Reference Mastering AI
Use a track you love to guide your mastering.
Upload your track and a commercial reference, then shape and compare the master before joining. Membership unlocks download and export.
How it works
- 1Upload your song
The track you want to polish.
- 2Add a reference
A commercial song you love the sound of.
- 3Compare your master
Membership unlocks download and export.
What actually happens when you hit Master
Reference matching uses your chosen recording as a tonal guide. Processing runs in your browser, with bounded adjustments and measured loudness and peak checks. It cannot reproduce another recording's arrangement, performance, or mix.
- 1. Spectrum analysis. The tool samples representative sections across both complete recordings to estimate their average bass, midrange, and treble balance. Stereo channels are measured separately so phase differences do not cancel their contribution.
- 2. Match EQ. It divides the reference's fingerprint by your song's fingerprint. The result is a custom EQ curve that pushes your track toward the reference's tone. The requested filter correction is capped at ±10 dB. This limit reduces extreme changes; it does not guarantee that every reference will suit your song.
- 3. Stereo width match. It compares the center and side energy of the recordings and limits the width adjustment to a bounded range. Mono input stays mono. Check stereo and mono playback yourself, especially with already-wide or phase-sensitive mixes.
- 4. Loudness match and limiting. The reference's integrated loudness guides a target between -20 and -8 LUFS. Look-ahead limiting and estimated true-peak checks prioritize headroom and bounded peak reduction, so the result may remain below that target. Streaming normalization and lossy encoding can change playback levels and peaks.
How to pick a reference that works
The match is only as good as the reference. Pick a commercial song in the same genre as yours, with a similar arrangement: if your track is a sparse piano ballad, a wall-of-sound EDM anthem will drag its tone somewhere unnatural. Vocals matter too: large differences in vocal balance can make an average tonal match less useful. Use the highest quality version of the reference you can. A heavily compressed low-bitrate rip carries codec artifacts into the frequency fingerprint.
Frequently asked questions
Can I try reference mastering before joining?
Yes. Upload, process, and compare your track before joining. An active membership is required only when you download or export the master.
How does it match my song to the reference?
It compares representative frequency measurements across both recordings, builds a bounded matching EQ curve, and adjusts stereo width within limits. The reference's measured loudness guides the finishing target, but peak protection can keep the result quieter. It does not copy the reference's mix or guarantee an identical sound.
Do my files get uploaded anywhere?
No. This reference-mastering tool processes both files on your device with Web Audio; it does not upload them for processing.
What makes a good reference track?
Choose a high-quality reference you have permission to use, with similar instrumentation, energy, and arrangement. Those similarities make it more useful as a tonal guide. Always compare the result by listening; a reference cannot fix every mixing problem.
What formats work, and what do I get back?
Upload WAV, MP3, FLAC, M4A, or AIFF for both files. You can compare the matched master before joining; an active membership unlocks WAV download and export.