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Prepping Your Studio for a Hurricane

As you may know, I am currently based out of coastal North Carolina and it was the epicenter of Hurricane Florence. Luckily Florence lost steam before hitting land and I evacuated safely.

Clean-up is still happening, and I thought I would share some tips in case anyone else finds themselves in the same boat. This list is not exhaustive, and emergency numbers are based on where you live, so be sure to do extra research on what is unique to where you live.

Start thinking about the storm season at least a month out.

One week out while the storm trajectory includes your area start planning for the worst.

Day of decision, it is time for action.

Day of hurricane, it is too late to do much.

Afterwards tie up any loose ends.

While you cannot predict every disaster, you can prepare for some. Use this list as a starting point to help you and your studio survive whatever storm Mother Nature throws at it. Mix safe everyone.

GEM Productions, Folks Journal, City Stage, the TinyTornado and Local Music Makers Join Together For the Celebration of Community #NewBernStrong

 

Understanding AD / DA converters

Generally, an analog-digital converter is an electronic device that converts an analog voltage input to a digital number. The digital output can use different coding schemes, such as binary, although some non-electrical or partially electrical devices can be considered as analog-digital converters.

The resolution of a converter indicates the number of discrete values ​​it can produce over a range of voltage values. It is usually expressed in bits.
For example, a converter that encodes an analog input of 1 to 256 discrete values ​​(0..255) has a resolution of 8 bits: that is, 2 raised to 8. The resolution can also be defined electrically and expressed in volts.

 

ANALOG SYSTEM AND DIGITAL SYSTEM

Electronic circuits can be divided into two broad categories: digital and analog. Digital electronics use magnitudes with discrete values, while analog electronics use magnitudes with continuous values.

A digital system is any device intended for the generation, transmission, processing or storage of digital signals. Thus, the digital system is a combination of devices designed to manipulate physical quantities or information that are represented in digital form; that is, they can only take discrete values.

For the implementation of digital circuits, logic gates (AND, OR and NOT) and transistors are used. These doors follow the behavior of some functions.

A system is analog when the magnitudes of the signal are represented by continuous variables, this is analogous to the magnitudes that give rise to the generation of this signal. An analog system contains devices that manipulate physical quantities represented in analog form. In a system of this type, quantities vary over a continuous range of values.
Thus, an analog magnitude is one that takes continuous values. A digital quantity is one that takes a set of discrete values.

An analog signal is a voltage or current that varies smoothly and continuously. A sine wave is a single frequency analog signal. The voltages of voice and video are analog signals that vary according to the sound or variations of the light that corresponds to the information being transmitted.

Digital signals, in contrast to analog signals, do not vary continuously but change in steps or in discrete increments.

Advantages of Digital Circuits

• Reproducibility of results – Proof
• Ease of design –
• Flexibility and functionality
• Programmability
• Speed
• Economy
• Constant technological progress

The method of digital signal processing also enables the implementation of more sophisticated signal processing algorithms. It is usually very difficult to perform precise mathematical operations on signals in analog format, but these same operations can be carried out routinely on a digital computer using the software.

The ADC converter (Analog-to-Digital Converter – Digital Analog Converter) has to carry out the following processes:

1.- Sampling of the analog signal.
2.- Quantization of the signal itself
3.- Coding of the result of the quantization, in binary code.


The sampling of an analog signal

The graphic representation of half positive cycle (+), corresponding to an analog electrical sound signal, with its corresponding harmonics. As can be seen, the voltage or voltage variation values ​​in this sinusoid can vary on a scale.

To convert an analog signal into digital, the first step is to perform a sampling (sampling) of it, or what is the same, take different samples of voltages or voltages at different points of the sine wave. The frequency at which the sampling is done is called ratio, rate or also sampling frequency and is measured in kilohertz (kHz). In the case of digital audio recording, the greater the number of samples taken, the higher the quality and fidelity of the resulting digital signal.


During the sampling process, numerical values ​​equivalent to the voltage or voltage existing in different points of the sinusoid are assigned, with the purpose of carrying out the quantization process.

