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Live System Engineering Shadowing Opportunity

Systems Engineer Michael Lawrence is accepting applications from members of SoundGirls to shadow him on his upcoming tour in August – September.
It’s a big Meyer Panther rig and he will use Smaart v9. It’s a good opportunity for learning as he does not use any auto EQ, auto splay, auto solvers, beam steering, etc his workflow, it’s all Real Science. No clicking the magic button and letting it do your job for you.

One person per date and will prioritize people who have an interest in the systems engineering /measurement/ tuning side of things.

You will have to bring a bag lunch and show up at call times TBD. 18 and over.

Apply Here

 

Why I Don’t Use Plug-Ins When Mixing Music Live

I talk a lot about how I don’t use plug-ins.  I want to clarify a few things, and in this blog, I’ll explain why I don’t use any plug-ins when I am mixing live sound and how I use plug-ins when working in a DAW.

MIXING LIVE SOUND

If I’m mixing on an analog console, I’ll have a rack of outboard gear consisting of some gates and compressors, reverb, and delay.  I’m less is more kind of gal and I like to keep things simple.  If I’m mixing on a digital console, unless it is by the artist’s request, I use only the EQ, gates, and compressors on the console.

I do not use sound-shaping plug-ins to create the sounds I want.  I focus on using the right tool for the job starting with choosing the right microphone, using a great-sounding console, and minimal processing in the signal path. I rely heavily on good gain structure and proper use of EQ. I also work to make sure what I’m mixing sounds great before I put a mic on it.  When you start with great sounds from the source, it makes mixing that much easier.

I want to be able to mix my show on whatever console and equipment I have and when I’m touring all over the world with an artist, there is no guarantee that I will be able to have the exact gear that I request in every location.

When your show is built around layers of plug-ins, you will inevitably run into a situation where your server is down, your licenses don’t work, your console won’t speak to the waves rack, or there isn’t enough DSP to handle it.

I’ve watched so many sound people at festivals frantically on their phones with tech support trying to resolve issues with their plug-ins not working. They are super stressed because they cannot mix the show without the plug-ins.

They never learned how to properly use EQ or compression and rely on the plug-ins to do what they can’t.  Without plug-ins, their mix completely falls apart and they have a terrible show.

As the sound engineer for a band, you should be able to walk in and mix your show on whatever equipment you have.  Of course, some shows will sound better than others due to the quality of the sound system and equipment available, but you should never be in a situation where you can’t make the guitar sound good without your Maserati ACG or GTR3 ToolRack or you can’t get any warmth or thump from the PA without your OneKnob plug-ins.

When we start to rely too heavily on the tools, we lose our skills.  If you want to master your audio skills, make sure you start by learning the fundamentals.

MIXING IN A DAW

When I talk about mixing music in the studio without using plug-ins, I’m referring to sound-shaping plug-ins.  Things like OneKnob, Maserati, Clarity, etc.  Plug-ins that do things that you can do with proper EQ and compression.

When using a DAW it’s a given that you will need to use plug-ins.  Most DAWs come with basic EQ, dynamic, and effects.  These are all integral components of a mix.  Beyond the basic plug-ins available in your particular DAW there are many higher-quality options available.

The Neve, API, or SSL EQ plug-ins will sound better than the generic EQ included in your DAW.  Listen to compare and choose the one that sounds best to you.

As well, the UA audio, Empirical Labs, CLA, and SSL compressors will sound better than the ones included in your DAW.

Take your time in choosing what works best for your music and mix.

But when it comes to finding clarity in the vocal, getting that extra punch on your drums, or fattening up a thin acoustic guitar, etc. these are all things that can be accomplished with proper mic choice, good signal level, and EQ.

If you want a great-sounding electric guitar, take the time to dial in the sound of your amp before recording it.  Tuning and recording great-sounding drums will prevent the need for doctoring up with multiple plug-ins.

There is nothing wrong with using plug-ins to enhance your mix but it’s important to build a great-sounding mix with the basics first.

The skills of using critical listening to choose the right mic and position, tweaking the sound of the source to make it as good as possible before recording, setting proper input gain, and using EQ and compression properly will serve you far better than a toolbox full of single-use sound-shaping plug-ins.

