Lillian Shedd McMurry was one of the earliest female record producers and owner of Trumpet Records. She was influential in the development of blues music particularly through her recordings of Sonny Boy Williamson II and discovery of guitarist Elmore Jame

You Can’t Be What You Can’t See
We bring to you the stories of women working in audio, from the groundbreakers to the next generation.

Helen Oakley Dance (born Helen Oakley) was the earliest female jazz record producer (and perhaps the earliest known female record producer of any genre). She was instrumental in the early days of jazz in America – writing about it, producing it (including many recordings with Duke Ellington), promoting it, and connecting artists with each other.

You Can’t Be What You Can’t See
We bring to you the stories of women working in audio, from the groundbreakers to the next generation.

Mary Shipman Howard was one of the earliest known female recording engineers and one of the earliest women studio owners (in the 1940s). Mary worked with great musicians and composers of the era such as Glenn Miller, Arturo Toscanini, Charles Ives, and Samuel Barber.

You Can’t Be What You Can’t See
We bring to you the stories of women working in audio, from the groundbreakers to the next generation.

The EQL Directory
Powered by SoundGirls, Made Possible by Spotify

The EQL Directory is a global database of professionals that seeks to amplify the careers and achievements of women working behind the scenes in music and audio. Any person around the world can add their name and claim their space. And, any person looking to hire a more inclusive creative team can find professionals in their area.

Recording a Four Piece Band Part 1

Last month I wrote about the importance of being an artist with a knowledge of what’s going on Behind the Board. This month I am starting a three month themed blog about the process of recording a four-piece band.

Virginia Haladyna is a musician, songwriter, performer, and freelance recording engineer based out of Austin, Texas.

Interview with Shawn Holden

Shawn Holden is a Production Sound Mixer and has a wide range of credits including Hotel Artemis, Nightcrawler, Think like a Man, Cowboys & Aliens and more.

Switching up the Sound

I came across Spitfire Audios LABS programme. It’s essentially a collection of software instruments that you can access for free. Yes, for FREE. There is a reasonable amount of sounds on the site already and they do release new packs every month.

Jen Athan is a composer and producer based in Glasgow. She has written music for theatre shows and short films and enjoys creating music to accompany a narrative.

How to Produce a Tri-Lingual Radio Show

I wanted to do a one-hour evening show, with a range of music genres and for it to be presented in a mixture of English, French, and Spanish. Thus, Sobremesa was born.

Alexandra is a recent graduate from the University of Exeter. Her main passion throughout university was her role as ‘Head of Station Sound’ for XpressionFM. She has had experience working at BBC Devon, Cornwall and Newcastle as well as PhonicFM (Exeter).

Winter Carnival at Michigan Tech

The Winter Carnival spirit continues with the current generation of students, and the SoundGirls of Michigan Tech wanted to share their experiences.

Nicole Kirch is a North Carolina based recording engineer and musician. In her short career, she has worked on location sound, post-production, stage crew, and electronics.

Networking on Social Media

The way you present yourself online can have a substantial effect on how people perceive you and your approach to work, whether you’re consciously image crafting or not. Everyone’s situation and goals are different, but there are a few guidelines it is wise to follow when starting to navigate online self-promotion.

Beth O’Leary is a freelance live sound engineer and tech-based in Sheffield, England.

Keeping Organized Digitally

How often do you clear out your downloads folder, desktop, or trash on your computer? If you do this more than once every couple of years, cheers to you! For the rest of us animals living in digital filth, we need to get our lives sorted.

Susan Williams is an educator in Winter Park, FL for a technology-focused university. Susan has spent her career working for various theatres, including the Orlando Repertory Theatre, The Garden Theatre, and the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival.

A Snowy Story

The L2 became a local celebrity with his acquired leaf blower to keep the snow off the stage. The A2 sound checked face first into the stage to help us ensure limited damage to the podium, and the stage tech became the person laying sand down everywhere to minimize the slippery conditions, all while the A1 was doing everything in their power to make sure the PA kept running..

Heather Holm, holds a BA in Broadcasting and Digital Media Communication and an MS in Organizational Change Leadership. Heather has over seven years of working in higher education dealing with event logistics and production technology.

Women & The Grammy For “Producer of The Year, Classical”

Some of the most crucial and groundbreaking work has been done by women operating under the Classical umbrella. Seeing that the Recording Academy is pushing #WomenInTheMix and that March is Women’s History Month, the accomplishments of these producers should be loudly celebrated.

Ainjel Emme is a musician, songwriter, & producer. She has spent the past 20 years immersed in record production and making records via her Los Angeles-based production house, Block of Joy.

