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Reaching Out 

This year I’ve written about a number of topics ranging from Fabfilter plugins to cover letters. While I wanted one of the last articles of the year to be a roundabout to my first on New York and its restoration from Covid-19, I realized it’s October.

For some of you that might be a “Why is the obvious being stated here?” But for high school seniors or college students, it’s more like “Wait it’s October?!”

Yes, it is that time of the year that you will rush to fill out your FAFSA, you might be already applying to colleges If you’re in high school, and now if all so suddenly you are becoming an adult and are expected in some way to know what you are supposed to be doing.

If you are reading this on SoundGirls then you might have a clue that you want to have something within the music industry, and that’s awesome! Now the question on how you get to where you want to go, If you haven’t yet feel free to read my last blog on college ( and if mine isn’t enough some other amazing people have also touched on the subject ) it might help give you some idea of how to get to the place you need to be.

Now that’s that said and done, and I’m going to assume here that you are going through with whatever you settled on – the next step is reaching out.

 

Now you gotta send it out.

(The following steps are not in any particular order and can be read individually.)

Step One: Utilizing Social Media

KEEP IN MIND

Some have Instagram or Facebook for personal reasons only, they may not want to have work and family mix on these platforms. Be mindful of the pages that are private, check to see if the person you want to connect with has a LinkedIn account or business email before trying to contact a personal account. These guys and gals are just as human as the rest of us! So let them have privacy if it is clear it isn’t for public access.

Step Two: Email

While I would never recommend sending a cold turkey email to someone before being invited to do so, some may have emails set up for just that reason. If a label you want to reach out to for example has a new artist email or outreach for talent hires it could be a good move for you.  Make sure to attach the resume, cover letter, and reference sheet. Structure the email on Google Docs or Microsoft Word to avoid accidentally sending an unfinished email. Keep the email short but informative, mention something unique about yourself or the position.

Example Email

Dear New York City Recording,

I am interested in the available position of summer intern posted on LinkedIn. I have experience running an SSL 4048 and have a vast understanding of Universal Audio outboard equipment and in-the-box plugins. Within this email, I have included my cover letter, resume, references, and samples of work I’ve mixed during the last two years studying under John Smith at Iris Studio, located within the University of Sunderdale. If possible I would enjoy the pleasure of arranging an interview at your studio, famous for recording XX’s classic hit Cakewalk.

Sincerely,

Kimberlynn Ahlers

Step Three: Calling or Going Directly

It could be a long shot – you might definitely come across a lot of people saying no, but if you live in a city like ( but not limited to) Los Angeles, London, Berlin, Kyoto, Tokyo, New York, Miami, or Nashville you might have a shot. If people see you show up enough or call in enough on a certain position they might see it go two ways, You are either annoying or persistent. The next time someone moves jobs or gets fired – the persistent one often comes to mind as a quick fix to patch a gap. You might not get anywhere doing this, but you just might – if you really really want it.

So… congratulations! I hope that this helped you think of ways to reach out to those you are looking forward to meeting. I have nothing but a foam finger on my end – cheering you on!

More Tips and Resources

Tips for resumes and social media

Industry Directories – Get Yourself Listed

The Art of Preproduction

Ah recording, that bedrock of this thing we do, the capturing of the evanescent moment of vibrations shimmering in the air in both mellifluent and cacophonous fashion (knock it off with the big words, you damn English major). Whatever we do afterward, with our editing and our mixing and our mastering, and whatever we do before, with our writing and preproduction and planning, it all comes down to the fancy room with the red light. And the principal thing to remember about recording is that it costs money. Sometimes a lot of money. Even the cheaper studios will run you hundreds, and any decent-sized session is going to go into the thousands. With budgets being as stretched as they are, it’s important, then, to make the most out of the small amount of time you have to get things down and get them right. As producers and engineers, it is our job to respect our artist’s wallets. As artists, it’s our job to make sure we get the most for our dollar. Thus, we get to my producer’s perspective of what is probably the most consequential of parts of the whole recording process: the pre-production!

Pre-production is the term we use for everything leading up to a recording session

For me, this starts with that first coffee date where we get to know each other and talk grandiose plans for achieving our musical and artistic dreams. While the final results tend to come out completely different, it still provides a starting point for the direction the rest of the project ultimate heads. Which records inspire you? What’s the vibe you’re after? How many musicians and songs? What do you want out of life? What’s your budget range? The answer to all these questions will help point us in the direction that we need to head, in order to make the most out of the session. The inspirational records will tell us how to set up and mic and get tones for the instruments. The vibe will affect how we conduct the session. Is the record light and fun? Then we need a light and fun recording session. Is it heavy and brooding? Then we need to craft an environment that is conducive to that kind of introspection. And, of course, there’s a budget. The budget will tell us not only where we’re able to record, but how much time we’re able to spend on the recording. Do we need to power through 3-4 songs a day? Or can we take our time and overdub everyone’s part and add in as much nuance and ear candy as we please? I get a sense for all of this during that first meeting, before we even decide whether or not to work together. Getting a rough understanding of how the record will come together, how it will sound, helps me not only prepare for the session from the get-go but gives me a stronger pitch for the artists. After all, if I’m able to immediately give them a technical breakdown and creative approach, doesn’t that prove that I know what I’m doing?

Explaining the process of making a record

Next up, either before you decide to work with each other or after, is probably the most overlooked yet important part of the process, especially when working with newer artists: explaining the process of making a record. It’s not as simple as going into the studio and pressing record. It’s a long process beginning with what we’re talking about right now, then going on to recording, doing multiple takes (more than you expect), editing the takes you do (both comping and performance fixing), overdubbing multiple parts, mixing, and mastering. If the artist hasn’t made a record like this before, they’re not going to necessarily know everything that goes into it when done at a professional level. I had an artist once reach out to me wanting to make an LP. He wanted to do a pop/indie rock record, full-band instrumentation, recording every part himself, and expected to be finished with it all in 1-2 days. This is not possible. When I told him what to expect when it comes to making a record, he ghosted, which is fine. He now knows what goes into making a record and we didn’t spend too much time talking things out only for it all to fall apart when everything slowly was revealed to him. On the flip side, I’ve laid everything out for an artist and not only did I land the gig, but the thoroughness of the process energized them and helped them jump in with the attitude of making something incredible. Educating your artist on how to make the record is beneficial to everyone. You’re all on the same page when it comes to what to expect, weed out those who aren’t ready for this level of commitment and get those that are ready to dive in.

Equally important to explaining the technical steps is to explain the emotional and creative ones

I made the mistake of neglecting this, thinking that since the artist had released an EP before that they’d be familiar with the ins and outs of making a record. While I did make sure to explain things from a functional and cost basis, I neglected to explain things from a personal and creative basis. This led to us dragging out the completion of the record, unable to settle on a sound, with everything sounding worse as the process continued. This is why the recommendation for everything is to work quickly. When you get stuck in the weeds of second-guessing and fine-tuning, you lose perspective, and suddenly everything sounds wrong. When that happens, it’s time to step back and not listen to the record for a while. A day? A week? A year? I don’t know. Long enough that you come back with fresh ears. This is partially why I try and keep my mix numbers to three. The first one I do, the second one after artist notes, the third one after another round of notes. Now, I allow the artists to keep making adjustments, but I make sure to tell them that that process is what’s to be expected. It puts in their minds that we’re supposed to get things done in that span of time, that my skills as a mixer are at the level of completing things that quickly (so they better trust my results), and keeps them from falling into that trap of endless revisions. Look at us talking about mixing before we even get to actual pre-production sessions.

