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New Resource for Music Professionals

The music industry isn’t always as glamorous as it looks, and too often, the people behind the music are left without the resources they need to care for themselves and their families. That’s why MusiCares has partnered with Maven Clinic, the world’s largest digital health platform for women and families, to provide qualifying music professionals with free access to comprehensive, inclusive care.

Through MusiCares, music professionals can now tap into Maven’s 24/7 network of providers covering reproductive wellness, family planning, fertility, pregnancy, parenting, menopause, mental health, and more. Maven is designed to support everyone navigating family and personal health, from touring artists to parents working behind the scenes.

MusiCares exists as a safety net for the humans behind music, and this partnership underscores that commitment.

To learn more and apply

Laura Moeller • Live Sound • Theatre • Education

Laura Moeller (She/Her)
 Live Sound • Theatre • Education

Laura Moeller is an Audio Educator and Partnership Coordinator at Tech 25, where she combines her passions for live sound, theatre, and teaching. With over a decade of experience in audio, Laura has built a career that bridges both technical expertise and community-driven education, working full-time while also taking on freelance projects.

Laura’s love of audio began in 6th grade, when a teacher introduced her class to GarageBand. That spark grew into a career path after discovering the Commercial Music Technology program at Penn West California (formerly California University of PA). She went on to earn her B.S. in Commercial Music Technology, majoring in guitar and minoring in voice.

While at university, Laura was deeply involved in music and performance. She was a four-year member of the university choir and a two-year member of the auditioned vocal ensemble, Cal Singers. She also sang in the a cappella group Isolated Incident, competing in the ICCAs, and played guitar in the folk band Buffalo Run.

Her passion for music and sound traces back even further: Laura learned to play her mother’s electric organ before she could read, picked up the guitar at age 10, and found encouragement from community members who supported her early performances. Throughout high school, she explored choir, theatre, and even violin, though she found her home in fretted instruments and vocal performance.

Today, Laura continues to build on that foundation, working at the intersection of live production, theatre, and audio education. Her work reflects not only her technical skills but also her commitment to mentoring and creating pathways for the next generation of audio professionals.

Career Start

How did you get your start? 

College helped pave the way for opportunities, but my start came by a chance meeting. I was working a summer job in between semesters, and struck up a conversation with a customer. Came to find out that he owned his own small live sound company. I ended up interning and eventually working for his company for several years. I still freelance with them on occasion too. I also started working on the overhire list for IATSE Local 3 around the same time, and got to experience huge, professional level productions.

How did your early internships or jobs help build a foundation for where you are now?

When I was in school, I really thought that I’d end up recording/mixing/mastering. I wanted to be more on the post-production side of things. The thought of doing live sound scared me, to be honest. But meeting Mike and getting an internship doing live sound made me fall in love with it. Experiencing the excitement and sheer technical complexity around stadium shows with IATSE motivated me to learn more. It changed my path toward live event production instead.

What did you learn interning or on your early gigs? 

I learned a lot about the technical side of live sound and production. I became more familiar with terminology, safety, and the general process of a show from prep to load out. However, I think the most important lessons I learned were soft skills. How to network, how to negotiate, and how to communicate effectively. Unfortunately, I also had to learn a bit about when to move on from situations and people that weren’t there to help me succeed.

Did you have a mentor or someone that really helped you? 

Quite a few! Mike Johns of Mastertrack Productions gave me my internship and helped me get on tour with my first artist. Caitlin Jones (Freelance A1) walked me through her workflow, and inspired me to be a better engineer. Tom Fury (house sound engineer for Heinz Hall), allowed me to shadow him, and recommended me for my first job with a production company. Toby Ekmann (Former Project Manager, Tech Extraordinaire), taught me so much in just a few years of working with him. And finally, Carolyn Slothour (Freelance Audio Engineer/Educator). We met while we were in college, and formed a friendship that continues to benefit our professional development. We were co-chapterheads for SoundGirls Pittsburgh for a while. We’ve worked together for a long time, and I count her as one of my greatest allies in the industry.

By far, however, I think SoundGirls was the best mentorship I had in my early career.. I found out about the organization when I was working as a stagehand on Warped Tour with a few women on the sound crew. The rest is history. I got involved, started the chapter here in Pittsburgh, met so many inspirational people, and found a huge community that was so willing to help and support me in my early career.