The most commonly used sampling rates or frequencies for digital audio are the following:

• 24,000 samples per second (24 kHz)
• 30,000 samples per second (30 kHz)
• 44 100 samples per second (44.1 kHz) (CD quality)
• 48,000 samples per second (48 kHz)

 

To sample an analog electrical signal and then convert it to digital, the first step is to take discrete voltage or voltage values ​​at regular intervals at different points on the sine wave.

Therefore, a signal whose sampling is performed at 24 kHz, will have less quality and fidelity than another made at 48 kHz. However, the greater the number of samples taken, the greater the bandwidth needed to transmit a digital signal, also requiring a much larger space to store it.

Quantization of the analog signal

The quantization represents the sampling component of the variations of values ​​of voltages or voltages taken in different points of the sine wave, which allows to measure them and assign them their corresponding values ​​in the decimal number system, before converting those values ​​into a binary numerical system.


 Coding of the signal in binary code

After the quantization has been carried out, the values ​​of the voltage taps are represented numerically by previously established codes and standards. The most common is to encode the digital signal in binary code.

An example of an analog electronic system is the speaker, which is used to amplify the sound so that it is heard by a large audience. Sound waves that are analog at their source are captured by a microphone and converted into a small analog voltage variation called an audio signal. This voltage varies continuously as the volume and frequency of the sound change and is applied to the input of a linear amplifier.
The output of the amplifier, which is the amplified input voltage, is fed into the loudspeaker. It converts, again, the amplified audio signal into sound waves with a much higher volume than the original sound picked up by the microphone.

There are systems that use digital and analog methods, one of them is the compact disc player (CD). Music in digital form is stored on the CD. An optical laser diode system reads the digital data from the disk when it rotates and transfers them to the digital-to-analog converter (DAC, digital-to-analog converter). The DAC transforms the digital data into an analog signal that is the electrical reproduction of the original music. This signal is amplified and sent to the speaker. When the music was recorded on the CD, a process was used which, essentially, was the inverse of the one described, and which uses an analog-to-digital converter (ADC).

 

Entendiendo los convertidores AD/DA

Generalmente, un conversor analógico-digital es un dispositivo electrónico que convierte una entrada analógica de voltaje a un número digital. La salida digital puede usar diferentes esquemas de codificación, como binario, aunque algunos dispositivos no eléctricos o parcialmente eléctricos pueden ser considerados como conversores analógicos-digitales.

La resolución de un conversor indica el número de valores discretos que este puede producir sobre un rango de valores de voltaje. Generalmente es expresado en bits.

Por ejemplo, un conversor que codifica una entrada analógica de 1 a 256 valores discretos (0..255) tiene una resolución de 8 bits: o sea, 2 elevado a 8. La resolución puede también ser definida eléctricamente y expresarse en volts.

SISTEMA ANALOGICO Y SISTEMA DIGITAL.

Los circuitos electrónicos se pueden dividir en dos amplias categorías: digitales y analógicos. La electrónica digital utiliza magnitudes con valores discretos, mientras que la electrónica analógica emplea magnitudes con valores continuos.

Un sistema digital es cualquier dispositivo destinado a la generación, transmisión, procesamiento o almacenamiento de señales digitales. Así, el sistema digital,  es una combinación de dispositivos diseñado para manipular cantidades físicas o información que estén representadas en forma digital; es decir, que sólo puedan tomar valores discretos.

Para la implementación de los circuitos digitales, se utilizan puertas lógicas (AND, OR y NOT) y transistores. Estas puertas siguen el comportamiento de algunas funciones.

Un sistema es analógico cuando las magnitudes de la señal se representan mediante variables continuas, esto es análogas a las magnitudes que dan lugar a la generación de esta señal. Un sistema analógico contiene dispositivos que manipulan cantidades físicas representadas en forma analógica. En un sistema de este tipo, las cantidades varían sobre un intervalo continuo de valores.

Así, una magnitud analógica es aquella que toma valores continuos. Una magnitud digital es aquella que toma un conjunto de valores discretos.

