Join Us

Empowering the Next Generation of Women in Audio

Join Us

Karla Barrera Mixing at Both Ends of the Snake

 

Karla Barrera has been working in live sound for over twelve years and got her start working at clubs throughout Los Angeles, as a house tech, including The Viper Room. She works for Launch, and Motion Audio, and tours as FOH and Monitor engineer and is currently touring with Mt. Joy as their monitor engineer.

Karla has an extensive background in music, playing in symphonic, marching, and jazz bands, as well as drum lines. Karla says “Music was a huge part of my life and being able to play music in my teenage years really inspired me. I loved reading music and practicing whatever instrument I was into at the time while also reading the album credits on records that I loved. That’s when I discovered the people behind the recordings and production of a record. It sparked my interest in wanting to be a part of music behind the scenes.” Karla attended concerts and this solidified her path in audio, she fell in love with the ebb and flow of energy from the artists to the audience and knew she wanted to become a FOH engineer.

Karla would enroll in The Art Institute of Los Angeles and graduated with honors. She would cut her teeth interning at The Viper Room, and under the mentorship of Matt Andrade was able to focus on her mixing and teching skills. Karla credits several mentors that took the time to teach her how to be confident in her work, including; Christian Murphy, Jason Hines, Doron Dina, and Francis O’Riley (Franky Fingers).

Karla says some of the things she learned when she was starting out was signal flow on analog equipment, and considers it so valuable. She also learned that it was important to recognize signs of burnout. Karla recounts her experience with burned-out engineers “There were so many people I came across that were burned out and didn’t care as much about providing a good service to local bands. I learned that we are in a position of service to an artist and that it’s important to provide a good experience to them without ego.”

Career Now

What is a typical day like? 

On tour:

Load in / set up / sound check can be from 10 am – 4 pm

⁃ Set up monitor world on stage left

⁃ Direct hands to help me flip my desk, build mic stands, run hoses across the stage, etc…

⁃ Put up antennas and Scan for new frequencies

⁃ Make sure the artist is comfortable in the new space.

Dinner break 4-7 pm

⁃ Make sure all body packs have fresh batteries.

⁃ Allows time for a shower if I didn’t get to it in the morning

⁃ Reorganize my suitcase/day bag. Has to be done every other day or else life becomes more chaotic than it already is.

⁃ Go out for dinner w other crew members / wait for the group Uber eats order/catering

⁃ Stretch

⁃ Nap

⁃ Change into show clothes. Or just fresh socks and shoes.

Show/load out 8 pm -12 am

Just to do it all again the next day (unless it’s roadie Friday)

How do you stay organized and focused? 

I drink Guayaki Yerba Mate or a cafecito.  Also, PACKING CUBES !!! Oh and I take notes constantly.

What do you enjoy the most about your job? 

My favorite part is constantly learning and growing. I feel like, after every tour, I evolve into a new version of myself. I’m constantly soaking up new information and implementing new techniques.

What do you like least? 

When you build a file on an offline editor and the venue desk does not have the latest firmware.

Just a heads up: Digico SD12 had an update in October 2022 to v1619 and the only offline editor available for download is v1619.

If you tour what do you like best? 

I enjoy working directly with the artist and collaborating on ways to have the best-sounding show.

What do you like least? 

Weird sleep schedules and having to wake up in the morning and find the nearest bathroom in a new city/venue.

What is your favorite day of activity? 

Being in nature and getting some fresh air. It’s important to get off the bus or out of the venue and connect with the earth.

What are your long-term goals?

I have some bucket list venues I would love to mix shows at (Madison Square  Garden, Sydney Opera House)

Also, work with more Latin artists down the line.

Continue to become more knowledgeable and gain more practice networking pro audio equipment in all aspects.

What if any obstacles or barriers have you faced? 

One of the most recent obstacles I’ve faced was having a family member end up in the hospital while I was away. It was a rough time for me because I had to set aside my feelings and emotions in order to mix a good show.  I learned to keep myself together somehow.

Also, before I started touring with a console, I felt like a lot of house engineers couldn’t picture me as a seasoned sound engineer. I always felt like I had to prove myself to new people all the time. That was annoying. Once I started touring with my own desk, I felt like it somehow gave me more credibility as an engineer. I guess you could say that comes with the growing pains, but also mainly because I’m a  Latina woman mixing sound. It just doesn’t compute with some people right off the bat that I could, in fact, mix and navigate my way around any desk and mix in any room or at any festival. I’ve had many “first time doing this” experiences on every single gig I’ve been on. They’ve all been different, but I always managed to make the best of every situation.

How have you dealt with them? 

When it comes to personal family issues and not being able to help with what’s going on back home, it’s just not easy to deal with it. I knew prior to accepting my latest tour that my mom was struggling with her health and I was open to management about it. If my sibling told me he needed me in person, I would have to leave the tour. It hasn’t gotten to that point this last tour thankfully, but I had to keep working without letting the stress back home affect my work. I think being open and honest can sometimes help feel more supported by management/clients.