When it comes to recording, newer artists will go into the studio expecting to knock out each song in 1-2 takes and have it all done and ready to release. While we’ve gone over the post-production with them, we do need to talk about what the actual recording session is going to be like. I find it best to just go in order. Artists used to live shows will assume that the setup is as quick as that. A few mics, plus a quick soundcheck, and then ready to go! A lack of understanding of the actual time that goes into setting up can really hurt their confidence in you as an engineer, so conveying exactly why it takes as long as it does is important. Depending on the length of time we have, I’ll take upwards of a day to get things set up, instruments fine-tuned, tones dialed in, headphones made exactly perfect, session template put together, and whatever else I can think of. All that time is worth the effort, of course. Unlike with live audio, we don’t have the sound coming from the stage to help augment what we’re micing, so we really need to go a bit overboard to get the coverage we need. Plus, we have fancier gear, so we’d better use it! When the artist knows that this time commitment is standard, and most importantly why it takes so long, that boosts their confidence in you, rather than hindering it. You go from someone who is struggling to get things going to someone who knows and cares enough to make them sound their very best. All with a little education.

So that’s what I do with new artists, and what you should do with them too. If you are working with more experienced artists, it’s good to do a little refresher anyway, just so they can understand any idiosyncrasies of your process and cover any gaps they may still have in their experience. Maybe they’ve only worked with engineers who put up four drum mics and call it good (this is not enough drum mics). Maybe they’ve always done one instrument at a time and are new to whole band recording. Regardless, make sure everyone is on the same page as to what to expect before moving forward with the project.

Preproduction: getting everything ready for the recording session

Now that we’ve talked about everything that goes into making a record, we can finally get to what we actually think of when we think of preproduction: getting everything ready for the recording session. I start with the songs. In a perfect world, the artist would present me with demos for twice as many songs as they want to record. Why twice as many? Well, you never know which song is going to be your breakout hit. Is it song 2? Is it song 17? Is it song 154? Maybe 154 is going overboard. I like 20ish songs for an LP because it allows us to choose the best half of the songs an artist writes, but also gives us enough material to craft a balanced and cohesive record. Not every song that gets cut is a bad song. Sometimes the songs don’t fit the style of the artist, sometimes they don’t fit the style of the record. Anecdote time! I was working on a record with an artist who, like a lot of artists, came to me with exactly as many songs as he wanted to have on the record, no more or less. While I have my double song rule, it’s a soft rule. I’m not going to push the artist for more songs if they’re set on what they want. The problem with this record is that there was one song that stood out, and not in a good way. It was funky, while the rest of the songs were indie rock. The vocal performance was falsetto when the rest of the songs were head voice. It simply didn’t fit, and its inclusion would have made the record worse. So, after some pushing, I was able to convince him to cut the song and write a new one. The new one he wrote was not only in the style of the rest of the record but also ended up being one of the best songs on the record. Turns out song 15 was great, despite the record only having 13 tracks. Write more songs.

After you have too many songs it’s time to demo them. Demos can range from single-take live recordings in a proper studio to something recorded on your phone. As long as you can hear the chords, melody, and lyrics you’re set. The idea is to get a sense of the songs and to be able to refer back to them as you go through your song preproduction. That’s why you record demos instead of just listening to the artists play live. Plus, with the way audio technology is becoming available to everyone, you can easily make something that sounds quite good with a single microphone and some clever placement (if you want to record live) or doing one part at a time.

Once you have your demos recorded it’s time to send them off to everyone. If you have the budget, you’re going to professionally produce every track you’ve written and then decide which ones go on the record. If you don’t have the budget, now is the time to choose the songs, and your chance to experiment. Put things in order, get a feel for the flow of the record, and figure out your single candidates. Once you have your collection of songs, you can get a sense of which ones sound radio-worthy, which ones are going to be latched onto by the fans. The ones with the catchy choruses and the lyrics that speak to basic human truths. The ones that stay with you and want you to go back for more. For an LP, I try and find four of these, and then build the rest of the record around them. When it comes to album flow, like everything in music it’s about contrast. You want to build up your listeners over the course of the record, but also don’t want to fatigue them with everything being high energy. I like starting with something fun and engaging, kicking it up for song two, bringing it down for song three, pushing it up again for song four, and really feeling it out to avoid lulls and too much energy. Do this and, while the order can and likely should change as you get closer to completion, you’ll have not only a collection of songs but a sense for the record as a whole.

Now that you have your songs, it’s time to workshop

Workshopping is the term we use in the creative arts for going through and revising the work we have, specifically in a group or collaborative setting. What we do for a record is we go through every song that we’re going to record and make notes about what we like and what we don’t like. Always make sure there’s a balance between the two. Focusing on what we don’t like will help us improve the songs. Focusing on what we do like will help inform how we improve the songs and makes the artists feel good. Always make your artists feel good. I was working on a song, and it was a good song, a radio-worthy song, but it also was too long. Too long for radio, and too long for listening. The problem was the chorus. There’s a reason most pop songs have two choruses at the end. It’s to etch that hook in your brain, but also leave you wanting more. Put too many of them in (like this song had) and you leave feeling satisfied, but also not interested in going back and listening to the song again. We ended up cutting the extraneous choruses and the song came out incredible. And balanced feeling. And fit for radio. In addition to structure, you need to look at the lyrics. I have the artists give me typed-out lyrics so I can make notes and read back while listening to the songs. I’m looking for multiple things when workshopping lyrics. I want to see if I can understand what the artist is going for. I want to see if the lyrics are singable and the chorus is catchy. I want to make sure there are no instances where the rhythm feels lopsided and like the words are crammed in. Like smoothing out the structure (and melody, and rhythm, and chord progression) I want to smooth out the lyrics. As a producer, my role is to add an alternative perspective, one coming from experience and one that’s outside the artist’s creative process. Unless I’m writing with them, the artist has the final say. That doesn’t mean I won’t push if I have to, but in the end, it’s up to me to convince them of what I think, and up to them to make the final decision.

Once the songs are workshopped it’s time to decide how you’re going to record. This involves whether or not you’re going to do live takes or layer the individual parts one by one. If you’re going to record with a click or not. Whether or not you’re going to tune the drums to be in the key of the song (snare and kick are fine if they sound good, but for the love of Apollo tune your toms!). How many layers do you think you’ll need. What extra instruments do you want? While this may seem like it takes away spontaneity and creativity from the actual session, it doesn’t. It gives you a starting point, a road map, something to do when you can’t think of what else to do. It gives you a chance to be creative without concern for budget and time. Instead of deciding whether or not you want a shaker on a track while recording, you can already have that shaker track done and can always cut it later. Got a fun technique you want to try? Write it down so you won’t forget later. Or worse, know you wanted something but forget how to do it. And if you are going to record to a click, please please please figure out your tempo now and practice to one. I had a record not even be released because the performances were so shaky because the band wanted to record to a click but didn’t practice to one. Should I have canceled the session as soon as I heard they weren’t ready? Yes. But preparation, ultimately, is on the artist.

