Sage Audio’s semi-regular video series Inside the Recording Studio is only two installments old as of this publishing, but already we’ve started to branch out just a bit. Though we do see Alicia Keys and French Montana inside a recording studio, the two spend the majority of their time speaking about the writing of the songs they are recording. The Rolling Stones don’t actually even visit the studio in their video, but the new footage of the now 50-year-old group is nonetheless captivating.
Suffice it to say, we love getting inside looks at artists and their creative process. Sometimes that means watching a CD mastering producer tweak knobs in a studio, and sometimes that means watching French Montana rap a cappella in a hallway.
Alicia Keys – “Girl on Fire”
On his 2006 album Modern Times, Bob Dylan made a somewhat perplexing statement: “I’m wondering where in the world Alicia Keys could be/I’ve been looking for her even clear through Tennessee.” Well, I doubt anyone will ever know what sparked Dylan’s sudden interest in a young R&B singer, but if he’s still looking, he can find her in the studio.
The New York Times recently shot video of Keys in studio, describing the creation of her song “Girl on Fire,” which is the title track of her fifth studio album. Keys talks briefly about the recording of the song, which in the video takes the form of a tour of a studio complete with all kinds of great keyboards.
First of all, check out that amazing piano she is playing. Also, I spotted both a Wurlitzer and a Fender Rhodes in the studio – a keyboard player’s paradise.
The only bad part? The New York Times doesn’t allow embedding for the video, so you’ll have to go to their website to check it out.
The Rolling Stones – “Charlie is My Darling”
Right off the bat, this documentary easily wins the title of best Rolling Stones documentary title. The film, which is produced to help celebrate the band’s 50th anniversary, shows the young Stones on a short tour of Ireland in 1965. This clip is a trailer of the doc, put together from footage by Peter Whitehead. The film has and will have several screenings around the world, but will be released on DVD on November 6.
French Montana – “Stay Schemin’”
This video is called “Decoded: French Montana “Stay Schemin’,” and it comes from Jay-Z’s new YouTube channel, lifeandtimes. In the video, we watch clips of Montana rapping the song a cappella in a hallway, interspersed with video of him in a recording studio discussing the lyrics of the song.
The YouTube channel also live streamed the final concert from Jay’s residency at Brooklyn’s new Barclay’s Center. If these two videos are any indication, lifeandtimes is definitely a channel to subscribe to.
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.
