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Should You Work a Gig for Free for Exposure?

When working in sound, chances are you’ll come across projects where you’re asked to work for free – and, depending on the project and your situation, you might be tempted to give it a go. But before you do, stop and think for a second. How will this end up benefiting you?

Reasons You Should Work for Free

  • Gain Valuable Job Experience
  • Build a Portfolio
  • Stay Sharp While Unemployed
  • Learn New Skills
  • Gain Enriching Experiences
  • Use Your Skills to Barter or Trade
  • Build Your Resume

Recently we had a member that was asked to work a gig for Exposure!  They asked for advice, and these were the responses.

Advice, please.

Was contacted last night to do sound and lighting for a big hip-hop gig. After minimal response (and info) from my contact last night, I only just now found out its an “Exposure” gig. A bit last minute to tell me that. I’m not in a financial/transportation position to do a gig without payment, or at least travel compensation. It sucks because I’d love to say at the venue and with the artist, but the fact that I was told only now that it’s an exposure gig really bothers me. Should I still work it anyway?

Update: Member Declined the Gig and feels powerful about it.

The Pros Says NO

Janelle: You can’t eat exposure

Apollonia: No.

Diego:  I have some pretty inflexible rules these days for working.
Bottom line is I have to be paid. That can be 1.) Money 2.) Opportunities/Networking 3.) Skillset development. If the cost of you going there (gas, food, etc.) and opportunity cost (passing up paid work or better opportunities), is outweighed by the benefit of doing the gig, I’d do it. Being told last minute that it’s not for pay is a huge red flag though. It says a lot that they either tried to deceive you or weren’t put together enough to lay out expectations way in advance. Trust your gut on this one, whatever that may mean to you!

Janelle

 

 

Tfer:  If it’s not learning or earning, then no.

Jon: Don’t do it. Report them to your IATSE local

Riley: Organize the place with the IA’s help. We don’t punish employers!

Sarah: Hard no. If they were being dishonest about this, who knows what else they will try to pull, even if they offer to pay you after you back out, I wouldn’t do it without an upfront payment, at least in part.

Allison: Nope.

Dylan: Do not work for free. Then you fuck the rest of us.

Sam: You know what quality of folks you are dealing with, but go with your gut. Also, you won’t have WORKED for the venue or the artist; you will have volunteered for it. Sad to hear that something you were looking forward to now has gone bitter. That is not a good way for them to treat people. Maybe since it is so last minute, you can use that as leverage and actually get paid for it. Who else could they get in 4 hours?? Pay you, or no one!

Emily: I agree with Dylan. When you take free or even super low paid work, it makes it’s worse for everyone. It devalues our job.

Gilli: Say no.. if it’s super last minute and they need someone they will find the money.
And, if you do the gig and negotiate a fee, get it in advance…

Riley: Don’t work if you’re not getting paid.

Melisha: So sorry to hear this, they should’ve made that clear from the beginning. Tell them they have to pay because they didn’t say it from the start and didn’t ask if this was ok for you.

Andrew: Exposure doesn’t even work for artists, and it definitely does not work for engineers

Hannah: What’s the exchange rate on exposure bucks these days?

Adam: Exposure for engineering? What exposure would that even be? I work in film, so maybe things are different, but who’s getting name recognition from free engineering work, regardless of who you work with or where?

Oliver: Nah

Petra: Refuse the gig at the last minute, so they have to either pay you or the show does not happen.

Cassie:  Red Flag. Common courtesy to let you decide if you want to work for free, not the other way around.

Brad: My experience over 35 years is “Exposure” or “Future Opportunity” gigs are NEVER worth it.

Kim: I’m cooking dinner tonight, fried exposure. Also, anyone got a spare room I can move into? I can afford 400 exposure a month.

Juno: No, never work for free. Trade only if you can take some advantage of it.

Shea: Run away!

Debbie: Considering you’re experienced, I don’t see why you need exposure. Do we ever really need it? If I were in your position, I’d feel disrespected and possibly tell him to go fuck himself. Well done for not doing that. You should still get paid. Your time is worth way more than whatever “exposure” is.

