Listening Checklist
A/B reference listening routine by band and by playback system, with per-genre loudness, crest-factor, sub and tempo ranges and a map of where mix problems hide.
Sound design decides what a sound is; listening decides whether it survives contact with a system you do not own. This page is the routine for that: A/B against a reference at matched loudness, section by section (low end, mids, top, stereo, dynamics, transitions, arrangement), then push the mix through the four systems that break mixes (phone, earbuds, car, club) and a mono fold. The genre table gives integrated LUFS, crest factor, sub level and tempo ranges to measure against — starting points from typical commercial releases, not targets to hit blindly. Tools assumed: Live's Spectrum, Utility (Mono / Width), EQ Eight in M/S, Compressor's GR meter, a loudness meter (the Live 12 master meter shows peak; use a LUFS meter M4L device or a third-party plug-in), and the Live 12.3 A/B compare.
Set up the A/B properly
- Put the reference on its own audio track and route it around your master chain: set the track's Audio To → Ext. Out (the same outputs as the master) so it never passes through your master EQ or limiter. If your interface only exposes one output pair, bypass the master chain while comparing instead.
- Match loudness, not peak: use Utility gain on the reference until both read the same short-term LUFS (within 0.5 LU). A louder track always sounds better; this is the single most common A/B error.
- Loop a comparable 8-bar section of each (drop vs drop, breakdown vs breakdown). Switch with the solo buttons mapped to adjacent keys, or the 12.3 A/B toggle.
- Listen in 20–30 s bursts. Long listening normalises anything; short switches expose differences.
- Keep the monitoring level the same for the whole session — around 75–83 dB SPL if you can measure it. Low levels exaggerate the Fletcher–Munson mid focus; loud levels flatter bass.
- Switch between at least two playback systems during the session (monitors + cheap headphones is enough) before deciding anything about low end or stereo.
Where problems hide
Section-by-section checklist
Low end (20–160 Hz)
- Is the sub mono? Utility → Mono on the bass bus, or EQ Eight in M/S mode with the side low-cut at 120 Hz. Any stereo content below 100 Hz is lost in a club (mono subs) and in a car (single sub).
- Is the sub in tune with the kick? Check with Spectrum at 4096+ FFT: kick fundamental and sub fundamental should either match or sit a clean interval apart. See Note-to-Hz.
- Is there energy below 30 Hz? It is inaudible on almost everything and eats limiter headroom. High-pass the master at 25–30 Hz, 12 dB/oct, unless the genre needs it.
- Does the kick mask the bass or vice versa? Sidechain, or carve 2–3 dB at the kick's fundamental out of the bass. See Sidechain & ducking.
- Compare the sub level against the reference on a meter with a 20–80 Hz band solo (EQ Eight low-pass at 80 Hz, 48 dB/oct, on a copy). The genre table below gives relative starting points.
- Is the low end consistent across notes? A bassline that drops 4 dB on E and jumps on G usually has a resonant room mode in your listening position, not a mix problem. Check on headphones.
Mids (160 Hz – 2.5 kHz)
- Mud at 200–350 Hz: stacked pads, bass harmonics, kick body and reverb tails all pile up here. Cut each a little rather than one a lot.
- Boxiness at 350–800 Hz: snare bodies and sampled drum rooms. A narrow cut on the drum bus often opens the whole mix.
- Does the main element (vocal, lead, growl bass) own 1–2.5 kHz? If the reference feels more "forward", this is where it lives.
- Phone test preview: does the groove survive with everything under 300 Hz gone? If the bassline disappears, it needs harmonics (saturation, a mid-layer). See Sub bass.
Top (2.5 kHz +)
- Harshness 2.5–5 kHz: distorted leads, hard-clipped drums, cymbal fundamentals. Dynamic EQ or Multiband Dynamics upper band, not a static cut.
- Sibilance 5–9 kHz on vocals and vocal chops: de-ess (Multiband Dynamics with a narrow upper band, or Compressor with EQ in the sidechain).
- Air 10 kHz+: compare with the reference — a modern master often has a gentle high shelf you are missing, or you have fizz from aliasing that reads as "air" but is noise.
- Are the hats too loud? Almost always yes on first listen in a dead room. Pull 1–2 dB and listen tomorrow.