Also, I burned sage and palo Santo on stage left to help cleanse my space and mind to maintain a healthy and focused state of mind.

Re: preconceived notions of me – I learned to care more about what the artists/management think about my mixes and work ethic.

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

Always try new things; don’t stay in the same place for too long. There is so much room to grow in the world of production.

Watch YouTube videos / listen to podcasts about audio about live sound/rf coordination / SMAART / DANTE /  live sound desks / learn to network consoles  with waves or UA / learn how to multitrack on every console

Must have skills? 

Favorite gear? 

Karla’s Top 100 Favorite Albums!!

Karla’s Top 100 Favorite Albums 

  1. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Fever to Tell
  2. Radiohead – In Rainbows
  3. The Mars Volta – Frances the Mute
  4. TV on the Radio – Nine Types of Light
  5. Thom Yorke – The Eraser
  6. Jimi Hendrix – Axis: As Bold As Love
  7. Bob Marley – Kaya
  8. Arcade Fire – Funeral
  9. The Black Keys – Brothers
  10. The Strokes – Room on Fire
  11. Lianne La Havas – Self-Titled Album
  12. Unknown Mortal Orchestra – Self-Titled Album
  13. Aniceto Molina – Los Mejores Exitos
  14. Nick Hakim – Green Twins
  15. Imaad Wasif – The Voidist
  16. The Budos Band – Long in the Tooth
  17. Charles Bradley – No Time for Dreaming
  18. Shuggie Otis – Freedom Flight
  19. Moses Sumney – grae
  20. Little Dragon – Machine Dream
  21. Beirut – The Flying Club Cup
  22. The Black Angels – Passover
  23. Fever Ray – Self-Titled Album
  24. The Knife – Silent Shout
  25. Toumani Diabate – New Ancient Strings
  26. Al Green – Call me
  27. Pedro Infante – Palabritas de Amor
  28. Badbadnotgood – IV
  29. Bjork – Medulla
  30. Portishead – Dummy
  31. Sufjan Stevens – Age of Adz
  32. Interpol – El Pintor
  33. Chet Faker – Built on Glass
  34. Charlotte Day Wilson – Stone Woman
  35. Donavan – Sunshine Superman
  36. Nick Drake – Pink Moon
  37. SadGirl – Water
  38. Haelos – Full Circle
  39. Idles – Joy as an Act of Resistance
  40. The Kills – Blood Pressures
  41. Band of Skulls – Baby Darling Doll Face Honey
  42. Them Crooked Vultures – Self-Titled Album
  43. Los Angeles Negros – Y Volveré
  44. Calle 13 – Self Titled Album
  45. Hercules and Love Affair – Self-Titled Album
  46. Selena – Amor Prohibido
  47. Durand Jones & The Indications – American Love Call
  48.  Caifanes – Self Titled
  49. Siouxie Sioux and the Banshees – The Rapture
  50. Bat for Lashes – Two Suns
  51. PJ Harvey – White Chalk
  52. Television – Marquee Moon
  53. Devotchka – A Mad And Faithful Telling
  54. The Unicorns – Who Will Cut Our Hair When We’re Gone?
  55. Band of Horses – Cease to Begin
  56. Heartless Bastards – Arrow
  57. Teleskopes – Self Titled
  58. The Hives – Tyrannosaurus Hives
  59. Savages – 2013
  60. Shout Out Louds – Howl Howl Gaff Gaff
  61. The Velvet Underground – The Velvet Underground and Nico
  62. Devendra Banhart – Cripple Crow
  63. Helado Negro – Far In
  64. Soft Hair – Soft Hair
  65. Marconi Union – Weightless
  66. Glass Animals – ZABA
  67. Phantogram – Eyelid Movies
  68. Dirtwire – Electric River
  69. HVOB – TOO
  70. Janis Joplin – Pearl
  71. The Growlers – Are you in or are you out?
  72. Dungen – ta det lungnt
  73. Dr. Dog – B Room
  74. Moonface – Heartbreaking Bravery (w/ Siinai)
  75. Karen O & Danger Mouse – Lux Prima
  76. Pink Floyd – Dark Side of the Moon
  77. Radiohead – King of Limbs
  78. Yves Tumor – Heaven to a Tortured Mind
  79. Antibalas – Where the Gods Are In Peace
  80. Wings – At the Speed of Sound
  81. U.S. Girls – Half Free
  82. All Them Witches – Nothing as the Ideal
  83. ZZ Top – Tres Homres
  84. Spoon – They Want My Soul
  85. José González – Veneer
  86. Kokoroko – Could We Be More
  87. Blood Orange – Coastal Grooves
  88. Curtis Harding – Face Your Fear
  89. Nina Simone – Baltimore
  90. Cream – Disraeli Gears
  91. Juan Gabriel – Lo Mejor En Bellas Artes – 40 Aniversario (En Vivo)
  92. Zola Blood – Black Blossom
  93. Future Islands – On The Water
  94. Sault – 5
  95. Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand
  96. J.S. Epperson – Splendor
  97. Lee Fields – My World
  98. Grizzly Bear – Shields
  99. Local Natives – Hummingbird
  100. Miles Davis – Bitches Brew