You also use this time to really finalize the vibe. Listen to the reference mixes and reverse engineer how to make your record sound like them. Artists can figure out how to play and prepare their instruments, engineers can figure out how to record, and producers can figure out how to layer and arrange. Take notes. Even if they are brief. Even if they get thrown out the window when you get to actually doing the thing. Don’t assume you’ll remember everything you talk about. And taking notes gives the artist more confidence in you like you care and take things seriously. After all, sometimes giving their best comes from an artist trusting you completely.

Now, engineering preparation

I do a lot of this. I want to know sometimes days beforehand what I’m going to do when I get into the studio. I’ll look up a studio’s mic list and create an input list based on the type of approach I want to take for recording, and the equipment I have available. I do this so that I don’t waste time in the session trying to decide how I’m going to record (remember, respect your artist’s money), but also so I have the chance to imagine how something is going to come out. With enough experience, you know what different mics sound like on different sources, and how they interact with each other. I choose my mics based on both and do what I view as mixing with microphones. I’m micing with the final mix in mind, not simply with what sounds the coolest on any one source (though I also take that into account). This also means that I can print out several copies of my input list to make sure that not only do the assistants have their own copy but that I can leave ones lying around in case anyone (usually me) misplaces their copy. I’ll have a copy on the mixing desk, a copy by the microphones, a copy by the drums, and a copy in the guitar room, really anywhere where I might end up wanting to know what goes where. I can’t do this if I’m making things up on the day. Granted, there is the issue of having to change what I’m doing, and adjusting my input lists, but that disadvantage is minor compared to what I gain from making sure I come in prepared. And it shows the artists that I’m taking things seriously.

After all that, we’re ready for our recording session! The artists know exactly what goes into making a record, we’ve picked out the best songs and made them even better, we’ve made sure we have an idea as to what we want the record to sound like and how we’re going to get there, we have a plan in place to tackle our recording session, and we’ve all prepared in our own way (seriously, artists, practice) to make the most out of what we’re about to do! The more preparation we do, the easier the session goes. The less time (and money) we have to spend fixing things and getting unsatisfying results, and the more time we have for creativity and for fun. Because that’s what we’re all after, creative expression and fun. And preproduction is fun too! It’s fun to talk about music and to play around and experiment and get excited as you imagine and dream about what the actual recording process is going to be like. The more you do, the better your record is going to be, as is the experience of making it.

(Oh, and make sure you get a good night’s sleep and eat a healthy breakfast and drink lots of water and take your vitamins (especially B12) and remember to be compassionate with each other and listen to your producer and that we’re all here to have fun.)

 

 

Britney Spears Wins Conservatorship Battle

The autumn of 2021 has brought a mix of news addressing the abuse of women in the music industry. The world saw R. Kelly found guilty of sexual abuse after a 25+ year string of horrific ongoing allegations. In the following week, UK pop singer Sophie Ellis Bextor and model Emily Ratajkowski shared in their upcoming respective autobiographies their stories of abuse – Ellis Bextor of being raped by a prominent musician when she was aged 17, and Ratajkowski of being groped by Robin Thicke while filming the Blurred Lines music video. It highlights a huge amount of work still to be done when it comes to protecting women and girls, and across these stories from recent times it’s quite unbelievable that there are even discussions – or legal battles – about what is and what isn’t acceptable when it comes to the physical, sexual abuse, extortion, coercive control and manipulation of human beings.

The #FreeBritney Campaign

Following the Britney Spears legal battle progress since the summer of 2021, it’s been some consolation to see the publicity around the case work in the singer’s favour, and to observe the end of the conservatorship from her father Jamie Spears. At the same time, it’s been bittersweet as more details have been revealed about the singer’s life over the last 13 years and the effect this has had on her.

Britney recently claimed her father had abused the conservatorship and that he had “ruined her life”. In July, her newly appointed lawyer Mathew Rosengart, (who Spears had hired herself) began the process to remove Jamie Spears. By September this finally came to pass, with Jamie Spears relinquishing the conservatorship and dropping his request to extract a multi-million-dollar settlement in doing so.

Judge Brenda Penny has assigned a new, temporary conservatorship over Britney Spears’ estate and financial affairs in accountant John Zabel, who was chosen by Britney and her legal team. This temporary measure is undoubtedly a huge win for the singer, who has had no say or control over her finances in 13 years.

What happens next?

Britney Spears’ legal team then submitted a request to have a new hearing take place that would address ending the conservatorship completely. This is scheduled for 12th November. It will be interesting to see what transpires from this request, as a ruling on either side will raise significant questions once more about the ethics of the singer’s ongoing situation; if Spears is ruled as capable and not in need of a conservator then it will beg the question of why this situation continued for so many years without opposition, and conversely, if she is ruled as incapable and in need of a conservator then we must ask whether it’s morally acceptable to expect someone to work without control of their payments.

Additionally, the technical details of this ruling from Judge Penny mean that Jamie Spears is ‘suspended’ and not ‘terminated’ from the conservatorship which is an important detail – by suspending him, means the courts can investigate further details from the case relating to allegations of his coercion and extortion. Most notably, these claims were highlighted in the recent documentary Controlling Britney Spears, outlining the information that the singer was bugged, monitored, and surveilled around the clock by a security company hired by Jamie, and that anyone close to her was obliged to sign a non-disclosure agreement. There are rumours circulating that Britney’s lawyer will pursue action against both Jamie Spears and the team behind the scenes who benefited from her work over these years.

As the next legal installment is prepared in the coming weeks, it’s safe to say that Britney is pleased with the progress thus far – the singer shared a video while taking a flying lesson on Instagram after her win, saying that she was “on cloud 9 right now”. The public reception to the news from fans and celeb friends alike has been overwhelmingly supportive. We hope the next November hearing has a positive outcome for the singer and will prove to be a step in the right direction in supporting women who are fighting for autonomy that rightfully belongs to them.

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Gullfoss – Sound Theory Raffle

Gullfoss is an easy-to-use tool for everyone from amateur musicians to professional mastering engineers. Its clean user interface offers a set of basic parameters that can be adjusted to improve the clarity, detail, spatiality, and balance of a mix or recording in a matter of seconds.

Gullfoss is providing three licenses to members of SoundGirls. The license includes Gullfoss original, Gullfoss Live, and Gullfoss Master. All are coming in the same License! SO it’s some sort of 3 in one plugin. SoundGirls is raffling these licenses and you can enter here.

Raffle will take place on October 31st.

Gullfoss, Gullfoss original, Gullfoss Live and Gullfoss Master. All are coming in the same License! SO it’s some sort of 3 in one plugin.

Expanding and Building Your Creativity

 

For many of us in the creative industry, our passion and drive for creating new art can come and go. It is therefore important to give yourself the space and time to recharge and reset before returning to your practice. If you are stuck and looking for new ideas, however, I have created a list of a few things that can help break you out of a creative block and perhaps challenge you to think and work differently.

Find a Loop

Do you ever find yourself playing the same chord patterns or reaching for that same instrument? Using a Loop or sample can help break this pattern and allow you to build upon something that perhaps you wouldn’t have created before. Obviously, make sure to get the correct permissions to use the samples especially if you’re going to be releasing your new work. You could always take a song you’ve previously worked on and rework it, chop it up, speed it up, etc. The options are limitless!

