Reference compares your mix with a reference track. Load up to four files (WAV, AIFF, FLAC, MP3, OGG) from the file browser or drag them straight onto the plugin window — each file is decoded to memory in the background and automatically converted to your project's sample rate. One click switches between MIX and REFERENCE with a smooth crossfade, and the reference is loudness-matched to your mix (BS.1770 measurement, Integrated or Short-term). Only the reference level changes — your mix passes through the plugin bit-perfect. On the reference waveform you mark a comparison region — a chorus, a drop, a verse — which plays in a loop or follows your DAW timeline, so you always compare the same parts of the arrangement. Separate readouts show everything that shapes the sound: tonal balance (both spectra loudness-normalised, a difference curve and six bands from sub to air), low-end energy, stereo width per band and correlation, dynamics (PLR, LRA), true peak, and the short-term loudness history of both tracks on a single graph. The plugin makes sure the reference never ends up in your export by accident: while the reference is audible the whole window glows red with REFERENCE ON AIR, and Export Guard always outputs only your mix during offline renders. File paths, regions and settings are saved with your project. Works offline, no accounts. For mix and mastering engineers and producers who want their track to stand next to commercial releases.