As computers have become more powerful and affordable in the past few years, the ability to process and use high-quality audio samples has opened up a world of sounds and possibilities for music producers at all levels.
It’s never been easier to produce great sounding music, whether you’re in a professional studio or a bedroom.
Here are three excellent virtual instruments that are both beautiful and won’t break the bank. They will take your studio sound to the next level from the freebies that came with your DAW.
Acoustic Samples, Academic Grand & Old Black Grand
While in most cases, nothing beats recording a live piano with good mic/preamp, for $88 Acoustic Sample’s Academic Grand gets you darn close.
Recorded from a 1963 Steinway D concert grand, Academic Grand captures the rich American Steinway sound that countless major music institutions have used and trusted for decades.
Also for a muddier sound, their Old Black Grand has a great vintage sound that’s perfect for jazz standards or anything that could use a grungier character.
u-he, Zebra2
For anyone who hasn’t heard of Hans Zimmer and his extensive library of samples and rare instruments, it’s the stuff of legend. So when he’s says that u-he’s Zebra sample is the “greatest software synth ever built,” it’s worth looking into.
For $199, Zebra is a virtual modular synthesizer that gives an impressive amount of control and design over your signal. The result is basically unlimited sound colors. While it takes a little time to learn to use, there are some great free tutorials online.
Bang for your buck, this synth can do for a fraction of the cost what many top-end synths do for thousands of dollars.
Spectrasonics, Bob Moog Tribute Library for Omnisphere
Finally, the Bob Moog Tribute Library is collection of over 800 samples from the world famous Moog synthesizers. Over 40 a-list composers, sound designers and electronic music artists contributed to this library. (Danny Elfman, The Crystal Method, Fredwreck, Ryuichi Sakamoto and Hans Zimmer to name a few...)
Apart from collecting (and oftentimes restoring) vintage and rare Moog synths, this is by far the best and much more affordable way to work with those world famous sounds. The Bob Moog Tribute Library costs an unbelievable $100. And all of the proceeds go to the Bob Moog Foundation, which endeavors to promote new student initiatives and make Dr. Moog’s extensive archives available to the world.
The only catch is that it runs in Omnisphere (another Spectrasonics product), which you’ll need to buy if you don’t already own it. (But at $499, it’s also well worth the price. Many top composers swear by its rich, atmospheric synths.)
The bottom line is for a relatively low cost, you can massively upgrade the quality of your samples. These three products are just a few of the hundreds out there that can take your sound to the next level.
Make Pro Songs
There are 8 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. 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’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.
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2. 1-on-1 Mentorship
- The Sage Audio 1:1 Mentorship gives you direct access to us to answer all your questions and receive unlimited advanced mixing feedback directly from us.
- Unlimited direct access to us for in-depth discussions to help you improve your mixes and masters.
- Unlimited advanced mixing feedback with detailed suggestions for improvement.
- Fast communication to answer all your questions and get tailored guidance that’s specific to your needs.
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3. Unlimited Mixing Feedback
- Unlimited mixing feedback so you can improve your mixes quickly.
- This is highly valuable - giving you access to a thriving community of mixing engineers who can provide feedback about what you can improve before sending your mix to be professionally mastered.
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4. 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.
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5. Mixing and Mastering Competitions
- Compete in Mixing Competitions and Mastering Competitions to win prizes and connect with friends and colleagues.
- This is a great collaborative way to improve your skills alongside both aspiring engineers and seasoned industry professionals.
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6. Community
- The Sage Audio community is a tight-knit community of passionate audio engineers who can provide you with real-world mixing feedback, meaningful discussions, networking, collaborations, and more.
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7. 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.
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8. 700+ Video Catalog
- 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.
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