Reference Music Spotify Playlist for Mixing & Mastering
Added 2025-07-17 17:20:08 +0000 UTChi all just wanted to share with you a very crucial playlist i go back and forth with in the mixing/mastering process. i also added much of tom norris stuff in there because he's a goat of a fucking engineer.
it's a mix of stuff. you'll notice some at different loudness and dynamic levels, or flatness of the spectrum depending on the genre. most of these are pretty full spectrum anyways because it's more useful to me to understand how reputable engineers EQ there stuff in a wall of sound scenario. but all are either very well engineered or just tracks that performed well itself regardless, reputation wise. i actually hate some masters in here but it's important to study because there are some things they have that "well-engineered" music doesn't have - emotions that wouldn't be there if engineering rules weren't broken.
Comments
I just bought my first midi keyboard yesterday and I have no idea how to mix or master but this is very cool for studying, excited to experiment
Sami
2025-12-12 20:13:54 +0000 UTCi would say Begin Again by Knife Party is my least favorite. i guess i shouldn't say 'hate', as it's still a good master. it's also certainly a beautiful and energetic song, but the highs in some some parts and lack of subs and mids just make it a little unbearable to listen to. i added it in there because it's good to know where the limits are in terms of how much presence can be in an acceptable mix/master. a lot of dubstep masters i can't stand either. MIDDLE FU by Kompany is one of them - love the tune, probably an excellent mix, and smashing it through the ceiling certainly adds a lot of dynamic weight, making it feel quite emotionally heavy and aggressive. i just prefer to be able to tell where things are dimensionally (in front of, or behind), whereas this master feels like a wall to me. Virtual Riot's newer stuff is a great example of achieving both in a mix and master.
Jordan
2025-07-17 21:38:34 +0000 UTCCan you point to 1 or 2 masters in here that you don't like? If you don't want to ID anything specifically that's ok, I just think it's interesting how perceived flaws make their way into art and then the "flaws" become the meta, or desirable in their own right. I've noticed this especially with the younger genZ audience's embrace of the sLowEd + ReVeRb 8000% bAsS bOoStEd thing... which I'm assuming originated from attempts to get around Youtube's content ID? But man some of those uploads have many millions of views and it just kinda gave me pause and made me question my taste. And to be fair, this isn't a genZ thing. Each gen has their own way of breaking the rules e.g. the "chopped and screwed" movement etc.
Jon S
2025-07-17 18:42:14 +0000 UTC