Jett: Giving them a hard no at the last minute will also make them feel the consequences of their actions.

Jeremy: Ask your landlord if they accept “exposure bucks.” Seriously though, you’re in a good spot. Just tell them if they went want an engineer, they’ll have to pony up the dough.

Lora: Always establish a fee before agreeing to a job.

Justine: Absolutely, resoundingly NO.

Bridget:  If you were a performer I’d still say no, but the exposure part would at least make sense (chance to play in front of a new crowd at a big venue, etc.). As it is, how the hell are they gonna pay you in exposure as an engineer?

Chad:  I’m with on this one. Odds of it paying off, in the end, are super slim

Brad: If you’re going to do something for free, it should be something you WANT to do for free for some reason.

Gemma: Nope. Nope, nope, nope

Ben: I’d say no, personally. Exposure doesn’t pay my bills

Ky: I wouldn’t do it! It seems like people are trying to take advantage tbh.

Ben: Are the security guards also asked to work for free?
“I work for free” = “I am not a professional”

Hayley: A lot of times in my experience when people don’t have a budget and aren’t upfront about things in the first place, they (and the people they introduce you to) are also shady and will just keep being stressful and low-budget. It’s easy to get caught in a rat race to the

Danielle: Kindly respond with your rate, if you are willing to do it at a lower rate then emphasize the discount & leave the ball in their court to accept or reject it. Bottom line is your time & experience is something they need & has a cost. Just because some promoter didn’t budget his event wisely doesn’t mean you have to do a gig for free.

Chris: Maybe ask if you’re going to be offered paying gigs there in the future. If it’s a foot in the door for a new regular venue to work at, it would be worth it. I’ve had to do that at one of the venues I work at. Once they recognized my abilities, I’ve been offered shows and have been getting about three a month.

Jess: Zero pay is unacceptable unless you are the one offering to do a favor. Do it if you believe in the art.

Agusta: Sorry to hear that! Not fair to not tell you in advance I wouldn’t trust they will ever want to pay you.

Leo: I never work for free. Never again (did it lots of times before making this decision) If you work for free, they usually treat you like a dog and suck the life out of you (no food, no water, no help, no communication, nothing…

Rosanna: Noooooo. It’s bad enough that people take advantage of creatives in this way, especially for their own financial gain. I went into technology, so I wouldn’t have to deal with that shit!…

Joan: You were way too nice. The only response to an unpaid offer is laughter

Sesret: No. Nope. Nah. Nuh-uh. With a side of telling them to call you when they are serious

Sue:  “Thank you for your interest in my services; however, I’m afraid I must politely decline your offer.”

Kim: No!!!

Ben: In this industry, if you want it enough, you’ll get it with pay, much sooner than you expect to. Just keep networking and try not to let this discourage you

Jessica:  Exposure gigs are for the artist, not tech people.

Christopher: This is the reason I discuss rates right out the gate so that we are on the same page

Leticia: If you are not local and are going to have to spend more than $10 bucks in gas well then, ahh bah! Pass it up.
Otherwise – Just Do It! If you do actually desire to mix at this venue and for this artist just freakin do it! Most musicians are broke too

Karrie: I always booked one-offs along these lines as best I could

Gigs needed to fill at least two of those.  If I were passionate about this gig and going to learn something, I would consider working for free. Otherwise, PAY ME!

Reasons You May Want to Work for Free

7 Sound Alternatives to Working for Free

10 Reasons to Volunteer Your Time or Work for Free

 

Missed this Week’s Top Stories? Read our Quick Round-up!