Una señal analógica es un voltaje o corriente que varía suave y continuamente. Una onda senoidal es una señal analógica de una sola frecuencia. Los voltajes de la voz y del video son señales analógicas que varían de acuerdo con el sonido o variaciones de la luz que corresponden a la información que se está transmitiendo.

Las señales digitales, en contraste con las señales analógicas, no varían en forma continua, sino que cambian en pasos o en incrementos discretos.

Ventajas de los Circuitos Digitales

El método de procesado digital de señales también posibilita la implementación de algoritmos de procesado de señal más sofisticados. Generalmente es muy difícil realizar operaciones matemáticas precisas sobre señales en formato analógico, pero esas mismas operaciones pueden efectuarse de modo rutinario sobre un ordenador digital utilizando software.

El conversor ADC (Analog-to-Digital Converter – Conversor Analógico Digital) tiene que efectuar los siguientes procesos:

1.- Muestreo de la señal analógica.
2.- Cuantización de la propia señal
3.- Codificación del resultado de la cuantización, en código binario.

La representación gráfica de medio ciclo positivo (+) , correspondiente a una señal eléctrica analógica de sonido, con sus correspondientes armónicos. Como se podrá observar, los valores de variación de la tensión o voltaje en esta sinusoide pueden variar en una escala.

Para convertir una señal analógica en digital, el primer paso consiste en realizar un muestreo (sampling) de ésta, o lo que es igual, tomar diferentes muestras de tensiones o voltajes en diferentes puntos de la onda senoidal. La frecuencia a la que se realiza el muestreo se denomina razón, tasa o también frecuencia de muestreo y se mide en kilohertz (kHz). En el caso de una grabación digital de audio, a mayor cantidad de muestras tomadas, mayor calidad y fidelidad tendrá la señal digital resultante.

Durante el proceso de muestreo se asignan valores numéricos equivalentes a la tensión o voltaje existente en diferentes puntos de la sinusoide, con la finalidad de realizar a continuación el proceso de cuantización.

Las tasas o frecuencias de muestreo más utilizadas para audio digital son las siguientes:

Para realizar el muestreo (sampling) de una señal eléctrica analógica y convertirla después en digital, el primer paso consiste en tomar valores discretos de tensión o voltaje a intervalos regulares en diferentes puntos de la onda senoidal.

Por tanto, una señal cuyo muestreo se realice a 24 kHz, tendrá menos calidad y fidelidad que otra realizada a 48 kHz. Sin embargo, mientras mayor sea el número de muestras tomadas, mayor será también el ancho de banda necesario para transmitir una señal digital, requiriendo también un espacio mucho mayor para almacenarla.

La cuantización representa el componente de muestreo de las variaciones de valores de tensiones o voltajes tomados en diferentes puntos de la onda sinusoidal, que permite medirlos y asignarles sus correspondientes valores en el sistema numérico decimal, antes de convertir esos valores en sistema numérico binario.

Después de realizada la cuantización, los valores de las tomas de voltajes se representan numéricamente por medio de códigos y estándares previamente establecidos. Lo más común es codificar la señal digital en código numérico binario.

Un ejemplo de sistema electrónico analógico es el altavoz, que se emplea para amplificar el sonido de forma que éste sea oído por una gran audiencia. Las ondas de sonido que son analógicas en su origen, son capturadas por un micrófono y convertidas en una pequeña variación analógica de tensión denominada señal de audio. Esta tensión varía de manera continua a medida que cambia el volumen y la frecuencia del sonido y se aplica a la entrada de un amplificador lineal.

La salida del amplificador, que es la tensión de entrada amplificada, se introduce en el altavoz. Éste convierte, de nuevo, la señal de audio amplificada en ondas sonoras con un volumen mucho mayor que el sonido original captado por el micrófono.

Existen sistemas que utilizan métodos digitales y analógicos, uno de ellos es el reproductor de disco compacto (CD). La música en forma digital se almacena en el CD. Un sistema óptico de diodos láser lee los datos digitales del disco cuando éste gira y los transfiere al convertidor digital-analógico (DAC, digital-to-analog converter). El DAC transforma los datos digitales en una señal analógica que es la reproducción eléctrica de la música original. Esta señal se amplifica y se envía al altavoz. Cuando la música se grabó en el CD se utilizó un proceso que, esencialmente, era el inverso al descrito, y que utiliza un convertidor analógico digital (ADC, analog-to-digital converter).

