REFERENCE Manual

Quick Start Guide:

Download the installer.
Open REFERENCE in your DAW on your master bus, after metering and before any headphone or speaker correction. It must be opened on a stereo channel, (not a mono channel.
Import your favourite reference tracks into the Reference Track Library.
Play your track and click Analyse to let Smart Reference Tracks load the best matches.
Level Match is on by default, so your comparisons stay fair automatically.
Auto-looping is on by default, so the loudest section of each reference is ready straight away.
Use Mix Descriptors to quickly understand the tone, width, dynamics, and loudness of each reference.
Check the Master Scope to see EQ, stereo width, phase, and punch differences.
Use Mix Instructor for simple written guidance on what to adjust.
Check Match % and Mix Balance to measure progress and dial in your balance.
Switch between Original and Reference as you work to stay locked into the sound you want.

What's New In V3?

✓ NEW Smart Reference Tracks automatically suggest the four best-matching references from your library based on analysis of the track you're working on.

✓ NEW Auto-looping automatically loops the loudest section of your reference track.

✓ NEW Mix Descriptors displays each reference's tonal balance, stereo width, dynamics, and loudness, and how they compare to most professional releases.

✓ NEW Master Scope shows the exact EQ and stereo width adjustments needed to match your reference track. It also highlights phase issues and overcompression.

✓ NEW Match % shows how closely your tonal balance, stereo, dynamics, and loudness match your reference. So you can quantify your progress.

✓ NEW Mix Instructor tells you in written words exactly what you need to do to match your reference track. With band solo for added clarity.

✓ NEW Mix Balance suggests gain adjustments for your vocals, drums, music, and bass to match your reference.

✓ NEW Output Options include stereo, mono, mid, and side.

✓ NEW Reference Track Library organises your personal library of go-to references inside the plugin.

✓ NEW Phase Analysis highlights frequency-specific phase issues that can weaken punch, clarity, and mono compatibility.

✓ NEW Overcompression Detection shows where your mix has significantly less punch than the reference.

✓ Compare up to 12 reference tracks and switch between them instantly for faster, more informed decisions.

✓ Instant loudness matching ensures fair and accurate comparisons between your mix and references.

✓ REFSEND plugin lets you A/B entire FX chains or mastering chains with true loudness matching.

✓ Level Line shows you the precise EQ boosts and cuts needed to bring your tonal balance closer to the reference.

✓ Stereo Width Display shows exactly where to narrow or widen your stereo width to match your reference across the frequency spectrum.

✓ Track Align automatically syncs alternate versions of the same song for fast, precise comparisons.

✓ Solo Frequency Bands to audition specific frequency ranges to hear exactly where your mix differs from the reference.

Where To Load REFERENCE:

To get started, load an instance of REFERENCE on the master bus of your project. REFERENCE should go after your metering plugin but before any headphone or speaker correction.

Reference Library and Smart Reference Tracks

REFERENCE 3 introduces an intelligent new workflow for managing and selecting your reference tracks.

You can now import your favourite reference tracks into the Reference Track Library. These should be your personal go-to songs across different genres, styles, or mastering approaches. REFERENCE analyzes each of these references and stores their key sonic characteristics, tonal balance, stereo width, dynamics, and loudness profile.

When you analyse your own mix or master, REFERENCE 3 automatically identifies and loads the most suitable reference tracks for what you're working on, with the loudest section already looped.

If you prefer, you can dive into your reference library without analyzing and simply select the reference tracks you wish to use. If you star your favourites, they'll conveniently appear at the top next time you open your library.

This Smart Referencing workflow saves time and ensures your comparisons are always relevant, whether you're mixing a warm acoustic song, a tight electronic track, or a loud club master.

Tip: To get the best results, build a diverse personal library of reference tracks covering the main styles you work on. The more variety you include, the more accurately REFERENCE 3 can select the perfect sonic benchmarks for each project.

You can also start and stop analysis by clicking the circle icon above the wave transport.

Wave Transport and Tools

Drag and drop tracks into the waveform area or directly into the library to import reference tracks, or click the Add button in the reference library.