Stereo
- Mono fold (Utility → Mono on the master): does anything vanish? Haas-widened or phase-inverted stereo collapses. A/B in mono at least once per session.
- Correlation: if you have a meter, a mix that dips below 0 regularly will cancel on a club system.
- Is the width frequency-dependent? Narrow below 120 Hz, moderate mids, wide only on tops and reverbs. See Mid/side & stereo.
- Does the centre carry the kick, sub, snare and vocal? Everything else can live off-centre.
- Reverb tails: compare the side channel only (EQ Eight M/S, mute mid). Are your tails wider or longer than the reference? Most are.
Dynamics
- Crest factor: peak minus RMS. If your drop reads 6 dB and the reference 9 dB, you have over-limited; if yours is 14 dB and the reference 8, you are not dense enough. Measure on the same 8 bars.
- Does the kick punch after the limiter? Pull the limiter off and compare transient shape; if it died, lower the input and use a clipper first. See Loudness & limiting.
- Is the sidechain pump musical or just loud-quiet? Release should land before the next kick, not after.
- Breakdown vs drop loudness difference: 3–6 LU is normal; 10+ LU means the drop will clip on normalised streaming or feel weak after the breakdown in a club.
- Glue: does the drum bus feel like one kit? 1–3 dB GR from Glue Compressor, not more. See Compression & glue.
Transitions
- Does the drop land? The bar before should have less low end, not more — remove the sub, keep the riser, and the drop's sub arrives as contrast.
- Risers and impacts: do they mask the downbeat? An impact's reverb tail should duck the first kick less than you think — sidechain the FX return to the kick.
- Is there a silence or gap before the drop (a 1/16 to 1/4 cut)? Try it; most references have one.
- Fills: do snare rolls accelerate into beat 1 cleanly or end a 16th early? Zoom in (Z).
- Reverb/delay tails crossing sections: tails that ring into a breakdown are fine; tails ringing into a drop usually are not.
Arrangement
- DJ-ability: 16–32 bars of beat-only intro/outro for club genres? See the genre page for expectations (deep techno expects it, lo-fi hip-hop does not).
- Does something new happen every 8 bars (a layer, a filter, a fill)? Timeline it with the arrangement view at full width.
- Is the energy curve comparable to the reference — number of drops, breakdown length, ratio of full-energy bars to the total?
- Is there one element the listener can hum? If not, it is a tool, not a track — fine for DJ tools, but decide on purpose.
- Length: club tracks 5–7 min, streaming edits 2:30–3:30. Make both if it matters.
Per-genre reference ranges
Measured on the loudest 8 bars with a LUFS meter and a peak/RMS meter. Crest factor is peak − RMS on the drop. Sub level is the 20–80 Hz band relative to the whole-mix RMS, measured with an EQ Eight low-pass solo on a copy; "−6 dB" means the sub band alone is 6 dB quieter than the full mix. These are typical commercial-release ranges circa 2020s, not rules; a track that falls outside can be right.