It’s easy to miss the SoundGirls news and blogs, so we have put together a round-up of the blogs, articles, and news from the past week. You can keep up to date and read more at SoundGirls.org

June Feature Profile

https://soundgirls.org/petra-randewijk-live-sound-recording-engineer/

The Blogs

The Power of an All Women Team

Freelancing – Scheduling Your Gigs

Allies and Aggression

Internet Round-Up

50/50 gender balance pledge extended to more of the music industry

 

Digital masters: how new initiatives equalise women in sound

 

 

‘You lift with your mind, not with your muscles’: female sound engineers on working in audio

SoundGirls News

Mixing Music Live – Discounts Available to SoundGirls Members

Meyer Sound Supports SoundGirls

Master Class – Del IN al OUT – Scholarships Available

The Ethel Gabriel Scholarship

https://soundgirls.org/scholarships-19/

SoundGirls Events

https://soundgirls.org/event/los-angeles-soundgirls-social-4/?instance_id=1564

SoundGirls Orlando Expo 2019

SoundGirls Opportunities

Apply to Work The Ladybug Music Festival

SoundGirls and SoundGym

Shadowing/Mentoring/Internship Opportunities

Shadow Gil Eva Craig – NZ & Australia

Shadowing Opportunity w/ FOH Engineer Kevin Madigan

SoundGirls Resources

Spotify and SoundGirls Team Up – EQL Directory

SoundGirls – Gaston-Bird Travel Fund

Letter for Trades and Manufacturers

Women-Owned Businesses

A More Inclusive Industry

Events

Sexual Harassment

https://soundgirls.org/about-us/soundgirls-chapters/

Jobs and Internships

Women in the Professional Audio

Member Benefits

The Power of an All Women Team

I just got home from a load-in that I’ve been dreading for months. To my surprise, I don’t feel exhausted, I don’t have any harrowing stories of woe to share, and I’m not annoyed, frustrated, or angry. Instead, what I feel is proud, accomplished, and satisfied. I’m not immediately sure what is different about this load-in, and then it hits me: There was not one man on this team. The power of the all-women team is real, and I’m about to tell you why.

Yes, I am a feminist. No, I do not hate men. Yes, I work with great guys all the time. So why has my experience with this all-women team been so remarkable? I’m really not sure, and to be honest, I never expected myself to be the person attributing a smooth process to the lack of testosterone in the room, but here we are. Let me start with a little back story on the project.

This load-in was at my resident theatre company. The load-in was for a musical theatre show featuring a six-piece live band on stage. The Sound Designer (also a woman) is a guest, so the rest of the team has been prepping in advance of her arrival. All along, we have checked with her on patching preferences, microphone choices, speaker placement, etc., and she’s been very relaxed and happy with the choices that we’ve made. We haven’t had to deal with any ego or power trip. We haven’t encountered the “only brown M&Ms” on the rider just to make sure we’re paying attention. Easy and efficient is how I would describe the process of advancing this Sound Designer.

Because this show is just a two-hour long concert, we agreed to let the majority of the gear (monitors, FOH console + engineer, microphones, keyboard, etc.) be in the rehearsal room. The intention was that monitor levels, mixes and scenes could be dialed in during the rehearsal process, and save us some valuable tech time. Because all of our gear was sitting in rehearsal during our usual load-in time, we had a finite amount of change over time from rehearsal to stage in preparation for upcoming sound levels time and tech.

The last rehearsal ended at 3:30 pm. My crew, which consisted of the show’s A1, A2, and Assistant Sound Designer, started loading out the rehearsal room at 5:00 pm. We got to the stage around 6:30 pm and began mapping out our setup. Everything must be ready and working by 1:00 pm the next day for the Sound Designer’s designated sound levels time. This process isn’t entirely as cut and dry as it might sound. In addition to making sure everything looks and sounds great on this stage, we have to consider the outdoor theater this show will travel to in two weeks. We need to make sure we have enough resources set aside to support a significant orchestra recording that is coming up at the end of the week and the next musical that will be on this stage.

In addition to the band on stage, we also have two speaker specials hidden in the scenery, 2 Rio stage boxes 50 feet apart, and a wireless microphone rack used for actor body mics, and three of the instruments on stage. We also have eight channels of QLab and an external audio interface. All of this has to be networked in our Dante system. As the load-in progressed, some plans had to change, different runs needed to be made and troubleshooting gear.  This was the part when I noticed a difference in many of my past load-ins. These young women, basically fresh out of college, were very smart, keeping all of the pieces tracked through their plans, and working efficiently and calmly.