Not Your (Grand)Parents’ Dream Job

Working toward a career goal in entertainment comes with a lot of baggage. Movies depict a certain sequence of events, ads promise a kind of instant gratification, and our elders say they were able to work their way up the ladder, buy a house, pay for college for the kids and retire. Never mind that movies aren’t real,

Elena Carroll is a songwriter, producer, and performer who has been making original music for 15 years. .

These five things can be the difference of hours added to my predub day. So, here are five editorial practices that I’ve realized are absolutely essential to a smooth mix.

Kate Finan works in post-production audio and is a co-owner of Boom Box Post. Kate has been nominated for MPSE Golden Reel Awards, Music + Sound Awards, and a Daytime Emmy.

Staying Tough & Moving Sideways

Life has a funny way of evolving and taking us on a different path than we might have ever expected.

Michelle Sciarrotta is a singer/songwriter, composer, and musician. Michelle has worked all over the UK and Europe as a guitarist and co-writer with Blaze Bayley, and she self-produces her solo projects. She is passionate about women’s rights and education for girls.

Interview with Engineer & Producer Missy Thangs

Missy Thangs is an engineer, producer, songwriter, and keyboardist based in Raleigh, North Carolina. Thangs is currently a house engineer and producer at The Fidelitorium.

Kate Haldrup is a Nashville-based freelance recording engineer and drummer. She has been freelancing in Nashville both as an engineer and drummer.

Making a Case For Audio School

It’s the time of year for application deadlines and acceptance letters. I have noticed a lot of discussions lately about whether it is worthwhile to enroll in school for audio engineering.

Chelsea Body is a freelance sound editor and foley recordist based in Toronto. She is a graduate of the Audio Post Production and Music Industry Arts programmes at Fanshawe College and is currently a Foley Editor and Operator at Footsteps Post Production.

Editing SoundGirls into Wikipedia

Wikipedia Hackathon to add Women in Audio into Wikipedia. Nicole has provided SoundGirls with a roadmap. It is a great step by step guide.

Nicole Kirch is a North Carolina based recording engineer and musician. In her short career, she has worked on location sound, post-production, stage crew, and electronics.

Knowing Your Limitations

As we are still at the beginning of the new year, it is now we should look at those new years resolutions that we made, our dreams that we want to become real and the goals we would like to achieve.

Olive Olin is based in London. She holds a BA degree in Music Production and is the full-time Production Manager at The Ned, a 5-star hotel in the heart of London.

Take the Note and Move On

You spent all that time letting your creative juices flow into this tornado, and it was perfect! You let so many people listen to it, and everyone loved it. Everyone except the one person who gets the final say. “Let’s cut the tornado cue,” will be the saddest thing you’ve heard all day.

Elisabeth Weidner is a sound designer, composer, and engineer based on California’s Central Coast. She is currently the Sound Director and Resident Sound Designer/Composer for PCPA, Pacific Conservatory Theatre.

SoundGirls of Mexico Blog

To work in live sound, it is essential to know how to use various types of equipment, as well as the workflow of the devices we use to work. Having theoretical knowledge on the basics of sound, acoustics, and signal flow will help us to understand much better the process of mixing for live sound. We must also have clear concepts such as gain structure, frequencies, dynamics, and time processors work and dedicate a lot of time to issues related to the phase, design, and optimization of systems. And yet, sometimes, we forget the one fundamental: The Mix.

SoundGirls of Mexico Blog

Para realizar sonorizaciones en vivo, es de suma importancia saber utilizar múltiples equipos relacionados con el sonido, así como tener claro el flujo de trabajo de los aparatos que utilizamos para trabajar. El tener conocimientos teóricos sobre los fundamentos del sonido, acústica, flujos de señal, nos ayudará a entender mucho mejor el proceso de realización de una mezcla para sonido en vivo. También debemos tener claros conceptos como estructura de ganancia, saber cómo funcionan los procesadores de frecuencia, dinámica, tiempo y dedicar mucho tiempo a cuestiones relacionadas con la fase, el diseño y la optimización de sistemas. Y, sin embargo, en ocasiones, nos olvidamos de lo fundamental: La Mezcla.

Sexism in the Alternative Music Scene

Female musicians aren’t treated as equal to their male counterparts, girls at shows, whether they be fans or people working in the industry, are still dealing with harassment, and no viable solutions have been offered to counter this rampant problem. But, by educating each other on sexism in the scene, we can work towards eradicating this issue.

Career Paths in Film and TV – Highlights

Report Sexual Harassment or Assualt - JDoe App

Sexual misconduct remains a difficult crisis for women and men. Fear, social blaming, and isolation continue to be key factors that cause victims to remain silent. JDoe is an encrypted and anonymous reporting platform. By linking victims of mutual offenders with lawyers. JDoe is designed with survivors and witnesses in mind. A detailed index of sexual misconduct laws by state is built directly into the app to help guide users through the reporting process. Quickly browse for nearby resources and the latest policies concerning sexual misconduct.