Career Now

What is a typical day like? 

That’s a tough question. I don’t think I really have a typical day. Some days, I’m up at the local arena doing a load in for a major tour at 6 AM. Other days, I’m helping out with a high school musical. In a few weeks I might be at a music festival in the middle of nowhere. But this week, I’m teaching classes on audio at Tech 25, planning and coordinating partnerships, and trying to catch up on my backlog of emails.

How do you stay organized and focused? 

My life is Google Calendar. Between coordinating events and classes at Tech 25, and the myriad of other work that I’m juggling, I try to keep everything on my radar. I make lots of to-do lists, and log all of my freelancing through QuickBooks.

What do you enjoy the most about your job? 

I love the challenge and variety of each day. I’m a problem solver, so I really enjoy troubleshooting and fixing issues with audio gear, computers, networks, etc. I also love seeing the impact I make as an educator. It’s really rewarding being able to watch someone learn and progress through their career; taking on new challenges and opportunities, and being excited to share that with us.

What do you like least? 

Sometimes, the hours are unpredictable and long. Often, I’m staying on a show site until every last piece is packed up on the truck and ready to roll. Getting home at 3 AM is pretty common for me.

What is your favorite day off activity?

I love to go tent camping with my wife, and my dog. We usually find a nice trail to hike, or we just chill at our campsite all day while cooking some delicious food over the fire.

What are your long term goals? 

I’d love to own and operate my own venue someday.

What if any obstacles or barriers have you faced?

Unfortunately, in my early career I encountered pretty blatant homophobia and misogyny. Also occasional gatekeepers who would laugh and try to embarrass you when you did something wrong, instead of correcting or helping you.

How have you dealt with them? 

I realized that I needed to start valuing myself more. A job/experience wasn’t worth staying in an abusive environment. There are far more good people out there that want to watch you succeed. People who value your safety and worth; folks willing to mentor you.

Advice you have for other women who wish to enter the field?

Never stop learning. Audio is a constantly evolving landscape. It’s changing just as quickly as the other technologies around us. There are so many fantastic resources out there to learn and grow.

Also, when you’re first starting out, value yourself and treat yourself with kindness. You deserve a living wage, sleep, and time to relax. You don’t have to know everything. Truth is, no one does.

Must have skills?

Networking is your best friend. Make sure you follow up and keep in contact with friends, colleagues, and your communities. All of the work I have today, I got through a professional contact or mutual friend. Also, take time to train and care for your hearing. Invest in a good set of earplugs, and make sure you always practice your critical listening.

DiGiCo Training – U.K. SoundGirls

Join us for a hands-on training day covering the fundamentals of setting up and running a show on a DiGiCo SD or Quantum console.

Perfect for both first-time users and seasoned engineers looking to refresh their skills.

Explore the KLANG 3D Immersive In-Ear Monitoring system

Get hands-on with the Fourier transform engine

What you’ll learn:

Date: October 2, 2025 Time: 10 AM – 4 PM

Location: Business Park, Unit 5–6 Silverglade, Leatherhead Rd, Chessington KT9 2QL

Register Here 

Consistent Listening

Mixing at FOH is a subjective position. There are general expectations when it comes to mixing, such as creating a balanced mix, ensuring the audience is not uncomfortable, and making sure the vocals are intelligible. Different genres may have different expectations – for example, do you need a flatter target curve or more tilted curves with varying sub haystacks. Despite jokes about it being an easy role – there is only one mix, of course – there is one responsibility that can be challenging as you grow as a mix engineer. One of the most difficult roles as an engineer can be maintaining consistency in your mixes, especially in the context of PA du jour. Assuming that you have standardized much of your setup – we’ve been provided the same backline, same mic packages, and same control package, and you have proper gain structure, preparation, and workflow – you want to make sure that the canvas in front of you has been optimized for the best possible presentation of your mix.

Trusting your ears

It’s important to assess the state of the canvas. Listening to a PA in some capacity (virtual soundcheck, reference tracks, your voice or someone else’s) establishes that landscape and gives you direction on what needs to be processed to accomplish precision.