As a woman working in a male-dominated field, I have been undermined, discounted, and “little-lady’ed” more times than I can count. This regular kind of interaction or expectation has made me permanently defensive, not only for myself but for my fellow SoundGirls in the industry. I have found myself on various calls watching the interaction between women and men, wondering if I’m going to have to drop what I’m doing to come to the defense of another woman who is being railroaded. When I’m juggling all kinds of various technical elements in my brain during a time-sensitive load-in, the last thing I need to be thinking about is whether or not (or how many times) I’m going to have to defend my position to a man who thinks he knows better. Whether or not that situation occurs, the possibility of its existence automatically puts me in defense mode every time.

Here’s the thing about all of this subconscious self-protection: I didn’t know I was doing that until I didn’t have to do it anymore. As I said, I was dreading this load-in. I knew so much was riding on my planning. When my expected stress never arrived at the onset of the load-in, I had to actively think about what was different. All of us on that project were able to focus on the task at hand and nothing else. What a luxury I didn’t know I was missing. Because of this cohesive team and everyone’s smart and careful planning, we walked out of the space at 10:30 pm, hours ahead of what I was expecting. I drove home beaming with pride. Why can’t every job be this way?

The moral of this story is not that we should kick all of the men out of our industry. The moral is that we ALL need to be able to work on an equal and cohesive team. I do not want to see the new generation developing the same defensive complex that I have. To the men reading this blog, pay attention at your next gig. Pay attention to your interactions and the interactions of your fellow male team members. Do you notice a difference in how you interact with the women on your team?  Does your voice change? Do your facial expressions vary? What about your body language? All of these things are second nature to all of us, so much I wasn’t even aware I was missing the serenity of working on an all-women team, you might not even be aware that your responses change for no other reason than the gender of the other party. If you see it, when you see it, change it. Make yourself aware. Stopping the cycle starts with you. It’s a fight the women of this industry have been fighting forever. Be an ally, be supportive, be on our team.

Meyer Sound Supports SoundGirls

Meyer Sound is supporting SoundGirls and our members with a reduced registration fee for their public training courses. All upcoming courses, along with registration links, are listed on their events calendar on the “Training” page of the Meyer Sound website:

SoundGirls members can enroll at a 50% discount for any courses for which Eventbrite serves as the registration platform. That constitutes most of Meyer’s domestic and international courses; however, for some international events, the local host manages registration and collects the associated fee via a contact link or proprietary registration platform, in which case, SoundGirls members should contact us for help with registration.

Email SoundGirls to receive your registration discount code. soundgirls@soundgirls.org

 

 

 

 

 

Freelancing – Scheduling Your Gigs

 

As a freelancer, have you ever worried about your schedule or saying no to a gig for fear they may never call you again? When you are new to the business, it can be hard or scary to say no to any gig. Your budget and career depend on these calls. Learning to say no can be hard, but learning to say no well will help you in the long run.

It is essential to balance your gigs and obligations. If you are on a 14-hour show until 2 am and someone calls to hire you for a show that same day at 6 am that’s just as long, it is likely in everyone’s best interest for you to decline the second show. You are probably already tired and already have been working many hours. You likely won’t be able to put your best into the second call, and the company would be relying on you to be fully present to complete the tasks at hand. Here is an example of where you should say no.

There is nothing wrong with saying no and you don’t need to justify to anyone why you are not available, but there are a couple of things you can do to make sure you stay in good standing with companies and stay on their call list for the future.

When scheduling yourself, the most important thing is to stay organized. Make sure you are promptly tracking when you are scheduled and where (especially if you travel for work regularly.)  The quickest way to burn bridges with companies is by overbooking yourself and not catching it until the last minute leaving someone without the staffing they need. The second way to quickly burn the bridge is to arrive at gigs tired and unfocused because you’ve overworked yourself.  Make sure you are balancing your schedule so you can be at your best for every show.

Once you are called for your availability, make sure to respond promptly. Don’t wait 3-4 days before getting back to the call. The company or client won’t wait for you to call back. They will move on to the next person on the list, and once the spot is filled it likely won’t be open again. If you get the reputation of never calling back, they will stop calling.  I recommend that you respond within 24 hours of a request, faster if you can. If you need a little more time, let them know. They will likely be more than willing to give you more time as long as they hear from you.

