Virtual instrument sequencing is one of the fastest-growing trends among indie music makers. This is due to computing power becoming better and more affordable, and the quality of virtual instruments having become quite impressive.
Typically played through a MIDI controller, sequencing records your notes as MIDI data rather than audio. The data is typically presented in a piano roll window, which graphs the y-axis as pitch and the x-axis as time. That data is then used to playback your performance on a loaded virtual instrument, sometimes called a patch. While most DAWs offer some sequencing function, producers who use it often tend to prefer Cubase, Logic or Digital Performer.
For them it’s an easy way to add textures and cut down cost and production time. And for that reason, we wanted to do a brief intro into the basic benefits of sequencing.
Quantization
One of the greatest features of sequencing is the ability to quantize the notes played. What quantizing does is sync the notes up to a rhythmic grid. You can choose the division of the beat from a whole to (most times) a 32nd note. Often you can also choose to add “swing” to the quantization to add a bit of nuance and imperfection, making the playback sound more natural.
Quantization is great for laying down drum tracks, allowing you to fix any off rhythm beats in your performance and produce a track that sounds tight and in time.
Pitch Correction
Pitch correction does exactly what it says, corrects any wrong notes that were played. Most DAWs make fixing a wrong note insanely easy. The benefits of this feature are straighforward, as you don’t have to scrap an entire performance just because you missed one note. Talk about a time saver!
Arpeggiation
A newer feature in many DAWs is arpeggiation, which allows you to build complex patterns of notes from chords. You can often choose to have the notes ascend, descend, go up and then down, randomize or follow a predetermined pattern. Loading up different patches and playing with the arpeggiator is a great way to experiment with new ideas when you’ve hit a roadblock.
These are just some of the basic features that MIDI sequencing offers. From doing a quick scratch demo to composing a full band, the benefits of sequencing make producing music fast, easier and pretty fun. It’s also a great way to save some money when you can't afford to hire a professional musician.
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 >
