In the family of dynamics processors, the leveling amplifier is lesser known middle child between the compressor and limiter. Among many pro studios, however, it’s a considered an excellent tool in mastering arsenal.
Like a compressor or limiter, the role of a leveling amplifier is to reduce the dynamic range of track. In other words, it makes the difference between the loudest part of a track and the quietest smaller. This makes the mix sound richer and makes for more comfortable listening experience.
Leveling Amplifier vs. Compressor
In many ways a leveling amplifier is the predecessor to the compressor, which has led some to say that the two terms are interchangeable. But, as compressors developed over time they allowed for more control over parameters like ratio and threshold. A leveling amplifier still has basically two knobs: gain and peak reduction.
The compressor and limiter reduce dynamic range by tapering off the louder parts of the track that exceed a given loudness threshold. How aggressively, how quickly and for how long that loudness is reduced is determined by the adjusting the ratio, attack and release parameters. When the track doesn’t exceed the dynamic threshold, a compressor or limiter won’t kick in at all.
A leveling amplifier is different in that the ratio, attack and release parameters are internally fixed. They other difference is that it automatically amplifies the signal to make up for what’s lost dynamically in the compression. In this way, it is always leveling the track as opposed to how a compressor/limiter are only processing when the track is louder than the threshold.
Leveling Amplifier Specs
Typically, a leveling amplifier has a fixed ratio of somewhere near 5:1. It falls between the a limiter, which is often around 10:1, and a compressor, which can start around 2:1. A leveling amplifiers’ attack is usually very short (around 10 milliseconds) and the release is nonlinear and relatively longer which effectively keeps it in a state of active processing.
In terms of how leveling amplifiers sound compared to compressors, it’s really a matter of taste. Leveling amplifiers traditionally are used on vocals and acoustic guitars, but many producers will run a stereo bus of the their mix through one to “glue” everything together.
With only two knobs, the appeal of a leveling amplifier is that you can often dial in the sound you want without a ton of tweaking. This means that for mixing and mastering, a leveling amplifier can be a major asset to putting the final touches on your track. If you can afford it, we recommend you pick one up for your studio. It will likely become one of your favorite pieces of gear.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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