Call, text, or email them back letting them know you’re on a show or away from your schedule, and will try to let them know as soon as you can. Ask follow-up questions if the information hasn’t already been provided. Collect as much information as you can regarding the gig, such as what position you will be filling and an estimated timeline. This will provide all the information before you accept the gig.

After you’ve been able to determine if you’re available to work or not, it is imperative to respond to the hiring party.  Here again, if you do not reply, they will stop calling. Hearing sorry, no I am not available is better for your reputation than not responding at all.

As you learn, mistakes will happen, and the best thing to do is to address them quickly. If you happen to overbook yourself, pick which show you will work and let the other group know immediately.  Apologize for your mistake and if you’re willing or know of anyone, offer suggestions for your replacement. These situations can be difficult, but we’ve all done it at some point in our careers, and as long as you address it immediately, you should be ok for future calls.  Over time you will get better at scheduling as well as understanding how much you can take on at a time as well as when it’s the right time to say no.

 

Allies and Aggression

 

This year I planned to be more active in my mentorship and volunteer roles, mostly to break up the monotony of teaching the same thing every single month. Volunteering helps me feel worthwhile, and like I’m doing something meaningful with my life. I have put a lot of energy into these efforts, I believe in what I am doing, and I know that I am helping younger people on their journeys. Currently, we are organizing the SoundGirls Orlando Expo 2019 set for July 13 at Full Sail University. It’s a lot, and I am super excited about helping host this event!

Diversity is the key to survival; this is a fundamental aspect of any ecosystem. If you look around and see a bunch of people who look and think exactly like you, how are any of you adding something valuable? An aspect of being more active in my community is the sheer amount of people that I am deliberately exposing myself to at a higher frequency. This year has been the year of Confrontational Assholes; we will call them CA going forward. There are two examples that stand out to me from this year of hustling and promoting *the cause* of equality in the industry.

Story Time, Folks

I was a vendor at an industry expo; it was my first time doing this. I have been to many expos and shows, so I know the deal, but it’s still exhausting for me to speak to a ton of strangers all day. Most responses from people at the expo (predominately male, which I expected) were humoring me, and I felt mild amusement from them. That’s fine because there were ten women who were so excited that SG exists it was worth it, that’s our target audience. I know I am not changing any minds who don’t want to be opened. I am helping connect people to a growing network of resources and allies. As I am speaking with a woman who works in marketing for an entertainment technology company, another person (CA) comes up to ask us, “What is this all about?” I give my spiel. His gloriously clueless response is forever burned in my memory: “Well, you don’t see women working in this industry (for him it was Broadcast) because they can’t wear high heels to work.” The two of us glanced down to our *flat* shoes in astonishment. “Well, there are many women who are working in a variety of technical positions who seem to do just fine with whatever shoes we choose to wear, and that comment is why we are working to promote awareness and establish allies in the industry,” I exhaled, exasperated. The looks exchanged between me and, the other woman were priceless, we had a shared silent moment of “Jesus Christ; this is literally why we are doing this and how clueless is this guy?!” He seemed to have that comment locked and loaded just to piss me off. Grace and manners got me through that one. It was worth it, I tell myself, for the people who I can reach and help find some amazing resources.

My second CA incident this year comes from a panel on Women in the Entertainment Industry hosted at my university. I was excited to attend, as these things are my jam. One of the comments that stood out to me explained that women seem to lack confidence and that they don’t get promoted or recognized because they are afraid to stand up for themselves. After listening to what I felt was a lot of women-blaming, which is my interpretation of some of the panelist’s comments, they had a Q&A.

My question was formed around how the panelists suggest we handle those situations, rather than accepting abuse in the workplace. I prefaced with my position, job, etc., and gave a personal example from when I worked on a cruise ship almost a decade ago, and my production manager called me a “stupid white bitch” during a rehearsal. How do we handle that situation and still have confidence in the workplace? One panelist’s response was, “You need to quit that job,” which I replied was not always an option. Another panelist went OFF on me. Her response was fueled by aggression and blew me away. I wasn’t ready for a woman, a perceived ally, to tell me in front of my peers that I am clearly incapable of being a mentor to others because I carry around insecurities and damage from my past. Completely shocked, and with attempts to rebuff extinguished by more bullying, I did what seemed the best in the situation. I said nothing else and sat down. She very loudly proved the exact point I was asking for a solution to, which was that when women ask for help or guidance, we are often shut down or dismissed. The same thing happened when I went to the director in response to being called names by the PM; I was dismissed. They were buddies, so it was brushed off.

