Go-To Mastering and mix references (songs only)

i have quite a few, some are just favorites.
i mix up old classic rock with some aesthetic favorites, and modern releases:
 
Brand X (Masques) "Deadly Nightshade"
Aja "Aja"
Tool "Vicarious",  "Ænema" 
Joe Satriani "gnaahh"
Boston "Something about you"
A Perfect Circle "Blue"
Kings X "Mississippi Moon"
Foo Fighters, "Walk", "Rope"
Them Crooked Vultures "Elephants", "New Fang"
Queens of the Stone Age, "My God is the Sun"
 
 
 
so i was perusing the grammy charts, for best engineered albums over the last 40 years or so.....
 
came up with this personal list of those (some of which i already reference):
 
grammy winner albums
70's-current
abbey road
aja
band on the run
the wall
gaucho
Ten Summoner's Tales
wildflowers
The Globe Sessions
Two Against Nature
hail to the thief
...Like Clockwork
 
to compile a list:
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SINGLE ALBUM/SONG FOR USING AS REFERENCE?

THERE ARE NO WRONG ANSWERS......

I think it's advantageous to gather a large collection of references. The closer you can get to your own project when choosing a reference, the better. Even a record that's won awards won't be much use to you if it's wildly different from what you're working on.
 
A personal favorite is Dark Side of the Moon. However, it's not a good template for more modern genres, as its EQ curve is akin to classical music. Similarly, New Favorite by Alison Krauss and Union Station is impeccably recorded and mixed and an inspiration to quality - but not useful as a hard rock reference. Donald Fagan's The Nightfly is widely admired for its pristine clarity but it's so far removed from other records before or after that I've not found it at all helpful as a reference.
 
A more reliable reference that spans multiple decades and genres is Tom Petty's Into the Great Wide Open. It's a good example of something that plays well both on the radio and also on a hi-fi.

batsbrew
Aja "Aja"
 

I believe you meant to say Steely Dan "Aja" - ya? 

craigb

batsbrew
Aja "Aja"
 

I believe you meant to say Steely Dan "Aja" - ya? 

no,
actually, that list, was of albums and individual cuts off the album that i chose to reference...
hence, AJA the album, AJA the song

yep, ur right, i got adhd

I've used Steely Dan's Aja ('twas why I noticed it). 
 
I'll have to check out more on your list though!

I used it because it was the reference on a mixing video I have.  Unfortunately, I seemed to stop doing anything that actually required a reference, so that was pulled out whenever the occasion came around.

bapu
pink/white noise
 
prolly explains a lot
 

Ha!  Pink noise is for girls. 

Black Sabbath - Born Again
KISS - Hotter Than Hell
Metallica - St. Anger
 
I guess you could say that I'm an underachiever... ;)

Anything from Perry Como on 78rpm .... it makes my mixes sound really good.
 
Actually no, I don't use any reference commercial stuff. I do appreciate the clarity, dynamics, and overall sounds of lots of cd projects..... Alison Krauss is a favorite..... I listen and hear things and then go to the studio and try to replicate as best I can that certain sonic characteristic. But I don't play that music through the studio and compare.
 
Perhaps it's the tone of a mandolin, or the reverb on the vocals, or something else entirely....It catches my attention and I listen to try to figure out what they're doing to get that sound, and then, how could I do that in my studio with my gear and skills?
 
I simply strive to be able to hear every instrument in my mix clearly and have it sound as natural as possible, and fit properly into the mix. Same thing with vocals. So, I guess in a way, as I'm listening to any commercially produced music, I'm listening critically and dissecting the the mix to see what truth I can glean from it that is applicable back in my humble studio.
 
Almost in a monkey see monkey do sort of way. Does that count?

I tend to be all over the place musically, writing in different genres, so I never really established a list that was a go to. It tends to change on a song to song basis.
 
Usually, I figure out in which ballpark I'm working as I'm working on a given song. 
 
For a certain category of projects, I tend to gravitate towards The Fragile by Nine Inch Nails, as well as its counterpart, Things Falling Apart. And the work of former NIN, Charlie Clouser. Depeche Mode is also a reference.
 
For rock music, I'm really not into hifi or sophisticated productions. I like old Beatles albums - all of them - Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti, the first Black Sabbath album, and stuff like Felt Mountain, by Goldfrapp. Even some of the early Lenny Kravitz stuff, like Circus.
 
I like mids, and music that sounds relatively flat, I guess.
 
For heavier music, Tool would be on top of the list.
 
On the other hand, I might write a song tomorrow which calls for something entirely different, from an album which I wouldn't ordinarily think of as a reference.

I'm currently only using black noise...