I've been interested in the value of using reference tracks and i've never gone to this level of detail, but i suppose it's just natural to compare your mixes to others. I did watch the whole video, and to answer the question it didn't really sound better to me. Wider, brighter, more processed definitely, but i think the original mix sounded more compatible to my tastes.
I've noticed since the advent of digital recording that overbright trebley superwide sound has become the expected norm, and of all things this is where digital excelled, at least on paper, HF response. I remember first listening to CD's the thing i noticed was how sharp and clear cymbals sounded, or clinical and harsh if you are an analogue purist. Most cheap boomboxes and bookshelf systems in the 80's had some sort of 'stereo wide' button on them too, and most people i know loved that sound, even though it may have mutilated the mix. It's interesting that he said he thought his original mix had 'low mid buildup', it sounded fine to me, and the EQ notching he did made it sound a bit thin and shrill. I guess if you grew up on all digital music it would sound better, but if you'd lived through analogue days you mightn't agree with what an acceptable reference is. I think both sound fine in the right context, never cared about the digi vs. analogue debate, and this mix comparison was not about that, just my take on it, the narrator definitely sounded younger than me. The point made about referencing a commercial track as a shortcut means to help achieving good translation on different systems struck me as an interesting and valid point, i think he referred to that as a hack
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But really, it seemed like an exercise in the obvious to me, if you try to get something to sound like something else, it will probably start to sound like something else. And once you get used to a mix it usually starts to sound ok, and any changes just grab attention, maybe sounding 'better' until familiarity overrides novelty. Don't think there is a problem trying to emulate another mix if that's the sound you want. Didn't have a problem with the Christian middle of the road reference material, sort of irrelevant to the discussion, it did sort of suck, but so do I. Sorry about the ramble just to say no, another big Friday night in this neck of the woods, clearly
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