Reference listening is one the best things you can do to improve in music production and mixing. Metric AB helps you with that. It has made a bigger difference to my music than any other plugin or tool. This plugin, if any, deserves attention so here is my review and video.
Disclaimer:
I am not affiliated with ADPTR Audio or Plugin Alliance. I beta tested and gave feedback for the first version of this plugin (then called Magic AB) for Sample Magic many years ago. But when Metric AB came out (and it has been out for years by now), I bought it.
Plugin version reviewed: 1.3 / December 2021
What Is Metric AB?
Metric AB allows you to quickly and easily compare the music you’re working on to the reference material of your liking. It also incorporates a bunch of useful metering tools.
See this 21-minute video for my full introduction:
Features in a nutshell:
- Compare your audio to reference music with the click of a button
- Load up to 16 reference tracks in any format
- Loudness matching.
- Set loop and cue points that sync with your DAW
- Five analysis and metering modes (spectrum, correlation, stereo image, dynamics & loudness)
User Interface and Workflow
I appreciate the clean looks and interface of this plugin. The design works well in use. There is no nonsense going on to distract you from what is important.
The UI is not scalable. On my screen (2560 x 1440) the smaller bits of text feel a little too small to me. It’s fine to use but I wish it was a little bit bigger.
Another gripe I have with it is that the way the octave views in the the spectrum are calibrated. It makes them useless for loud material. It makes the low end look like it’s clipping even when there is plenty of headroom left.
The plot view works fine in the spectrum, but it’s not ideal for determining the overall balance of a track. The SPL Hawkeye plugin has an excellent 1/3 octave view that is perfectly calibrated – I prefer to use that for spectrum analysis.
Feature requests
After having used this for years, I do have a few small feature requests. These things would make it even better for me.
- Scalable and resizable interface.
- Better calibrated octave views for the spectrum analyzer.
- It would be nice to have more colours for the metering to indicate intensity.
- I’d love to see dynamics by frequency.
- A configurable spectrogram display would make the spectrum analysis more complete.
- An option for the loudness matching to turn everything down by a necessary amount if the material begins to clip after matching.
- User manual accessible from within the plugin.
How I Like to Use It
Other than the first creative phase of a project, I’m always doing reference listening. It grounds my ears and helps me make sure I’m moving the project into the right direction.
I use Metric AB for production/mixing as well as mastering.
I do two types of referencing.
- Comparing to previous/alternative mixes/masters of the same track I’m working on. Metric AB makes it very handy with the option to sync the playback to your DAW.
- Comparing to other well mixed and mastered music so that I know where my mix/master stands in the bigger picture.
Although it’s not my only metering solution, I often use it for the metering alone. I like how the phase and stereo image metering are done in particular,
My Reference Tracks
I don’t like to change up my reference material too much. Over time this helps me learn the reference material better, makes comparing quicker and easier and leads to more consistent results.
If you want to know what reference tracks I’m using, I’ve posted them on my Patreon.
Documentation
The PDF manual is clear and concise. It also gives you some small tips beyond the basic usage.
The manual is not accessible from within the plugin. It’s always a pain to have to go look for it from the web or your hard drive.
There are tooltips that are very helpful for getting to know the plugin because there are a lot of small options to figure out.
Copy protection and License Transfer
A one-time license check over the internet.
License transfers are allowed and easy to do, but there is a $20 fee for the buyer.
Technical Requirements
Plugin version reviewed: 1.3 / December 2021
Supported Plugin Formats
AAX Native, AU, AAX AudioSuite, VST2, VST3
Supported Operating Systems
macOS 10.9 through 11
Windows 7 through 10
Mac
Intel CPU only (minimum 2 GHz recommended)
PC
x64-compatible CPU
System Requirements
Display resolution: 1440 × 900px or 1280 × 960px or higher
Memory: 2 GB RAM
Metric AB Alternatives
There are some other plugins that do a similar thing. Here are the ones I’ve tried.
- Mastering the Mix Reference. Gives you less options but they are well thought out. I’ve demoed it and I prefer Metric AB for its more extensive metering. But I still appreciate the streamlined approach here – Reference is a good alternative.
- Melda Productions MCompare. It has a nice blind testing feature. Other than that I’m not a fan of it. It only has loudness metering and the user experience isn’t smooth (no looping option for reference tracks for instance).
Metric AB Price
Updated December 3rd, 2021.
The regular price is $199.
Nobody in their right mind should pay that much for it. Not because I don’t think it’s worth it, but because Plugin Alliance regularly do big discounts. You can often get it for anywhere between $29.99 to $49.99.
For that kind of discounted price, I think it is insanely good value and it is about the best investment you can make towards improving the quality of your music and your listening skills.
Metric AB Review – Conclusion
Pros:
- The most comprehensive reference listening plugin out there.
- Good user interface.
- Insanely good value for money if you buy it on discount.
Cons:
- See my feature requests listed above.
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