 

 

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

November Feature Profile

Berenice Hardiman FOH Engineer/ Tour Manager

SoundGirls Panel – Career Paths in Film & TV at Sony Studios

The Blogs

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

SoundGirls News

Sexual Harassment Seminar

https://soundgirls.org/event/orlando-soundgirls-social-4/?instance_id=1388

Workshop in Sound Post-Production

https://soundgirls.org/event/vancouver-soundgirls-social-2/?instance_id=1393

SoundGirls Launches Initiative for Members Working in Production Sound

GIRLSCHOOL 2019

https://soundgirls.org/namm-2019-badges-for-soundgirls-members-2/

NAMM Mentoring Session 2019

She Rocks at NAMM Ticket Orders

https://soundgirls.org/event/qsc-soundgirls-tour/?instance_id=1394

Shadowing/Mentoring/Internship Opportunities

Los Angeles Monthly Shadowing Opportunity

https://soundgirls.org/shadowing-opportunity-brad-madix-and-annette-guilfoyle/

Shadow Beth O’Leary ME Tech on Kylie Minogue

Shadowing Opportunity w/ FOH Engineer Sean “Sully” Sullivan

Shadowing Opportunity w/ ME Aaron Foye

https://soundgirls.org/soundgirls-mentoring/

Round Up From the Internet

Diversity and Inclusion Guidelines for Convention and Conference Policy Committees.

SoundGirls Resources

 

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

SoundGirls NAMM Tour with QSC

QSC has invited to SoundGirls to tour their booth and live sound products

Thursday January 24, 2:30pm, QSC Booth #14908

You are cordially invited to visit the QSC booth at The NAMM Show for a special SoundGirls booth and product tour. You’ll meet with QSC product managers and QSC artist relations manager to learn about the new live sound products QSC is debuting at the show.  Hope to see you there!

Workshop in Sound Post-Production

SoundGirls is excited to offer this workshop in Post-Production Sound with Katy Wood a freelance sound supervisor and sound editor. Katy’s career spans over 20 years working in sound for film and television. She has worked on projects ranging from The Lord of the Rings trilogy, American Sniper, A Wrinkle in Time, and Ant-Man and the Wasp to compelling documentaries like Disarm, Girl Rising and No Dress Code Required.  Katy will be joined by Stephanie Brown an assistant sound editor, Brittany Ellis and Unsun Song who work as Mix techs, and Onnalee Blank who is a re-recording mixer.

Space is limited to 12 SoundGirls Members. Apply and Register here

(Times below are approximate)

Bios:

Katy Wood is a freelance sound supervisor and sound editor originally from New Zealand. Her career in sound for film and television has spanned the last 20 years and four countries. She has worked extensively in the United States, New Zealand, Australia, and the United Kingdom. Katy has covered all aspects of sound production and post-production on projects ranging from large feature films, such as The Lord of the Rings trilogy, American Sniper, A Wrinkle in Time, and Ant-Man and the Wasp to compelling documentaries like Disarm, Girl Rising and No Dress Code Required. She has a Masters Degree in Film and Television Specializing in Sound from the Australian Film Television and Radio School. In addition, Katy has taught courses on sound post production in Australia, Mexico, and Chile.

Stephanie Brown is a freelance sound editor who has 19 years of experience in the business. She started off as an intern and worked her way up to being a dialogue and ADR supervisor on projects such as ‘The Dirt’ (upcoming Netflix feature) and ‘The Disaster Artist.’ She is also a dialogue editor whose most recent work is ‘A Wrinkle in Time’ and ‘Antman and the Wasp.’ Her career has afforded her opportunities to also work on foreign language dubbing of big studio features such as ‘Aquaman,’ ‘Fantastic Beasts,’ and ‘Wonder Woman,’ to name a few. She has also sound supervised documentaries such as ‘Bigger, Stronger, Faster’ and ‘Crips and Bloods: Made in America.’ She currently serves on the Board of Director for the Motion Picture Editor’s Guild (Local 700) and has a Bachelor of Science in Recording Technology from Middle Tennessee State University.

