4 reasons we do reference mixing and mastering

A lot of times when bands approach us for mixing and mastering services we ask for a cd, .wav, or mp3 reference to listen to when we are working out the mix or master. For example if a pop punk band comes to us for mixing, we may use a Green Day tune as a listening guide. This is greatly helpful because:

1) It give us a better indication of what you expect to hear out of your final product

2) Words can only describe so much when it comes to music. Merely allowing us to listen to the sound you are going for is worth a thousand words.

3) It puts us on the same page as the client immediately instead of doing multiple mixes and guessing what the client is wanting to hear.

4) It takes the room out of the equation. Even in some of the most expensive high end studios around the world it can be tough to create an absolutely perfect listening environment. Using reference mixing you can eliminate that problem because you are comparing one recording with another on the same studio monitors. A lot of times the mix will sound great in the studio, but poor in the car or home stereo. Reference mixing and mastering helps to eliminate that translation problem.