Word Generator

If you’re stuck for song inspiration or just need some lyrical ideas, try a word generator. If you want more of a challenge, try setting a timer for five minutes and writing everything you associate with the word you’ve been given. You can then create a song using only the words you’ve written down during the exercise.  It can be very freeing and even if you don’t like the full song you’ve made, you are most likely going to have some words or phrases you can use in another track.

Sample Your Surroundings

If you produce and write a lot of music, it can get very mundane using the same sounds and sample libraries all the time. So why not create your own! This not only aids your recording skills but it can help grow your library. It also provides your tracks with unique and interesting sounds that have never been heard before.

Using effects

Another great tip to spice up your sound is to use different effects on your instruments and vocals. Perhaps pitch down and reverse a guitar, distort and warp an acapella recording, add reverb to drum sounds, and loop the reverb tail. It’s up to you how creative you want to get with this tip, but from my experience, the crazier the better!

Use your voice

If you’re struggling to find lyrical ideas, words or just don’t know where to start. Try using your voice. Hum or sing whatever comes to your head in that moment. If you want to, you can record it and play it back and find a mix of melodies you like and then build something from there. Bonus if you chop and sample the vocal recording and add it into the production!

I hope these tips can help you break out of a creative funk or at least let you expand your ideas and try something new in the future. Just remember that stepping out of your comfort zone isn’t always a bad thing and you never know what you might create!

DFTs, FFTs, IFTs…Oh My!

 

The real-time analyzer (RTA) has long been a familiar tool in the audio engineer’s arsenal. Often the RTA is seen in the wild set up as a measurement microphone into an audio interface. This way the engineer can look at the frequency response of the signal received by the measurement mic. A long-time favorite application among engineers of the RTA has been for identifying frequency values for audible problems like feedback. Yet the albatross of the RTA is that it measures a single input signal with no comparison of input versus output. As one of my mentors Jamie Anderson used to say, the RTA is the “system that best correlates to our hearing”.

You can find a RTA in many platforms from mobile apps (Such as this screenshot from the Spectrum app) to car stereos to measurement analysis software

In one aspect, the RTA mic acts like your ears taking the input signal and displaying the frequency response. It can be viewed over a logarithmic scale similar to how we, as humans, perceive sound and loudness logarithmically. Yet even this analogy is a bit misleading because, without us realizing it, our ears themselves do a bit of signal processing by comparing what we hear to some reference in our memory. Does this kick drum sound like what we remember a kick drum to sound like? Our brain performs transfer functions with the input from our ears to tell us subjective information about what is happening in the world around us. It is through this “analog” signal processing that we process data collected from our hearing. Similarly, the RTA may seem to tell us visually about what we may be hearing, but it doesn’t tell us what the system is actually doing compared to what we put in it. This is where the value of the transfer function comes into play.

The Transfer Function and The Fourier Transform:

Standing at FOH in front of a loudspeaker system, you play your virtual soundcheck or favorite playback music and notice that there seems to be a change in the tonality of a certain frequency range that was not present in the original source. There could be any number of reasons why this change has occurred anywhere in the signal chain: from the computer/device playing back the content to the loudspeaker transducers reproducing it. With a single-channel analysis tool such as an RTA, one can see what is happening in the response, but not why. For example, the RTA can tell us there is a bump of +6dB at 250Hz, but just that it exists. When we take the output of a system and compare it with reference to the input of a system, then we are taking what is called a transfer function of what is happening inside that system from input to output.

A transfer function allows for comparison of what is happening inside the system

The term “transfer function” often comes up in live sound when talking about comparing a loudspeaker system’s output with data gathered from a measurement mic versus the input signal into a processor (or output of a console, or other points picked in the signal chain). Yet a “transfer function” refers to the ratio between output and input. In fact, we can take a transfer function of all kinds of systems. For example, we can measure two electrical signals of a circuit and look at the output compared to the input. The secret to understanding how transfer functions help us in live sound lies in understanding Fourier transforms.

In my blog on Acoustics, I talked about how in 1807 [1], Jean-Baptiste Fourier published his discovery that complex waveforms can be broken down into their many component sine waves. Conversely, these sine waves can be combined back together to form the original complex waveform. These component sine and cosine waves comprise what is known as a Fourier series (recognize the name?). A Fourier series is a mathematical series that is composed of sine and cosine functions, as well as coefficients, that when added to infinity will replicate the original complex waveform. It’s not magic, it’s just advanced mathematics! If you really want to know the exact math behind this, check out Brilliant.org’s blog here [2]. In fact, the Fourier series was originally discovered in relation to describing the behavior of heat and thermal dynamics, not sound!

A Fourier series defines a periodic function, so one would think that since any complex wave can be broken down into its component sine and cosine waveforms over a defined period of time, then one should be able to write a Fourier series for any complex waveform…right? Well, as contributors Matt DeCross, Steve The Philosophist, and Jimin Khim point out in the Brilliant.org blog, “For arbitrary functions over the entire real line which are not necessarily periodic, no Fourier series will be everywhere convergent” [2]. This essentially means that for non-periodic functions, the Fourier series won’t always come down to a periodic, or same recurring, value. Basically, this can be extrapolated to apply to the most complex waveforms in music. The Fourier transform helps us analyze these complex waveforms.

In a PhysicsWorld video interview with Professor Carola-Bibiane Schönlieb of the University of Cambridge in the UK, she describes how the Fourier transform is a mathematical process (think multiple steps of mathematical equations here) that takes functions in the time domain and “transforms” them into the frequency domain. The important part here is that she notes how the transform function “encodes how much of every frequency, so how much of each sinusoid, of a particular frequency is present in the signal” [3]. Let’s go back to the intro of this section where we imagined sitting at FOH listening to playback and hearing a difference between the original content and the reproduced content. Conceptually, by using Fourier transforms of the output of the PA versus the input signal, one can compare how much of each frequency is in the output signal compared to the input! Before we get too excited, there are a couple of things we have to be clear about here.

Let’s take a few conceptual steps back and briefly discuss what we really mean when we talk about “analog” versus “digital” signals. Without going into an entire blog on the topic, we can find some resolve by defining an analog signal as a continuous range of values in time, whereas digital signal processing takes discrete values of a signal sampled over some interval of time [4]. In order for us to make use of a Fourier transform in the world of digital signal processing and to transform discrete values into the frequency domain, there must be discrete values in the time domain. This seems like a rhetorical statement, but the point here is that ideally, we want our system to behave linearly so that the sum of the outputs is the same as the sum of the inputs, or rather there is some proportionality to the behavior of the output versus the input. Non-linear behavior leads to things like intermodulation distortion, which may or may not be desired in your system. It also leads to inaccurate correlations between data. In systems with linear characteristics on the output versus input in the time domain, we can perform processing with predictable, calculable responses in the frequency domain.