Brittany Ellis is an Indie feature re-recording mixer and feature and television Mix Technician who works primarily at Warner Bros. Burbank in California. She grew up in Northern NJ and went to school at SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design). She obtained her sound design BFA and moved to Los Angeles to pursue her passion to become a re-recording mixer for artistic works.

Unsun Song has been a film sound industry professional for 20+ years. She studied Music and Audio Engineering at USC, and through connections there got her first gig at Soundelux sound editing company.  From there Unsun had moved onto mixing stages, having working on almost all major studio feature stages in Los Angeles, mainly Universal Studios and now Warner Bros Studio Dub Stage 9. This premiere stage mixes films for Christopher Nolan, Clint Eastwood, Bradley Cooper, Todd Phillips and Ben Affleck, to name a few. 

Onnalee Blank is known for her work on Game of Thrones (2011), Apollo 18 (2011) and Never Back Down (2008)

Diversity and Inclusion Guidelines for Convention and Conference Policy Committees.

The Audio Engineering Society’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee has completed its work on a document titled “Diversity and Inclusion Guidelines for Convention and Conference Policy Committees.”

This document is the result of a year-long effort by the over 40 members of the D&I Committee and its distribution was given the green light by the Membership Committee at the 145th AES Convention in New York. It shall be posted alongside the resources for Conventions and Conferences (found by navigating to the respective document sites in the AES Virtual Office) and should also be shared by Vice Presidents in each region with their local AES Sections.

 

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION GUIDELINES FOR CONVENTION AND CONFERENCE POLICY COMMITTEES Rev. 3

 

  1. Introduction

The goal of this document is to provide guidance for AES Conference and Convention Policy Committees.

The Diversity and Inclusion Committee’s mission is as follows:

The AES Diversity and Inclusion Committee strives to ensure diversity in the AES worldwide and the audio industry as a whole by improving accessibility, welcoming diverse genres, embracing emergent audio fields and research, and radiating inclusiveness to all races, gender and gender identities, physical abilities, ages, and nationalities.

In order to do that, it is important for our members to see this in action. Conventions and conferences are one arena where our attitude towards diversity and inclusion manifests, and we would like to insure our pledge is not seen as an empty one.

By adopting these guidelines, not only do we exemplify our attitude of diversity and inclusion, but by doing so we increase interest in our events, draw in more people, increase membership (note the delineation) and become a stronger Society.

It also should be emphasized that this policy will only be as successful as the degree to which it is embraced, embodied and upheld by AES leadership, therefore the Executive Committee of the AES and the AES Board of Governors shall also endorse and deploy the document to insure its effectiveness and longevity.

II. Common Pitfalls / Examples of non-inclusive mindsets

Common pitfalls can be expressed in very avoidable statements that exemplify the attitudes we are hoping to change. These statements drive members away – in many cases, members who are trying to break new ground and change ingrained habits.

Here are some examples of statements made that do not represent an inclusive mindset:

The D&I Committee can recommend a diverse group of women and people of all races in every area of expertise represented by the Society. Please contact us. We are building a roster for this purpose.

Panels comprised solely of men have been the norm for decades.

Look at the benefits of increasing the appeal of your event and widening your audience. Find areas of overlap that can work.

This statement makes a sweeping statement about a particular group. The solution (in the case of youth) could be to have chaperones. Try to think of solutions instead of barriers. Young people are the future of our organization. Consider the benefit of ensuring the Society’s longevity.

III. Reporting Structure

Where possible, there should be metrics built into EasyChair. When presenters and authors sign up, we can gather demographic data so that organizers can have real-time feedback about diversity.

Conference and Convention planning committees shall have a representative from the D&I Committee.

A. Conference and Convention Policy Committee chairs should interface with either the Chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee (currently Leslie Gaston-Bird) or appointed representative.

