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Empowering the Next Generation of Women in Audio

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North Seattle College Certificate Program for Audio Engineering

Gear Fanatix in partnership with Womxn & Audio has officially developed a Certificate program for audio engineering led by an all-womxn faculty at North Seattle College. Both in-person and online courses for this one-year program are available; you can also choose to take individual courses throughout the year. 4 quarters with courses in mixing, recording, production, and post. We will especially emphasize the history of women in audio and music during the program. Hands-on experience will be available at Earwig Studio in Seattle, a wonderful acoustic space with analog and digital recording equipment. We will have scholarships available to underserved students and are in the process of creating two study abroad summer programs in Ecuador and Norway!

Instructors and guest lecturers include Vera Project’s Engineer Lilian Blair, Resonant Mastering’s mastering engineer Rachel Field, Mix Like a Girl founder Maria Caridad Espinosa,

Women in Audio author and audio engineer extraordinaire Leslie Gaston-Bird, Ableton instructor and beatmaker Kate Falconer, producer and engineer Jen Gilleran, Allen & Heath’s Install Empress Samantha Potter, Foley master Celeste Selis, Women’s Studies professor Angela Dane, and more! We have partnered with Presonus, Universal Audio, Eventide, Chameleon, iZotope, Earthworks, and more to provide students with the best in audio.

This Fall, Critical Listening & Introduction to Audio Basics will be the two courses available leading to the official program launch in Winter, 2022! More information can be found at:

https://continuingeducation.northseattle.edu/

Six Things to Consider When Choosing The Right Producer

 

You finally have a handful of songs you feel pretty good about. You’ve analyzed them, performed them, played them for your friends and for your mom and got some feedback, made some tweaks, and feel ready to go to the next step.

Find a Producer

It is much easier to say than to actually do. First of all, there are sooooo many different types of producers. Not all of them do the same things or have the same skill sets. If you are surprised by that, check out this blog I wrote a while back explaining the five different categories of producers.

So, how do you even start looking for the person that you will entrust your musical vision and hard-earned money with to translate your non-technical gibberish into exactly what you want to hear when you play your song back from your car stereo?

The person or people who produce your music might just be the most important person or people on your team.

So why are you choosing your producer based on their price?

Because money is tight and you only have so much to spend on your music, right?

Believe me, I know this truth allllll too well. And while it is true you need to hire a producer you can actually afford (or will work within your budget), here are six other factors that you should also consider.

First: are they operating a professional business? Do they have a website with samples and testimonials? Does the copy on the site seem to be written by a 10-year-old or can you tell some effort went into their presentation? How about their socials? Are they professional when interacting with their followers? Are their posts appropriate for the music business? Read their testimonials, observe the way they communicate with others, notice how far back their testimonials go if you can.

Second: How does their work compare with commercial releases? It’s easy to listen to a friends recording that they did at home with “different ears” than how we listen to the next Arianna Grande hit. Would you say the quality is comparable? Or does it sound a bit more…” homemade”?

Third: Do you like their sound? Do they have samples of work they have done that fits your wheelhouse or genre? Have they said they can do your genre but don’t have any samples to show you?

Fourth: Is there chemistry between you in the first phone conversation? This relationship is like a dating relationship. You will need to “like” one another. You must be able to communicate. There must be trust and respectful honesty. Do they listen or speak over the top of you? Are they only interested in telling you how awesome they are or how many amazing credits they have or are they interested in how they can help you? Do they seem like someone you can trust? Yes, be judgemental!!! Just like you would want to do at least some screening before you hop into someone’s car, right? Trust your gut.

Fifth: What is their policy? Make sure you have everything agreed upon in writing (a legal agreement is best but at the very least, save emails and messages). Do they do “work for hire” agreements with no points? Do they want co-writing credit? What is included in their price (recording, mixing, production, mastering, musicians, etc.?) Do they limit how many revisions you can make? (This is a tricky one because many will argue why this has to be their policy to keep projects cost-effective and to meet deadlines. It is a valid issue. But from my experience, I want my artists to be 100% happy with their music and if that means I need to start over or make 50 revisions to the mix, then that is what I will do. That being said, if we start going down the road of revision after revision then there is obviously an issue with either communication OR lack of focus or both. I’ll stop the production and insist on a conversation before we move forward. Go back to #4)

Sixth: What expectations do you have of your producer and do they know what those expectations are? As there are many different types of producers, some are very interested in helping you develop your artistry all around, including your songwriting, your vocal approach, your branding, etc. Others are not, but only want to create your music and think that you have all of that already figured out. Some have an interest in helping you promote your music or find sync placements. Usually, they will only be interested in the back end if they are sharing some of the ownership of the song and will benefit from its back-end success. There isn’t a “right or a wrong” way but you need to know what to expect so that you aren’t disappointed.

