9 Great Reference Mixes for Modern Pop
Learn how to capture the sonic hallmarks of modern pop music in your mixes by using these professional reference tracks in your session.
Reference mixes are essential to the process of mixing, and modern pop music has a polished, iconic sound that is replicated again and again in mixes today. So how do you use reference tracks to get your pop mixes sounding professional?
In this article, we’re going to explore nine great reference mixes for modern pop. However, instead of selecting current chart-topping hits of the week, I’m offering reference mixes that are all at least a few years old. Why? Because all of them (for the most part) had a major impact on their own time, and furthermore, they have stood the test of time—their sound informs the sound of today.
All of these reference mixes include target curves from iZotope
Tonal Balance Control 2
Ozone Advanced
Music Production Suite 7
To load the curves, download them and move them to the Target Curve folder, which you can locate in the following path on both Mac and PC /documents/izotope/tonal balance control 2/target curves. You will then be able to access the curves directly in Tonal Balance Control.
What is a reference mix?
A reference mix is usually a professionally mixed and mastered track that can be used as a reference to the mix/genre you’re working with. It's one of the single most useful tools in your arsenal that gives you something to aspire to: if you can make your mix sound as good as the reference on multiple playback systems, you can safely say you did your job well in the mixing phase. Reference mixes also keep you honest. Sometimes you fall in love with your mix, only to put on the reference mix and hear just how much work you have left to do.
As a mix engineer, I make sure my mix is loudness-matched with the reference mix, and at various points in the process I compare mine to the reference; when I do this, I have better results.