B. The designated person from Diversity and Inclusion may choose to bring any concerns to the D&I Committee for discussion and communicate back to the relevant chair.

C. In case of dispute, the Executive Director, Chair of the Membership Committee, and President shall be involved in the conversation and help come to a resolution.

Areas of desired increased participation:

Panels:

Proposed panels dealing with topics of diversity and inclusion should be well thought-out and receive input from this committee. Our goal is not to censor: We want to help the panel succeed by giving cautionary advice and perhaps avoiding real problems afterward.

Panels about diversity and inclusion should be moderated by someone who belongs to the demographic being discussed.

Panelists:

Conference/Convention organizers are encouraged to have panels with experts who are diverse with respect to genre, discipline, gender identity, race, age, sexual orientation and ethnicity.

Organizers who find themselves challenged when identifying a qualified person shall seek the input from the D&I Committee to recommend panelists. The D&I will publish a roster of individuals who are willing to serve as panelists.

Travel funding should not be a hindrance if desired experts are not able to support their own travel. The AES D&I Committee can make recommendations about resources for funding.

Papers:

The authors submitting a paper may choose the option of a double-blind review process. This approach helps to avoid implicit bias with respect to ethnicity and gender. :

Workshops:

Areas of discipline: Workshops should also embrace all areas of discipline across audio engineering. There are many fields that have been established as new industries in recent decades, including the following examples (not restricted to the suggestions below):

a) Video Games

b) Interactive Audio

c) Virtual/Augmented/Mixed Reality Technologies*

These areas should be considered regardless of whether they have had dedicated conferences or conventions

Audio Genres: Workshops should embrace all genres of music. It would be desirable to see newer forms of music production featured, especially ones that have not gotten a lot of attention. These are a few examples, and genres are not limited to hip-hop and electronica:

a) Hip Hop. Many, many young producers are producing hip hop. The dearth of workshops featuring this music is noticeable and these producers should be welcomed into our AES family.

b) EDM and other forms of electronic music. Again, this is a popular genre among young people. The technology used to create this music (as well as hip hop and others) is currently helping to drive the audio industry economy.

c) Representation: Conference and Convention organizers shouldmake an effort to find individuals – even celebrities – from underrepresented groups to host workshops.

Recording Competition:

Appropriately experienced judges should be used for relevant categories. These judges should be literate in new genres. F. Accessibility**

Conference Spaces:

Buildings used for conferences must be wheelchair accessible and booklet materials provided by the AES should have clearly-labeled maps showing where elevators and ramp-access doors are located. Event organizers must also be prepared to make reasonable accommodations for other issues of accessibility such as seating areas, allergen-free menu items and/or eating areas, quiet/dark rooms, and all-gender restrooms.

Off-Location Recommendations: the AES recommends that meetings held outside of a conference should also have wheelchair access and other reasonable accomodations. When a facility does not have proper wheelchair access, event coordinators are expected to work with persons with limited mobility as to not bar them from the event. Event programs should indicate on the program which off-site venues are accessible.

Readers of this document are encouraged to keep these points in mind for web communication, discussion lists, social media, and other areas where AES activities happen.

*The conference in Redmond, Washington (2018) and York, England (2019) are noted **ADA rules are US-Based, please check with the hosting country to determine the proper guidelines.

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

I think we all reach a point in our lives where we might feel a little lost on our path. All of us who are in the entertainment industry, know how lucky we are to have the opportunity to work in a creative field. The few of us who actually followed our dreams or perhaps just happened to stumble upon them.

However, like anyone else we can also feel a bit lost and unmotivated, feeling like there is no purpose in what we do. I recently felt like this, craving something new and learning new things.  I felt like I wanted to move on from where I am currently at.

Writing this I felt a struggle, as I felt like I’ve been on autopilot the last two months, and therefore have nothing to say or write about, feeling generally unmotivated. Not because I had little to do, but because the festive season is approaching and having learned from last year, I wanted to get a head start on all the craziness that is waiting around the corner.