Remember that your producer or producers might be the most important people on your team so do some research, have a lot of conversations, and don’t rush the process. Keep on going, friends!!

 

Meet MDIIO (Music Data Intelligence In/Out)

Meet MDIIO

MDIIO provides a competitive advantage for artists to thrive in today’s music industry. Store everything associated with your songs, including your tracks, metadata, collaborators, lyrics, playlists, pitches, network, splits, and even licenses. Then let HyprAUDIO get your music to the masses, while you create magic in the studio.

SoundGirls Members receive a year-free subscription email us to start your free subscription. (soundgirls@soundgirls.org)

Join MDIIO and Justin Gray on September 7 at 1 PM PDT for a webinar on Music Publishing and Royalties

Register and Post Questions Here

Introduction to MDIIO

MDIIO is the easier way for the songwriter community to collaborate, network, pitch, and monetize music,” The user can embed each registered song with as many as 90 points of metadata, such as lyrics, collaborators’ contact info, performing rights organizations, master owners, beats per minute, musicians, and so on, thereby improving accuracy – and payment.

Founded by Songwriter, Record Producer, Music Executive, and Tech Entrepreneur Justin Gray, MDIIO offers numerous opportunities. A user can post a project to MDIIO’s community, privately or publicly, and can customize it.  For example, he or she can look for instrumental music for a documentary; search for four- or five-star rated songwriters and ask them to submit songs; post the payment amount, and even license music directly from within the application. “We do all of the transactions within it, so for the user who’s licensing the song to you, they don’t have to pay a lawyer, and you don’t have to pay agency fees on top of that,” says Gray.

“Our number-one goal with MDIIO is to help everybody in music build viable opportunities and networks to help really propel their careers forward.” – Songistry’s Justin Gray

“It doesn’t matter if you’ve written 10 songs, or 1,000, or none,” says Gray. “It works on so many levels. We try as much as we can to link any of those songs that you’ve written to potential opportunities that may be out there. Maybe there’s an opportunity to place a song on a TV show, or to place a song with an artist. Maybe you’re living in rural Saskatchewan, and you create music, but there’s somebody who writes Spanish lyrics in Majorca. We’re really trying to encourage collaboration on a global level and connect the dots.

 

 

Changing Work Culture and Setting Boundaries

 

“I had also sacrificed my own sense of self in service of this dream, and when I finally got there, I felt like there wasn’t a “me” left to enjoy it.  Worse, I know that by pushing myself in that way to “earn my place” I was contributing to a culture that would demand that from the next person coming up.” – Anna Ehl

 

I wanted to start this article with a direct quote from one of my professors. My hope is that this presents a new or renewed perspective on this important topic.

As a student and working professional, I have learned the importance of setting boundaries with my work. Like many of you, I love what I do and I enjoy working in the audio industry. However, there are some parts of it that we might want to avoid.

Start by analyzing yourself and your limits

This can be something as simple as your availability or even how much work you can physically perform before you need a day off. This industry can be incredibly physically demanding. During the summer I am working a lot. Nobody is doing my laundry for me, even though I really wish someone would.  I know I will need at least one day off after the busy weekend. This can be very demanding for someone who is not used to the labors of live sound and festival gigging. Some people may need two or three days off due to their personal schedules, and that is totally fine.

It is also important to have open conversations about your work environment with other employees. The professor I mentioned before suggested this to me. By talking about things like pay rates, how many hours you are working, and contracts, helps create a kind of team solidarity. This can help you in negotiating better working conditions for not only you but the whole team. You cannot be punished for having these thoughts and conversations.