 

Tools Of The Trade

 

You’re talking shop with the guys over a few drinks in the bar across from the venue. Everyone is listing off what they wish the higher-ups would approve so they can finally put in the order and check off things on their wish list. You’re mentally going through your own wish list and what ideally every venue would have so you can stop hauling all the different things you need for each venue. Our own personal “working wish list.” Like most other wishlists, ours in the audio world is ever-evolving with each announcement of the soon-to-be-on-the-market gear and the newest toys. There are some essentials that are on everyone’s wish list though. For instance, we can never get enough electrical tape, it’s simply something we are constantly running out of and always find ourselves in need of. When you are touring or travelling for work, these tools can sometimes be difficult to get a hold of so it’s always nice to have your own. Hopefully, this wish list will help you both pack your own gear bag and maybe even add more to your growing tools.

What’s In My Gear Bag?

As I briefly touched on the subject in the article “Travelling” back in January, you can’t easily travel with everything you need for this career. However, if you need to travel and bring your own gear, it’s good to have as much of your gear in one bag so you’re not stuck juggling multiple bags with a little bit of everything you need. For the most part, unless you are bringing your own mixing console and sound system, these tools are fairly easy to keep in one or two bags.

So what is in my everyday use gear bag?

This is a bag that I instinctively reach for as I am heading out the door on any given day for work.

On the outside of my bag, I have various types and sizes of carabiners along with multiple colours of electrical tape. These items are ones that are replaced on a regular basis and needed without having to search through my bag to get them.

There is also an ever-growing monkey-fisted knot of tie line, also commonly referred to as a trick line. Tieline is used more commonly in theatres, but contrary to what some people think, it’s not just used for our lighting friends. I have used tie lines to keep cables in place on balconies, and risers, and even sometimes securing them below the stage.

Proceeding to open the first layer of the gear bag, therein lies a shock dispersion space for my work laptop and tablet that I can remotely mix from. I have rarely if ever, found myself in a situation where I didn’t need my tablet in some form. Yes, it’s definitely handy to mix remotely, especially if your mixing location is not ideal, but it’s also a way for you to see notifications and important updates from the rest of the team.

 

 

Closing that first layer and moving on to the next, you’ll easily find spare aux cables, cable adapters, and papers with my Sound Notes notebook. While many of my colleagues have asked why I write a lot of notes about the show or carry spare blank channel strip sheets, this is mostly to keep improving on what we’ve already done for the show. Each performance is going to be different and I like to keep track of where we constantly are on the sliding scale of “How good was that performance?” Some nights, it really does feel like the best performance and you’re listening to it for the first time. Some nights, everything goes wrong. By trying to keep track of where you are on that sliding scale you can see what worked and consistently had good reactions from the crowd, and what needs to be gone over and looked through for next time.

Moving on, therein gets the slightly messy storage of the actual tools one might find in a regular toolbox. A small glow-in-the-dark flashlight, a magnetic flashlight, spare batteries, a portable battery, rigging gloves, different coloured gaff tape, the mini screwdriver kit because something is always needing maintenance, a small hammer, and so many sharpies that have just been randomly collecting at the bottom.

 

 

Finally, the last storage space in this gear bag. This is the space where I keep my mixing headphones, a dynamic vocal mic, a Lavalier mic, and a wireless vocal mic with a receiver. These have been some of the latest additions to my gear bag.

 

What’s On My Ultimate Wish List?

I don’t think most of what I would ask for is completely unreasonable.

For the FOH mixing position, I want a wide enough space to actually be able to load in equipment without breaking our backs or constantly being pushed into walls, or having flight cases run over our feet. This would allow us to actually be able to move and lift these heavy consoles hopefully without breaking anything, including ourselves. Plus a Midas 32 would be fantastic.

 

 

For the PA system, I just want a flying line array, I would settle for a stackable system but we’re going for big dreams here. L-Acoustics recently developed and marketed some amazing ones. Some fill-in loudspeakers to prevent drop-off with distance and sub-bass as well would be amazing! There doesn’t have to be a lot of them for my wish list, but at least something.

 

 

Having copious amounts of radio mics and the spare batteries to go with them shouldn’t have to be on the wish list, but you would be surprised how many places run out of spares for both mics and batteries. It is absolutely not the venue’s job to have spares for all the shows that come to them, but it’s always nice to know if something breaks and you can’t immediately repair or replace it, you have something on standby. Most venues will also provide this in their technical specifications and will be talked about during the advancement process.

