Remember your monitor’s diaphragm (cones) can only go one direction at a time: if you have one sound that is telling the cone to push and another that is telling the cone to pull, both sounds will become muted.
CorrelationĬorrelation helps you identify areas that might be suffering from phase cancellation (when one frequency is canceling out another).
Pro tip: By clicking in between the two volume meters in the upper left, you can toggle between the default range from 0 to -48dB (better for mixing) to 0 to -18db, which is better for mastering. For example, if my bass frequencies are hitting -2db on average less during the drop, I may want to turn up the bass tracks a little, or perhaps add a little via EQ in the master track. If one area has too much or too little, I’ll make a note to go back and fix that later. I will check low pass, band pass, and high-pass filters (bottom right corner), and will also try the mono and sides. In this section I’m seeing if my track has similar volumes to the reference track throughout the frequency spectrum. Spectrum I like to select a particular song section to work with and then move my way across the top of the screen, working from Spectrum to Loudness Experiment and see which works best for you. In each of these sections, Metric AB offers a wealth of visualization options as well as the ability to compare side by side or with the two tracks overlayed. Isolating each using filters helps to focus your attention. High frequencies provide crispness and interest to a mix. Mid frequencies often carry the melody, either vocal or instrumental. The bass drives the dance floor, so isolating that can be particularly useful. I also use the filters in each section to listen to the bass, mid, and high end frequencies. Translatability (your track should sound good across a variety of speaker systems) is essential. Even if you don’t expect your track to be played on big club or festival sound systems (which are usually mono), your track may get streamed over Siri or Google Home, both of which are in mono. As you’re in each of the sections, don’t forget to also click Mono and Sides under your volume meters to see how these aspects of your mix sound too. Have a notepad out so you can jot thoughts about things that need fixing throughout the process. I like to select a particular song section to work with and then move my way across the top of the screen, working from Spectrum to Loudness as indicated by the arrow in the below photo. If you start from 1:30 in the DAW, it will start from 1:30 in the reference track) Sync: Sets playback location from the DAW timeline (I.e.Cue: Same as latch mode, but it restarts playback from a cue point when you toggle between your A and B tracks.This is the default, and usually what I do. This means whenever you play or pause your DAW, it will play or pause the reference track. Latch: latches Metric’s playback to the DAW transport.Select playback mode: You’ve got three options in Metric: Latch, Cue, and Sync.You have to match the volume separately for each reference tracks as each was mixed and mastered a different loudness. Remember that louder almost always sounds better, so this is a critical step. Match volume: Starting with the drop or chorus which are usually the loudest parts, select “match volume.” In a few seconds Metric AB will match the volume making comparisons much easier.Set cue points: Set separate loops for each individual reference track (intro, breakdown, drop for example).In this blog, I’m working on my new self-titled house track so I dragged in six different tracks for comparison. Pick good reference tracks: Select up to 16 well-mixed tracks you love in the same genre you’re composing.Additionally, you’ll learn a lot just by trying to get your mix “right.” Reference tracks give you a commercially successful mix goal in your genre.
As you listen to your tune over and over, your ears will get accustomed to that sound and it becomes increasingly difficult to be objective. Referencing tracks is critically important. One of the things that makes Metric AB such a joy to work with is the ease at which you can compare multiple reference tracks. Metric AB runs as a VST on your master channel. Up to 16 reference tracks can be dragged into the plugin from your DAW. Metric AB is a VST that goes on your master channel. Before you begin with Metric AB, I recommend enabling tool tips from the gear icon menu. In this review I’m going to be talking about what I like and don’t with the plugin, my basic workflow, and weather or not it’s worth the steep $199 price tag. This is particularly important if your studio has less-than-perfect acoustics. It also allows you to easily compare your mix to multiple reference tracks in your genre.
ADPTR Metric AB is a fantastic plugin that gives you a variety of visual tools which help draw your attention to problematic points in your mix.