Depending on your studio space, it can often be quite pricey to set yourself up properly for mixing and mastering. Apart from needing the right monitors and monitor placement, your room acoustics can have a strong affect on your sound.
Mixing with headphones can oftentimes be your best way of having a flat, unadulterated reference in your studio without spending up to thousands of dollars on gear and sound treatments.
Here are four affordable mixing headphones that provide a good alternative to traditional monitors:
Sony MDR-7506 - $65
While on the cheaper end, the Sony MDR-7506's sound pretty good. They’re durable and boast a fairly flat frequency response, which starts to taper off at the 10k mark. While they may not offer the resolution of some more expensive models, they offer a good reference for mixing at an unbeatable price.
Audio-Technica ATH-M50 - $149
The solid build and reliable flat response of the Audio-Technica ATH-M50 has made it one of the most popular pairs of mixing headphones on the market and a flagship for the impressive Audio-Technica line. While they can be a tad heavy on the bass, they’re accuracy has been compared to that of $300-$500 models, making them an easy choice for producers and engineers at all levels.
Sennheiser HD 380 Pro - $136
Comparable to the ATH-M50 the Sennheiser HD Pro 380 is sturdy and offers a slightly flatter, unpolished sound along with the revered Sennheiser name. They have larger earpads, which are quite comfortable and do a bit better at blocking out ambient sounds. These headphones are popular with engineers and DJ’s alike for their sound and comfort.
Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO - $168
With the flattest response of our list and comfort that’s comparable the HD 380s, the Beyerdynamic DT 770 PROs are a great pair of headphones for the money. They give the most resolution in the mid-range while not sacrificing bass detail. For the extra $20 to $40, you’d likely not regret going for these.
Don't Trust The Doctor
Never use Beats By Dre Headphones to mix! They are designed to boost the bass and treble so that the music sounds brighter and richer. For listening to music, this can be nice. For mixing, not so much. Stick with a headphone designed for professional use that will you give you as unadulterated of a sound as possible.
Using any of these other headphones, however, will give you a professionally flat sound for mixing and mastering and save you some bucks in the process. But be sure to learn the basics about mixing first–or save your time and hire a professional–so that you can make the most of your investment.
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 >