A Dante audio network is luckily becoming more common, especially in theatre from what I have seen, but is still not standard. If you make the effort to become certified in something, like Dante, wouldn’t you also want to use that knowledge? Thus, it is on my list.

What current comms system the venue is using is also always nice to know. There have been a few times while on tour that we have rocked up to the venue and found out we needed to use our own instead of being allowed to use the ones at the venue.

 

 

 

This is not uncommon to get things that are antiquated and we don’t always find out they are out of date until we arrive at the venue. During the year 2020, or since soon after, multiple venues globally have undergone restaffing, updates, and reconstruction. This can mean that several of their technical specifications and contact information sheets are also obsolete thus making the advancement process problematic and questionable.

So for the advancement process, I would like to add these things to my working wish list:

Up-to-date power specifications.

An up-to-date contact sheet of people you may need to get a hold of at the venue including the audio crew chief, production manager, technical manager, and venue manager (basically everyone in charge).

Stage specifications, including mixing positions, in advance of the show (not just waiting until the last minute the night before).

Health and safety specifications so you’re not caught off guard if they have something a little uncommon to most venues. A good example of this is some venues requiring Risk Assessors (not always provided by the venues) to be part of the load-ins and load-outs for shows across Europe and the UK. This is likely to also gain ground in North America soon with its growing popularity.

Another thing that I would like to add to my working wish list that would be assumed as common knowledge but somehow isn’t is literally buckets of consumables like tape, cables, tie lines, etc. Every time that I have put in a request for more of these consumables the initial response is something along the lines of “You need more? We just bought some!” Yes, we need more because it’s consumable and we go through comically large amounts of these items.

And of course, the final item on my wish list, who wouldn’t want the classic red curtains?

 

.

 

Is Music The Language Of Connection?

Scientific studies have shown that many effects of music can be seen in the brain. Multiple observations have demonstrated some interesting findings on the bodies and minds of listeners and performers alike, leading to the question: “Is music the language of connection?” 

Group Singing and Emotional State

Group singing is one such area that has been studied; results showed that participants benefited from feeling calm, experienced an elevated mood, and the release of bonding hormones, with effects that could be likened to the results of meditation. Additionally, scientists from Berkeley found that on top of the mental benefits we already know music can bring, there are social and physical effects on singers, such as feeling emotionally close to others, and a reduction in physical pain:

“Results showed that feelings of inclusion, connectivity, positive affect, and measures of endorphin release all increased across singing rehearsals and that the influence of group singing was comparable for pain thresholds in the large versus small group context.”

As far back as the Hippocratic philosophy in Ancient Greece, art therapy was used in the treatment of illness and in “the improvement of human behaviour”. The use of art therapy does seem to be experiencing something of a resurgence in some areas today in the treatment of children, notably in adults with dementia. In the UK, there have been initiatives gaining popularity in this field, such as the Alzheimer’s Society’s ‘Singing for the Brain’ campaign, whose community choir brings people together to participate in music. They explain:

“Evidence shows that music can help improve and support mood, alertness, and engagement of people with dementia, with research* showing that musical memory is often retained when other memories are lost; music can help people to recall memories due to the nature of preserved memory for song and music in the brain.”

Understanding that singing is a universal tool that can be beneficial to memory, mood, breathing, posture, and muscle tension, and creates a sense of well-being and connection, surely we have to question why we are not placing more importance on this relatively simple activity. And while using music therapy for the sick is commendable, why are we waiting until someone is unwell to implement it, rather than using it as prevention and sustenance?

In UK schools, the opportunity to study music history and participate in performances, creative compositional activities, and learn an instrument, are becoming increasingly elite pursuits. The denial of access to music for every child in state school seems to be the ongoing initiative of the current government. Some private schools are even taking it upon themselves to share their resources, opening the doors of their concert halls to the local state sector. Warwick School in England is one such institution that has kindly offered education support to local schools through Warwickshire Music Hub. The reporting in The Big Issue explained:

“The facilities in Warwick are exceptional: there are many music teachers beavering away with nothing but a bunch of ukuleles. The contrast in music resources can be stark. The recently updated National Plan for Music Education (NPME) places much of the responsibility for delivery on individual organisations through the hub system that was created when the NPME was unfurled in 2011. Luckily, there are those who are taking the initiative, despite government indifference.”

It bears repeating that if we know there are such huge benefits to the brain, body, and spirit from music, and we use it as an actual treatment for the sick, it feels unethical to consciously withhold this from some select members of our society.

Enjoyment and Synchronization

A 2020 study in the journal NeuroImage observed that when audiences listened to a musical performance and enjoyed it, the brain activity of the performer and the perceiver synchronized together. Additionally, I found it interesting that the paper referenced several studies that had come before:

“Previous neuroimaging studies also found that brain-to-brain synchronization is involved in behavioral synchrony, emotional contagion, and verbal/nonverbal communication. In general, interpersonal neural synchronization might be the neural basis of synchronized movement, emotional resonance, and shared understanding (Shamay-Tsoory et al., 2019).”