The DFT and The IFT

In Understanding Digital Signal Processing, Richard G. Lyons unveils that with linear time-invariant systems (so systems where the same time offset exists on the output as the input), if we know the unit impulse response (IR), we can also know the frequency response of the system using a discrete Fourier transform (DFT). Lyons defines the impulse response as “the system’s time-domain output sequence when the input is a single unity-valued sample (unit impulse) preceded and followed by zero-valued samples […]” [5]. To make a loose analogy to terms in acoustics, we can think of an impulse signal as a gunshot fired in an empty room: there is the initial amplitude of signal followed by the decay or reverberant trail of the signal heard in the room. You can imagine a unit impulse response as a version of that gunshot with no decay or reverberance and just the initial impulse, or a value like a one (as opposed to zero) over a sample of time. Lyons unveils that if we know the “unit impulse response” of the system, we can determine “the system’s output sequence for any input sequence because the output is equal to the convolution of the input sequence and the system’s impulse response […] we can find the system’s frequency response by taking the Fourier transform in the form of a discrete Fourier transform of that impulse response” [6]. If you have used a convolution reverb, you are already familiar with a similar process. The convolution reverb takes an impulse response from a beautiful cathedral or concert hall and convolves it with the input signal to create an output signal that “combines” the frequency response of the IR with the input signal. We can determine the frequency response of the system through a DFT of the impulse response, and it works both ways. By performing an inverse Fourier transform, we can take the frequency domain data and return it to the time domain and deconvolve the impulse response. The impulse response becomes the key to it all!

Example of an impulse response from data captured and viewed in L-Acoustics M1 software

Back when computers were less efficient, it took a lot of time to crunch these numbers for the DFT, and thus the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) was developed to run numbers through the Fourier transform quicker. Basically, the FFT is a different algorithm (the most popular being the radix-2 FFT algorithm) that reduces the number of data points that need to be calculated [7]. Even though FFTs are still the most popular form of Fourier transform, the development of more efficient and more affordable computers allows us to crunch numbers much faster so this need for extra efficiency is less important than it used to be.

An important concept to also remember when discussing FFTs is that we are talking about digital audio and so the relationship between time and frequency becomes important in regards to frequency resolution. In my last blog “It’s Not Just a Phase,” I talk about the inverse relationship between frequency and the period of a wave. Longer wavelengths at lower frequencies take a longer period of time to complete one cycle, whereas higher frequencies with shorter wavelengths have shorter periods in time. Paul D. Henderson points out in his article, “The Fundamentals of FFT-Based Audio Measurements in SmaartLive®” that in a perfect world, one would need an infinite amount of time to reproduce the entire complex signal from a Fourier series, but this is not practical for real-world applications. Instead, we use windowing in digital signal processing to take a chunk of sampled data over a given time (called the time constant) to determine the time record of the FFT size [8]. Much like the inverse relationship between frequency and the period of a wave, the relationship between frequency resolution of the FFT is inversely proportional to the time constant. What this means is that a longer time constant results in an increase in frequency resolution, and thus lower frequencies require greater time constants. Higher frequencies require smaller time constants to get the same frequency resolution.

The first thing one may think is that longer time constants are the best way to optimize a measurement. In the days where computers were less efficient, running large FFT sizes for greater frequency resolution in low frequencies required a lot of number crunching and processing. This isn’t a problem with modern computers, but it’s also not a very efficient use of computing power. Some programs such as SMAARTv8 from Rational Acoustics offer the option to use multi-time window FFT sizes in order to optimize the time constants to provide adequate frequency resolution for different bandwidths in the frequency spectrum. For example, using a longer time constant and larger FFT size in the lower frequency range and a shorter time constant and smaller FFT size for higher frequency bandpasses.

The Importance Of The Dual-channel FFT

Now that we have a little background on what a Fourier transform is and how we got to the FFT, we can return to the topic of the transfer function mentioned earlier to discover how we can apply all this to help our situation in the FOH example earlier in this blog. With an FFT of a single source signal, we can take our impulse response and the input sequence in the time domain and convolve them to evaluate the response in the frequency domain. Let’s stop here for a second and notice that something sounds familiar. This is in fact how we can get a spectrum measurement of a single channel measurement such as that viewed in an RTA! We can see how much of each frequency is present in the original waveform, just as Carola-Bibiane Schönlieb pointed out. But what do we do if we want to see the transfer function between two signals such as the output of the PA and the input that we are feeding it? This is where we take the FFT one step further by utilizing dual-channel FFT measurements to compare the two signals and view the magnitude and phase response between them.

We can take the transfer function of our FOH example with the “output” of our system being the data gathered by measurement mic, and the “input” being the output of our console (or processor or wherever you decide to pick as the point in your signal chain). We then take a FFT of these two signals with the input being the reference and can plot out the difference in amplitude of the frequencies for different sinusoids as the magnitude response. We can also plot the offset in time between the two signals in terms of relative phase as the phase response. For more information on understanding what phase actually means, check out my last blog on phase. Many software programs utilize dual-channel FFTs to run transfer functions and show these plots so that the operator can interpret data about the system. Some examples of these programs are SMAART by Rational Acoustics, M1 by L-Acoustics, the now discontinued SIM3 by Meyer Sound, SysTune by AFMG, among others.

Phase (top) and magnitude (bottom) response of a loudspeaker system compared to the reference signal viewed in Rational Acoustics SMAARTv8 software

The basis of all these programs relies on the use of transfer functions to display this data. The value of these programs in aiding the engineer to troubleshoot problems in a system comes down to asking oneself what are you trying to achieve. What question are you asking of the system?

So The Question Is: What Are You Asking?

The reality of the situation is that, especially in the world of audio, and particularly in music, there is rarely a “right” or “wrong” answer. There are better solutions to solve the problem, but I would venture to say that most folks who have been on a job site or sat in the “hot seat” at a gig would argue that the answer to a problem is the one that gets the job done at the end of the day without anyone dying or getting hurt. Instead of trying to frame the discussion of the RTA versus the dual-channel FFT as a “right” or “wrong” means to an end, I want to invite the reader to ask themselves when they are troubleshooting, “What is the question I am asking? What am I trying to achieve?”. This is a point of view I learned from Jamie Anderson. If the question you are asking is “What is the frequency that correlates to what I’m hearing?” For example, in a feedback scenario, maybe the RTA is the right tool for the job. If the question is, “What is different about the output of this system versus what I put into it?” Then tools utilizing dual-channel FFTs tell you that information by comparing those signals in order to answer the question. There is no “right” or “wrong” answer, but some tools are better at answering certain questions and other tools are better at answering other questions. The beauty of the technical aspects of the audio engineering industry is that you get the opportunity to marry the creative parts of your mind with your technical knowledge and tools at your disposal. At the end of the day, all these tools are there to help you in the effort to create an experience for the audience and to realize the artists’ vision.

References:

[1] https://www.aps.org/publications/apsnews/201003/physicshistory.cfm

[2] https://brilliant.org/wiki/fourier-series/

[3] https://physicsworld.com/a/what-is-a-fourier-transform/

[4] (pg. 2) Lyons, R.G. (2011). Understanding Digital Signal Processing. 3rd ed. Prentice-Hall: Pearson Education

[5] (pg. 19) Lyons, R.G. (2011). Understanding Digital Signal Processing. 3rd ed. Prentice-Hall: Pearson Education

[6] (pg. 19) Lyons, R.G. (2011). Understanding Digital Signal Processing. 3rd ed. Prentice-Hall: Pearson Education

[7] (pg. 136) Lyons, R.G. (2011). Understanding Digital Signal Processing. 3rd ed. Prentice-Hall: Pearson Education

[8] (pg. 2) Henderson, P. (n.d.). The Fundamentals of FFT-Based Audio Measurements in SmaartLive®.