If you’re getting started in Live Sound, CHECK OUT THIS BLOG, and if you’re recording and producing from your home studio READ THIS.

By: Michelle Sabolchick Pettinato MixingMusicLive.com

 

Hybrid Careers: Balancing Audio Work with Other Skills and Passions

We’re often advised to choose one career path, specialise in one field or skill set, and stick to it until we become a master in it. But what if you’re a polymath with several diverse interests and want to pursue them all? In the audio world, it’s quite common for people to wear many hats – the audio engineer who is also a musician and composer is a common example. Or perhaps you’re a person who needs a lot of variety to focus and maintain passion for your work – whether it’s working in several audio fields, or in completely different fields. Or your life circumstances might mean you’re not able to work full-time, or you have hobbies or commitments that are important and central to your life and wellbeing. How can you combine several interests and skill sets to create a satisfying career that also pays the bills?

In many countries around the world, the norm is changing: in past decades, many people stayed in one job or company for several decades or even for their whole career; now it’s common for workers to change jobs every few years, or retrain later and work in a different field. The rise of remote working gives us more options for different working styles and freelance businesses, opens up more opportunities globally, and gives some people the opportunity to be location-independent. For those of us who want to combine audio work with our other skills and passions, this climate gives us more possibilities than ever to survive and hopefully thrive, with income from various streams. Here are some ideas and examples of possible work modes and methods:

Project-Based Freelancer

Freelancing on a project basis allows you to take on different projects that interest you and have a fixed duration so you know you’ll have a lot of variation in your work. For example, you might mix an album for some weeks, record film sound on location for the next weeks, edit a podcast series for a couple of months and then take on a non-audio project. Challenges: you’ll always need to put time and energy into finding work and arranging your calendar to fit everything in, and there may be periods of abundant work and periods of not enough. Advantages: you are your own boss, you have more control over your work hours and time off, and the types of projects are only limited by your skills.

A Business that Combines All of Your Interests

Starting a business that enables you to wear several hats can be a satisfying way of combining all your skills. Perhaps you write and play music, engineer recordings, do graphic design and marketing, and could start an all-in-one music production studio that takes care of all elements of a client’s album release. Or find another way to combine your audio skills with a different field of knowledge. Challenges: you’ll need to have a solid business plan and know how to reach your target clients to bring in work. Advantages: bringing all your skills into one unique business, never having to feel that you’re putting one part of your identity or skill set on the backburner.

Several Part-Time Jobs

A solution for a more stable income could be to have multiple part-time roles. You might have an administrative job in the music field three days a week, teach instrument lessons one day and do live sound mixing in the evenings or on weekends. Or have one role in the mornings and another in the afternoons. Challenges: finding jobs that are part-time and juggling your schedule to fit everything in, being able to switch quickly between completely different mindsets/skill sets/workplaces in a short space of time. Advantages: an amount of financial stability, and possibly other benefits that come with fixed part-time roles.

Switch Jobs Every Few Years

Another approach is taking fixed-term full-time contracts (year-long for example) or having the intention to change jobs every few years. This could be more of a mindset rather than a fixed plan – just knowing that you won’t be “stuck” in a job forever and have the freedom to pursue another job or career if you desire is exciting. You might like to switch between diverse fields of audio over the years or change careers completely down the track. Challenges: not having as much variety in your work daily or weekly, not advancing further in a particular field. Advantages: the opportunity to develop deeper skills in one area, and the financial and other benefits that come with full-time roles.

A “Day Job” Plus Side Projects

Some people thrive on having a full-time job that allows them the financial freedom to pursue other projects, work, or hobbies in their free time. This option could be appropriate if the stress of trying to make money with your passion is overwhelming or causes burnout, and you start to lose your passion for it. Or perhaps you have one passion that will allow you to make a good living, and the other passion can be a side project. Challenges: finding enough time and energy to work on your other projects outside of your main job. Advantages: financial stability and money to spend on side projects or businesses.

Role Models

The concept of a multi-skilled polymath, generalist, or Renaissance person – a well-rounded individual who has knowledge and skills in many areas – has been around for a long time, and in Renaissance Italy was seen as the height of accomplishment (Leonardo Da Vinci was revered for his incredible skills and achievements in the fields of a2rt, music, science, invention, and writing). Some more modern-day polymaths in the audio world who are hugely inspiring are Ethel Gabriel (record producer, A&R representative, company executive, trombonist), Kira Roessler (dialogue editor, bass player, singer, songwriter, former computer engineer), and Leslie Ann Jones (recording and mixing engineer, producer, publicity/artist relations, guitarist, board member).