Mix Descriptor Tags:

REFERENCE 3 introduces Mix Descriptors, giving you an instant overview of each reference track's key sonic characteristics. Mix Descriptor Tags appear in the top-left corner of the waveform and can be hidden in the settings menu if you prefer.

Each tag describes how the reference track compares to most pro releases across four areas of mix quality: Tonal Balance | Stereo Width | Dynamics | Loudness

Tonal Balance – Bass-heavy, Full-bodied, Dark, Warm, Balanced EQ, Bright, Piercing
Stereo Width – Mono, Narrow, Focused Width, Balanced Width, Wide, Very Wide
Dynamics – Squashed, Compressed, Balanced, Transient
Loudness – Quiet, Balanced, Loud, Super Loud

These visual summaries make it easy to spot the characteristics of your reference track at a glance.

Mirror / Free

After loading your reference tracks, you will see the MIRROR and FREE buttons in the bottom left corner of the Wave Transport.

When FREE is activated, you can navigate to any part of your reference track by clicking on the waveform.

MIRROR will match the playback location of your reference to your DAW's transport. This is useful for when you have a different version of the same track you're working on and want to seamlessly jump between the versions at the same point in the song.

Loops:

You can create loops in FREE mode. To create a loop, select and drag over the part of the waveform you wish to loop. Loop endpoints are automatically shifted to the nearest beat. You can create as many loops as you want. After creating a loop, click anywhere within the loop to activate it. Adjust a loop by dragging the loop lines and delete it by clicking the cross.

Level Match:

In the bottom right corner of the Wave Transport, you'll see the Level Match button. When selected, this will accurately match the perceived loudness of the track you are working on and your reference tracks.

This is an absolutely crucial stage in comparing audio. Louder sounds give humans the illusion that they have a fuller bass and more clarity in the high frequencies. By level matching, you'll be able to compare the tracks fairly and make mixing decisions with confidence.

The default option is to match your reference tracks to the volume of the original track you're working on. You can also match the loudness to the quietest track, whether it's the original or a reference track, to ensure safe headroom. The third option is to match all tracks to -14LUFS short-term which is comparable to the loudness normalization found on popular music streaming sites. You also have control over whether you match the loudness of individual tracks or all tracks.

Our recommendation is to keep Level Match turned on, set to 'Match To Original' and 'All Tracks', whether you're mixing or mastering. All gain adjustments will be represented by the gain slider. Be sure to turn off level matching when bouncing if you use 'Match to quietest' or 'All to -14short-term LUFS' as this can alter the loudness of your original file.

Track Align:

When you have different versions of the same mix or master, there can be slightly different lengths of silence at the beginning of the tracks. It can be annoying and time-consuming when you have to line them up to jump between them seamlessly during referencing. The Track Align button does this job for you.

Track Align only shows in mirror mode. When you click Track Align, the selected reference will become aligned to the original track you are working on.

If you have multiple versions of the same song, you can align them all in one action by selecting 'All Tracks' in the Track Align settings pop-up.

Track Align often works best when you play the original in your DAW from the beginning. You can also click RESET next to 'Automatically Align' to align at any point in the original track. If the track align algorithm suggests an incorrect alignment, click RESET or choose Manual Align.

Manual Track Align

If you prefer to manually adjust the alignment, you can click 'Manual' to open the sample slider.

The slider direction works as if you were moving audio from within your DAW. Move the slider to the left to move your reference track forward, and move it to the right to delay it.

Click the 'Mix' button to preview both your Original and Reference at the same time. This can make it easier to line up the two tracks manually. Click the cross to minimize the sample slider.

Central Tools:

Track Tabs:

The Track Tabs display the tracks you've loaded into REFERENCE. You can toggle between your different references by clicking on the tabs. Double-click on a Track Tab to rename it. Click the cross on a Track Tab to remove the selected file from REFERENCE. It will stay in your reference library unless you delete it from the library directly.