Looking back at these past two months, contrary to my feeling of lack of motivation, I have been very productive and done plenty! Is that perhaps why I felt like I wanted to move on as I know what to expect and the excitement (and stress) is not what it used to be? The adrenaline you get from the excitement of not knowing what is ahead of you? Maybe.

I guess that though we might feel stuck, unmotivated or lost, it does not mean that we actually are. Perhaps there are small changes we can do to change our circumstances, make things more exciting or possibly it is time to go, to move on in life and seek a new adventure?

Step back and evaluate

Look at where you are, what is going on around you? Are there things that could run better, smoother & more efficient? Is your workplace in order, do you have everything you need to do your job properly?

Sometimes you need to take a step back to take two steps forward. Identify what is causing you to feel unmotivated. Will moving on solve your problems or will it actually just make you feel more lost? Are you prepared to move on?

Can you change your situation?   

Are you able to change things at work to make things more/less challenging? It is important to feel challenged and to learn new things, but if it is too challenging it can result in stress.

Challenge yourself, set goals in your work- and personal life. There is always room for improvement even if you are already doing a great job.

If things are too challenging and stressful, ask for help and maybe take a step back. Troubleshoot and take one thing at the time.

What is your purpose?

We all need a purpose to feel fulfilled in life. What are you working towards, do you have a plan?

Sometimes you need to walk away from situations that are not fulfilling. Sometimes it is about saying no and establishing boundaries. Sometimes it is not your job that is unfulfilling, but your personal life and that affects your work life. Sometimes you need to stay to grow.

What do you need to reach your goal? Are you in the right place, right scene, right city or even in the right country?

Deal with it

It took me a good couple of months to shake away the lack of motivation and decided to make a few changes in my personal life rather than in my work life.  I felt like I wanted to leave and to move on just because I did not want to deal with things in my personal life. I took a step back, evaluated and changed my situation, and this is something we need to do regularly in life.

So the not so simple question is; will you stay or will you go?

 

 

Berenice Hardiman FOH Engineer/ Tour Manager

Berenice Hardiman is a veteran of the industry having first been inspired after seeing Pink Floyd at the Liverpool Empire, which was her very first concert.  “I immediately knew that I wanted to be part of whatever that “thing” was that I had just witnessed, but of course I had no idea how to even start. I ended up doing computing at University in the late 70s, which of course, ironically, has actually ended up being very useful. I’d always gone to loads of gigs all over the world, and as I reached my late 20’s, I decided that if I was ever going to make the leap into the music industry, time was ticking away.”  So taking a huge risk, Berenice decided to sell her house and buy a PA system with her partner Dave Claxton. From there they proceeded to mostly teach themselves. “We got books from the library and talked to anyone who would spare us 10 minutes. I’d been hanging around the periphery of the music industry for years so I had some useful contacts to press into service. Luckily, it transpired that I was able to achieve a good FOH sound and Dave took to doing monitors. We worked out very quickly that buying a monitor desk would give us the edge over other local PA companies.”

“We built up the company over the next ten years or so covering tens of thousands of miles, first in a Ford Transit and then building up to a 7.5 tonner (truck), doing the sort of gigs where you learn your trade and people generally seemed to like what we did. By the early 2000’s it had become obvious that in order to continue expanding would involve massive capital commitment, and by that point work with our main client, Midge Ure, had reached the point where really we didn’t have time for any other shows, so we took the decision to sell off most of the gear while it was still worth something, and put on our white gloves.”

Currently, along with being FOH Engineer and Tour Manager for Midge Ure, Berenice also handles most of Midge’s bookings, does contracts, invoices, designs his merchandise, runs Midge Ure’s webshop and website and whatever else needs to be done.  “We started off providing the system; then he asked me to do FOH and TM as he liked what he’d heard me do for the support act on the previous tour. We carried on like that for a while until 1998 when I told him that he really should have his own website and online store as I felt that was the way to go. Somehow it ended up falling on my desk! Merch design followed on from that in an obvious sort of way. Then he left his manager of 25 years, and I decided it was time to stop being a hire company as it would have needed massive financial investment to continue, so it made sense for me to take over booking the shows. After all, we had been doing his shows for over ten years by that point so knew all the venues

The Show Must Go On!

