What it is
A loudness-matched A/B for any commercial reference. Drop a track on the reference strip below the waveform; Pro Master decodes it, measures its Integrated LUFS, and computes the gain offset needed to play it at your chosen target (defaults to your export panel's LUFS Normalize value, or -14 LUFS if Off). The Master / Reference segmented control swaps instantly between the two with a 20 ms crossfade, both playing from the same time offset so you A/B the exact same musical moment.
How to use it
- Drop a WAV, MP3, FLAC, or AIFF on the reference strip below the waveform toolbar
- Wait a second for the LUFS measurement to complete (shown in the strip)
- Toggle Master / Reference to swap; both play from the same time position
- Fine-tune with the ±6 dB Trim slider if the LUFS match feels off by ear
- Click × on the strip to remove the reference when you are done
What it affects
Honest A/B against the kind of master you are aiming for. The reference plays unprocessed — no master chain, no surgical mask, no EQ, no dynamics — so what you hear is the commercial track itself, level-matched. Multi-track sessions temporarily disable the strip with a clear message; bounce to single-track first if you want to A/B during a multi-track session.