Resources

A great website to check out is puttylike.com – while not specifically audio-related, it has useful career and productivity ideas and advice for people with multiple interests and skills.

 

Ham Activities 

Here I am back with my Amateur Radio Technician License. Now what? Where will my radio take me? Amateur radio enthusiasts often explore several niches without limiting themselves to one genre of radio. However, their activities can be broken down into five categories: radio contesting, research, public service, digital and computer networking, and technical experimentation.

Contesting

Contesting refers to radio operators contacting others like a scavenger hunt. These can be at events, where the most contacts at the event is a winner, or collecting contacts of a certain category. Ongoing contests include getting all 50 states in the United States or contacting all the National Parks. Field Days are annual events that occur in June and October where contesting happens, but also many clubs set up in local parks to show off their gear to the public. I attended my local one a few weeks ago and one radio operator contacted a Park On The Air in New York. While these contests can be purely for verbal bragging rights, there is a tradition of QSL cards. These postcards show the call signs of the conversation participants and are exchanged as proof of contact. The most unusual are displayed as trophies. As a fan of postcards, I made a stamp of my call sign to create my own QSL card.

Research

Amateur radio enthusiasts are already science-minded individuals, so citizen science research naturally shoehorns into the hobby. By using a variety of equipment and transmitting in all weather conditions, radio operators can observe the propagation of radio waves in less than ideal conditions or even during rare phenomenon like auroras. Also by communicating with amateur satellites, radio operators can monitor weather patterns and gather data.

Public Service

To take this altruism further is public service. In the United States, the two major organizations for emergency communications via amateur radio are RACES (Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service) and ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Service). These two organizations set up networks of volunteers who facilitate communication between the government and other groups. When cell phone towers are down and power is out amateur radio can still get messages through. There are even protocols in place to get messages from survivors to their families around the country.

Digital and Computer Networking

While amateur radio as a hobby is more than a century old, there are a variety of digital avenues to use for communication. Software-defined radio is an inexpensive way to use radio integrated into a computer. Other formats are Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), radio teletype (RTTY), and packet radio. Some of these can be used in conjunction with the other categories.

Technical Experimentation

As with other hobbies, amateur radio enthusiasts try to push the boundaries of the craft. There is the fairly obvious homebrew or do-it-yourself aspect of building your own equipment. For low power and high noise situations, radio operators use Continuous Wave (CW) and Short Wave (SW). CW often employs morse code instead of vocal communication. These modes can even be used to bounce waves off of the moon! Audio is not the only medium that can be transmitted either, there is Fast Scan television to send amateur signals short distances.

Currently, I have a handheld transceiver and an RTL-SDR dongle (for passive listening to software-defined radio). However, that is only the start of my amateur radio journey. I hope in the future to take you through some of these different categories of radio. This is Nicole KQ4BHO signing off.

A Producer’s Tarot Reading

I consider myself an exceptionally slow producer. I’ve been working on this one original song since January, and I’ve made four other versions of this song in the past three years that I didn’t like. Typically when I sit down to work on the song, I start to pick at a certain aspect of the track (recently I’ve been mulling over the specific bass sound) and I sit with it for the day and try to get it to a place I’m happy with. I wouldn’t wish this method upon my worst enemy because it gets me stuck in the process and makes it difficult to move forward with the next steps.

Typically I might take a more scientific approach to overcome this slump, like applying psychoacoustics to my dilemma. Is there some prospect of my own listening capabilities that I’m ignoring? Perhaps there is an interesting sound design or mixing technique I learned in college that I can test out. Maybe I can explore a niche genre of music that I might find inspiring. Most likely, I’ll discover that the song is fine the way it is, and I’m overthinking. Any number of approaches might thaw my frozen creativity block, but I think a less empirical approach could help me find some answers and ease up on being such a perfectionist with this track.

