First is LALA by Analog Obsession, a clone of the LA2A optical compressor - it’s great for creating a smooth and full sounding vocal. To the left is an internal side chain, which can be switched to external, to the right is the output gain, peak reduction level, and wet/dry.
Vastaus by Wavegrove is a free alternative to Soothe 2 - it’s used for resonance reduction, which will make a vocal sound more balanced and less aggressive in the highs. To the left is the input gain, and the amount of the effect - in the middle we can turn on dynamic processing, and affect the harmonic distortion with the bias.
Frequalizer by Foleys Finest is a 6-band EQ, somewhat similar to the Pro Q 3 - each filter can be 7 different types and are fully parametric with Q, amplitude, and frequency settings. What’s useful about this plugin is the ability to solo bands to monitor their effect.
Lastly in the output setting, we can enable auto-gain compensation
Analog Delay by Nembrini audio is a simple but really effective delay - it can be set to exact timing in milliseconds, or synced to the host BPM. The left and right taps can be offset from one another, and we can dial in the amount of feedback.
There’s a wet/dry which is useful, and we can include harmonic distortion with the analog switch at the bottom.
Fresh Air by Slate Digital is one of my favorite free plugins - it amplifies high frequencies with a bell and high shelf filter, as well as introduces harmonics to the high frequencies, causing a bright sound. The effect is incredibly aggressive so be sure to dial it in subtly.
To the bottom right we also have a trim to compensate for gain changes.
GSatPlus by TBProAudio is a fantastic saturation plugin - it offers 4 algorithms, multiple saturation stages and harmonic formations, and variable odd and even order harmonic distortion, all of which can be applied to the stereo, left, right, mid, or side image,
We have the option to clip our signal, as well as introduce oversampling.
DReverb by Stone Voices is a great sounding effect on vocals, with the potential for super long decay times. Predelay will help the dry vocal cut through, whereas modulation in the top right can make the reverb more convincing and realistic.
Lastly, a stereo width function is great for BGVs since it creates a unique stereo placement for the reflections.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.