Sub and Low are amber on the plus side, check the kick and bass before anything else. How to make a kick drum covers tuning the kick to the bass.
• A buried or loud vocal. Switch at a vocal line and listen only to the voice. Does it sit as far forward as in the reference?
• Chasing every dB. The bands are a guide, not a target. Two great records in one style still differ. A gap of a dB or two is rarely worth fixing.
• Comparing unmatched. Always keep Match on. Turning it off is useful only to hear how far apart the levels really are.
• Listening too long. Your ears adapt to the reference too. Switch, decide, move on.

A 10-minute routine before every bounce

1. Pick two references in your style and keep them in one folder.
2. Drop your latest bounce and the first reference.
3. Play the chorus with Loop on and switch five times with 1 and 2.
4. Note the one band that is furthest off, fix only that in your DAW, and bounce again.
5. Press Another mix, drop the new bounce, and check that band again.

One fix per round beats ten small ones. For notes in words on your mix, try Track feedback, which can also hand your mix straight to this tool. See how to get feedback on your mix.

Save your mix to Aden

Mix vs reference is one of the free tools included with Aden. When you have a mix you like, press Save as track to add it to Aden as a track. Keep each new bounce there as a version, and the comments people leave stay with the right one. Without an account, the mix waits in your browser while you sign up. The reference never leaves your device.

FAQ

Is Mix vs reference free?

Yes. It runs in your browser with no account. Both songs are played and measured on your device and never uploaded, unless you save your mix to Aden.

Why does my mix sound worse than the reference?

Usually because it is quieter. Keep Match on so both play at the same level, then compare the balance. A finished master has also been through mastering, which a mix hasn't yet.

How many dB of difference is too much?

The tool marks a band in amber at 3 dB or more. Treat that as a place to listen, not a rule. Some styles are darker or brighter on purpose.

Can I compare two of my own mixes?

This tool takes one mix and one reference. In Aden, a track's versions open in the same compare panel, so you can A/B your own bounces side by side.

Should I use a reference when mastering?

Yes. The same checks apply: match the loudness, compare the same section, and look at the tone bands. Then see LUFS targets for streaming for how loud the final master should be.