I started teaching myself tarot this past week, and as part of this practice, I’m going to do a reading for my song and apply it to my current music production challenges. If you share any related struggles with feeling stuck creatively or trying to perfect your latest track, then I invite you to interpret this reading into your own process. I’m going to pull three cards that will apply to the following: what the song already has, what it is or represents, and what it needs. It’s possible that I’m breaking some rules with this, but one of the first things I learned is that there is no one way to use tarot cards.

Before we begin, I want to make a few notes. My deck is cat-themed, so a lot of the guide uses many feline puns that sometimes don’t make sense to me, a human being. I like to use this website as a reference for interpretation instead. I’m asking an open-ended question so that I can interpret this reading with my own song, and you can also consider how it applies to your own project!

The question I’m asking is, “How can I help my song to reach its full potential?

I pulled the Three of Cups, reversed Five of Swords, and Two of Wands. I’d also like to note that all cards come from the Minor Arcana which, from what I’ve learned, typically deals with day-to-day challenges and individualized experiences. These are simplified and generalized interpretations for this blog post’s sake, but there is plenty of insight to offer some perspective on my creative process. The first card (what the song already has) is the Three of Cups, which savors celebration, highlights human connection, and encourages creative collaboration. The Cups suit symbolizes water and embodies relationships and creativity. When I think of collaboration in this context, the various musical influences of this song come to mind. I listened to a lot of references from Pop artists that inspired me like Maggie Rogers and Sylvan Esso to channel the vocal style and synth accompaniment of this song. I made some changes to my process in order to more easily embody these artists: I switched to using Ableton Live for this song, I re-recorded the vocals multiple times, and I changed a lot of how I processed the vocals to fit these artists’ styles. While influence from artists is always a great place to start, I think the Three of Cups in this position is telling me it’s time to move on from my influences and focus more on harnessing my own sound. I need to listen to my track again and take note of which parts of the song most align with my story and myself. Before all its influences, this song was just a simple chord progression with lyrics, and my first instinct for recording was to layer up loads of harmonies. The next steps I can take are making sure the lyrics and harmonies are the highlights of the song.

The second card (what the song is) is the Five of Swords reversed, which represents settling past conflicts, reconciling relationships, and learning from failure. The Swords suit symbolizes air and embodies intellect and communication. As I mentioned before, I have produced four other versions of this song, and this most recent attempt is the closest version of what I envisioned. I think that right now, this song represents my growth as a producer and my capacity to learn from all the times I was unhappy with the creation. Getting stuck with this production is hiding what I’ve achieved since I first started producing. I think this card is also telling me to re-explore the emotions that charged this song in the first place. I’ve designed some cool vocal samples and other “ear-candy” in Ableton Live, but I think it’s important for me to re-evaluate how those moments serve the raw emotion of the song.

The third card (what the song needs) is the Two of Wands, which represents clear planning, making steady progress, and aspiring for long-term goals. The Wands suit symbolizes fire and embodies passion and creativity. I feel like this card speaks most clearly to my creative slump. I’ve been studying the short-term goal of finishing this song for release and ignoring how this song will speak to future productions and releases or the discography I want to showcase as an artist. While it feels like I’m moving slowly with this song, I think I need to realize that I am not just working on this song but my overall sound. As tedious as it can be, it is probably a good time for me to put together a small library of the sounds I’m using in this song so I can build on my sound design for the next songs or a large-scale project like an E.P. This card is also telling me to be decisive, which is something I am literally struggling with since I’ve tested out a ridiculous number of bass sounds for this song. Like most art forms, it can be hard to tell when a song is done with production or the mix is finished, so I think this is an important reminder for me to trust my instincts and follow my initial decisions.

All this interpretation is rather subjective and maybe not something you might believe in, but it gave me the chance to let go of my grip on a perfect song. Getting stuck in creating can be a frustrating experience, and sometimes there is an obvious next step to overcome the obstacle. I hope that if you’re facing a creative block, you take it easy on yourself. Be forgiving of your process and trust in your instincts. In my last several days of learning tarot, I often found that I knew the answer to my question all along, I just needed to understand it in a different way.

