Sage Audio Articles

Mastering Dialogue for Podcasts

Mastering dialogue for podcasts is the process of preparing your dialogue for digital distribution via various streaming services. How you master dialogue for podcasts depends on the streaming service to which you’re distributing, and the volume of the mastered dialogue will range from -20 LUFS to -16 LUFS.

Free vs. Cheap vs. Expensive Plugins: Digital EQs

There are a lot of digital equalizers out there. Some worth your time and money, and some are better left unused.

What is Headroom for Mastering?

Headroom for Mastering is the amount of space (in dB) a mixing engineer will leave for a mastering engineer to properly process and alter an audio signal.

Top 9 Free Delay Plugins

Delay has a rightful place among some of the most popular and important forms of processing during the mixing stage.

Mastering for Latin Music

Mastering for Latin Music is the process of preparing a Latin single, Ep, or Album for distribution. Mastering for Latin Music includes all of the typical forms of processing associated with mastering, but with an added emphasis on stereo imaging, transient and dynamic retention, and establishing a dominant mid-range.

Top 5 Advanced Mixing Techniques

If you’ve been mixing music for a little while now, you’ve probably gotten a hold of the basics. That said, you’re probably looking for some techniques you haven’t come across yet.

Top 10 Free Mastering Plugins

Finding the right plugins for mastering isn’t always the easiest task. There’s a lot of trial and error that engineers have to go through before finding the best plugins for their style.

Top 9 Analog Summing Mixers

Analog summing mixers may seem antiquated by today’s digital standard - but the sound they can impart onto a signal makes them more necessary than ever.

How to Create Depth and Width with Reverb and Delay

Reverb and delay both create a sense of depth and width, adding a three-dimensional element to any mix or master. Reverb and delay can be used to varies degrees, and with certain techniques to create depth and width during the mixing stage or music production.

Mastering for Folk Music

Mastering for Folk Music is the process of preparing a Folk single, EP, or album for distribution all while augmenting the sonic characteristics of the project. A good folk master should stay competitive with other albums, yet maintain the dynamics and transient detail that keep the genre sounding natural.

Take Your Samples to the Next Level

You can improve the sound of your samples by adding specific processing to them, based on which type of sample you’re using and the effects they may already have on them. Additionally, certain techniques such as midi-controlled samples and midi-effects can take your samples to a new level.

Top 7 Vocal Formant and Pitch Techniques

Over the past 10 years or so, vocal formant and tuning have become increasingly popular. Simple vocoders have evolved into more complex and nuanced forms of vocal processing and routing.

What is the Prismizer Effect and Can it Be Used on Instruments?

The Prismizer Effect is a vocal processing effect comprised of the Antares Harmony Engine - the effect gained popularity in the late 2010s after being created and utilized by artists such as Bon Iver, Frank Ocean, and Francis and the Lights. The effect is accomplished by using a Midi controller.

Mastering for Dance Music

Mastering for Dance Music is a process that prepares dance music for distribution while making it pronounced and detailed enough to be enjoyed on consumer-grade equipment. If performed correctly, mastering for dance music often includes louder levels that still retain transient detail and dynamic impact.

How to Produce a Song with Samples

Sampling is a popular and useful tool for creating music. Although sampling is often discussed as a “shortcut” for creating beats and projects, in truth, sampling is an important form of creative expression that blends the old with the new.