This took me back to watching a pub gig in a country where I’m proficient in around ten words of the language. As the singer worked the crowd, getting every one of us to clap and sing along, taking a line here, and a hook there on the mic, it soon became very apparent that not only was I, not a native speaker, but there was also a deaf lady in the audience.

What happened next was a rallying of forging connections through the music; the singer adapted what he could to include everybody, not only pulling out an Elvis number in English for me to join in, but by “signing” with gestures to describe the lyrics, employing the deaf lady’s partner to interpret here and there, and by taking her hand to feel the vibrations as he sang to her.

As we applauded her, (in sign language, this is like the “jazz hands” motion, with the arms up at a 90-degree angle) she looked around at us and fought back tears of happiness. After the show, we couldn’t address each other with words, but shared a knowing smile, and a moment to acknowledge and appreciate the connection created by the language of music.

The Brains of Co-Creators

After skimming the surface of the studies and pondering the many emotional ramifications of musical connection, I began to wonder what happens to the brain when we create music together. Band and musical working relationships are often emotionally charged, but is the creative relationship measurably different scientifically?

If we know that ‘trauma bonding’ exists, then what happens when we experience something intense, but mostly positive with another, where we make something tangible together out of nothing but our feelings? It is my suspicion that while we can feel everything on the spectrum from happy and free, to cold indifference, to hoping karma rains down on some past relationships, the connection between co-creators is a unique one, unlike any bond we have with an old friend, lover, or colleague.

The day he died, John Lennon gave an interview speaking fondly of Paul McCartney. The pair had actually reconciled by 1976, despite their explosive disbanding six years earlier. John had said:

“He’s like a brother. I love him. Families … certainly have our ups and downs and our quarrels. But at the end of the day when it’s all said and done, I would do anything for him. I think he would do anything for me.” — 8 December 1980 interview with Dave Sholin

It was clear there was still a great connection between the two, and the last time the pair met in person, Lennon’s parting words to McCartney were, “Think about me every now and then, old friend.”

It’s a pattern that can be seen throughout the music world – Stevie Van Zandt speaks of his brotherly friendship with Bruce Springsteen in his autobiography, stating that despite separating and uniting musically several times over the years, they only had three real arguments. With a lack of bitterness, and more of a “Eh, what you gonna do?” laissez-faire attitude in the book’s tone, Van Zandt’s affection for Springsteen shines through.

It’s funny how when the music stops and time rolls on, it doesn’t matter whether life took you in different directions, you simply grew up or had the mother of all disbanding experiences – the bonds run deep. We can be separate from our music friends for years and still cheer for them from afar when they meet a nice partner and find happiness, and it can feel like a punch to the gut when we hear hard times have befallen them.

If our brains literally synchronize, and we feel a measurable connection in a musical environment, and these memories will be the last to go, then perhaps the supposition that there’s more to it isn’t completely un-scientific. The often-quoted man of science Carl Sagan once said, “For small creatures such as we, the vastness is bearable only through love.” It’s something I think about every now and then.

8 Reasons To Work In Audio

 

Look around the audio industry and you’ll find an abundant number of people who are passionate, motivated, inspired, dedicated, hardworking, and often obsessed with their craft! What are some of the reasons that make working in audio so great, and worth dedicating a career and a substantial amount of your life’s hours to?

For the love of music

Most people love music of some kind, and working in recording or live sound gives you the opportunity to work with it every day. Some sound engineers begin as musicians but don’t want to pursue a performing career, and others find that audio may offer a more stable income working in music than working as a musician – though many people are able to do both. Being paid to listen to music is a dream for many people!

Flexing your creative muscles

Getting to sculpt sound, making creative decisions on musical arrangements or sound design, deciding where elements should sit in a mix, develop new audio software and hardware – audio engineering can be an endlessly creative field. An advantage for many people is developing the skills to be able to produce their own music or creative content.

Creating content or experiences that move people

Sound is a powerful tool for telling a story or creating a mood or atmosphere – a film without sound wouldn’t have half the emotional impact. There’s a great satisfaction to be felt when a client is thrilled with their finished song and it goes out into the world to be enjoyed by many listeners, or you’ve perfected a live mix and everyone in the audience is jumping euphorically to the beat!

Working with interesting and inspiring people

Working in this creative industry, you may get the opportunity to do sound for musicians you greatly admire or work closely with a variety of film industry professionals, or people innovating in the field of audio. You’ll likely often meet a variety of different people on projects or events, and be able to share your knowledge as well as learn from them.

Variety in the job

In many roles in the audio industry, no two days are the same: you might be working in different venues or locations, working with a variety of music or film genres, solving diverse problems, or working with varied equipment and people. There are continuous advancements being made in audio technology which will motivate you to keep learning… you’ll probably never be bored!