8 Red Flags Artists Should Watch for Before Signing any Agreement

Unfortunately, I’ve recently been reminded about the predatory behavior of some in the music industry. Quite regularly, artists reach out to me for my opinion on an agreement offered, a private message they received on Instagram, or something someone said to them that confused them. So I decided to put together a list of some common “red flags” that you should be aware of that can help you make better decisions. Of course, you should never sign an agreement without having a music attorney WORKING FOR YOU (meaning, they have YOUR best interest in mind and not the other party) look it over for you or make a decision without at least having a consultation with one. Did that make sense? In other words, hire a music attorney before agreeing or signing anything. And also, I am not an attorney so these are just my own opinions and thoughts.

We don’t do contracts

They may say it in a warm fuzzy way. Something like, “We totally trust you. We have a good feeling about you. Let’s not worry about contracts or any of that crap.” The contracts are usually to protect YOU, the artist. If ever there was a scenario that exploits an artist’s ignorance, it is this. Not having a contract will certainly complicate everything should the song blow-up and now you have label interest.

We don’t need lawyers and neither do you

If anyone acts offended that you would “bring a lawyer” into the negotiating process, then they are not people you would probably want to do business with. Of course, you need a lawyer.

Bait and Switch

If they say one thing in a phone conversation or text and then present you with a contract that says something totally different, then be cautious. Honest mistakes can definitely happen or misunderstandings or miscommunications. So it might not be a total dealbreaker. How they react to your calling them out can tell you if this is someone you want to do business with. If they get defensive or flat-out lie, you should consider walking away. If it was an honest mistake, then perhaps continue the conversation cautiously.

Pressuring you to feel rushed to sign

As soon as they throw out something like “we just made the same offer to another artist but we can’t sign both of you, it’s really who signs the agreement first” or anything making you feel pressured or rushed, just step away. Tell them you will need more time. If they aren’t willing to wait for you to carefully review the agreement with your attorney then perhaps this deal is not for you.

Offering an exclusive contract for a lengthy period of time

Exclusivity isn’t always a bad thing but make sure the risk is worth the potential reward. Talk to your music attorney.

Name dropping that can’t be verified

Name dropping in and of itself is not a bad thing. As a matter of fact, this business is built on reputation and credits, and relationships. What IS bad is dropping a name and then there is no verification of it being true. “I worked with Beyoncé, Rihanna, Jay-Z…” search the person’s name on google which should lead you to a site like AllMusic.com You can search their name where you can verify what exactly they did and with what artists. If they were the caterer at Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s private party, that obviously doesn’t count so you want to be sure the work they did with their famous artist can be verified in some way. Another site to check is discogs.com or sometimes good ol Wikipedia will have the info you need.

Old School Record Deal

If you (the artist) are paying for all production, either upfront or recoupable from back-end royalties, why on God’s green earth should anyone or any entity still own the master recordings other than YOU? This was typical of a record deal back in the day. All you need to do is watch a documentary about any of the bands or artists from the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s or even 90’s and this is so typical that it is cliche. It’s like buying a house. Most of us don’t have $250k+ in our bank accounts which is basically what one might need to buy a middle-class home in the good ole USA so we take out a mortgage. We “borrow” the money and pay interest. Once we are finished paying off that loan, we now own the home. Well, many record deals are like borrowing the money (from the record company) that is needed to create your album, promote it, and give you money to live on (an advance). You pay it back with album sales, publishing splits, percentage of merchandise, percentage of tour revenue, etc., all depending on the agreement. Then when you are done paying it off, your record label could possibly still OWN that master recording. What?! It’s crazy but this is usually what they will try to negotiate. Sharing a portion of the master recording in exchange for their capital might be worth it to you but if you are paying back every red cent with interest, tell me why that is even slightly tempting? The other issue is that there are many different record label business models these days. Some never front any capital at all. You are paying them a monthly fee to pay for their services and the product. In this case, you most definitely want to own everything outright when the album is finished. If the business model is more of a “work/time” in exchange for a royalty split on the backend, that can certainly be a fair deal. Just be sure to have your music attorney look any agreement over for you before signing.