“I think the answer to changing this culture is to cultivate a sense of teamwork and collaboration instead of competition. Ours is an industry that demands we build our networks, and when we look at our fellow technicians and engineers as part of our team and important building blocks in our network, we can start to build a sense of mutual obligation, trust, and collaboration that will facilitate a better working environment for all. Competition serves the folks who seek to overwork employees to bolster their own profits at the expense of our personal lives. By changing the culture from competition to collaboration, we open ourselves and our teams up to building a life with better balance.”

I could not have surmised this idea any better and it is certainly going to be a thought in my mind for the length of my career. Something that was also brought up in this conversation was that this same network can also supply you with information about possible employers and clients. You should focus your time and energy on employers who respect you as a human and not just based on your talents and services. A client who respects you on and off the clock will be much easier to work with compared to someone who doesn’t. This kind of information can help you avoid the repercussions faced when working with people who do not value you and your boundaries.

Conflict resolution skills

Can be a form of boundary setting. It isn’t talked about as much but can be excellent for when you are dealing with someone difficult. Personally, I like to use the form ‘I feel Language’ for communication. What this refers to are statements that start with I or directly address your understanding of a situation. For example, I could say, “I feel like there has been a lack of communication as of late, and it is making my job harder to do.” In an ‘I’ statement, you are not pointing the blame at anyone and are taking a neutral stance on the issue. Whereas, “You haven’t been emailing me back and now I am behind on work,” is an ineffective way of communicating for conflict resolution.

If done correctly, both parties can state how they are feeling and how the conflict is causing them to suffer. Both parties can reach validation at the very least. Something to note here is that both parties need to be actively listening to each other. This will not happen every time. Sometimes you will have an unhappy client or unruly stagehand and you will have to accept this. I, however, feel that taking the steps to state how you are feeling and approaching the situation with a form of conflict resolution is better than doing nothing at all. Accepting this kind of situation for what it is and refusing to fret over something that cannot be changed is also an important step in setting boundaries for yourself.

Be honest with yourself

You will need to ask yourself these kinds of questions throughout your life and career because things change. You might want to start a family or a health issue might arise. It is absolutely fine to say no to a job or career opportunity. I have found that if I decline an offer, but supply the offeror with other contacts that may be a better fit, I am met with a better response. This approach tends to leave me on better terms with the offeror and the door open for future employment. If you don’t have someone else you can suggest, you can also state you will send anyone you meet their way. This is a nice gesture and shows you appreciate their time and offer.

There are a few smaller techniques that you can apply to your work life to help balance it with your daily life. Though they seem small in application, they can warrant a great outcome. You should set firm times for when you are unavailable. Personally, I have my devices on DO NOT DISTURB from 10 pm to 8 am. This really helps cut down distractions like notifications and allows more time to unwind. One may argue about the need to be available at all hours in case of an emergency and you are needed. However, phone calls can still go through with DO NOT DISTURB activated and I tend to live by the rule of ‘they will call me if it is important. This mentality is a clear way of setting a boundary between your personal time and your work time.

Some of us may also need to set designated times to answer emails. If you receive a lot of emails from clients or inquiries, this process may take you more time. Finding a good time during the typical 9 to 5 business hours to read and respond to emails is a good practice to have. This doesn’t mean it has to be the same time every day. It just needs to be done each day. I also tend to live by the rule of responding to emails within 24, sometimes 48 hours if the working relationship has been established.

However, there is a caveat to this. It is so easy to have access to work emails 24/7. If this becomes or already is a problem for you, revoking or limiting access to work emails and work-related communication applications may be a must for you. Setting DO NOT DISTURB to your phone is already a clear way of creating this boundary, but you can also not allow your work email on your personal devices. Some working professionals only have access to their work emails on their work devices due to the struggles of ‘checking their work email while being at home.’ It is a problem in almost every line of work. This information may be obvious to some, but my hope is that it helps some of you with your struggles.

So at this point in the article, you have heard me mention several ways to create these boundaries and build healthy habits. The reason why it is important for some professionals to have these lines in the sand varies. However, they do boil down to one overarching motive: This work is not worth sacrificing your health for.  For some people, this is a difficult concept to grasp, but it should be applied to everyone in our industry. Yes, we are passionate about what we do, but if a particular gig or client is pushing you to your limits, you should consider setting boundaries or stepping away from that job. Placing yourself above everything else may seem like a selfish act, but you cannot work the job if you don’t take your limits and health into consideration first. By placing your well-being ahead of everything else, you will have a better understanding of when you should walk away from something or someone.

