What is Mastering?
In short mastering is the final preparation of a song or group of songs before they are released to the public. Check out our page on cd mastering services for a full description.
What Will My Songs Sound Like After They Are Mastered?
Every artist's songs will sound different, but check out our mastering samples in the right hand sidebar to hear actual before and after samples.
How Should I Prepare My Mix Before Mastering?
When preparing you mix for mastering you'll want to do a few things. First-off you want to make sure the highest peak-level is -3dB or less before exporting (bouncing) your mix; this ensures no transients are clipped and will give us some headroom to sculpt the master. Secondly you'll want to remove any pre-mastering processing from the master-bus, such as a limiter or stereo enhancer. The over-all volume should sound low; we'll raise it during the mastering process. Third you’ll want to make sure that you submit a high resolution .wav or .aif file. We can master mp3's, however you will get a better final product when mastering from a high resolution file. You can read more about preparing your mix for mastering.
How Can I Request A Sample Master?
The process for requesting a free sample master is easy. Simply register and upload your sample song. We'll master it and send you an email when the preview is available for download.
Do You Offer Discounts For Full Albums or EPs?
Yes. We offer discounted rates depending on the number of songs that are submitted. Please see our mastering rates page for more information.
Can You Master An MP3 or Video File?
Yes. We can master from an mp3 or video file, however we recommend using .wav or .aif files as the resolution is usually much better. If you only have access to mp3 or video versions we can still often achieve good results, but you will get a better final master using high quality .wav or .aif files.
How Long Will It Take Before My Song(s) Are Finished?
Our standard turnaround time is based on studio workload, but generally speaking you can expect to have your songs back within 5-7 business days. Express Services are available for projects under a strict deadline.
Can You Master For Vinyl?
Yes, be sure to let us know you plan on putting your record on vinyl as there are changes that need to be made in order to get the best quality.
What Is Album Sequencing?
Album sequencing involves putting a group of songs onto the final master cd, or master ddp file. During this process the engineer will add ISRC Information(if available), CD Text, as well as Album and Song Information. They will also set the spacing between songs and correct any final levels to make sure songs on an album flow together.
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.
Yes, I want to join the membership now >
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 >