How To Select The PERFECT Reference Material For Your Recording Session
Choose material that's relevant to your project.
When selecting reference material, it's important to choose songs that are similar in style or genre to your own project. For example, if you're recording a rock album, you probably don’t want to use an acoustic “live” recording as a reference. By choosing material that's relevant to your project, you can better evaluate how your recordings stack up against other songs in the same style or genre. This will also give your producer, mixing engineer, and mastering engineer a better idea of where the finished product needs to end up.
Choose material with a similar mix.
In addition to choosing material in the same style or genre, you should also select songs that have a similar mix to what you're trying to achieve. If you are trying to capture a very organic/americana type sound, you wouldn't want to use a reference track that has a very clean and polished mix with all virtual instruments. By selecting reference material with a similar mix, you can get a better sense of how your own recordings will sound in context. This is especially important when making sure a song or record can compete at the professional level and hold up to other charting singles.
Choose material with a good sonic quality.
When selecting reference material, it's important to choose songs that have a high sonic quality. Look for songs that have been professionally recorded, mixed, and mastered. These tracks will have a balanced frequency spectrum, good dynamics, clarity in the vocals and lyrics, and a solid stereo image. Make sure you are listening to your reference material on a good set of studio monitors or high-quality set of headphones. Making intricate sonic decisions based on how the song sounds in your car is not enough here.
Choose material with a similar instrumentation.
If your project has unique instrumentation, it's important to choose reference material that has similar instrumentation. For example, if you're recording a string quartet, you wouldn't want to use a reference track that's all heavily programmed synths and drum machines. Your music will ultimately be competing with these tracks on radio or streaming platforms, so you want to make sure the finished product is up to par and not sounding weak, thin, or unbalanced. A good mix engineer will do a lot of this work to make the mix balanced, but having reference material that is expertly recorded and proven to be successful can help answer engineer’s questions about how to treat unique instruments or mixing decisions that might be specific to the genre. Mixing a string quartet would have a very different stereo field placement than mixing modern pop song for example.
Choose material with a similar emotional vibe.
Lastly, when selecting reference material, it's important to choose songs that have a similar emotion to your own project. We are all trying to make music that reaches people, connects with them, and makes them feel something. Having the right emotion in the reference material can help steer a recording session and mixing/mastering in the right direction. Often multiple approaches to a song can work…narrowing down the overall emotion of the song can help make these decisions easier and clearer to make.
Choosing the right reference material can make a big difference in the success of your recording or mixing session. By following these tips you can select material that's relevant, has a similar mix and instrumentation, has a high-quality sound, and has a similar emotional vibe to your own project. With the right reference material, you can achieve the sound you're looking for and make it a reality!
And just for fun – I’ll drop one of my favorite reference recordings.
If I want a modern take on the 90s country sound, this is the recording I go for.
Burn Out - Midland
The mix is dense, but very clear. There’s a large instrumentation – multiple guitars, bass, drums, steel, perc, 3-part harmony, acoustic – but everything is extremely clear and you feel like you’re in the audience at a show. Justin Niebank did an excellent job with this mix. It has all the nostalgia of a 90s country sound, but with the added clarity, impact, and punch of a 2000s mix.
What’s one of your go-to reference songs? Drop it in the comments!