As anyone who has been on tour knows, things are not always what they should be, and some gigs and productions leave a lot to be desired.  The lack of attention to detail by some service providers/promoters is one of the things Berenice hates about touring. “We had a fairly prestigious festival show recently that descended into a total nightmare for me. The in-ears hadn’t been set up prior to our arrival, one of the keyboards didn’t have a power supply, the drum riser was the wrong size, half the rider was missing, and if that wasn’t enough I discovered the mix position was on a gantry in the roof of a round metal building. I literally couldn’t hear a THING I was doing. I also couldn’t get down to hear what it sounded like where the audience was.”

Clearly, Berenice has a history of doing whatever it takes and keeping a positive attitude, which are key to being successful. “Obviously we have done loads of gigs where it’s gone horribly wrong for whatever reason, but we’ve always managed to scrape by somehow! That’s what it’s all about though, making the best of things and getting the show done. Once, there was the time when the truck windshield wiper motor went on our way to a show in mid-Wales, some 4-hour drive away, and the only solution was to rig up some bits of wire and pliers so we could move them manually every now and again… we made the gig though!”

“Once, I nearly got stabbed when somebody pulled a knife on me at a show a long time ago when the only way to avoid our desk being stolen by a rioting crowd was to lie across it! We were doing a Soca band in a drinking club in Southall called the Tudor Rose. What we didn’t know was that there was a big boxing match being shown in the venue after the band and I suddenly became aware we were somewhat outnumbered! Not only outnumbered, but by people who REALLY wanted a load of audio gear!! They didn’t get it though.”

When asked what Berenice likes most about her job,  “Nothing beats standing behind the desk with a great PA and making it sound fantastic!”

Michelle Sabolchick Pettinato and Berenice Hardiman at Rock Of Ages Festival in Rottenburg, Germany

What advice would you give young women wanting to enter the field of live sound or professional audio?

“Be very sure it’s what you want! Home life is bound to suffer. I’m lucky that I work with my other half because otherwise, we would never see each other. We worked every New Year’s Eve for about 15 years! The downside is that we never really switch off from “work” which is ok for us because we love what we do.”

As it is with most veteran live sound engineers, when Berenice started her mixing career, consoles were of the analogue format.   If you understood signal flow, you could walk up to any analog desk and familiarize yourself with it rather quickly- a luxury that no longer exists in the current digital age. Coming from a computer background, Berenice made the transition from analogue to digital consoles fairly easily.  “ My only issue still is that at the back of my mind I know that if an analogue board goes down, you can generally row to shore somehow, but the same is simply just not the case when you go digital. Having said that, there are so few old boards out there that work flawlessly now that it’s a small price to pay for being able to just simply load your show, and off you go with a few tweaks!”

The vast array of digital platforms and the complete lack of uniformity among them can be intimidating if not overwhelming to a less experienced engineer.  Berenice’s suggestion for learning different consoles- “RTFM!!! and then install the offline editor and play with it… YouTube is a very useful resource.”

What is your favorite gear?

“I’m a big L’Acoustics fan! And I don’t like to go anywhere without a trusty TC Electronics D2 with a footswitch. I’m not really into carrying racks of valve compressors etc.”

What’s in your tool bag?

“Now? A bag full of XLR/jack converters, my headphones, a footswitch, and some lucky Chinese money a fan gave me in 2009!”

What do you feel is the biggest mistake you made throughout your career? What did it teach you?

“I once tried to fix a power amp during soundcheck and forgot to unplug it first! It taught me not to panic because things get forgotten!”

What would you say are some ‘must have’ skills?

“Calm, methodical thinking in a crisis, and keep your eyes and ears open all the time.”

“Being able to cope with very little sleep and crap food also helps!”

“As far as audio engineering goes, a very wise man once described a very well respected engineer to me… he’s a really great engineer, there’s nothing between his ears and his fingertips, and I think that’s still a very sage opinion. In my opinion, there are far too many engineers out there who overanalyze stuff rather than just feeling the sound.”

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