Preserving headroom in the recording process can be helpful for mixing and maintaining a musical dynamic range.
First off let’s define headroom. In practical terms it’s the difference between the highest peak on your audio signal and 0db on your DAW meter. If your signal peaks at around -6db, then you would have about 6dbs of headroom.
Having headroom on your signal when you record is important for four reasons.
- It keeps your track from clipping and becoming distorted.
- It allows you to preserve dynamic range in your track when mixing.
- It gives you plenty of safe space to add plugins when mixing, without getting close to peaking.
- It allows your music to be mastered properly.
Here are two tips for creating headroom in your mix from the start:
Record in 24 or 32 bit
Even the most modest recording interfaces allow you to record in 24 bit, and you should take advantage of that. As your bit depth goes up, the dynamic range of your recording expands. At 24 bit, the signal to noise ratio is generally very good, which allows you to record quieter signals without having to deal with a noise floor or a loss of clarity.
Currently audiophiles are starting to buy 24 bit mastered digital albums. Since this is the bit rate that artists originally record their album in; people are able to hear a more accurate sound as compared to the standard 16 bit.
Peak Between -10db and -6db
It’s always best to listen closely when you’re recording to make sure that you’re not getting any distortion from peaking or a corrupted audio signal. However, it can be equally as important to watch the meters on your interface and in your DAW. Most producers recommend you keep your track's maximum peaking between -10db and -6db. This gives you 6db of headroom, which is typically a good amount. The average level of your track should be around is -20db.
If you can get these two tips down, you’ll be setting yourself up for a much smoother mixing process and will have a more dynamic sounding track.
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.
Get Access
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.
Get Access
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.
Get Access
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.
Get Access
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.
Get Access
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.
Get Access
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.
Get Access
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.
Get Access