Resources:

American Physical Society. (2010, March). This Month in Physics History March 21, 1768: Birth of Jean-Baptiste Joseph Fourier. APS News. https://www.aps.org/publications/apsnews/201003/physicshistory.cfm

Cheever, E. (n.d.) Introduction to the Fourier Transform. Swarthmore College. https://lpsa.swarthmore.edu/Fourier/Xforms/FXformIntro.html

Brilliant.org. (n.d.) Fourier Series. https://brilliant.org/wiki/fourier-series/

Hardesty, L. (2012). The faster-than-fast Fourier transform. MIT News. https://news.mit.edu/2012/faster-fourier-transforms-0118

Henderson, P. (n.d.). The Fundamentals of FFT-Based Audio Measurements in SmaartLive®.

Lyons, R.G. (2011). Understanding Digital Signal Processing. 3rd ed. Prentice-Hall: Pearson Education.

PhysicsWorld. (2014) What is a Fourier transform? [Video]. https://physicsworld.com/a/what-is-a-fourier-transform/

Schönlieb, C. (n.d.). Carola-Bibiane Schönlieb. http://www.damtp.cam.ac.uk/user/cbs31/Home.html

Also check out the training available from the folks at Rational Acoustics! www.rationalacoustics.com

 

Herizon Music Foundation Grants

Herizon Music Foundation has made a generous donation to SoundGirls, with Herizon Music’s support we are able to provide 20 All-Access Passes to the SoundGirls Virtual Conference.

These will be awarded to applicants who can demonstrate financial need and why they wish to pursue a career in audio.

Applications are now open until Oct. 31st. Winners will be notified the first week of November.

Apply Here

“We’re honored to partner with SoundGirls.org and their programs supporting women who make music so magical for fans,” said Herizon Music president Thea Wood. “The SoundGirls Virtual Conference promises to bring the knowledge, tools, and skills for sound engineers and producers to succeed, and we are excited to help get more women involved who may not otherwise be able to participate.”

“When Thea Wood and I first talked about Herizon Music Foundation in 2019, we both agreed that ‘back in our day’ women didn’t even know audio engineering and producing jobs were available to them. Now, our organizations are opening doors so the next generation can not only explore but succeed in these careers.” Karrie Keyes, SoundGirls Executive Director

Herizon Music Foundation is a 501c3 nonprofit on a mission to uplift the next-gen of women in music through education, work experience, and role-modeling programs (including the podcast Backstage Chats with Women in Music). We envision a music industry where women can succeed based on merit, no matter their age, appearance, familial status, or orientation.

Other Financial Assistance

If you need financial assistance in the form of a discount apply here

Asian and Pacific Islander Grants (for people residing outside of the United States)

Griselda Jiménez the First Woman Sound Engineer in México

Griselda Jiménez is the first woman sound engineer in México, working for Mr. Vicente Fernández (among many other representative icons of Mexican popular music) for more than thirty years. Her hallmark, beyond her professionalism and dedication, was her interest in transmitting what the artist is feeling, which is why artists wished to work with her.

From Dancing to Mixing

Griselda came from a family that was directly related to sound, her parents were involved in the rental services of musical instruments and audio equipment where she learned how to use and manage them, but her dream was to become a dancer “I learned everything about the sound when once, as an artist on a tour, my father, who was in charge of the sound, got sick and went back to Guadalajara. I had to take care of the sound at the same time I was performing, that’s how I learned. Actually, I didn’t like it, I had to do it because my father made me do it. I was only an actress and a dancer.” says Griselda.

In 1969, Griselda started her career as a dancer in las caravanas of the Blanquita theater in Guadalajara. A couple of years later she moved to Mexico City and worked as a substitute dancer for the company of the same theater where the actress Margarita Su López, also known as Margo Su, was in charge. It is relevant to say that Margo Su was an important writer and a theater entrepreneur during the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema.

Working in this venue opened a window where Griselda had her first introduction to live sound mixing. An accident gave her the opportunity to be in charge of the theater audio – “Thanks to the unprofessional behavior of the staff, I had the opportunity to be in charge of the audio. I remember that the audio manager got drunk and had an argument with Lucha Villa (icon of Mexican music), she knew I had knowledge about audio so she told me “you are in charge” and fired the guy. Instead of waiting to finish the show, he grabbed his things and left everything there. It was at that moment when Griselda started as a live sound engineer.

Her career continued, at first, she worked for comedians and theatre artists that work by seasons which was the case of Lucha Villa, one of the most important singers in Regional Mexican Music. This event was important to Griselda since she was the first person who believed in her. Later, Jiménez worked with important artists such as Pepe Jara, Juan Gabriel, Imelda Miller, Los Platers, La Sonora Santanera, Irma Serrano, Los Panchos, Pérez Prdo, Lola Beltrán, Jiménez sisters, Vicente Fernández and more.

Professionalism, Modesty, and Determination – The key tools for her development

Griselda has shown modesty and professionalism through her career, basic principles that have kept her in the industry for several years. In 1982, she met the great icon that marked her career, Mr. Vicente Fernández. Fernández had some issues with the attitude of audio engineers, so he thought it would be better if he worked with a woman audio engineer, that’s when he offered Griselda a full-time job. Coincidentally, the engineers were her brothers, so her immediate reaction was to say “No sir, you are my brother’s artist and I won’t get in the middle of that”, but she went to talk with her family who told her to take the job.

After more than thirty-three years touring, Vicente Fernández left the stage five years ago and Griselda was decided to do the same, but Edith Márquez asked to work with her for a few dates since Griselda sees her as a daughter because of her big heart and human quality, she agreed by gratitude and worked a few concerts more, which were her last sound mixes before her retirement.

Training and Empirical Knowledge

During that time there were no schools where you could study music engineering, so she acquired all her knowledge about sound engineering by practicing, experiences, and day-by-day challenges, with joy and pride Griselda became one of the best sound engineers in Mexico. Adrenaline was the key for choosing live sound, although she worked on some projects inside the studio, for Griselda it wasn’t the same experience and sensation, that’s why she preferred the adrenaline and pressure that comes from working on stage with artists. “I started to learn in an empirical way by watching tv shows, but where I truly learned was when we were touring with Vicente in the United States. The audio engineers that worked there were curious about the fact that there was a Mexican woman sound engineer and they helped me” says the engineer.

 

Opens a Path in an Industry Dominated by Men.

“At first it was quite difficult to be in an industry where there were no women working on the technical side”. With her personality, tenacity, and the support of the people around her like his husband Miguel Lara (which whom she married in 1975 until she became widowed in 2012), and her crew Enrique Díaz, Fidel Pérez, and Diego Valdivia (who were always by her side) she earned the respect of many professionals and a place in the industry.

In Griselda’s words “As a woman, in a job for men, it was complicated but not impossible.”

Confidence is the Most Important Thing

“As a monitor engineer, it is key, no matter the mood of the artist, to feel my support. In the Vicente Fernández case, the monitor system that he used was eight-floor monitors just for him, a few more for his musicians, and six side-fill points. Everyone said he was putting a PA for monitors, which was shocking.” says Griselda, “I would say that the sound pressure level was around 100dB. The first sound that the artist made was crucial, if everything was good he would see me with total confidence, and then I knew his sound was just as it was supposed to be, sometimes he even told me to lower the level”.  The word started to get out and some other artists started to ask for the same monitor system. “The only one who makes it is my gordita” would say Vicente.