| Genre | Integrated LUFS | Crest factor (drop) | Sub band (20–80 Hz) vs mix RMS | Tempo | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deep / dub techno | −9 to −7 | 8–11 dB | −3 to 0 dB | 120–132 | Kick and rumble dominate RMS; keep 10 kHz+ restrained. |
| Industrial techno | −7 to −5 | 6–8 dB | −4 to −1 dB | 135–150 | Distortion fills the crest factor; watch 2.5–5 kHz fatigue. |
| Hard techno / hardcore | −6 to −4 | 5–7 dB | −3 to 0 dB | 150–200 | Clipped kicks; the sub is the kick's tail. |
| Minimal / micro-house | −10 to −8 | 10–13 dB | −5 to −2 dB | 122–128 | Dynamics are the genre; do not chase loudness. |
| Deep house | −9 to −7 | 9–12 dB | −5 to −2 dB | 118–125 | Sub is often a sustained bass note, not a kick tail. |
| Tech house | −7 to −5 | 7–9 dB | −4 to −1 dB | 124–130 | Loud, tight, bass sidechained hard. |
| UK garage / 2-step | −9 to −7 | 9–12 dB | −5 to −2 dB | 128–138 | Swing eats headroom unevenly; check per-bar peaks. |
| Dubstep / riddim | −7 to −5 | 6–9 dB | −2 to +1 dB | 138–145 | Sub often louder than everything; mids must still carry on a phone. |
| UK bass / 140 | −8 to −6 | 8–11 dB | −3 to 0 dB | 136–142 | Space between hits; dynamics are part of the sound. |
| Grime | −8 to −6 | 8–10 dB | −4 to −1 dB | 138–142 | Square bass harmonics mean the "sub" extends to 200 Hz. |
| Trap | −8 to −6 | 8–11 dB | −2 to +1 dB | 130–170 (65–85 half) | 808 is the bass; the 808's sustain sets the RMS. |
| Drill | −8 to −6 | 9–12 dB | −3 to 0 dB | 138–146 | Sliding 808 — check tuning on every slide target. |
| Phonk | −7 to −5 | 6–9 dB | −3 to 0 dB | 120–170 | Distorted cowbell at 1–3 kHz is the loudness; keep it there. |
| Drum & bass | −8 to −6 | 8–11 dB | −4 to −1 dB | 170–176 | Fast kick/sub overlap; sub must duck or shorten. |
| Neurofunk | −7 to −5 | 7–9 dB | −4 to −1 dB | 172–176 | Mid bass is the loudest element; sub is separate and clean. |
| Jungle / breakbeat | −9 to −7 | 10–14 dB | −3 to 0 dB | 160–170 | Breaks need their transients; sub is a long reese or sine. |
| Halftime / footwork | −8 to −6 | 9–12 dB | −3 to 0 dB | 85 feel / 160–170 | Space between hits is huge; sub sustain fills it. |
| Ambient | −16 to −11 | 12–18 dB | −8 to −3 dB | free / 60–90 | Streaming normalisation will turn it up; do not pre-empt that. |
| Dub / reggae | −12 to −9 | 11–15 dB | −4 to −1 dB | 60–90 (one-drop) / 140 (steppers feel) | Bass is huge but soft; transients from skank and rim. |
| Trip-hop / downtempo | −12 to −9 | 11–15 dB | −5 to −2 dB | 70–100 | Sampled drums, vinyl noise floor; headroom is the aesthetic. |
| IDM / glitch | −12 to −8 | 10–16 dB | −6 to −2 dB | any | Transient density is the point; limiting kills it. |
| Electro | −8 to −6 | 8–11 dB | −4 to −1 dB | 125–135 | 808-style kick and sub; the cowbell/clap top must cut. |
| Breaks / big beat | −8 to −6 | 8–10 dB | −5 to −2 dB | 125–140 | Loud, compressed breaks; bass is secondary. |
| Lo-fi hip-hop | −13 to −10 | 10–14 dB | −5 to −2 dB | 70–90 | Dull top on purpose; check it is not just muddy at 300 Hz. |
| Boom bap | −10 to −8 | 10–13 dB | −5 to −2 dB | 85–95 | Kick/snare transient is the record; bass sits under. |
| Hyperpop | −6 to −4 | 5–7 dB | −5 to −2 dB | 120–170 | Clipped everything; vocals pitched and loud at 2–5 kHz. |
| Synthwave | −10 to −8 | 9–12 dB | −6 to −3 dB | 80–118 | Gated reverb snare peaks; bass is harmonic-rich, not sub. |
| Psytrance | −7 to −5 | 7–9 dB | −3 to 0 dB | 138–148 | Rolling 16th bass sidechained to the kick; the kick's sub is short. |
| Afro house / amapiano | −9 to −7 | 9–12 dB | −3 to 0 dB | 110–125 | Log drum bass spans 80–600 Hz; percussion must stay dynamic. |
Why crest factor and LUFS together: LUFS alone tells you how loud, not how. Two tracks at −7 LUFS can have crest factors of 6 dB (clipped, dense, fatiguing) and 10 dB (punchy, transients intact). The reference's crest factor tells you whether to reach for a clipper, a limiter, or neither.
Mono check
- Drop a Utility on the master (last in chain, after the limiter) and enable Mono. Leave Width at 100%.