Too many successful women blame other women for not trying hard enough.

Women Don’t Need to Lean In

Several women came up to me after the panel, which I considered leaving early but did not want to show weakness. They expressed outrage at the panelists’ response and correctly understood my point of “your reaction is literally what I am talking about.” THOSE women are allies, and I hope they know that I appreciate their comfort and support. I’ve done some additional research because I still hadn’t gotten an answer to my question. How do we handle adversity when faced with bullying or aggression in the workplace, when no one is listening, and a clean escape is not an immediate option? I defer to a quote that I found within this article, “9 Keys to Handling Hostile and Confrontational People.”

“Don’t take anything personally…What others say and do is a projection of their own reality…When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.” -Miguel Angel Ruiz

Empathy is, once again, a valuable tool. We are not excusing the behaviors of others, instead of taking the time to control the only thing we can: our own reaction and behavior. There is so much more wisdom than I have space to include here, if this is helpful to you, please find this article as well: “Agreeing with the Four Agreements.” There are many more resources referenced, and I am just now going down this rabbit hole.

During Infocomm 2019, I had the privilege of attending the AVIXA Women’s Networking Council, hosted by Shure. This was a lovely, positive, and hopeful event with a keynote speech given by Shure’s CEO Christine Schyvinck. She explored the trends of women working in STEAM positions and incited a call to action for us to promote and cultivate young women’s interests in these careers. The women I met there made an effort to get up and be presentable at 7:30 am, and Christine inspired us to take our energy and efforts to help move the next generation. This is why I give a shit about what I do; this is why I will handle whatever confrontational person I encounter. What we are doing now matters to the future generations, we can shame people in public for having bad experiences, or we can lift them up to be greater and learn from those times instead.

More Resources for An Inclusive Industry

 

Missed this Week’s Top Stories? Read our Quick Round-up!

It’s easy to miss the SoundGirls news and blogs, so we have put together a round-up of the blogs, articles, and news from the past week. You can keep up to date and read more at SoundGirls.org

June Feature Profile

https://soundgirls.org/petra-randewijk-live-sound-recording-engineer/

The Blogs

Re-Amping a Guitar Signal

SoundGirls México on sound: check Xpo 2019

SoundGirls México en sound:check Xpo 2019

Internet Round-Up

Industry Insights: Linda Perry, Sylvia Massy & TRAKGIRL On Making Great Recordings

The Recording Academy Atlanta Chapter and the Producers & Engineers Wing hosted a special panel discussion, moderated by mastering engineer Michelle Mancini, delving into career paths, recording styles and the challenges of making great recordings.

 

SoundGirls News

Mixing Music Live – Discounts Available to SoundGirls Members

Master Class – Del IN al OUT – Scholarships Available

The Ethel Gabriel Scholarship

https://soundgirls.org/scholarships-19/

SoundGirls Events

 

SoundGirls Orlando Expo 2019

SoundGirls Opportunities

Apply to Work The Ladybug Music Festival

SoundGirls and SoundGym

Shadowing/Mentoring/Internship Opportunities

Shadow Gil Eva Craig – NZ & Australia

Shadowing Opportunity w/ FOH Engineer Kevin Madigan

SoundGirls Resources

Spotify and SoundGirls Team Up – EQL Directory

SoundGirls – Gaston-Bird Travel Fund

Letter for Trades and Manufacturers

Women-Owned Businesses

A More Inclusive Industry

Events

Sexual Harassment

https://soundgirls.org/about-us/soundgirls-chapters/

Jobs and Internships

Women in the Professional Audio

Member Benefits

Re-Amping a Guitar Signal

Happy June everyone! I hope you enjoyed my three-part blog about “how to” record a four-piece band (drums, bass, guitar, and vocals). For this month I am going to be talking about the significance of re-amping a guitar signal.