Some suggestions for what to listen for are below. This isn’t a rule, but these are some things that have helped me. Thousands of hours of listening and experimentation has occurred for me to reach a point where I can confidently be aware of them when I listen.

An easy starting point for when you’re in a pinch is this graphic provided by Rational Acoustics.

https://www.rationalacoustics.com/pages/the-7-bad-system-dwarves

Some of the points above also aren’t resolved with simply an EQ on the system, but can help me be aware of what I may hear during the show. If the issue is critical, I can make adjustments to the mix as needed.

Reference tracks are dependent on you and what you want to listen for. Three that I’ll come back to frequently include

The most reliable means of analysis for me, however, is multitrack recording, or virtual playback, however this is not always available.

Other notes

Smaart has been used to analyze the system, and an SE has already optimized the system, or I have confirmed it’s ready and have tuned myself. From this point on, my target curve is serving as a guide and a starting point. It is frequently accurate, but occasionally depending on the environment or the voicing of a different box, I still need to make adjustments. I guess I could boil this down to the simple fact that at the end of the day, I’m listening to what my ears are telling me and not just relying on the data to be correct. I can infer that it might be close, but so many factors can mean we need to adjust.

I’ll listen to the PA, walking everywhere I possibly can and taking into consideration what the audience is listening to, and what they’re listening for. If I can use virtual soundcheck, I prefer to use that so I can have the most accurate translation of the show. Sometimes tuning to a record doesn’t account for considerations in the mix or the live arrangement of the music. I also frequently want to take liberties with the music, and playback has helped me accomplish this. Much of this process does involve dialogue with the systems engineer, depending on whether I’m trying to continue tuning or just shaping the tone of the system. To this point, my target curve isn’t the end all, be all. It gets me and my SE in the ballpark and oftentimes lets me establish the low end and HF slope I need to accomplish a starting point for the day.

I think it’s also important to note that my target curve for one artist isn’t always appropriate for all. Genre, arrangement, and dynamics have influenced this for me in the past, but that’s a conversation for a later discussion.

My final means of achieving consistency lie in reading SPL meters. Today I’ll just point you in the direction of some fantastic reading on this subject, but later will dive into my own perspective and understanding. Later, I hope to discuss how my target curve and SPL go hand in hand to help me maintain that consistency.

Further and more scientific reading

On the Level, Katie Karch: https://www.prosoundweb.com/on-the-level-understanding-applying-spl-measurements/

Navigating Noise Sensitivity in Audio

As an autistic person, I experience various sensory differences. I can’t cope with bright, flashing lights. I’m highly sensitive to temperature changes. Certain fabrics and clothing seams/tags make my skin itch. But the biggest one is my sound sensitivity, and yet… I work with sound.

This might seem like a contradiction. Indeed, it’s something I’ve been asked about a lot. Even my own dad asked me recently how I’m able to go to concerts if I find sound that difficult to deal with. But what a lot of people don’t understand is that I’m not averse to all sounds; just unwanted sounds. To me, there is a big difference between enjoying my favourite music and having to hear the roar of a motorbike as it passes me in the street (I use this example because it is probably the sound I hate most in the world). It’s not always about the volume. Sometimes it is, but more often it’s about things like frequency, whether there are multiple sounds overlapping, or whether the sound is sudden and unexpected. My brain also has difficulty filtering out particular sounds and focusing on others. If I’m in a busy café, for instance, and the coffee machine is making noise, the radio is on and there are two or three different conversations happening in close proximity while someone is trying to talk to me, there is no way I’m going to be able to focus on what they are saying. It’s all happening at equal intensity, which can be very overwhelming.

Of course, not all autistic people experience sound in the same way. Some may be under-sensitive to it, or not particularly sensitive at all. This is just how I personally experience it.

Having this particular sensory profile isn’t a wholly negative thing, though. I fully believe it makes me a better audio engineer. As with most things, there are pros and cons.

