What does reference mastering do?

It masters your track to match the loudness and tone of a reference track you upload. You get one file back: your track, mastered.

What makes a good reference?

A finished, well-mastered song in the same genre, with similar instrumentation and energy to yours. A reference far from your track pulls it somewhere it does not belong.

990 credits per minute of your track on Creator and up. A 4-minute song is 3,960 credits.

Will it fix a bad mix?

No. It changes the level and tonal balance of the whole track. A vocal that sits too low or a muddy kick needs a mix change first.

Can I master without a reference?

Not with this tool — it needs something to match, and it will not start without one.

Stem Splitter

Mastering against a reference track

Reference mastering brings your finished mix to the loudness and tone of a song you choose. How to pick the reference, what it does and does not change, and what it costs on Creator+.

Lesson 13 · advanced · 5 min read

Open Stem Splitter

Mastering is the last pass on a finished mix: bringing it to a release loudness and a tonal balance that holds up next to other records. Reference mastering does that against a target you choose — a song whose sound you want yours to sit beside.

Choosing the reference

Write this

Not this

Genre

A record in the same genre as yours

A dense rock master for a solo piano piece

Arrangement

Similar instrumentation and density

A full band reference for a voice-and-guitar song

Quality

The best-quality copy of the reference you have

A low-bitrate rip of the reference

Genre

Write this:: A record in the same genre as yours
Not this:: A dense rock master for a solo piano piece

Arrangement

Write this:: Similar instrumentation and density
Not this:: A full band reference for a voice-and-guitar song

Quality

Write this:: The best-quality copy of the reference you have
Not this:: A low-bitrate rip of the reference

What changes, and what does not

Changes: the overall loudness and the tonal balance of the whole track.
Does not change: the balance between instruments inside your mix.
Does not copy: the reference's arrangement, sounds or performance.

Tip

Download the master as 24-bit WAV or FLAC if it is going on to distribution. The format does not change the price.

Online mastering to a reference trackWhat reference mastering does, which plan it needs and what it costs.

Questions

What people ask about this

Free to start

Now go make one

Reading about a style description only gets you so far. The studio is free to use — write one sentence and hear what comes back.

Create a free account

1,000 credits every month. No card required.

All Stem Splitter lessons

Stem Splitter

Mastering against a reference track

Reference mastering brings your finished mix to the loudness and tone of a song you choose. How to pick the reference, what it does and does not change, and what it costs on Creator+.

Lesson 13 · advanced · 5 min read

Open Stem Splitter

Choosing the reference

Write this

Not this

Genre

A record in the same genre as yours

A dense rock master for a solo piano piece

Arrangement

Similar instrumentation and density

A full band reference for a voice-and-guitar song

Quality

The best-quality copy of the reference you have

A low-bitrate rip of the reference

Genre

Write this:: A record in the same genre as yours
Not this:: A dense rock master for a solo piano piece

Arrangement

Write this:: Similar instrumentation and density
Not this:: A full band reference for a voice-and-guitar song

Quality

Write this:: The best-quality copy of the reference you have
Not this:: A low-bitrate rip of the reference

What changes, and what does not

Changes: the overall loudness and the tonal balance of the whole track.
Does not change: the balance between instruments inside your mix.
Does not copy: the reference's arrangement, sounds or performance.

Tip

Download the master as 24-bit WAV or FLAC if it is going on to distribution. The format does not change the price.

Online mastering to a reference trackWhat reference mastering does, which plan it needs and what it costs.

Questions

What people ask about this

Free to start

Now go make one

Reading about a style description only gets you so far. The studio is free to use — write one sentence and hear what comes back.

Create a free account

1,000 credits every month. No card required.

All Stem Splitter lessons

Mastering against a reference track

Choosing the reference

What changes, and what does not

What people ask about this

What does reference mastering do?

What makes a good reference?

What does it cost?

Will it fix a bad mix?

Can I master without a reference?

Now go make one

Mastering against a reference track

Choosing the reference

What changes, and what does not

What people ask about this

What does reference mastering do?

What makes a good reference?

What does it cost?

Will it fix a bad mix?

Can I master without a reference?

Now go make one