Women who started in this industry many years before me had to work at least twice as hard as their male counterparts. This toxic mentality has continued into our lifestyles now, yet I think we all want the same thing. We make these sacrifices now so that it is better for future generations of women and minorities in our industry. We want our industry’s culture to change so that technicians and engineers can thrive, yet these toxic traits leak in. By having these conversations and taking action to combat issues, we can stop the continuation of an out-of-date work culture.

I would like to give a very special thank you to Anna Ehl for her thoughts on this subject. Her opinion has always been something that I have valued immensely. I would also like to thank Lindsey Johns, Kayla Lee, Keith Norton, and David Peterson for their thoughts and contributions to this article and conversation.

 

Online Events and Training

Find All Upcoming SoundGirls Events Here

AES – The Equity Learning SeriesAES is committed to addressing the issues of equity, diversity and inclusion in order to support the interests and pursuits of audio engineers of all identities.

The Equity Learning Series provides AES members with the chance to learn about important issues facing underrepresented communities, especially in the world of audio engineering, in an inclusive, group setting. AES is committed to addressing these issues in order to support the interests and pursuits of audio engineers of all identities. Facilitating learning, open discussion and understanding of the issues through this series is one way we seek to do this work.

In the first session, AES presents Leslie Gaston-Bird, audio engineer and author of Women in Audio, along with three of the women featured in her book: Leslie Ann Jones, Abhita Austin, and Erin Barra. In a conversation moderated by Liz Teutsch, we will use Gaston-Bird’s book as a jumping-off point as we investigate some of the hidden history she reveals as well as some of the challenges and success of women in audio throughout the years.

AES members receive a 30% Discount on Women in Audio through AES’s agreement with Focal Press/Routledge.

Nonmembers can receive a 20% discount at womeninaudio.com using the discount code FLY21 (which will give the user 20% off of any title on Routledge.com until 12/31/2021). Register Here

Mix Sound For Film & TV

September 25 and October 1, 2021, Hybrid Event In-Person and Online

September 25 in-person event at Sony Studios

October 1 Online-

Omni Sound Project – Signal Gain Conference

November 6th

Omni Sound Project invites you to join us for Signal Gain, our annual virtual conference, presented in partnership with Rupert Neve Designs, Spitfire Audio, BABY Audio, and DistroKid.

As a participant, you’ll enjoy a full day of discovery within a welcoming, encouraging community. Signal Gain is a celebration of the year we’ve had together, accomplishing our shared goal of welcoming marginalized genders into the world of audio. Whether you’re newly curious about audio engineering or a seasoned professional, this conference will provide an opportunity to enrich your skills and knowledge base in a nurturing online atmosphere.

Signal Gain will be held online on Saturday, November 6th from noon to 5 pm CST and will consist of three live sessions and pre-recorded “speed” sessions between the live sessions.

This year, we will also be hosting Free Week prior to the Signal Gain conference, presented in partnership with Reverb, Source Elements, and Spitfire Audio LABS.

The Event Safety Alliance Summit

A hybrid in-person and virtual three-day event that will take place December 1-3, 2021 on the campus of Rock Lititz in Lititz, PA, sponsored by Take1 Insurance and Intact Specialty Insurance. (Go here for more information and to register.)

Allen & Heath Launches Mini Masterclass Series

Wednesdays, 9:00 a.m. PST

Make sure to check out the free ‘Mini Masterclass’ sessions offered by Allen & Heath.  Two tracks are currently running. Feel free to pick and choose any or all of the sessions that grab your interest. Installation Inspiration features veteran engineer and design consultant Samantha Potter. Monitor Mix Mastery is presented by the go-to monitor engineer and production manager Mike Bangs. See you in class! https://americanmusicandsound.com/allen-heath-mini-masterclasses

Insights in Sound

Fridays

Join host Daniel Liston Keller for a series of in-depth and irreverent conversations with people behind the scenes, behind the technology, and behind the music. From musicians and producers to touring pros, sound designers, inventors, and more. Previous episodes, including Pablo Wheeler, Jeri Palumbo, Harmoni Kelley, and Michael Beinhorn here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLELP8j3P2xz8tzRSqycOMtxrUWMvNzvvA

