50 Cent
Snooki
Drew Brees
Ludacris
Rohan Marley
Tim Tebow
Tyson Beckford
Sugar Ray Leonard
Nick Cannon
Care to venture a guess as to what the folks on this list all have in common?
Every one of them appeared at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) as a celebrity spokesperson for a pair of headphones. We’ve been known to use a pair of headphones or two here at our online mastering studio, so we certainly like paying attention to everything that’s happening in the audio industry concerning headphones. We’d be willing to bet that just about everybody has seen the influx of big, flashy headphones formerly hidden away in studios now appearing on sidewalks/trains/buses/everywhere people are.
When the iPod was first issued back in 2001, it seemed that in addition to changing how we carry our music with us, it would change how we listened to that music as well, as small ear buds became the norm because they were not only portable but also fashionable.
Dr. Dre changed this when he teamed up with record exec Jimmy Iovine and Monster Cables to produce his Beats by Dre headphones. They’ve obviously become extremely popular since their introduction in 2008, as it seems impossible to go anywhere without seeing that trademark “b” on the sides of headphones. And now it seems that headphones are the new fashionable product for celebrities to endorse, as evidenced by the 2013 CES.
Beats, the company that split from Monster late last year and now produces all Beats by Dre headphones and speakers along with all other products by the company, has seen its share of huge name endorsers over the past couple years. These include Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, LeBron James, and P. Diddy, the latter peddling his wonderfully named Diddybeats
Audiophiles Rejoice?
While it may be strange that headphones have become the new “it” thing, apparently, we’re glad folks are paying attention to the quality of the audio they are consuming. Of course, it seems that much of this fad is focused on fashion more than audio quality -- for example, Snooki’s signature headphones look like they were accidentally dropped in a 50-gallon drum full of glitter and bling.
Could these headphones have a place in the studio? It depends on the model, but the Beats by Dre line have some pretty decent audio quality. Currently, Tim Tebow is hawking a noise-canceling model (So he can enjoy his music on the sidelines, perhaps?).
All the headphones in the Beats line focus on enhancing the bass, and while this accomplishes its goal, it often overrides the mids, though the highs are fairly clear. One of the biggest problems with using these in a studio, though it could be done, is that you could get better quality for less money, as the least expensive Beats by Dre model is $200.
Remember the Source
Finally, it has to be remembered that most of these headphones are being used to listen to mp3 players. So even with decent audio quality, you’re hearing a compressed version of whatever you are listening to. But then again, we all do suffer for the sake of fashion from time to time.
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 >
