We've written quite a bit about headphones here on the Sage Audio mastering blog, from their role in home recording studios to their role in fashion. Obviously we place quite a bit of emphasis on these devices, knowing their important role in the studio. But today we want to focus on something new: smart headphones.
![Muzik releases new headphones Jack and headphones](https://api.sageaudio.com/storage/article/uploads/2013-09-Muzik_Releases_New_Smart_Headphones-300x198.jpg)
Perhaps it was inevitable in this day and age that someone would make headphones “smart,” and that someone is the new company Muzik. The company has revealed it is making the first smart headphones, a wireless device set to be released later this year. According to a press release, the headphones will be the first product in a “full line of smart audio products synced to their mobile Muzik ecosystem that will activate a new wave of innovation in the headphone space.”
What Are Smart Headphones?
The headphones themselves don’t look particularly innovative -- in fact they obviously take some styling cues from Beats By Dre. But the earpiece is actually a touch interface wearers can tap to share the music they are listening to on Facebook and Twitter. You can also use the tap functionality to control the music you are listening to as well as the volume.
Rather than being built on any existing mobile operating system, the technology in the headphones is what the company calls Social Smartware. The primary advantage of this is that it allows the headphones to be compatible with any major music streaming network and any social network.
Is Muzik Focused on Innovation or Quality?
Since the headphones don’t ship until later this year, it’s hard to know how much Muzik is focusing on the sound of the earphones in addition to the new technology. The company says that the product is great for minimizing sound leakage, making them great for not disturbing others on a crowded subway car or sidewalk. However, Gizmodo reports that a prototype had more sound leakage than other similarly priced headphones, though this could be improved with the final version.
Speaking of price, how much will these new headphones cost when they are released? They will reportedly run $299, which isn't that much more than other similar headphones models available today.
Will These Be Useful in A Home Studio?
In a word, no. Even if you could connect the headphones to your recording rig (and it appears you can’t), the quality you’d get from these headphones almost certainly won’t be up to standard for the price you pay.
However, since headphone technology hasn't changed all that much in many decades, it is interesting that a company is looking toward what the future of headphone technology may be. These particular headphones are really only designed to interact with social media networks, but perhaps looking at new technology could lead to innovations for the studio, as well.
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.
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- 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.
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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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