Combining art and science

Audio is a fantastic avenue to explore artistic and creative aspects alongside technological and scientific elements. You can develop a unique skill set that allows you to bridge those two sides, and facilitate communication between people in the artistic and scientific fields.

Diverse career paths

There are many career paths to explore within audio – recording studios, live sound, film, broadcasting, podcasting, theater, research and development, education… the list is endless. There’s always a possibility to train further, transfer your skills and try working in a different field of audio if you need a change.

Travel and work in different locations

The possibility to travel and explore new places is an exciting drawcard for several roles in the audio industry. Whether you’re an audio engineer on a cruise ship, touring with a band or show, or filming on location, you may have the opportunity to see places you wouldn’t have otherwise visited, and get to know a variety of exciting locations and people.

A huge thank you to members of the excellent Soundgirls and Hey Audio Student Facebook groups for sharing what they love about working in audio. I highly recommend joining these groups for terrific audio tips, interesting discussions, and inclusive community support from fellow audio professionals and students.

Image attribution: Image by storyset on Freepik

Creating Your Mission Statement as a Creative Entrepreneur

As a creative person, it can be a pretty big shift to think like a business owner. Entrepreneurial instincts aren’t exactly natural for all of us, just as musicality isn’t as natural for some as others. As I’ve worked with artists, songwriters, musicians and creatives of all kinds, I’ve found that creating a “mission statement” of sorts can get the ball rolling into a disciplined music business that is an authentic reflection of who you are.

“Authentic” is a word that’s a bit overused these days, however finding and embracing your authentic self as a creative entrepreneur in today’s world is perhaps the most important part of your journey to finding success. As an artist, it is what will draw fans to you and keep them there. As a music producer or audio engineer, authenticity builds trust and loyalty with your clients. As a songwriter, telling stories from a place of authenticity will keep your music fresh and relatable.

In the “authentic only” environment we have today, posers or fakers are relentlessly called out, and then inevitably, virtually crucified. That being said, the driving force behind finding your authenticity shouldn’t be fear, but a desire to find your place in this musical landscape and to find the people who feel they belong there with you; to create your own world and invite your “people” to join you. This is the very foundation of being a successful creative today.

Yes, there is still room for showmanship and even gimmicks, as long as it’s an extension of who you really are. I just had an interesting conversation with an artist about this. I was convinced he was making a choice with his branding that was confusing and off-putting. By the end of our conversation, I “got it”. I could clearly see that what wouldn’t work for most artists was perfect for him, as it reflected his rebellious spirit and a virtual finger to the establishment. He sold me on it because his feet were so solidly planted in his “authentic” self that I could see without a doubt that he wasn’t simply being stubborn, but was completely confident in who he is and has a clear vision of how he wanted people to experience his brand.

Finding who we are can be a process of digging, questioning, discovering, and peeling back layers. It should always start with these four questions:

Take about 20 or 30 minutes to sit with these questions without distraction. Brain dump your answers with no filter on a piece of paper or note app.

Now, shape the answers to these questions into your official mission statement. Your mission statement should only be a paragraph long, not a full-page essay. If writing isn’t your skill set, ask for some help. Also bear in mind that it doesn’t have to be perfectly written, only that we the reader should have no questions about who you are, what you stand for, and what your “mission” with your music is.

Going forward, every move you make (on social media, in your fan newsletter, in your youtube engagement, or wherever) as a creative should align with your mission statement. If you contradict yourself one too many times, your fans will detect this lack of authenticity and lose interest. They may even question why they liked you in the first place. This should make it easy for you! You never have to worry about what someone else is doing or what the current trends are. Just Be YOU!

 

Review of The First Collection of Criticism by a Living Female Rock Critic

Jessica Hopper wanted me personally to read  The First Collection of Criticism by a Living Female Rock Critic, and you, too.  In the afterword of the 2021 edition, she notes how essential it is to create and consume media outside the culturally accepted norm.  Female critics like Hopper provide a much-needed perspective on artists that would otherwise go undervalued.  It is empowering to read reviews from a feminist view, and the reader uses their purchasing power to uplift the author.

Hopper puts pieces of herself in the reviews.  We see her growth from fangirl to respected writer and her journey from Midwest suburbia to Chicago to Los Angeles and beyond.  We see the music that shapes her worldview and the music that breaks its boundaries.  Her path is both similar to her peers and uniquely her own.  Hopper’s story could be yours, and that is what makes this collection powerful.  She is a mentor through text.

Not every review is written with a feminist focal point.  However, when her sharpened pen targets the masculine majority opinion, there is no mercy.  No genre is safe: punk, country, rap, and rock.  Hopper champions women forgotten and maligned.  Her piece on Rolling Stone‘s editorial department highlighted those who blazed the path that Hopper would later trek.  There’s enough meat for a Hidden Figures treatment of their story.

