If you follow the Sage Audio mastering blog, you know we like to keep up-to-date on the new products available for studios. Particularly, we look at interesting hardware and software that can be a great addition to home recording studios without breaking the bank. Today, we have an interesting reverb, as well as an entire suite of vintage sounds that can add a ton of versatility to your recording options. Let’s get right to it.
HOFA Plugins IQ Reverb
There are tons of convolution reverbs out there, and it’s impossible to say that one is better than others, as your ideal reverb depends on the types of sounds you want to achieve. IQ Reverb is a bit unique in that it combines convolution reverb with a classic effects processor. This is designed to give you minute control over all your reverb sounds.
The reverb comes with a 3D display that HOFA says you can use to “change length and envelope of the impulse responses quickly and easily and even treat various frequency ranges of the reverb separately.” The plugin also comes with a “specially compiled library with elaborately convoluted hardware units, real spaces and novel layered reverb combinations... already onboard.”
The software is available for PC and MACs for both 32- and 64-bit DAW. The manufacturer says the plugins have been tested and approved for most major recording software, including Cubase, Apple Logic, Ableton Live, Presonus Studio One, Cockos Reaper and Avid Pro Tools.
Big Fish Audio Vintage Vibe
Vintage Vibe is a collection of sampled instruments designed to provide more versatility to the studio instruments you have -- which is something we’re always looking for in a recording setup. As you’d expect from the name, this set of plugins focuses on vintage instruments, but not only the ones you’d expect.
“The list of instruments ranges from rare, collectible, and even one-of-a-kind pieces to cheap knock-offs and banged-up stuff found in junkyards,” says the company. It’s not often that virtual instruments look to replicate low-end or “banged-up” instruments, so we like the novel approach here.
Of course, you get some of the classics, too: a 1962 Telecaster, a Fender Rhodes, a 1960s Gretsch 3-ply Wood Jazz drum kit, among many others. In fact, it's the drum sounds that have the most options available, from kits to snare to cymbals.
If you like to explore vintage sounds, particularly those that are a bit off the beaten path, Vintage Vibe may be well worth checking out.
Apogee Now Compatible with Logic Pro X
Ok, so this one’s not nearly as exciting -- unless you’ve been waiting to upgrade your old Logic software until your hardware interface is compatible. Apogee has announced that most of their products are now compatible with the newest version of Logic Pro, which was released last month. Here’s a list of those that have been tested with the new software, straight from Apogee:
- JAM
- MiC
- ONE for Mac
- ONE for iPad & Mac Duet
- Duet 2
- Duet for iPad & Mac
- Quartet for iPad & Mac
- Ensemble
- Symphony I/O (USB, Symphony, and Pro Tools HD modes)
- Symphony 64 PCIe
- Symphony 64 | ThunderBridge
- X-Symphony equipped X-Series and Rosetta Series Converters
- X-HD equipped X-Series and Rosetta Series Converters (Firmware v. XX or greater).
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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