From Analogue to Digital

“Vicente only used three microphones: one for the violins, another one for the harmonies, and the last one for the trumpets. I didn’t agree with that, so I taught him how to make a mariachi sound. He used to say that people went to listen to him, not the mariachi, but I always told him that without the mariachi the people would never know the songs. It was kind of difficult to work with him, but step by step I changed his mind. I made him use wireless microphones, to the point where he stopped using cable microphones because they made his outfit dirty”, she remembers. “Later I worked closely with his musicians because when the show started, they moved back so they could hear themselves, the reason was they weren’t mic’d correctly. I changed that so they could hear themselves as it was supposed to be. “My equipment preferences changed over the years, you have to learn, improve, and be updated every day”.

Griselda started with a pair of Cerwin Vega speakers and a Monitor console in a 1980 Dodge truck, always with her husband by her side who always supported her.

“At that time, having the right equipment was complicated which is why I didn’t have any type of preferences, with the microphones as an exception, where I always used Shure and Sennheiser,” says Griselda, “Whatever they put me in front, I would make it work.”

 

Over the years, she built her technical team and started to acquire her sound equipment, always keeping up with the newest technology. Griselda told us “all my equipment were KF850 system processors, EQ racks, and Roland effects which were the ones Vicente used to like”.

After some time, my U.S. friends called me to pay me for engineer training because Vicente’s tour was published as the number one show and I used an analogue console. So I went to Los Angeles, I was on an intensive course for a week and then they put me on a show using a digital console” says Griselda Jiménez and continues “Everything was so fast because the next weekend I had to be touring with Vicente Fernández. I took my analogue console (Midas, and when we changed to digital we used a DigicoSD5), with all my peripherals. At the end of the first show, everything went awesome and I saw that Vicente was happy.”

The engineer says “as for the monitors, we always used floor wedges, although they were changing over the years because the stages Vicente used were central and rotating ones, so I had to make different arrangements, for the side-fills we had to hang them from the lighting and we put them down before the show to make four reference points. The monitor engineering for Vicente was difficult and complex because of his needs, every time he asked for more sound pressure reaching the 110dB as a base. He used to allow me only three feedbacks during the show, but I never had them, that’s why I had some independent EQ.

“I think we as women have the feeling and we are dedicated, we surely can do any job that it’s classified as a “man’s job” as is sound engineering.

I started as a dancer and maybe because I had my musical sense developed it helped me to mix. For me, everything started as a surprise that evolved into a necessity and challenge that I didn’t want. I had complicated, scary and sad moments, although I was afraid of the unknown, I constantly said I could achieve it, remembering my daughters Imelda and Rocío that had given me all their support to overcome any obstacle”.

 

What do you like best about touring?

I like traveling very much and being able to soundcheck in different venues.

What is your favorite day off activity?

To be at my home with my husband and daughters. Enjoying my family and my life.

What if any obstacles or barriers have you faced?

There are many obstacles but all of them can be overcome.

How have you dealt with them?

With a lot of persistence, love, honesty and the most important thing is to be constant all the time.

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

Do not lose the passion and love for their profession, ignore negative comments, keep updating all the time and not compare yourself with anyone, each one of us is unique and we have our own mix styles.

 

Griselda Jiménez Primera Mujers Ingeniera de Sonido en México

Griselda Jiménez primera ingeniera de sonido en México, trabajó por más de treinta años para el Sr. Vicente Fernández, entre muchos otros íconos representativos de la escena musical popular mexicana. El sello que la caracterizó además de su profesionalismo y entrega, fue el interés por transmitir al público lo que el artista estaba sintiendo en cada momento, razón por la cual  diversas personalidades buscaron trabajar con ella.

Del Baile a la mezcla.

Griselda viene de una familia relacionada directamente al sonido, sus padres se dedicaban a la renta de audio e instrumentos musicales, fue ahí donde comenzó su aprendizaje en el manejo del equipo de sonido, pero su sueño e interés era ser bailarina “aprendí todo lo del sonido cuando, como actriz, en una gira, mi padre ponía el sonido, pero una vez se enfermó, regresó a Guadalajara y yo me hice cargo del sonido a la vez que actuaba. De esa forma aprendí. De hecho, a mí no me gustaba hacer el sonido en la gira. Lo hacía porque mi padre me ponía a hacerlo. Mi carrera era ser bailarina y actriz”, comenta Griselda.

 

En el año 1969, Griselda comenzó su carrera como bailarina en las caravanas del teatro Blanquita en la ciudad de Guadalajara. Años más tarde se mudo a la Ciudad de México realizando trabajos de suplente como bailarina profesional, dentro de la misma compañía del teatro blanquita, en ese tiempo estaba a cargo la reconocida actriz Margarita Su López, mejor conocida como Margo Su, quien fue escritora y empresaria teatral dentro de la época de oro del cine mexicano.

El trabajar en este recinto, abrió una ventana que sin buscarlo fue donde Griselda tuvo su primer y gran encuentro con la mezcla de sonido en vivo. Un accidente ocasiono la oportunidad de quedarse a cargo del audio de este teatro, Griselda nos lo cuenta– “Por falta de profesionalismo del personal, tuve la oportunidad de estar a cargo del sonido, recuerdo que el encargado del audio se emborrachó y se peleó con la señora Lucha Villa (gran icono de la música Mexicana), ella ya sabía que yo tenía poco conocimiento del audio y me dijo “hazte cargo tú” y corrieron al chavo, en vez de quedarse a terminar por lo menos la función, agarró sus cosas y se fue dejando todo al “ahí se va!”. Fue entonces y desde ese momento que Griselda comenzó su profesión como ingeniera de sonido en vivo.

Su carrera fue avanzando, al inicio sonorizaba a cómicos y artistas que hacían temporadas en el teatro como es el caso de la Sra. Lucha Villa, una de las mas importantes cantantes en la historia del genero regional mexicano, ese encuentro fue fundamental para Griselda ya que fue la primera persona que creyó en ella. Tiempo después, la Sra. Jiménez trabajo con grandes artistas como Pepe Jara, Juan Gabriel, Imelda Miller, Los Platers, La Sonora Santanera, Irma Serrano, Los Panchos, Pérez Prado, Lola Beltrán, las hermanas Jiménez y Don Vicente Fernández, entre muchos otros más.

El profesionalismo, la humildad y decisión, herramientas clave para el desarrollo.

Griselda ha demostrado durante toda su carrera humildad y profesionalismo; principios básicos por los que ha logrado mantenerse tantos años dentro de la industria, como fue el encuentro con un gran icono que sin imaginarlo marcaria su carrera.

En el año 1982, Don Vicente Fernández tuvo algunos problemas con la personalidad de sus ingenieros de audio y pensó que al tener a una mujer encargada de su sonido, sería mucho mas fácil la relación, entonces le propuso a Griselda quedarse de planta. Casualmente los ingenieros eran sus hermanos, la reacción inmediata fue decirle: ‘No señor, usted es artista de mis hermanos y yo no me meto’, acto seguido fue hablar con su familia quienes le dijeron que tomara la oportunidad y trabajara con él.

Después de más de treinta y tres años de giras Don Vicente Fernández se retira de los escenarios hace aproximadamente 5 años, Griselda estaba decidida en hacerlo junto con el pero la señora Edith Márquez le pidió hacer algunas fechas con ella, Griselda siempre la ha considerado como su hija por su gran corazón y calidad humana, en agradecimiento acepto realizar los conciertos siendo estas sus ultimas mezclas antes de retirarse de su profesión como ingeniera de sonido.

