There are a small number of albums that are viewed by many in the music industry as being near perfect in their production quality. From performance to recording to mixing and mastering, such albums often become benchmarks of engineering and producing.
We’ve said before that one of the best things you can do to create better mixes is tune your ear to great music. Study what great records on your monitors and learn how your mixes compare.
Here are four albums that you can start with. They’re considered by many to be masterpieces of production.
Rumors - Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac called their 1977 album the “most important album we ever made.” Fans agreed, and the album sold over 45 million copies worldwide.
Lauded for its unique three-part vocal harmonies, likeable songs and crystal clear recordings, “Rumors” is viewed as one of the iconic, great albums of the 70’s.
Sea Change - Beck
As singer songwriter albums go, Beck’s 2002 album, “Sea Change” is one of the toppers. With its simple arrangements, acoustic textures and overwhelming meloncholy mood, it’s an excellent example of a mix that captures raw emotion and organic performance. The arrangements are both simple, clear and colorful. Most of the recording was done with a live band over three weeks. Rolling Stone gave it one of the three only 5-star ratings of the year. It’s easy to hear why.
(Self TItled) - Rage Against the Machine
When engineers and audiophiles want to demo a sound system, Rage Against the Machine’s 1992 self-titled debut album, is often the go to choice for the rock genre. It’s a staple on “top rock albums” lists thanks to its perfect blending of the essential raw elements: vocals, bass, guitar & drums (with a few special effects). It’s a reminder of how a few well-performed elements, recorded properly, is all you need.
Aja - Steely Dan
Many of Steely Dan’s albums are viewed as examples of masterful production, but their 1977 album “Aja” is one of their most beloved. Listening to how the drums, piano, bass and vocals blend is hearing some of the best recording and mixing of the 70’s.
If you want to create great records, you first have to know great records. These four albums have stood the test of time for their popularity and production value. By paying attention to their mixes you can learn a great deal about what makes a quality mix and master.
So, Why A Membership?
Let’s face it — trying to create professional mixes without the correct knowledge, tools, services, and network is like playing a concert with a broken instrument to an audience of no one.
That’s where the Sage Audio membership comes in — the membership gives you everything you need to create professional mixes consistently.
The membership is the secret to your success — it’s the difference between the 1,929,999,999 of poor-sounding mixes and the .00000002% of mixes that make people say 'WOW!"
There are 7 unique value-points included in your Sage Audio membership.
Let’s go over each one so you can decide if the membership is right for you.
1. Sage Audio University
- SAU Flagship Mixing Course: 23-video in-depth mixing course that reveals the little-known secrets of mixing and matches the needs of the new music industry.
- SAU Flagship Mastering Course: 19-video in-depth modern mastering course that dives into every nuance of making professional-sounding masters.
- SAU Pre-Mastering Course: Concise pre-mastering course that details the latest industry standards for preparing your mixes for mastering.
- SAU is designed for every experience level, ranging from budding 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 each course.
- Each SAU course includes 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 and social channels.
Yes, I want to join the membership now >
2. Private 1-on-1 Mentorship
- The Sage Audio private 1-on-1 Mentorship gives you direct access to us for advanced mixing feedback, in-depth discussions, and customized guidance that's tailored to your specific needs.
- Unlimited private access to us for advanced mixing feedback, where we provide detailed suggestions for improvement.
- Unlimited private access to us for in-depth discussions to help you improve every aspect of your mixes and masters.
- Customized guidance that’s tailored specifically to your needs.
- Fast communication so you can improve your skills quickly.
Yes, I want to join the membership now >
3. Unlimited Mixing Feedback
- Unlimited professional mixing feedback directly from us so you can consistently improve your skills and create professional mixes.
- Mixing feedback is invaluable, and the Sage Audio membership gives you continual direct access to us for real-world feedback so you can improve every aspect of each of your mixes while you're in the process of mixing.
Yes, I want to join the membership now >
4. 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 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 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.
Yes, I want to join the membership now >
5. Community
- The Sage Audio community is a tight-knit community of passionate audio engineers who can provide you with additional real-world mixing feedback, meaningful discussions, networking, collaborations, and more.
Yes, I want to join the membership now >
6. 70+ GB of Curated Sage Audio Downloadable Content
- 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).
- 71 Sage Audio custom plugin presets to improve your mixes and masters.
- Sage Audio Membership Badge to showcase on your website, social channels, and portfolio.
Yes, I want to join the membership now >
7. 800+ Video Catalog
- Access 700+ in-depth Sage Audio mixing and mastering videos - curated and organized into categories so you can easily 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 skills at your own pace.
Yes, I want to join the membership now >
