With technology constantly improving and becoming more affordable, more and more artists are finding that it is possible to record amazing sounding albums from home studios. This saves a lot more time and money as opposed to going to a professional studio. There is some debate of whether or not sending music into a professional mastering studio is a necessity. If the mix does not need any modifying : it is at a perfect volume level, fades are well done, EQ is consistent throughout, compression is right on, etc.; then there is no need for mastering. In reality, this is hardly ever the case. Even some of the best mixing engineers in the world benefit from the advantages of mastering. A lot of artists spend loads of time and money on gear and recording, so why not go the extra mile to further improve the sound: especially with competitive rates that are offered from various mastering houses.
There are generally 5 major steps in the process of ultimately creating a finished CD:
- Writing and arranging the music.
- Recording the instruments and vocals into a digital format or on tape.
- Mixing the music so all the tracks create a uniform, clear song. This is usually achieved by adding compression, adjusting EQ so the frequencies fit well in the spectrum, adding fades, and also adding and experimenting with various plug ins such as reverb.
- Mastering audio further polishes the mix by improving compression, EQ, limiting, and adding tops and tails to the song to make it more cohesive.
- Duplication is the final step where copies of the master disc are made which allows the product to be ready for distribution.
All of these steps are of equal importance which is why mastering should not be left out of the process. By taking a deeper look at the specifics that the mastering process can add to your music, there is no question that it is indeed a necessity.
Mastering Advantages-
- Raise or lower the overall level of the tracks and makes each track on the album uniform in volume level. This allows for listening to at entire album through a stereo at one volume level instead of having to adjust the level for each song. This will also allow the music to be played from a variety of sound systems whether its a car stereo, home stereo, headphones, or ear buds.
- EQ is leveled out to give the album its own consistent sound throughout as opposed to each song sounding like it was recorded and mixed at different times and places.
- Adjusting the EQ can also improve imperfections in songs that were not dealt with correctly in the mixing process such as adding or subtracting low or high end.
- Better fades are implemented for smoother transitions.
- Space can be added at the beginning and end of tracks to add a customized feel for the album.
- Album sequencing, track names, and ISRC codes are added.
There is no doubt that adding mastering to your project will improve the quality of your music. Without it, your chance of making it in the highly competitive music industry decreases dramatically. For less than 40$, there is no argument: mastering is a necessity.
Make Pro Songs
There are 8 unique value-points inside the Sage Audio membership, so let’s go over each one so you can decide if it’s the right fit for you.
1. 50 Free Mastered Songs Per Year
- 50 free mastered songs per year with your own dedicated professional mastering engineer so you can get all your mixes sounding like professional songs.
- You’ll get your own dedicated Sage Audio mastering engineer to create custom masters that are specific to you and sound exactly how you want.
- Unlimited revisions with your dedicated Sage Audio mastering engineer. As a standard of our service, we are not happy until you are happy with the sound of your masters.
- All masters are delivered as commercial, industry-standard high-resolution 24-bit HD WAV masters so they will sound clean and clear on every platform.
2. 1-on-1 Mentorship
- The Sage Audio 1:1 Mentorship gives you direct access to us to answer all your questions and receive unlimited advanced mixing feedback directly from us.
- Unlimited direct access to us for in-depth discussions to help you improve your mixes and masters.
- Unlimited advanced mixing feedback with detailed suggestions for improvement.
- Fast communication to answer all your questions and get tailored guidance that’s specific to your needs.
3. Unlimited Mixing Feedback
- Unlimited mixing feedback so you can improve your mixes quickly.
- This is highly valuable - giving you access to a thriving community of mixing engineers who can provide feedback about what you can improve before sending your mix to be professionally mastered.
4. Sage Audio University™ (SAU) — (Mixing and Mastering Education Platform)
- SAU is a modern audio engineering education platform that includes in-depth mixing and mastering course curriculums that match the new music industry.
- SAU is designed for every experience level, ranging from first-time mixing engineers to advanced engineers. The techniques and concepts taught can be applied to any DAW to create industry-leading mixes without expensive software or plugins - and free plugin alternatives are suggested throughout every course curriculum.
- SAU course curriculums include Start-to-Finish session walkthrough lessons for multiple genres so you can follow along with your preferred genre.
- SAU Certification Document, which can be downloaded and showcased on your website, social channels, and portfolio for as long as you remain a member.
- Get first access to all future SAU course curriculums to continually build and refine your mixing and mastering skills as the industry evolves.
5. Mixing and Mastering Competitions
- Compete in Mixing Competitions and Mastering Competitions to win prizes and connect with friends and colleagues.
- This is a great collaborative way to improve your skills alongside both aspiring engineers and seasoned industry professionals.
6. Community
- The Sage Audio community is a tight-knit community of passionate audio engineers who can provide you with real-world mixing feedback, meaningful discussions, networking, collaborations, and more.
7. 70+ GB of Curated Sage Audio Downloadable Content, Including:
- 36 multitrack sessions spanning multiple genres for mixing practice.
- 57 un-mastered mixes spanning multiple genres for mastering practice.
- 62 Recommended Free Plugins List (vetted, tested, and approved, so you don’t have to).
- 39 Recommended Paid Plugins List (vetted, tested, and approved, so you don’t have to).
- 58 Sage Audio custom plugin presets to improve your mixes and masters.
- Sage Audio Membership Badge to showcase on your website, social channels, and portfolio.
8. 700+ Video Catalog
- Access 700+ in-depth Sage Audio mixing and mastering videos - curated and organized into playlists so you can take a deep dive into all aspects of audio engineering with thousands of hours of concise, expertly crafted Sage Audio videos to continually improve your mixing and mastering skills at your own pace.
