What reference-based mastering does
Reference mastering answers a narrow question: what would this song sound like if it were loudness-matched and tonally balanced against another recording? The tool reads two inputs. The first is the song to be processed, and it is the only one that is billed. The second is the reference, whose overall loudness and spectrum the result is matched toward; the reference itself is not modified and you should only use a track you have the right to work with. The result is a single mastered version of your song, not a remix: notes, timing, arrangement, and vocals all stay exactly as they are in the source. What changes is the overall level and the balance between lows, mids, and highs, matched toward the reference character. The algorithm is not a neural network: it does not listen to, understand, or rewrite the composition — it measures the reference's loudness and frequency balance and applies matching adjustments to your mix. A matching pass cannot rebuild a mix. If the vocals are buried, the arrangement is cluttered, or an instrument was recorded badly, the master will carry those problems forward at a matched loudness. Treat the result as a polished listening copy and a useful second opinion on a mix, not as a repair. For the best match, pick a reference that resembles your song in genre, instrumentation, and density, and use a clean, full-length recording rather than a short clip. The song to process may be up to eight minutes long and 50 MB.