In both the afterword and throughout the collection, Hopper reaches out to women in all parts of the music industry.  From fan to artist she says thank you, I hear you, keep being you.  We need each other to build a better industry.  If there’s no space for you in the pit, elbow your way in and stay there, and bring your squad.

ExpoSoundcheck – SoundGirls

The Fight for the Baton and Gender Equality

 

The iconic scene of a woman bringing a chair in the middle of a concert to watch and learn the conducting of an orchestra by a famous male conductor, and then being expelled from the place, showed me how bravely this woman tried to pursue her dream. This scene could be from a movie today, but it happened almost 100 years ago, in 1926, in New York, and the woman portrayed was Antonia Brico in her biographical film “The Conductor” (2018), which I highly recommend.

Antonia Brico was one of the world’s first female conductors, and throughout her career, she faced significant discrimination and obstacles because of her gender. Born in the Netherlands in 1902, she immigrated to California with her foster parents in 1908, where she showed an early talent for music and began studying piano at an early age.

A Remarkable Contribution

One of her greatest contributions to the fight for gender equality was the founding of the Women’s Symphony Orchestra in New York in 1934 to demonstrate that women could play in any category. The orchestra’s success attracted the support of Eleanor Roosevelt, the First Lady of the United States at the time.

 

Antonia Brico at Alte Philharmonie in Berlin, 1930

 

She conducted several prestigious orchestras in the United States and Europe, but despite all her efforts and recognition by other means, she was never the principal conductor of any of them, one of the greatest disappointments of her life.

Breaking the Baton

Decades after Brico’s breakthrough in gender equality, women are still underrepresented in conducting and composing roles and often face barriers and discrimination in their careers.

In recent years, organizations and initiatives have been established to support and promote female conductors, such as the Women’s Philharmonic. Women still make up less than 10% of conductors worldwide. One such renowned conductor is Marin Alsop, who in 2013 became the first woman to conduct the Last Night of the Proms in the United Kingdom. It was after attending one of the famous Leonard Bernstein concerts, Young People’s Concerts, with her father, that she began to develop her interest in conducting. Alsop has spoken about the challenges she has faced as a female conductor, including the need to prove herself more than her male counterparts. In 2021 her story was told in a documentary also called  “The Conductor” (2021).

Marin Alsop at São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra in Brazil, 2017

 

The legacies of Antonia Brico and Marin Alsop, along with other pioneering women in classical music, serve as a source of inspiration and motivation for those who seek to break down barriers and promote greater diversity and inclusion in the music industry.

Through their talent, dedication, and perseverance, non-male conductors are changing the face of classical music and paving the way for future generations of anyone following their dreams.

So, if you want to make a difference in the music or audio industry, remember to get your chair and find your place in the crowd so you can be heard.

With love,
Lydia Guía

Daychia Sledge – Sound Engineer and Designer

 

Daychia is an Audio Engineer mixing  Front of-House & Monitors for various artists and television networks including ABC DISNEY, NBC UNIVERSAL, and VIACOM.  She has been working in audio since 1995. She works as a freelance sound engineer in both live and recording arts. At ABC Tamron Hall Talk Show she is the current  FOH engineer and Floor Audio Lead and at NBC she works on the Late Night show mixing Monitors, or the Amber Ruffin Show Mixing FOH/ Monitors.

Daychia discovered audio after graduating from high school and was looking for a career path in the music business as a rapper. Her mom wouldn’t let Daychia pay the local studio unless she learned to operate the equipment first, so she would enroll in school for audio engineering (Audio Recording Technology Institute in Hauppauge, LI New York) and learned this was a viable career path. “Eventually I didn’t care too much about rapping anymore,  I was head into the books and learning audio, studying frequencies to train my ear so I could ring out a stage like I saw other engineers doing when I interned at the Apollo Theater.”

Career Start

How did you get your start?   

I ate, slept, and drank audio for the entire year I was in Audio classes…  I studied frequencies in my sleep literally,  I let a frequency CD play overnight so I would naturally hear an fz and know what it is on stage ringing.  I worked hard and broke a sweat every gig as a good friend and mentor from Apollo named Ollie Cotton told me was my key to success in this business… he was right because every time I worked someone I didn’t know was watching, and later hired me.

I got my start from the internship at Apollo Theatre, working on Showtime at the Apollo and every Weds night for Amateur Night. I did that for a few years,  then I kept sending my resume out to TV stations and eventually one day I got the call to work at CBS for the Ananda Lewis Talk Show.

At the time it was just starting off, and she apparently wanted to hire a woman audio engineer. So they went calling around NY city to find women audio engineers who actually had some experience.  I happened to be working Amateur Night at the Apollo the night they called Mike Jenkins head of Audio at the time at Apollo, and he was standing right next to me when they asked him Do you know of any experienced sound woman in the city? LOL…He looked over at me with the phone on his shoulder and said “Actually Im standing next to one right now “I went in the next day for an interview and that was the start of my television audio life.