Pros

Cons

When I first started studying sound, we were taught not to rely too heavily on the visual representations within the DAW we were using, i.e. looking at the sound wave for imperfections rather than really listening. This obviously makes sense, as you have to develop a good ear to be able to do this kind of work. However, I also have to admit to being a visual kind of editor. I will of course use my ears first and foremost, and have gotten into the habit over the years of closing my eyes when listening through something repeatedly. But I do love using the spectral frequency display in Audition, and have learnt what to look out for when I want to remove something. I do think my autistic brain is partly responsible for this, as I’m definitely drawn to patterns, especially visual ones. But I have to admit to feeling guilty about working this way, until I read an autistic person’s account of learning to use audio editing software to work on wildlife recordings they’d gathered, and realised that this seems to be a common way of doing things when you’re neurodivergent. They said they had learnt to recognise what bird calls ‘looked like’ in comparison to unwanted sounds like car horns and sirens. I realised then that we tend to get too hung up on the ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ way to do these things. If we get good results in ways that work for our individual brains, that’s what’s important.

For anyone out there who has a fascination with sound, but may be wondering if their sensory profile will allow them to work with it, the answer is: absolutely. It might take a few adjustments to work in a way that’s comfortable for you and allows you to prevent overload, but it can be done, and you can be really, really good at it.

Elevate Your Audio Game at “Mix Sound for Film & TV 2025” — Plus Special Offers for SoundGirls!

The 12th annual Mix Presents Sound for Film & TV event is happening on Saturday, September 27, 2025, at the renowned Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City — and it’s your opportunity to dive into the heartbeat of sound in film and television.
mixsoundforfilm.comMixonline

What to Expect:

Full-day conference packed with panels, demos, and networking highlights.

VIP tours inside projection booths and behind-the-scenes access to mix suites and re-recording stages.

A compelling Engineers Tour & Panel that pulls back the curtain on the infrastructure powering modern post-production.

A Student Panel featuring vital career insights from seasoned film and TV sound professionals.
mixsoundforfilm.com

Special Perks for SoundGirls:

Two free passes are available for students or individuals requiring financial assistance. Applications are now open — apply here. Grants will be awarded on September 1, 2025.

SoundGirls members enjoy a 20% discount on admission. Request your discount here.

This event is perfect for anyone in audio — whether you’re a student, aspiring mixer, post-production editor, or engineer. Don’t miss your chance to connect with the names shaping audio for picture, see top-tier technology in action, and gain inspiration to elevate your craft!

SoundGirls Aesthetic Noise Review

I am writing this book review while listening to Delia Derbyshire, Steve Reich, and Melt-Banana.  My family is not impressed, but the textures help me concentrate.  Their choice of focus ambience is blasting sing-a-longs or podcasts.  Words and loudness.  Those sounds in addition to other noises like the air-conditioning unit, refrigerator, and fluorescent light hum push my metaphorical buttons.  The overstimulation amplifies my lingering post-partum depression and admittedly, I get snappy.  Why are some types of noise triggering to me?  That’s what Dr. Mary Mazurek wants to find out.  Of course, not for me personally, but in taking the torch from Daphne Oram ( see my previous review of An Individual Note), Mazurek is finding out the thought behind noise as an art medium.

Aesthetic Noise: The Philosophy of Intentional Listening is an expansion of Mazurek’s doctoral dissertation.  Dr. Mary Mazurek is an assistant professor at the University of Lethbridge, a GRAMMY-nominated recording engineer, the DEI Chair of AES, and interdisciplinary artist, among other important positions.  In transforming her dissertation into a book, Mazurek brings her expertise and tests her theories through her students.  Aesthetic Noise is a challenging philosophic read because words are defined in context, but it is rewarding in enlightenment and can apply to more than just sonic “noise.”

Mazurek guides us through the various lenses of philosophy and psychology to define beauty and art.  We then use them to view noise and the contexts where it can be deemed useful and beauteous. We are still allowed to dislike listening to noise, manipulated or otherwise, but we are given the chance to change our minds.  We are invited to explore the works of those who are creating noise as a medium of expression.  Mazurek provides examples like Sun O))), Steve Reich, Alyce Santoro and Alison Knowles as a starting point, and a program to prepare us for the experience.

