Mastering requires both experience, training and the right tools. Thanks to digital recording, much of the right tools can be had as plugins for a fraction of the cost of their analog counterparts.
While there are virtually endless tools out there for mastering–tape emulators, stereo expanders, aural exciters, etc–there are some tools that are just basic necessities. You’ll find them in every mastering studio in the world. We thought it’d be helpful to give a brief overview of those tools.
Generally you’ll want to start with these five plugins when mastering a track.
Compressor
A compressor might be the most popular type of plugin for mastering. It essentially reduces the dynamic range of your track, making the quieter parts louder and the louder parts quieter. The result is a richer and more full-sounding mix. The trick, however, is to not use too much compression, or your song will sound flat.
Hard Limiter
A hard limiter is a compressor with a ratio of around 10:1 (meaning that every one decibel over the thresh hold is reduced by ten decibels). It effectively sets your dynamic limit, which is important for getting the loudness correct.
De-Esser
One of the biggest mistakes indie producers make is getting too much sibilance in their mix. This is often due to their having polished up the highs with an EQ while mixing and resultantly making the sibilance too hot. A de-esser is designed to leave the highs sounding clean and bright, but cut the sibilance down. It’s a go to tool for most producers.
Reverb
While reverb is often used more in the mixing process, it can be helpful when putting the finishing touches on a mix to add extra depth and fullness to some of the tracks.
Equalizer
An EQ is essential to the mastering process as often it’s necessary to fine tune the frequency levels of a mix to make it sound universally better and balanced. Often the biggest mistake indie artists is having too much or too little bass. A multiband equalizer can be a lifesaver when mastering. Definitely a must have.
Even if you hire someone else to do your mastering (which we recommend you do), these five plugins should be handy in every studio. It’s worth paying extra for ones you really love, too. You’ll get your money’s worth.
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 >
