The age of new digital formats is here. While most music these days is mastered to the Red Book CD standard, technology allows for artists to record and produce music in larger bit depths and higher frequency. Recently breakthroughs in technology have enabled more fans to listen to music in HD formats and one can reasonably assume that fans will opt for these better quality recordings moving forward.
Here are four reasons you should consider having your music recorded and mastered in an HD format.
Better Sound
The main reason HD music formats are gaining traction is the sound. An HD track can stream up to four times the amount of information of a CD-quality recording. Up to twenty times that of an MP3. With a nice pair of headphones or speakers, that means your music could sound fuller, sharper and more brilliant.
It should be said that some argue that HD formats are a gimmick and offer no perceivable improvement in quality. The recent resurgence of vinyl and the newsworthy success of the Pono Music service Kickstarter shows, however, that there is a growing market that thinks the difference is worth it. Even if the consensus is still out, let the fans make the call. Why not give that market what they’re willing to pay for?
More Profit
Speaking of paying for it, digital HD music downloads are typically sold at 20-100% more than iTunes MP3 versions. (And they really do blow MP3s out of the water in terms of quality.) This makes sense because if fans are willing to spend the money for costly high-end music players and digital/analog converters, then they’re probably willing to pay an extra buck to hear your song in the best possible quality using those devices. The overhead for you is same, but the profit rises with the jump in price.
Future Compatibility
As high-end music players become more and more accessible and hard drive space becomes less and less of an issue, one can assume that the market will want more music in HD format. By having your music mastered in hi-fi, in addition to Red Book and Mp3, you can ensure that there will be a version available for any market in the future.
New Market
Finally, not all music is released in HD format right now. For audiophiles who have spent hundreds–if not thousands–on a stereo that will play HD music, the repertoire can often be a choice between remastered classical recordings, classic rock and Brazilian jazz music. By releasing your music in an HD format you are potentially engaging the somewhat untapped market of audiophiles who are always wanted new music to try out on their systems.
The rule of thumb is to meet your market where they are. If even a portion of the market is willing to pay more for your music in a higher quality format, then you should offer it to them. And the way things are going suggests that portion is only going to get bigger.
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 >