Preparación y conocimiento empírico.

En esos años, no existían escuelas en donde se pudiera estudiar la carrera de ingeniero de sonido por lo que todos los conocimientos de audio, los fue adquiriendo en la práctica, con experiencias, día a día nuevos retos a vencer, con gusto y orgullo, Griselda logró ser una de los mejores ingenieros de audio en México.

La adrenalina fue clave para tomar el camino del sonido en vivo, aunque realizó trabajos en estudio de grabación, para Griselda no era lo mismo ya que en los estudios no sentía la misma sensación, así que prefirió la presión y la adrenalina de trabajar en los escenarios con artistas de gran presencia.

“Fui aprendiendo empíricamente, viendo shows en televisión pero en donde realmente aprendí mucho más fue cuando íbamos de gira a los Estados Unidos con Vicente. Los mismos ingenieros de allá, sentían curiosidad al ver que una mujer mexicana trabajaba como ingeniera y me ayudaban”. Comenta la ingeniera.

Abrir camino en un medio mayormente dominado por hombres.

“Al inicio fue bastante difícil estar en un medio en donde no existían mujeres realizando el trabajo técnico”. Con su carácter, tenacidad y el apoyo de varias personas como su esposo Miguel Lara (con quien se caso en el año 1975 hasta que enviudo en el año 2012) y el apoyo de su grupo de trabajo Enrique Díaz, Fidel Pérez y Diego Valdivia, trabajadores que siempre estuvieron a su lado logró tener un lugar en la industria y ganarse el respeto de muchos profesionales. En palabras de Griselda “Como mujer en un ´Trabajo de hombres´ fue complicado pero no imposible”.

La confianza es lo mas importante.

“Como monitorista es fundamental que sin importar el estado de animo con el que salga al escenario el/la artista se sientan respaldados por mi, en el caso de Vicente Fernández, el sistema de monitoreo que utilizaba eran ocho monitores de piso solo para el, diversos monitores de piso para los músicos y seis puntos de side-fill. ¡Todo mundo decía que estaba poniendo un PA para monitores!, la razón es que debía de ser impactante” comenta Griselda, “Calculo que la presión sonora debía de alcanzar no menos de 100dB. El primer sonido que emitía el artista era crucial, si todo estaba bien, volteaba a verme con total confianza y entonces sabia que su sonido estaba tal cual lo deseaba e incluso me pedía que bajara el nivel”. Tiempo más tarde, se fue corriendo la voz y muchos otros artistas comenzaron a pedir el mismo monitoreo, ‘La única que lo hace es la gordita, les decía Vicente’.

 

De lo análogo a lo digital.

“Vicente sólo utilizaba tres micrófonos: uno para violines, otro para armonías y otro para trompetas. Yo no estaba muy de acuerdo en eso, así que lo fui enseñando a sonorizar al mariachi. Él decía que la gente lo quería escuchar a él y no al mariachi, pero yo siempre le sostuve que sin el mariachi la gente no sabría qué canción sonaría. Era difícil trabajar con él, pero poco a poco fui cambiando su pensamiento. Yo fui quien lo enseñó a utilizar micrófonos inalámbricos hasta el punto en el que comenzó a detestar los micrófonos de cable porque le ensuciaba el traje”, recuerda “Poco más tarde comencé a trabajar mucho mas cercano con los músicos, porque cuando comenzaba el show, se hacían para atrás para escucharse, la razón era que no estaban bien microfoneados así que lo cambie, logrando que se escucharan como se debía. De esa forma todos notaron que mi mariachi sonaba distinto, como si fueran cincuenta, pero en realidad eran doce”.

Mi preferencia de equipo fue cambiando con los años, siempre hay que actualizarse, aprender y mejorar cada día. Griselda comenzó con un par de bocinas Cerwin Vega y una consola Montarbo en una camioneta Dodge doble cabina 1980, siempre acompañada de su esposo quien la apoyaba en todo momento. En ese tiempo era muy complicado tener el equipo ideal por lo que no tenia como tal una preferencia de marcas, con excepción de la microfonía, usaba micrófonos shure y sennheiser, comenta Griselda “De ahí, lo que me pusieran lo hacia sonar”

Con el paso de los años, formó su equipo técnico y también fue adquiriendo equipo de sonido, nunca olvidando el estar al día con la tecnología. Griselda nos platica “todo mi equipo eran procesadores para el sistema KF850, rack de ecualizadores, mis efectos Roland 3000 que es el que a Vicente le gustaba.

Después de un tiempo, los amigos estadounidenses me marcaron para pagarme la capacitación en ingeniería porque la gira de Vicente había salido en las revistas en el primer lugar. Y usaba una consola análoga. Así me fui a Los Angeles, estuve en un curso intensivo de una semana y me metieron luego a un show a manejar la consola digital”, menciona Griselda Jiménez y continua, “Todo fue rápido porque el siguiente fin de semana ya debía irme a otra gira con Vicente; llevaban la análoga, (una Midas, y cuando hicimos el cambio fue a una Digico SD5), con todos mis periféricos.  Al final del primer show todo salió muy bien y vi a Vicente muy contento”.

La ingeniera menciona, “En cuanto a los monitores, siempre utilizamos de piso aunque fueron cambiando con los años porque los escenarios de Vicente eran centrales y giratorios, así que tenia que hacer diferentes arreglos, para los side-fills teníamos que colgarlos de la iluminación y los bajábamos antes del show para hacer cuatro puntos de referencia. El hacer monitores para Vicente fue bastante complejo por las necesidades que el exigía, cada vez pedía mas presión sonora llegando a los 110db firmes como base. Él me permitía tres feedbacks máximo durante el show, aunque nunca los tuve, por eso pedía ecualizadores independientes.

“Creo que las mujeres tenemos naturalmente un sentimiento y somos dedicadas, claro que podemos hacer el trabajo que se dice ser para hombres como es el caso de la ingeniería de sonido.

Yo comencé como bailarina y puede ser que el tener mas desarrollado el sentido musical me ayudara en la mezcla. Para mi comenzó como sorpresa que se transformó en una necesidad y retos que yo sola me ponía. Pasé momentos complicados entre llanto y temor pero aunque sentí miedo a lo desconocido, constantemente me decía que lo podía lograr, recordando cada momento a mis hijas Imelda y Rocio Lara que me han brindado el apoyo y sustento para superar todos los obstáculos”

¿Que es lo que mas te gusta de estar en tour?

Disfruto mucho viajar y poder realizar prueba de sonido en diferentes recintos.

¿Cuál es tu actividad favorita?

Estar en casa con mi esposo e hijas.

¿Cual es tu meta a largo plazo?

Disfrutar a mi familia y la vida.

¿Que obstáculos y/o barreras has enfrentado?

Existen muchos obstáculos pero todos se pueden superar.

¿Como haz lidiado con ellos?

Con mucha paciencia, amor, honestidad y lo mas importante de todo ser constante en todo momento.

¿Algún consejo para alguna mujer que quiera entrar a esta industria?

No pierdas la pasión y amor a tu profesión, ignora los comentarios negativos, sigue actualizándote en todo momento y no te compares con nadie; cada persona es única y cada una tenemos estilos diferentes para mezclar.

 

 

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