Nobody Likes Networking

For anyone who is looking for new work during these challenging times, Mike Dias — the Executive Director of IEMITO, the In-Ear Monitor Trade Organization — has a new monthly column in Pro Sound News focusing on networking skills. Now more than ever we need to be able to lean on second and third-tier relationships for opportunities. And if that sentence makes you uncomfortable — you’re not alone. No one likes making small talk and asking for favors. No one is a natural born networker. But it is a skill that anyone can learn. If you want more concrete steps than what’s available in the Pro Sound News article, Mike has published many of his past networking talks and notes from his upcoming book at his Nobody Likes Networking site for free.

DiGiCo

Exclusive online DiGiCo Workshops: YOU choose the subject! We are running several online Clinic Workshops where you get to decide what we talk about! Each session is a private one-on-one workshop with a member of the DiGiCo team. So, book now and tell us what you want to know!

Book here: http://bit.ly/digicoclinics

Mixing Music Live

Concert Sound Engineer and SoundGirls Co-Founder Michelle Sabolchick-Pettinato shares her knowledge and experience from 30 years in the industry. Offering two online courses: Mixing Music Live and intro to live sound and mixing and LISTEN! a guide to EQ and Critical Listening. A discount is available to members of SoundGirls. Both courses include great info and lessons via her blog and newsletter. https://www.mixingmusiclive.com

HARMAN Live Workshop Series

HARMAN is thrilled to invite leading Front of House Engineers, Lighting Designers, Technicians and other knowledge experts in the industry to share workshops of their secret methods, tips and tricks.

https://pro.harman.com/lp/learning-sessions

SSL Live Sound Training Program

For the ultimate immersive learning experience, SSL offers its Live Certified training — a six-hour intensive online video course led by Live Product Specialist and live sound veteran Fernando Guzeman. Currently, SSL is offering certified training courses in both English and Spanish during June.

https://www.solidstatelogic.com/ssllivetraining

The Production Academy

Hosts weekly webinars The Pandemic Sessions.

https://www.theproductionacademy.com/pandemic-sessions

Post-New York Alliance – Post Break

You can watch past episodes here A weekly series produced by the PNYA Education Committee explores post-production in New York State. Each week, a different topic will be discussed with a variety of professionals. https://www.postnewyork.org/blogpost/1859636/Post-Break

Color of Music Collective

Hosts free virtual panels on a weekly basis that amplify People of Color and LGBTQ voices in the music industry. You can sign up for their newsletter to see when the next panel is.: https://www.colorofmusiccollective.com

Omni Sound Project

Dedicated to being the most accessible point of entry to the music and audio industries. We strive to provide affordable opportunities for learning to under-represented communities as well as spotlight the talents of female and non-gender-conforming audio professionals. All genders are invited to attend our online educational events. Find all events and to register at https://www.omnisoundproject.com/

Part of the Main

Has launched a series of affordable theatre training workshops from QLab and Lighting Programming into Theatre Marketing and PR. They are offering 20 funded bursary spaces to Black artists. Learn more bit.ly/partofthegrid

Intro to SoundGrid Studio: Online Webinars

Join us for personal small-group webinars about the new Waves SoundGrid Studio for real-time audio processing in the studio. Get a personal overview of how SoundGrid Studio can benefit you for:

These are limited-availability sessions with Waves Studio Specialist Ryan Monette, who will provide answers to any questions you might have.

https://www.waves.com/events/soundgrid-studio-online-2020?utm_source

Andrew Scheps Talks To Awesome People

There are a lot of awesome people in the world, and they all have amazing stories to tell. Getting them to tell their stories on camera is not only fun and educational for all of us, but it helps document some of the absolutely incredible things that have happened in the brief history of recorded music. Join Andrew and his guests for a deep dive into what makes them, and the people around them, tick..

Every Monday 2:30 PM EST, 6:30 PM GMT.

https://www.puremix.net/live/andrew-talks-to-awesome-people.html

I’m with The Crew

A very personal look at human nature and the adaptability required to get through this unprecedented time. Shining a light on the importance of understanding and managing the holistic-self in order to find the strength to take action.