Changing terms after work is done and holding product hostage

If you did not sign an agreement before working with a producer but you “believed” the terms were “work for hire”, meaning, you paid said producer a set fee for their recording and production services with no co-writing agreement or publisher splits agreed to beforehand, but then they hold the final master “hostage” and demand co-writing or co-publishing ownership, this is bad. I saw it first hand. Sitting in a studio, listening to a finished mix of a song for an artist that I was coaching. After everyone is happy and congratulating one another, the producer says, “Ok, now let’s talk about publishing. I would like 50% publishing on this song”. The agreement was clearly upfront money, work for hire. And yet, here he was, holding the final wav file hostage until the artist was willing to give over 50% of publishing royalties. How to handle this might be a case-by-case basis. You can simply remind them this is not what was agreed to and then hopefully they will say “yeah you are right” and then promptly send you the master wav file. If they push it and demand it or they won’t let go of the wav file, you can bring on your attorney to handle this.

The bottom line is….hire a music attorney to review any contract you are considering signing. Yes, this will cost you money. But not much if you consider how detrimental signing a bad deal could cost you (in money but also time, emotional stress, and trauma).

There is no need to be cold or defensive when communicating with people about potentially working together. You don’t even need to be paranoid. Not everyone is out to get you. There are good, honest people in the industry. However, there are enough bad ones lurking around (who usually don’t seem bad and can be very nice on the surface) to warrant you’re being careful. Be educated, cautious and gracious with those you have conversations with, and…hire a music attorney. 😉

 

Tunnel Songs : Breaking Down Cinematic Use of Berlin and Bowie

Music matters deeply to the emotive value of a film. The sonic emotion determines the interpretation of the viewer and their own emotive association to a scene. Recently I happened to watch the films Perks of Being a Wall Flower and Jojo Rabbit within the same week. I realized that both used David Bowie’s song Heroes in scenes where freedom in the face of despair were being conveyed. Being a massive Bowie fan, I did a deep dive to see if the lyrical and production context intended the song to convey this mood, or if the song was being used against Bowie’s creative intentions.

Heroes appeared on the album Heroes created by Bowie in 1977.  Heroes is a part of the “Berlin Trilogy” of Low, Heroes, and Lodgers. All of these albums were created in some way in Berlin. However only Heroes was the only album created entirely in Berlin. Bowie wrote and recorded the song in a studio in Berlin that was directly next to the Berlin wall. He could see the wall outside the window of the studio. Heroes the song is the only one of Bowie’s song’s to be translated to German.

Bowie credited the song to Toni Visconti. Visconti was in love with someone who he would meet by the Berlin wall. Bowie was inspired by this and wrote Heroes as a fictional tale about two lovers who were separated by the Berlin Wall, but still hoping to be romantically involved.  However, many critiques believe that the song also reflects the relationships that Bowie was having with men in Berlin, as he often went to a gay bar nearby the wall. While Bowie came out as gay in 1972, Bowie was married and had a son at the time of this interview and was still married during the full time of his Heroes album creation.  He had gone to Berlin to escape the drugs and alcohol problems he had acquired during his rise to stardom. Together his escapism from the addictions found in fame, as well as sexuality led critiques to believe the song is also about Bowie and spirited life, not just Visconti’s experiences of love by the wall.

In the song, there is a lyric “Standing by the wall, and the guns, short above our head, and we kissed, as though nothing could fall and thee shame was on the other side, we can bear them forever and ever” (Heroes). These lyrics show the clear illation of the Berlin wall and its violence and separation. Atonally the line about the wall would not fall, is not saying that they kissed inspired by the wall, instead, it is saying they had the utmost power in the face of adversity. While the wall “would never” fall they would continue to be in love and be heroes in their steadfast love for one another. Early in the song it says, “bother will keep us together, we can beat them, forever and ever” (Heroes). This shows their love in the face of adversity.

While I can never know if Bowie would approve of Perks of Being a Wall Flower or Jojo Rabbit I do think the songs are used to convey the emotion that Bowie was trying to portray. The song’s message of love’s ability to overcome political and physical barriers portrays the hope that both Perks of Being a Wall Flower and Jojo Rabbit aim to convey in their respective Heroes scenes.

Gina Zdanowicz Founder, Audio Director & Designer, and Whatever it takes!

Gina Zdanowicz works in Game Audio, Film & TV, and Interactive Spaces and is the founder of a boutique audio collective, Serial Lab Sound. Gina has been working in audio for over 17 years and graduated from Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA., where she studied Electronic Music Production and graduated with a B.M in Music Synthesis.

