If you’re a producer or recording artist, there’s often no better way to improve at what you you do than to learn about how other successful artists have produced their albums.
While there is no “correct” way to record music and get a great mix and master, there are popular albums that seem to have been recorded just perfectly.
These two documentaries offer a great view into how some of this past century’s most memorable recordings were made.
Muscle Shoals
Muscle Shoals chronicles how a small blue-collar Alabama town became a recording hub for some of the most iconic artists in music history.
Following mostly the story of Rick Hall’s FAME studio, it shows how a handful of local studio musicians calling themselves “the swampers” were able to capture a magic sound that brought everyone from Aretha Franklin and Wilson Pickett to Bob Dylan and The Rolling Stones to Florence, Alabama (of all places!) to make their records.
Sound City
When Dave Grohl found out that the legendary LA studio Sound City was in bankruptcy, he decided to buy its one-of-a-kind analog board and tell the story of it going from being the most sought after recording studios for rock albums to bankruptcy in the face of digital recording.
When Sound City Studios was established in 1969, they inadvertently had created a fantastic space for recording drums. Against all convention, the large box-shaped room combined with the custom Neve 8028 board had a unique way of mixing drums and other instruments. That sound brought some of the biggest rock acts around, including Neil Young, Tom Petty, Nirvana and Red Hot Chili Peppers to name a few.
Sound City explores how those albums were created as well as what might have been lost in the revolutionary transition from analog to digital recording.
What’s great about both Muscle Shoals and Sound City is that they offer an inside glimpse into how some really great records were produced, removing some of the mystique that can surround getting a chart-topping mix and master. They’re a reminder that getting that magic sounding mix takes the right combination of musicianship, space, gear and a little luck. And, when that mix is just right, it can make for an unforgettable record.
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.
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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.
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 >