 

I JUST re-amped a guitar signal for the first time in my life two days ago, and again yesterday. So, I’m no expert, but I will say that I did enjoy the process and I wanted to share my experience with SoundGirls! I’ve never “had” to do it before because I usually live track when recording a band. When I live track, I focus on getting the tone I want for the guitar right then and there, but I’ve always captured the DI signal from the guitar just in case I ever wanted or needed to change it later. The reason I am going to start re-amping more, and why I thought it would be an interesting blog post is because I see it as a more efficient way for my band to record guitar. Why is that you say? Well, this way we can just record a clean DI guitar at my house through my Focusrite 2i2, and then schedule a guitar session at one of the studios I intern out of to re-amp the signal we got from my home studio. It’s time-efficient, and to be honest- less stressful. Also, it can save you money! If you have a small home set-up but have always had trouble getting the right guitar tones, or don’t want to settle using an amp simulator (which I am NOT opposed to- there are some really great ones out there), capturing a DI signal at home, and scheduling time at a studio for a small amount of time instead of a giant block can save you money, and get you the right guitar tones!

Now that I’ve talked about the significance of re-amping, I’ll go over step by step how to do it.

The first step would be to record a clean DI. You don’t want to overdrive whatever pre-amp you may be using because you don’t want to “color” the tone of this clean DI. I suggest running your DI through a solid-state pre, not a tube pre. Let’s say you have a good signal. Record guitar with that clean DI signal until you settle on the takes you want for your guitar part. Make sure there are no clicks or pops in the audio. Go through and listen to each track you recorded in solo mode to make sure. You wouldn’t want to get to the studio, run the signal through an amp and then realize that there were comps needing to be faded or anything like that!

Now that you’ve got the takes you want & a clean DI signal let’s re-amp. Let’s assume you’ve already got your amp setup. In this case, you’ve placed it in an isolated room. You’ve already got mics picked out and set up, etc. Open pro-tools, and go to the first DI guitar you want to re-amp. Output the audio track for that guitar to a mono converter output.

The tricky part is patching. You’re going to want to patch from the converter’s output on the patch bay into the snake channels output for the room you put the amp in.

When re-amping you need a couple of different cables and boxes. You need a male-to-male XLR, a Re-Amp box (the Re-Amp box brings the line-level your sending the signal in back down to instrument level), a power supply for the re-amp box, and an instrument cable. Now let’s put all of those gadgets to use! Put the Re-Amp box, and its power supply in the iso room with your amp. Plug in the power supply. Take the male to male XLR cable, and plug it into the Re-Amp box, and then into the snake channel. Make sure the volume knob on the Re-Amp box is turned all the way down (you’ll use this sort of like a gain stage later on when you start to work on getting your tone). Now take the instrument cable out of the Re-Amp box and into the input of the amp. Hit play on Pro-Tools, and slowly turn up the volume knob on the box. You should start to hear signals. Now you can start working on getting your tone!

A couple of things to note:

Thanks for reading this month’s blog post! If you use this process for recording, let me know what your results are. I’m always interested in hearing other people’s processes, preamp/mic choices, etc. My email is virginia@backbeat365.com.

 

Recording a Four Piece Band – Vocals

For this month’s blog, we are going to finish recording our awesome 4-piece band, with vocals! I love recording vocals. Probably because I am a singer first before anything else, I find it interesting how there are so many ways you can make a vocal sound.

Let’s say the song we’ve been tracking with our band is a pop/rock song. I’ll go over what I’d do differently for a male and female vocal in this scenario. I wouldn’t do anything different between the two singers until we start EQ’ing. When we get there, I’ll specify what I’d do differently. To start, let’s pick a mic. For vocals, it’s usually smart to do a mic “shootout” if you have the time. A mic “shootout” is when you line up 3 (or more) different microphones, and you have the singer sing into each of them the same part of the same song into each mic. Record a snippet of each vocal on each mic. Listen back, and decide which one sounded best for that vocalist. We do this because every voice if different. Sure, you can have a favorite or a “go-to” when you’re running low on time- but I suggest if you have the time and the mic selection to do a shootout, do it. You never know, you could capture some magic with a microphone that you never would’ve thought to use before!