- Loop the drop. Listen for: a bass that gets quieter (stereo sub), a lead that disappears (Haas or polarity-flipped layer), a snare that loses its body (out-of-phase layers), reverbs that vanish (fine) or comb-filter (not fine).
- Toggle Mono on and off every 4 bars. Anything that changes level by more than ~1 dB in the mids or lows is a candidate.
- Fix at the source: Utility → Mono on the bass bus; Utility Width at 0% below the crossover on a Multiband split; replace Haas delays with Chorus-Ensemble at low depth; check polarity (Utility phase invert) on layered drum samples.
- Remove the master Utility before export. Live 12.3 A/B is a cleaner way to keep both states.
Translation: phone, earbuds, car, club
| System | What it reproduces | What it exposes | Live 12 simulation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phone speaker | ~400 Hz – 8 kHz, mono, heavy compression | Whether the bassline has mids; whether the groove is in the drums or in the sub; harshness at 2–4 kHz | EQ Eight: low-cut 400 Hz 48 dB/oct, high-cut 8 kHz; Utility Mono; Compressor 8:1 fast attack, 10 dB GR. Put it in an Audio Effect Rack with a macro to switch chains. |
| Earbuds | Full range but weak below 60 Hz, hyped 3–6 kHz, extreme stereo isolation | Sibilance, harsh leads, hard-panned elements that feel detached, fake sub reliance | EQ Eight: low shelf −6 dB at 60 Hz, bell +3 dB at 4 kHz, Q 1. Listen for things that sit only in one ear. |
| Car | Boosted 60–120 Hz, boxy mids, listening off-axis | Kick/bass fights and 200–300 Hz mud; too much 100 Hz turns into one long boom | EQ Eight: bell +5 dB at 90 Hz Q 1.5, bell +3 dB at 250 Hz, high-cut 12 kHz. Real car test still mandatory for anything bass-heavy. |
| Club | Flat-ish, subs mono, huge level, long room decay | Stereo sub cancellation, 30–50 Hz rumble you never heard at home, hats and air that become knives at 100 dB, reverb tails that smear with the room | Utility Mono below 100 Hz via Multiband; add Hybrid Reverb (Dark Hall, 1.5 s, 15% wet) on the master to simulate the room; listen loud for 30 s only. |
| Laptop | ~300 Hz – 10 kHz, no sub, stereo but narrow | Same as phone plus a notch somewhere in the mids that varies by model | Just use the laptop. |
Build the simulations once as chains in one Audio Effect Rack named "Translate", chain selector mapped to Macro 1, and save it as a default preset. The 12.3 A/B compare then lets you flip the whole master between "real" and "translate" states. See Mix bus rack.
The one-page checklist
- Reference loaded, loudness-matched to within 0.5 LU, routed around the master chain.
- Monitoring level fixed; two systems available.
- Low end: sub mono below 100–120 Hz; kick and sub tuned; nothing useful under 30 Hz; sub band level vs the genre table.
- Mids: 200–350 Hz pile-up trimmed; main element owns 1–2.5 kHz; groove survives a 300 Hz high-pass.
- Top: no static 3–5 kHz harshness; sibilance controlled; air matches reference without fizz; hats 1 dB lower than you want.
- Stereo: mono fold loses nothing in the centre; width narrows with frequency; reverb sides not wider than reference.
- Dynamics: crest factor within 2 dB of the reference; kick survives the limiter; sidechain release lands before the next kick; drop vs breakdown within 3–6 LU.
- Transitions: sub removed before the drop; impact tails sidechained; fills end on the downbeat; a gap before the drop tried.
- Arrangement: something changes every 8 bars; mixable intro/outro if club; energy curve matches the reference's shape.
- Translation: phone, earbuds, car and club simulations all pass; one real car or club listen if possible.
- Export at −1 dBTP, integrated LUFS inside the genre range; export a second file with 6 dB headroom and no limiter for mastering.
- Sleep on it. Listen once tomorrow on the worst system you own before sending.
Related
- Loudness & limiting — hitting the LUFS and crest numbers.
- Mid/side & stereo — fixing what the mono check finds.
- EQ strategies — carving the problem bands.
- Mix templates — a template with the translate rack and reference track pre-wired.
- Frequency chart and Genre tempo map.