A/B testing is the process of comparing your current mix (A) with a professional, commercially released reference track (B). It is arguably the most important step in the mixing and mastering process. Our ears easily lose perspective after hours in the studio; a reference track resets your auditory baseline.
The human ear suffers from a biological bias: louder sounds better. If your reference track is even 1 dB louder than your mix, you will perceive it as having more punch, clarity, and depth—even if your mix is technically superior.
To perform a fair A/B test, you must level match both tracks using a perceived loudness metric like LUFS, not just peak volume.
Confirmation bias is real. If you know you are listening to a Grammy-winning mix, your brain will convince you it sounds better. The only way to truly trust your ears is through blind A/B testing.
By randomizing which track is playing without looking at the screen, you force yourself to make EQ and compression decisions based purely on what you hear.
LiveMarks was built specifically to solve the mobile A/B testing problem. It allows you to load your mix and a reference track onto your phone, match their levels instantly using integrated or short-term LUFS, and switch between them seamlessly while walking, driving, or testing on consumer earbuds.