What are you using for reference? 2014

[EOC]

Sooooo, lots of new albums out there by now. I thought it would be nice if everyone shares what albums are you using for referencing your mixes with this days.

-Trivium: Vengance falls (vocals and bass mainly)
-Killswitch: Disarm the descente (the whole production is amazing, really digging the more natural vibe. Vocals and bass, oooh that bass!)
-Architects: Lost forever... (nice subs, i like the overall sound but nothing in particular)
-Periphery: PII is an obligated reference if you are into djenty stuff.
-Tesseract: Altered stated (nice fat drums, scratchy guitars, lovely vocal production
-Tool: 10,000 days. Drums and bass are superb

With lots of care i`ve also used the tracks in the studio experience cd of wrath by LOG

 

[HRdrummer]

I've been using;
The Ocean - Pelagial
Goreguts - Colored Sands
Opeth - Watershed (The drums are my Holy Grail)
Scale the Summit - The Migration

Really all depends on what type of band/song I'm mixing.

 

[Sloan]

bunch of gg allin

 

[Old Man Doom]

I've been using;
The Ocean - Pelagial

+1 – Bogren's mix, especially on the dirtier sounding songs towards the end of the record, is fantastic.

I'm also using:
Mastodon – Blood Mountain (specifically for guitars and bass)
The Atlas Moth – An Ache for the Distance

 

[AMS]

The recent Katatonia album "Dead End Kings" is a good point of reference for a quality sound. "The Great Cold Distance" is also great.

Really enjoyed the sound of "One" by Tesseract, slightly less so their new album.

The new Issues album "Issues" is very well produced.

Also a big fan of the drum sound on Periphery "Periphery II".

 

[Ermz]

Soilwork - Stabbing the Drama
Bury Your Dead - Bury Your Dead
Behemoth - Evangelion
Architects - Lost Forever//Lost Together
Confession - The Long Way Home
Gojira - The Way of All Flesh

Different references when working on non-metal stuff, of course.

 

[crillemannen]

I mainly go for in-your-face mixes, middy stuff in general. So for metal that is basically all of Colin Richardson's work.

Chimaira - Chimaira
As I lay dying - An ocean between us.
Machine head - The Blackening
Bullet for my Valentine - Poison

 

[DullElysium]

Betraying the martyrs - can't remember the title right now but the latest one
I killed the prom queen - beloved
Bring me the horizon - suicide season
Korn - untouchables

Those have probably my favorite productions so i tend to look for stuff from there.

 

[MultiM]

might be obvious, but Megadeth-Endgame. The drums and guitars are great.

 

[He's Dead, Jim]

Feared - Vinter (would give my left nut to know how the instruments on this were mixed. Everything has a delicious, fat bottom end but it's so damn clear)
Norma Jean - Wrongdoers
Unearth - Darkness in the Light

 

[Erik Monsonis]

Behemoth - Evangelion
Killswitch Engage - TEOH
Killswitch Engage - Disarm The Descent
Arch Enemy - Doomsday Machine
Gojira - L'enfant Sauvage
Soilwork - The Living Infinite
Katatonia - Dead End Kings
Architects - Lost Forever//Lost Together
Bleed From Within - Uprising

 

[Mago]

These days I'm not trying to focus too much on a single production, or a single element of a production. But this is what I'll skip through to check against lately
(for modern stuff obvsly)

Kreator - Phanton Antichrist
Accept - Blood of the Nations
Trivium - In Waves ("Vengeance Falls" too, but that mostly for the Bass)
Amon Amarth - Deceiver of the Gods
As I Lay Dying - Awakened
Rise Against - Endgame
Testament - Dark roots of the Earth
Unearth - Darkness in the Light
In Flames - Sounds of a playground fading

new KSE would be in too if I had already bought it.
Same for a lot more Bogren productions...lots of awesome mixes in there, but not as many bands that I would buy the album from haha

 

[rebelready]

Because I use free vst amps, plugins, impulses, and drum samples, it's almost impossible for me to reference mix
because everything seems to have it's own unique, "tones". I think Andy Sneap once said in a video interview that he
doesn't use reference mixes, and I also believe it's the way to go.

 

[Pursuance]

Is it just me or does anyone else not like the mix on the new architects album?

I love the material, and mix is by no means BAD, but its just not that great in my opinion.

 

[EOC]

Is it just me or does anyone else not like the mix on the new architects album?

I love the material, and mix is by no means BAD, but its just not that great in my opinion.

is not super ultra awesome, and my first 30 sec reaction was that I didn't like it but then I started digging the over all tone of the production,I like how drums sound pretty natural (as opposed to ultra layered unrealistic samples) and I think it has a pretty nice fat low end while retaining clarity. For this reasons and for mixing downtuned guitars I think it is pretty useful for referencing

 

[EOC]

Because I use free vst amps, plugins, impulses, and drum samples, it's almost impossible for me to reference mix
because everything seems to have it's own unique, "tones". I think Andy Sneap once said in a video interview that he
doesn't use reference mixes, and I also believe it's the way to go.

I think Andy can do that because years of experience must have developed in him a natural reference mind. He hears something and can immediately check it with his memory. For us beginners \mortals, and specially dealing with vst and stuff ,referencing is an awesome learning tool, it can show us weaknesses in our rooms and help us develop in time that kind of aural memory the big guys have.

I'm not saying everyone here is a beginner, I just know I am.

 

[cfh11]

Rise Against - Endgame

YES. the past few CLA mixes for Rise Against are phenomenal (i actually prefer Appeal to Reason) and are my go to for anything more rock oriented.

re: Andy saying he doesnt use reference mixes - i remember that interview and he said that he sometimes uses his own mixes for reference on what might have worked on a particular drum sound, guitar tone etc. however i bet he used other mixers for reference back in the early 90s when he was still honing his craft and finding his sound. he has talked many times about his love for the black album and terry dates mixes from the early 90s.

 

[Mago]

YES. the past few CLA mixes for Rise Against are phenomenal (i actually prefer Appeal to Reason) and are my go to for anything more rock oriented.

That one is in there as well, but I figured one production per band is enough

 

[mickrich]

I very rarely use a metal mix for reference when mixing metal.
I usually need an occasional "ear reset".
My ear reset is usually something completely different at regular listening volume.
A dark but clear mix is perfect for me to come back to whatever I am mixing with a fresh perspective.
My current favourite is The National "High Violet"
A couple of songs and I am ready to go and will immediately hear if my mix is too bright or muddy etc..

 

[Winston Wolf]

Anything by CLA+Ted Jensen.
although my mixes end up not even remotely resemblant