Since we can’t actually do a mic shootout, let’s just do a theoretical one. Let’s say we used a CM7 (Wunder), Neumann U67, and a Sony C-800G. Each of these mics are known for their specific sound. Also, another thing to note is that all of these mics are tube mics. Now, for our female and male singer- to avoid this blog being two pages long, we will decide to pick the same microphone for both of them. I think the microphone that would work for both a female and male vocalist without too many differences is the Sony.

Now that we’ve picked a mic let’s go over placement. First off, don’t ever forget your pop filter. The pop filter will catch those harsh P’s and some S’s. Paired with a good compressor, those P’s and S’s shouldn’t be a problem if you have a pop filter. How far does the singer stand away from the mic, you ask? A couple of inches back should be fine. Now for mic placement. You never want the singer singing UP into the mic. You want to place the mic in line with their lips, and then SLIGHTLY below. This is so you can capture the top end and low end of their voice.

The signal chain I like to use for vocals is usually a Voxbox for the pre-amp, followed by an EQ (if there is an EQ on the pre I am using, I’ll use that), and then slight compression either from the ELOP, or the CL1B. I’ve had great success with both of these compressors. Regarding the pre-amps, if I’m not using the Voxbox- I am probably going to be using some sort of Neve pre. Let’s say we are using the Voxbox as the pre and the ELOP as the compressor. Now what I would do differently between a male and female vocal is simple, but I still want to point it out. For a male vocalist, I would boost extra in the 1k-3k area and take out around 150 if his voice is a little boomy. I do like to do the typical, boost a little at 200 and 2k though. It usually evens out nicely. He is using the Sony, which is a very bright, and “polished” mic if I had to describe it. For a female vocalist, I would take out a little in the 1k-2k if it sounds a bit harsh, but if not I’ll leave the top end where it is. Boost around 3k if need be. I like to boost around 200 for a female vocalist, to round out the sound. Again, since we are using the Sony, we shouldn’t have to boost TOO much in the top end.

After EQ, I compress. I compress either (like I said earlier), with an ELOP, or the CL1B. Both compressors are amazing. In this scenario, we are using the ELOP. I don’t compress too heavily during tracking unless our goal is to have an apparent compressed vocal, or maybe if we are layering and wanted that sound underneath the main vocal. Since I’m not compressing heavily, I set my threshold at -2db, Ratio at 4:1, Attack can be a little fast because you can catch some of those P’s and S’s that way, Release- quick (I know that isn’t specific, but I want you to use your discretion because every vocal is different), and gain you would want to adjust so it can match your input level.

A couple of tips/tricks for getting a great vocal that aren’t technical.

Below is the finished mic sheet from our 4-piece band recording session.

 

Instrument Mic Wall Input Pre-amp Compressor Eq Pro-Tools Input
Kick In D112 1 API 1 DBX 1
Kick Out Fet47 2 API 2 2
Snare T Sm57 3 API 3 Chandler Little Devil 3
Snare B Km84 4 API 4 4
Rack Tom V421 5 Vintech 1 5
Floor Tom V421 6 Vintech 2 6
H.H SM7B 7 TubeTech 1 7
O.H Hat Coles 8 Gamma 1 (shadow hills) 8
O.H Ride Coles 9 Gamma 2 (shadow hills) 9
Room L Royer 121 10 UA 610 Distressor 10
Room R Royer 121 11 UA 610 Distressor 11
Bass DI J48 DI 12 Voxbox 12
Elec Dynamic SM57 13 Gamma 1 (shadow hills) 13
Elec Ribbon Royer 121 14 Neve 1073 14
Vox Sony 15 Voxbox ELOP Voxbox Eq 15

 

Alright, SoundGirls! That concludes our 4-piece recording session. I hope this gave you a couple of new ideas for recording that you may not have done before. If you use any of these techniques- email me! I’d love to hear about your results. My email is virginia@backbeat365.com. See you next month! 🙂

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