Mixing in isolation is dangerous.
What we mean by this is that it is very easy to get wrapped up in producing sounds that sound great while you are mixing, but that’s only relative to that mix. It’s a common (albeit sad) occurrence to work on sounds until they sound absolutely great to your ears, but then when you hear them played back to back with another song, you realize just how bad the mix sounds. You can greatly cut down on this occurrence by using reference tracks while you mix.
What is a Reference Track?
A reference track is exactly what its name implies: it is a professionally recorded track that you use to compare your mix. So if you are mixing, say, drums and you think you have a really great sound, listen to your mix in comparison with your chosen reference track to see how your mix stacks up. Often this will reveal undesirable sounds you didn’t notice in your mix.
Of course, this works for all instrument tracks, as well as your overall mix.
What Should You Use As a Reference?
Needless to say, you’ll want to use a track that sounds great. Pick a track that you admire for the quality of its production and engineering qualities.
More than that, you also want to pick a track that sounds similar to the sound you are trying to achieve. Therefore, if you are mixing an Americana track, it would be rare that you’d want to compare it to a hip hop track (though there are exceptions to every rule, of course).
Why You should Reference to a Mastered Track
One question that pops up is, ‘if I am mixing a track that is obviously not mastered yet, why would I compare it to a mastered track?’ Well, there are a couple of reasons for this.
One is that you are unlikely to find a great sounding unmastered track. Since almost all music released is mastered, it would be very difficult to come across your favorite song in an unmastered version.
Second, even if you could reference an unmastered track, you probably don’t want to. The reason for this is simple: the best mixes produce the best masters. So if your unmastered mix sounds nearly as good as a mastered reference track, you are going to end up with an even better final product.
This is not to say you should slap a major compressor on your master track to emulate the loudness of a mastered track. Certainly mixes should be significantly quieter than a mastered track, as these result in the best mixes. You are referencing for the sound, not the volume, though you may want to adjust the volume between the reference track and your mix for better comparison.
How to Use a Reference Track
There are many ways to do this, but perhaps the easiest and best is to simply import your reference track into a free audio track in the session you are mixing in so you can simply mute and un-mute the track for a reference. This ensures great comparison since all audio is coming from the same speakers and preamps (if applicable).
One note on this: be sure to use a lossless file for your reference so you don’t lose sound information in a compressed file (i.e. mp3).
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 >