Original / Reference Buttons:

When the Original button is selected, you will hear the audio you are working on in your DAW. The REFERENCE button will enable playback of whichever reference track is selected in the Track Tabs. The buttons are linked, so you don't have to move your mouse to switch. The left arrow key toggles between Original and Reference. You can change this to any key you like in settings.

Meters:

Both the Original and REFERENCE buttons are linked to peak and loudness meters. For the peak meter, you can select True Peak or Peak Programme, and for the loudness meter, you can select LUFS Integrated or Short-term. The defaults can be selected in settings. Click on the readouts or RESET in the bottom left corner to reset the meters.

The LUFS threshold can be adjusted to suit your preferences in settings. When creating a loud master, you might choose to set your LUFS threshold to around -6 LUFS short-term and work on the loudest section of your track. If you're optimizing a master for streaming, you might choose to set the target to -14 LUFS integrated. Alternatively, you can line up your loudness with your reference track to get a comparable loudness.

Gain Slider:

You can use the gain slider to adjust the gain of either the Original or REFERENCE track. The gain slider has a range of -48dB to +24dB.

When using the Level Match feature, the gain of the tracks will be automatically adjusted in real time. You can see any gain increase or reduction on the gain slider. You can adjust the amount if you prefer, though manually adjusting the gain slider will disengage the level matching. To set the gain back to 0dB double click or 'Alt+click' on the slider.

Master Scope

REFERENCE 3 introduces the new Master Scope that brings all your visual analysis tools together in one place.

Analysis Options

Each analysis layer can be turned on or off via checkboxes in the Master Scope pop-up:

Level Line – Displays the exact EQ adjustments required to make your original track sound like your reference.
- The centre line represents 0 dB difference.
- If the Level Line rises above 0 dB, boost that frequency range in your original.
- If it falls below 0 dB, cut that range.
- Aim for getting within ±3dB compared to your reference track. It will never be perfectly aligned due to the differences in samples, instrumentation, and everything else.
- You can hover the cursor to read precise Hz and dB values or Ctrl + Click to take a static snapshot. CTRL + Click again to remove it.
- The Level Line includes three refresh modes adjustable in settings: Short (3s) – very responsive for quick mix moves. Medium (10s) – balances speed and stability. Integrated – continuous averaging for a steadier view.
- Unlike a simple spectrum analyzer, the Level Line is based on perceptual frequency weighting, so it focuses on what listeners actually hear, not just the raw amplitude. This makes its suggestions musically reliable, even across different instruments and genres.
Over-Compression Detection – A red glow appears at the frequencies that are significantly less dynamic than your reference track. This helps you identify over-compression and where you could make the track punchier.
Stereo Width Display – Works in the same way as the Level Line but for your stereo width, showing where your mix should be widened or narrowed to match your reference. In settings, you can choose whether the stereo width display suggests low-end boosts.
Phase Issues – Monitors correlation. Any region that dips below 0 (on the –1 to +1 phase scale) turns red, alerting you to potential phase cancellation or mono-compatibility issues.
Reference Match % – Quantifies how closely your tonal balance, stereo width and dynamics match the reference. Anything above 80 is solid and ties into the ±3 dB guidance mentioned earlier.
Auto Scale – Automatically adjusts the graph's amplitude range so the visual detail stays readable as levels change. Click the scale to manually switch between ±5 dB, ±10 dB, ±15 dB, and ±20 dB views when you prefer a fixed zoom.

Soloing Frequency Bands

Click anywhere on the Master Scope display to solo that frequency region and hear exactly what's happening there. You can move the solo band across the spectrum or drag its edges to widen/narrow the focus. Click again to un-solo or press the cross icon to remove it. This feature helps you quickly pinpoint the tonal differences revealed by the Level Line.

Mix Instructor

Click the burger menu to the right of the Master Scope button to switch to the Mix Instructor. The Mix Instructor is like a simplified text version of the Master Scope visual displays, split into low, mid, and high frequencies.

It updates in real time, providing concise, actionable advice such as "EQ - Boost By 4 dB."

No EQ or Stereo instruction will be given if you're within ±3dB.

