Having the right pair of monitors is only half the battle. Making sure they’re set up, positioned and equalized properly is just as important because it can drastically affect the “truth” of what you hear.
One of the things to double check when setting up your monitors is the input sensitivity. Typically, your powered monitor will have a knob or switch on the back that allows you adjust from a +4 dBu to -10 dBu. But what do these numbers actually mean?
Input sensitivity is the maximum voltage strength of an input signal that an amplifier can handle and still produce unclipped full output. This is important to understand because not all audio signals have the same voltage. And, when a signal’s voltage exceeds the input sensitivity of an amp clipping and distortion can occur.
When you set your input sensitivity lower (+4 dBu, for example), you’re saying that your amp will be able to handle “hotter” or stronger signals. It does this by applying a form of signal attenuation. Because of this attenuation, the amp is less “sensitive” to these stronger signals, meaning they won’t cause it to clip.
Setting your sensitivity to the to the highest point (typically -10 dBu) means no attenuation will be applied and your amp and signal source are in unity gain, that is they are the same levels.
Professional-level balanced signals, like what’s used in recording studios, typically have a voltage of around 2.83V. This is the output of your audio interface. Consumer-level non-balanced signals are typically between 0.7V and 2V. Because the pro-grade signals are hotter, you always want to make sure the amps on your monitors are set to a lower sensitivity, such as +4 dBu. (The numbers appear reversed, where +4 is “low” and -10 is “high,” because they’re describing the strength of the incoming signal as opposed to the level of attenuation in the amp.)
The whole purpose of your monitors is to give you a flat, clean feedback of your mix. If the input sensitivity isn’t set properly, however, they may be giving you a distorted representation of your mix. Whenever you’re working with audio recording and mixing, make sure your monitors’ input sensitivity is set to handle professional-level balanced signals by setting them to +4 dBu.
Make Pro Songs
There are 6 unique value-points inside the Sage Audio membership, so let’s go over each one so you can decide if it’s the right fit for you.
1. 20 Free Mastered Songs Per Year
- 20 free mastered songs per year with your own dedicated professional mastering engineer so you can get all your mixes sounding like professional songs.
- You’ll 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 Sage Audio 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.
2. Unlimited Mixing Feedback
- Unlimited mixing feedback so you can quickly improve your mixes fast.
- This is highly valuable - giving you access to a thriving community of mixing engineers who can provide you with feedback about what you can improve first before sending your mix to be professionally mastered.
3. Sage Audio University™ (SAU) — (Mixing and Mastering Education Platform)
- SAU is a modern audio engineering education platform that includes in-depth mixing and mastering course curriculums that match the new music industry.
- SAU is designed for every experience level, ranging from first-time 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 every course curriculum.
- SAU course curriculums include 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, social channels, and portfolio for as long as you remain a member.
- Get first access to all future SAU course curriculums to continually build and refine your mixing and mastering skills as the industry evolves.
4. Sage Audio Community
- The Sage Audio community is a tight-knit community of passionate audio engineers that can provide you with real-world mixing feedback, discussions, mix competitions, networking, collaborations, and more.
5. 700+ In-depth Sage Audio Mixing and Mastering Videos
- Access 700+ in-depth Sage Audio mixing and mastering videos - curated and organized into playlists so you can 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 mixing and mastering skills at your own pace.
6. 70+ GB of Curated Sage Audio Downloadable Content, Including:
- 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).
- 58 Sage Audio custom plugin presets to improve your mixes and masters.
- Sage Audio Membership Badge to showcase on your website, social channels, and portfolio.