Mastering assistant · VST3 · AU · Standalone

REFRACTMastering Assistant

Press ASSIST, play the loudest 20 seconds of your song, and REFRACT masters it towards your genre: tonal balance, band dynamics, stereo image and loudness. Then compare it with any reference track at matched loudness.

Windows 10 / 1164-bit · VST3 · Standalone
macOS 11 or newerApple Silicon · AU · VST3 · Standalone
Not forIntel Macs · Pro Tools (AAX)

See how it works

2.438,00 KčOne-time purchase · free lifetime updates · included in the All-Access Pass

REFRACT Assistant after a run: tone, dynamics, stereo and loudness set towards the genre — Assistant One click. Four steps. Compare with BYPASS.

1click to master

20 sof your mix is all it needs

6bands of tone, width and dynamics

2ways to work: genre or reference

4genres today, more on the way

Before / after

Hear what one click does

Three songs, each turned down 10 dB for headroom and mastered with a single press of ASSIST. The genre was recognised automatically and nothing was adjusted by hand. Switch between the two versions while it plays.

Now playingParadox Protocol

Press play to load the song

0:00 / 0:45 Before is the song as it went in, turned down 10 dB. After is what REFRACT made of it in one click.

How it works

From mix to master in four steps you can watch

No presets to guess, no curves to draw. REFRACT listens, decides with data, and shows you every step.

1ListenPress ASSIST and play the chorus or the heaviest section. REFRACT counts 20 seconds of playing audio and pauses while nothing plays.
2MatchIt sets the tonal balance, gentle band dynamics and the stereo image towards the masters of your genre — recognised automatically or chosen by you.
3LoudnessA clipper and a transparent limiter bring the mix up and only shave the peaks. Too dynamic to get there cleanly? It stops and tells you.
4DoneToggle BYPASS to hear exactly what changed. Use Amount and Target to dial it back or push it further.

Without a reference

Genre targets measured from real masters

The targets are not drawn curves. They were measured from professionally released masters of each genre — tonal balance, how much each band moves, stereo width and loudness. REFRACT brings your mix into the range those masters share, and the Target control decides whether it stops at the edge or goes all the way to the middle.

Modern Metal
Metalcore
Classic Heavy Metal
Rock
Pop
Hip-Hop
House
Techno
Drum & Bass
EDM

Highlighted genres are available now; the others arrive as free updates.

With references

Compare honestly, match precisely

Drop in reference files, or let REFRACT listen to a song playing in your streaming app. Switch MIX/REF at matched loudness, see band by band where you differ, and match tone, band dynamics and stereo map to one reference or the shared range of several.

References are never processed — only your mix is
Level-matched A/B so you judge tone, not volume
Bit-exact bypass

Analyse

See exactly where your mix stands

Your mix against the genre or a reference, in Mid and Side, live or long-term. Six bands show level, width and dynamics as plain numbers, and the notes say it in words: “Sub 2.9 dB quieter than Modern Metal masters”.

Reference

Match one reference or a whole album

Learn from 20 seconds and match tone, band dynamics and the stereo map in one go. With several references REFRACT targets what they share and shows you their spread.

Mid / Side EQ

A matched curve and six bands of your own

Fine or broad, the matched curve follows the reference as closely as you like. Add your own bands — bell, shelves and cuts on Stereo, Mid or Side — whenever you want to shape it by ear.

Output

Loud enough, never crushed

A clipper takes the sharpest peaks, a transparent limiter the rest, and your master reaches release loudness without being pulled down on every hit. The assistant sets both so they only shave the peaks, and you see your loudness next to the genre at a glance.

Mastering grade, measured

Built to move a mix the way a mastering engineer would

No pumping low endSub and Low are levelled slowly, following the sections of a song rather than every kick. Elsewhere, gentle ratios and a few dB at most.

Loudness you can trustLoudness and peaks measured the way streaming services measure them, for your mix and the reference side by side.

Transparent soundNothing changes your sound unless you ask it to. Switch REFRACT off and your mix comes out exactly as it went in.

Stereo you can trustVectorscope, correlation per band, width and balance — and a mono check one click away.

Presets and recallEverything, including what the assistant learnt, is saved with your project and in presets you can share.

A detailed User GuideEvery control explained, a one-minute quick start and good-practice tips, in the download.

Delivery and compatibility

Ready for your DAW

Windows: Windows 10 / 11, 64-bit · VST3 and standalone app (ASIO, WASAPI)
macOS: macOS 11 or newer on Apple Silicon · VST3, Audio Unit and standalone app
Not supported: Intel Macs, Pro Tools (AAX)
Works with: Any DAW that loads VST3 or Audio Unit plugins
Without a DAW: The standalone app loads your song, masters it and exports the master as a WAV file
In the download: Windows installer, macOS installer, User Guide
Licence: One-time purchase, instant download, free lifetime updates; included in the All-Access Pass

Questions

Frequently asked

What is REFRACT: Mastering Assistant?

REFRACT is a mastering plugin that listens to 20 seconds of your mix and masters it towards a genre in one click: tonal balance, the dynamics of each band, the stereo image and the loudness. It also compares your mix with any reference track and can match it to one or several references.

Do I need a reference track?

No. The Assistant works without one: it uses genre targets measured from professionally released masters. If you want to compare with a specific song, load it as a reference file or let REFRACT listen to a song playing on your computer.

Which genres are supported?

Modern Metal, Metalcore, Classic Heavy Metal and Rock are available now. Pop, Hip-Hop, House, Techno, Drum & Bass and EDM are coming as free updates. You can choose the genre yourself or let REFRACT recognise it from your mix.

Will it crush my mix to make it loud?

No. The Assistant only lets its limiter shave the peaks lightly. If your mix is too dynamic to reach the genre loudness that gently, REFRACT stops at a clean level and tells you, instead of squashing it.

Which formats and systems does it run on?

VST3 and the standalone app on Windows 10 and 11 (64-bit), and VST3, Audio Unit and the standalone app on macOS 11 or newer on Apple Silicon. Intel Macs are not supported. The download includes installers for Windows and macOS and the User Guide.

Does REFRACT change my reference tracks?

Never. Everything REFRACT does is applied to your mix only. References always play exactly as they are, at matched loudness, so you compare tone and dynamics rather than volume.

REFRACT 1.0

Serum 2 Presets

Vital Presets

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Wavetables

REFRACTMastering Assistant

Hear what one click does