Click the 'S' next to low, mid and high to solo the band.

Mix Balance

Click the burger menu to the left of the Master Scope button to switch to Mix Balance. Mix Balance suggests gain adjustments for your vocals, drums, music, and bass to match your reference. The analysis is real-time, so be sure to compare like-for-like. Mix balance can be heavy on CPU and memory; if you prefer to keep your session light and fast, you can switch off mix balance in settings.

Resizing

Click the icon in the top right corner to jump between normal and compact mode. Click and drag the bottom right corner to change the width.

Refsend

REFSEND is an additional plugin installed alongside REFERENCE that allows you to send audio to REFERENCE from within your DAW. This can be useful for when you want to hear the before and after effect of a plugin, an FX chain, or even your entire mastering chain.

Load up an instance of REFSEND in your DAW before the plugins that you want to A/B test. Ensure REFERENCE is instantiated after the plugins that you want to A/B test. Once REFSEND is instantiated, you'll see a new Track Tab automatically appear labeled 'REFERENCE SEND'. Select this Track Tab and toggle the Original and Reference buttons to A/B test.

You can use all of REFERENCE's tools and insights with REFSEND, such as Level Match, Track Align, as well as the metering and all MasterScope visuals.

Learn how to use music from YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Music as a reference track using REFSEND here.

Plugin Settings

You can change the default settings of REFERENCE to suit your workflow. Click the cog wheel icon in the top right corner, choose your preferred defaults then click save.

Thank you

Thanks so much for watching. We truly hope REFERENCE 3 helps you create your best-sounding music.

Help

We're here to help if you run into any problems or have any questions.

System Requirements

REFERENCE 3 is available in VST3, Audio Unit, and AAX formats.

MAC OSX Requirements

OS X 10.15 or higher. 64-bit AU, VST 3, or AAX host.

WINDOWS Requirements

Windows 7, 8, or 10. 64-bit VST 3, or 64-bit AAX host.

Installation

When running the Mastering The Mix Global installer you can choose which of our software to install. If you wish to install further software at a later date then just re-run the installer and select the software you wish to install. Installed software will have a tick next to it and it will be greyed out.

(Please note to reinstall software you will first need to uninstall that particular software, see below for details).

AU - (Ableton Live, Logic Pro, Cubase, Garage Band, Presonus Studio One, and more).
VST3 - (Ableton, Ableton Live, Acid PRO, Cubase, Nuendo, FL Studio, and more).
AAX - (Pro Tools).

The support files and software are installed to the following default locations.

On OSX these are:
/Applications/MasteringTheMix - for the Uninstaller program
/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components - for AU plugins
/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST - for VST plugins
/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3 - for VST3 plugins
/Library/Application Support/Avid/Audio/Plug-Ins - for AAX plugins

On Windows these are*:
C:\Program Files\MasteringTheMix\REFERENCE.exe
C:\Program Files\MasteringTheMix - for the Uninstaller program
C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3 - for VST3 plugins
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Avid\Audio\Plug-Ins - for AAX plugins

Following installation, you can move the files to your desired location if required.

* The exact drive letter may vary according to your system.

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Please note that all of our plugins are now 64-bit only.

To uninstall, simply run the Uninstall program and then select the required options.

Authorization

After you have purchased, you will receive an email with a serial code in this format...

XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX

Online Authorisation (Default)

Open your Mastering The Mix Plugin in your DAW and click the KEY icon in the top right-hand corner of the plugin wrapper. This will open an authorization page where you can copy and paste your authorization key. Click 'Authorise', and you're good to go! You will have two activations per license purchased.

Offline Authorisation

Copy and paste the license code sent to you via email into the box below that says 'Product Key'. Your license code will have this format: XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX.
Click 'Generate' to generate your Offline Activation Request XML. This file will be saved to your desktop.
Transfer this file to an online computer.
Upload the file to our website and you will receive an Activation Response XML file download.
Transfer that file onto your offline computer.
Click 'Load' then locate your Activation Response XML file to authorize your software offline.