If you follow the Sage Audio mastering blog, you know we like to keep up-to-date on the new products available for studios. Particularly, we look at interesting hardware and software that can be a great addition to home recording studios without breaking the bank. Today, we have an interesting reverb, as well as an entire suite of vintage sounds that can add a ton of versatility to your recording options. Let’s get right to it.
HOFA Plugins IQ Reverb
There are tons of convolution reverbs out there, and it’s impossible to say that one is better than others, as your ideal reverb depends on the types of sounds you want to achieve. IQ Reverb is a bit unique in that it combines convolution reverb with a classic effects processor. This is designed to give you minute control over all your reverb sounds.
The reverb comes with a 3D display that HOFA says you can use to “change length and envelope of the impulse responses quickly and easily and even treat various frequency ranges of the reverb separately.” The plugin also comes with a “specially compiled library with elaborately convoluted hardware units, real spaces and novel layered reverb combinations... already onboard.”
The software is available for PC and MACs for both 32- and 64-bit DAW. The manufacturer says the plugins have been tested and approved for most major recording software, including Cubase, Apple Logic, Ableton Live, Presonus Studio One, Cockos Reaper and Avid Pro Tools.
Big Fish Audio Vintage Vibe
Vintage Vibe is a collection of sampled instruments designed to provide more versatility to the studio instruments you have -- which is something we’re always looking for in a recording setup. As you’d expect from the name, this set of plugins focuses on vintage instruments, but not only the ones you’d expect.
“The list of instruments ranges from rare, collectible, and even one-of-a-kind pieces to cheap knock-offs and banged-up stuff found in junkyards,” says the company. It’s not often that virtual instruments look to replicate low-end or “banged-up” instruments, so we like the novel approach here.
Of course, you get some of the classics, too: a 1962 Telecaster, a Fender Rhodes, a 1960s Gretsch 3-ply Wood Jazz drum kit, among many others. In fact, it's the drum sounds that have the most options available, from kits to snare to cymbals.
If you like to explore vintage sounds, particularly those that are a bit off the beaten path, Vintage Vibe may be well worth checking out.
Apogee Now Compatible with Logic Pro X
Ok, so this one’s not nearly as exciting -- unless you’ve been waiting to upgrade your old Logic software until your hardware interface is compatible. Apogee has announced that most of their products are now compatible with the newest version of Logic Pro, which was released last month. Here’s a list of those that have been tested with the new software, straight from Apogee:
- JAM
- MiC
- ONE for Mac
- ONE for iPad & Mac Duet
- Duet 2
- Duet for iPad & Mac
- Quartet for iPad & Mac
- Ensemble
- Symphony I/O (USB, Symphony, and Pro Tools HD modes)
- Symphony 64 PCIe
- Symphony 64 | ThunderBridge
- X-Symphony equipped X-Series and Rosetta Series Converters
- X-HD equipped X-Series and Rosetta Series Converters (Firmware v. XX or greater).
Make Pro Songs
There are 6 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. 20 Free Mastered Songs Per Year
- 20 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. Unlimited Mixing Feedback
- Unlimited mixing feedback so you can quickly improve your mixes fast.
- This is highly valuable - giving you access to a thriving community of mixing engineers who can provide you with feedback about what you can improve first before sending your mix to be professionally mastered.
3. 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.
4. Sage Audio Community
- The Sage Audio community is a tight-knit community of passionate audio engineers that can provide you with real-world mixing feedback, discussions, mix competitions, networking, collaborations, and more.
5. 700+ In-depth Sage Audio Mixing and Mastering Videos
- 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.
6. 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.