Gina knew early on that she wanted to work with sound. She remembers asking her parents “for a synth and a 4-track recorder and made hour-long tapes of beep-bo-bops that no one wanted to listen to.” She also studied Piano where after a few years of music lessons, she was able to play some complex classical pieces.  While she loves music and sound, she also loved technology, Gina says “My brother and I were lucky enough to have parents who encouraged us to play games. My Dad is still a big gamer and he and my mom play Animals Crossing New Horizons all day, every day!”

Career Start

How did you get your start?

After graduating from Berklee, I wanted to work in games but didn’t have any connections. I became friends with Julie Chase,  an artist at an adver-gaming company named Skyworks. They needed some music for a Nintendo 3DS game and hired me for the gig.

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

My very first gig was composing music for the Nintendo 3DS game, ATV Quad Frenzy. I learned a quick lesson about how little I knew about game music. I was trained in linear composition and games really need adaptivity. That lesson set me off on a journey and was the building block of my current career.

What did you learn interning or on your early gigs?

I never had an internship but after the Nintendo 3DS gig, I landed a job in-house working as a sound designer. I got the gig because I had a previous job that taught me a bit about scripting. The company, Super-Ego Games, was looking for a junior sound designer who could help with their computer network from time to time. I’ve always loved tech and was a great fit. I worked with Jason Kanter who became the next important person in my career.

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

Jason mentored me while we were at Super-Ego games. We built a friendship but also he taught me so much about game sound. He was a stickler for quality and really pushed me to be my best. He was also an ally who brought me onto a lot of great projects like Bioshock 2 and Just Cause 3.

Career Now:

What is a typical day like?

Currently, I am running Serial Lab Sound. We are a boutique audio production collective of veterans and those just starting their careers as audio professionals. I manage the majority of our projects but my studio partner, Spencer Bambrick, also does a bit of that. Our projects range from big productions to smaller-quick jobs. I am also a professor of Video game scoring at Berklee College of Music. So my time is split between managing clients, managing the team, doing creative work, teaching and grading.

How do you stay organized and focused?

I have a constant to-do list that I am always reorganizing as I have to push something off to take on an urgent priority. I am always trying out new list apps to see what fits best. Currently, I am using multiple lists. Tasks in Gmail and events in my calendar with notifications.

What do you enjoy the most about your job?

I’ve always dreamed of working on sound and I am living it. I am very grateful for the opportunity. Currently, I am able to bring on people who are starting their careers and provide mentorship and work experience. Paying it forward for the help I received along the way.

What do you like least?

It can be stressful managing multiple tasks on any given day. Various pressures from multiple clients.

What is your favorite day off activity?

Spending time with my family (cats included) is important to me. A good day off activity is streaming a movie or TV series. I also like exploring new places and adventures.

What are your long-term goals?

I always have a 5-year plan that gets rearranged and sorted. Currently, I am working on bringing bigger projects to my team and helping the team continue to build their careers.

What if any obstacles or barriers have you faced?

Being a woman in the games industry has been challenging at times. Learning how to run a business without any business background was also a challenge.

How have you dealt with them?

I’ve been lucky to find and build relationships with great allies. I’ve made some mistakes on the business side that made for great lessons. I’ve also read and studied a ton on the art of business. Books like Dale Carnegie’s collection on self-improvement, public speaking, and interpersonal skills were super helpful. They are dated but the lessons still very much apply.

Must have skills?

Focusing on a career in games, I would suggest learning scripting and implementation.  Be familiar and fluid with Unity and Unreal but also Wwise and FMOD. Deep dive into the adaptive and interactive side of game sound. Play games and study the game loops, music systems, and interactive techniques.

It’s also important to focus on soft skills. Games are highly collaborative and require relationship-building, organizational, and time management skills.

Favorite gear?

I don’t believe that gear makes or breaks you. A master of their craft can create great sound on almost anything. My favorite plugins, VST, and recording equipment often change with each project I take on.

Game vs Film Sound

One of the critical differences between interactive, nonlinear audio (e.g., games) and traditional linear media (Film &TV) is that the player controls how the interactive experience plays out. This puts a lot of emphasis on the implementation of our sounds into the game engine. In a linear workflow, all sounds go onto a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) timeline, which is then mixed to visual media. In interactive or game audio, however, we have no DAW timeline that matches the picture. Instead, we’re creating sounds in our DAW, putting them into a package that gets loaded by the game, and then building and tuning systems to control how and when they trigger.