What did you learn interning or on your early gigs?

I learned everything from soldering cable,  fixing speakers in the middle of a Naughty By Nature Tour, to Mixing Loud Vocals for Rappers with NO FEEDBACK… and I am still always learning til this day, more and more techniques to give my artists what they want to hear in their sound.

Career Now

What is a typical day like?

Well,  that’s interesting I don’t really have a typical day. I don’t think I really know what that is…  but I can tell you this much. If I’m in town ( New York)  it’s mostly because I work at Tamron Hall three days a week, on those days, I get up at 3 am.  Meditate, do Yoga sometimes,  get dressed, and head out by 5 am to be on set and working ready for Tech check and rehearsals by 7 am.

We do a live on-air show at 10 am, so from 7 am till about 9 am I am tech checking, then fixing up my music playlist for the day to fit the show content. Then we let in the audience, and I pump up the music for the Comedian and host to get the crown jumping with,  Tamron comes out live on air from 10 am to 11 am on ABC.   We break for lunch and come back to do a 2nd show that is taped.

I get off and try to beat the NY afternoon traffic back home to Westchester NY.  Then when I get home,  I usually have work to do for my Artists’ upcoming shows, prepping show files, or updating riders. I could be organizing the engineers I have in my recording studio with clients coming into the studio. I may be doing ALL of the above until I crash out to sleep.

Now if I am on the road doing a one-off show it’s pretty much the same routine,  except I just show up for soundcheck,  go back to my hotel room and work on other projects, come back do the show and then crash out to bed,  hopefully not an early lobby call the next day.

If I am on tour, Kinda the same deal.

How do you stay organized and focused? 

Prayer,  Yoga,  and Meditation daily.

What do you enjoy the most about your job? 

I love knowing how it all works… especially when I’m the one who made the input list or had some sort of hand in planning it all out technically on paper,  then watching it all come together at the Venue.  With crew members, I probably never met before.    I also really love it when I get to mix the music of artists I love and used to grow up singing in my shower.   Never would have dreamed in a million years in my showers I would be mixing their music.   I love mixing what I used to hear and wondered how they made it sound that way. Now I get to mix it and make it sound like the record that I know and love all too well.

What do you like least?    

Sometimes when you think you have found a sort of music family,  and you get so close to artists and band members,  then all of a sudden new management comes in and just fires everyone and brings in their own people.  Just like that, your off looking for another gig/family.

If you tour what do you like best?   

Traveling and seeing how other engineers do things around the world.   and mixing the music for any audience,  even if they don’t even speak English,  to hear them singing the songs is amazing.

What do you like least?  

Not having family with me to share it with.  Especially U.S. Holidays that aren’t celebrated elsewhere.

What is your favorite day off activity?   

I actually want to change this now at this time in my life,  up til now,  I have always pretty much worked on my days off.   Working on my studio business, website, etc … but I never really have days off. I have come to realize now I need to take some.

What are your long-term goals?

To develop my business MixWellWorld.com to be big like Clair Brothers Audio.   So I can provide careers for upcoming engineers and techs… and I can retire knowing I did that.

What obstacles or barriers have you faced?  

In the beginning, I struggled with certain concepts in pro audio, like for example, INSERT POINTS, I couldn’t understand how two signals could be carried up 1 Insert cable that way…. It was mind-boggling for quite some time.  I used to draw it out a million times so I could see it in my mind’s eye to grasp the concept.  I want to say I realized back then,  it was a hard concept for me to grasp at first because girls for the most part aren’t raised with electronics, or encouraged to take things electrically apart and put them back together. This is something boys are more encouraged towards, so I had to really awaken that part of my brain. Which is why I slept with the frequencies at night to train my brain to them.

Then during one of my first big gigs my biggest obstacle used to be Mixing Loud Vocals in a wedge mix without feedback. I learned from working with Chaka Khan and especially from her Singer Audrey Wheeler Downing,  she made me get good at it!   It was the hardest thing but now I can do it in my sleep.

My next barrier has been learning about business management,  financing of the equipment, and how to generate and create sales campaigns.

How have you dealt with them?  

Taking classes whenever possible either in person or online for business development and ALWAYS audio courses.   I still sign up for Digico classes, and Yamaha classes anytime I can make it work in my schedule.

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

I would tell them the same thing I was told “ Always break a sweat “  Work hard,  Be honest,  if you don’t know how to do something,  pray,  find the book, and study it…  ASK QUESTIONS…  you can get it.. and once you get it,  find what works for you to get the job done.

Must have skills?   

Know your Frequencies.  Have a good understanding of signal flow. Listen to the artist and listen to the record… make it sound like the record.

Favorite gear?  

DIGICO  but Avid S6L is starting to slide up my favorites list these days too.

X