For those who have not given noise a chance, it might seem coincidental that I had mentioned Steve Reich, and that Mazurek dedicates several thought experiments to his works.  However I want to highlight Reich’s music as a starting point into aesthetic noise for several reasons.  His work is about human justice, and his work (or at least the examples in Aesthetic Noise) uses human speech.  Unlike the drones of Sun O))), speech is something that we are used to dedicating attention to.  Come Out and Different Trains are both still as relevant as when they were first created.  The first using a recording of Daniel Hamm, one of the Harlem Six, a victim of police brutality.  The latter piece compared rail travel of Reich’s youth to similar aged individuals who had rode rail cars during the Holocaust.  The trauma brought out by both, and the political stances they represent are somehow more controversial in public discourse than Martin Heidegger and Julia Kristeva (also represented in this book).  Dr. Mazurek does focus on the message, biography, and impact of Reich’s work, but does not add any outside context to the philosophers whose theories she uses to define art and beauty.  It is assumed their names, their philosophical movements, and other background information is known.  And maybe, that is a failure on my part, being not the intended audience of post-graduate students of arts and philosophy.

Looking past that Mazurek uses Kristeva and Heidegger in addition to other philosophers like Jacques Derrida, and Aristotle to give noise a chance to be beautiful.  In Aesthetic Noise we view noise as truth and revealing, noise in context and through a frame of reference, noise as ugliness to bring about a release of emotion.  It is a positive conclusion, and yet it still allows a possibility for its rejection from art.  Mazurek also allows the definition of noise to stretch beyond the sonic realm.  By using interdisciplinary performances like Happenings and Event Scores (although her examples still use sonic noise as a connecting thread) the possibility of her philosophy can be expanded to cover other mediums of noise.

Aesthetic Noise is more than Advanced Music Appreciation. It is a bridge between the neuroscience of This is What It Sounds Like by Susan Rogers and the manifesto of An Individual Note by Daphne Oram.  It is part of the canon to redefine what music composition and art can look like.  Included is a post-graduate syllabus of Mazurek’s own Aesthetic Noise class, for those that want to challenge themselves.  The appendices of Aesthetic Noise will help those who are more visual or aural learners with playlists, book lists, and references.  Also included are the notes from Mazurek’s experience of teaching class, which applies the philosophy to the layperson directly.  Although my ears already enjoy aesthetic noise, I feel that I can now dissect my tastes with greater precision.

SoundGirls Virtual Conference – Early Bird Special

The SoundGirls Virtual Conference is Back – Bigger and Bolder!
December 13 & 14, 2025 | 9 AM – 6 PM PDT

Join us for two full days of inspiring sessions, industry insights, and networking at the SoundGirls Virtual Conference — your one-stop event for everything audio!

Whether you’re mixing front-of-house, crafting sonic worlds in post production, diving deep into mastering, or exploring career growth, we’ve got something for everyone with dedicated tracks in:

️ Live Sound
Recording Arts
Post Production / Film & TV
Career Development
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Special sessions in Spanish from our Mexico City Chapter

Featuring All-Star Presenters:

Get inspired by leaders in the industry, including:
Karol Urban, Piper Payne, Anna Frick, Greg Nelson, Michelle Sabolchick, Sean Quackenbush, Beckie Campbell, Lenise Bent and many more to be announced!

Plus:

Sessions from Sennheiser, Shure, Meyer Sound & more

Mentoring sessions with industry veterans

Networking opportunities to connect with fellow audio professionals

And a welcoming community excited to support your journey!

Early Bird Special:

Save 30% when you pre-register now!
This helps us plan the best platform experience possible. Once registration launches, you’ll receive your discount code.

Pre-register now!

Interested in Contributing?

Don’t miss your chance to learn, connect, and grow with SoundGirls!
We can’t wait to see you there.

#SoundGirlsConference #WomenInAudio #AudioCommunity #ProAudio #LiveSound #PostProduction #RecordingArts #SoundGirlsUnite

NAMM 2026 Badges for SoundGirls Members – First Come, First Served!

We’re excited to offer a limited number of NAMM 2026 badges to SoundGirls members, thanks to the generous support of our sponsors and good friends in the industry!

NAMM 2026 will take place:
️ January 21–24, 2026
Anaheim Convention Center
Show Hours:

Badges are available first come, first served, and once they’re gone — they’re gone.

If you’re planning to attend NAMM and want to take advantage of this opportunity, don’t wait. Claim your badge now and come connect with the SoundGirls community at one of the industry’s biggest events of the year.

Request a badge

#SoundGirlsAtNAMM #NAMM2026 #WomenInAudio #ProAudio #SoundGirls

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