Interactive audio designers must understand the various mechanics and player choices in order to set the audio triggers in a way that can adapt to the decisions and in-game events. We can control the mix within the game engine, the playback of layers, pitch and volume modulation, and other creative effects. This makes implementation a vital part of the creative process for nonlinear media.

As we look into the future we will continue to see a merge between nonlinear and linear as traditional media takes on more immersive, nonlinear elements that use the “branching narrative” storytelling format and allows viewers — through touch screen or their remotes — to pick between a series of choices, giving them control over how the plot unfolds.

On Knowing When to Leave (and Getting Fired Before You Can)

Unfortunately, I can no longer say I have never experienced racial discrimination in our industry.

About a year ago, I landed a job after the much-anticipated remodeling of a local midsized venue. I was hired with the understanding that I wouldn’t be one of the main engineers but still taking a handful of shows a month. As an unknown quantity, I would start as an A2, and then start getting A1 shifts once I had established myself a bit. It was exciting: the room was custom-made, and the consoles were top of the line aalthough not very common.

The reality was very different. Call times were texted late at night the day before. Advance info wasn’t received until hours before the call time. At most I was scheduled for two shifts in a month. Most months I had no shifts at all. In the end, I was only getting shifts if I specifically requested to work a show. When I asked what I could do to get more shifts I was given the equivalent of a verbal shrug. I was sidelined as an A2 and told I wasn’t experienced enough to move into the A1 role, despite being a regular A1 at a couple of other venues twice the size and being the FOH engineer for a local artist. I asked for my pay to get matched to my other venues and was declined. It felt like I was being pushed out somehow, even though I was never given the chance to establish myself.

I started to wonder if my demographics had to do anything with the work environment I experienced. I was the only woman of color on the audio staff, and one of a handful of nonwhite engineers. I was left off the schedule almost completely. The other two men were pushed down into working the smaller stage more often, even though we were designated as working in the main room. Everyone scheduled regularly in the main room was white and male. It felt like I was being singled out, but I wasn’t quite sure, because I felt that I wasn’t even around enough to have a clear picture.

It became more and more frustrating. I had never properly learned the console or even the venue because I was there so infrequently, so reconfiguring my file each time I worked and troubleshooting anything that happened was a slog. I would be cranky for 24 hours before the few shifts I had, partially because I knew how frustrating just doing my job would be and also because I still had no information about what time to show up or what the show was.

I decided that there was no point in continuing to request shows. It wasn’t a good working environment. Venue politics aside, the way the venue was set up and the amount of time that passed between my shifts made simply getting a show-up and running much more difficult than it needed to be. It was clear I wasn’t going to get more shifts; it was clear I wasn’t going to move up; it was clear I wasn’t going to get paid more, and losing $250 once every two months was an almost unnoticeable financial impact. I essentially didn’t work there anyway. Finding out that one of the other nonwhite engineers, who was very much established, was fired in part for questioning the same scheduling pattern I had noticed sealed the deal. I decided to quit sending in my availability.

Little did I know that I too would get fired before I could quietly fade myself out.

I had agreed to cover a shift when I realized I had double-booked myself. There were still several weeks to go, so I contacted the few coworkers I had contact information for, and when no one was free I contacted the person who was responsible for scheduling. Instead of helping me, he gave me three options: switch to a different day that week (not possible, as I was booked or out of town), pressure the original engineer into taking the shift back (not how that works), or dropping my conflicting shift (which I had committed to first, paid significantly more, and was with a company that gives me regular work). When I declined to take him up on any of those options, I heard nothing for a day, before receiving a very passive-aggressive text message telling me that I was off the shift and also no longer in the scheduling pool. Getting fired for something as standard as needing help finding coverage for a shift only confirmed that my instincts to get out of there were correct.

Walking away can be hard, but it’s important to know your worth and feel confident in your reputation as an engineer. If you don’t feel you’re getting anything out of a gig, and you can survive financially without it, there’s no shame in letting it go. Stand up for yourself and stick to your boundaries. It’s not a failure. There will always be more. This venue fired me while I was at my home venue doing the best-sounding FOH mix I’ve ever done in that room. Move on to somewhere that values you and don’t look back.

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