Hosted by Misty Roberts & Jim Digby, Produced by Shelby Carol Cude, guided by mental health professionals Taryn Longo and Dave Sherman with weekly special guests, this live-webinar provides an opportunity to gain greater insight and control over how we respond to these times and manifest the resilience to survive and start again when that time comes.

The webinar takes place at 11:00 a.m. PDT every Friday.

https://showmakersymposium.com/im-with-the-crew

Robert Scovill – The Lab

An online, interactive session focused on pro audio called “The Lab”. This 90-minute session is a completely open forum with much of the topic matter being driven by attendees. Robert has a complete console, recorders and small networked PA system set up in an attempt to address and investigate most challenges. Admittedly the focus is geared more toward console, processing and mixing out of practicality as much as anything. Attendees are encouraged to share their screen and their challenges regardless of console type.

First three Mondays of every month. 1:30 p.m.

It is first come first served with a room limit of 300.

Sign up at https://www.robertscovill.com/ under News and Events.

Pooch & Rabold on YouTube

Pooch and Rabold have over 50 years of experience between them as Front of House live sound engineers.   They work for artists like Bruno Mars, Justin Bieber, Kenny Chesney, Iron Maiden, Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Linkin Park, Motley Crue, Guns N Roses, Widespread Panic, and many others.  They have traveled the earth looking for the best steakhouses in all but a handful of countries.   Rabold and Pooch share all of their knowledge in this very informal series of videos where you get to be a “fly on the wall,” while two of the most respected live sound engineers talk freely about audio.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjx5xSFzwXd43XL4cZDeCag

Robert Scovill – The Back Lounge

An online social group called “The Back Lounge”. Here industry people of all types; production people, i.e. road managers, production managers, backline, audio and lighting pros, company owners and personnel, HOW staff etc. all gather to discuss the state and future of the industry and share guidance and resources on financial assistance strategies and any other topic that suits the discussion.

First three Fridays of every month. 4:20 p.m. PDT

This is first come first served with a room limit of 300.

https://www.robertscovill.com/

Sennheiser Academy Online Webinars

Sennheiser is pleased to announce a series of webinars for our customers and partners. Join us online in the coming weeks to learn about a wide range of topics, from RF and microphone basics to roundtable discussions with sound engineers, as well as a chance to put your questions to our application engineering team.

https://en-us.sennheiser.com/webinars

Updates & Resources

For COVID-19 updates and resources, check out the NAMM. In addition, NAMM is offering a variety of webinars and sessions to help understand alternatives and tips to coping with this new dynamic.

https://www.namm.org/covid-19

Club Cubase

Join Club Cubase Google livestreams every Tuesday and Friday, as Greg Ondo answers all of your questions.

https://www.facebook.com/47279836044/posts/10157291784976045/?d=n

Show Makers Symposium

The Show Makers Symposium is a place for us to gather, learn and give back. During these uncertain times, we will shine as much light as possible toward the end of the tunnel and provide as many resources as available for growth and mental resilience.

https://showmakersymposium.com/#missionstatement

Event Safety Alliance

The Event Safety Alliance® (ESA) is dedicated to promoting “life safety first” throughout all phases of event production and execution. We strive to eliminate the knowledge barrier that often contributes to unsafe conditions and behaviors through the promotion and teaching of good practices and the development of training and planning resources.

https://www.eventsafetyalliance.org/

Learn with Dave Rat

Learn new tips for pro audio engineers and sound techs on Dave Rat’s YouTube Channel. Dave mixed FOH sound for Red Hot Chili Peppers for 27 years, Rage Against the Machine, Blink 182, Soundgarden, Foo Fighters, The Offspring, and more. When he was 18 years old, he co-founded Rat Sound Systems which is the primary sound vendor for Coachella and provides world-class audio sound systems for numerous touring artists including Pearl Jam, Jack Johnson, Pixies, Alt J.. In addition to being president of Rat Sound, Dave has designed speaker systems including the EAW MicroWedge series and Rat SuperSub. The SoundTools.com division of Rat Sound is actively manufacturing and distributing his product designs.

https://www.youtube.com/user/www73171/featured

Wireless Side Chats

Lectrosonics has produced the new video series Wireless Side Chats, hosted by VP of Sales and Marketing Karl Winkler. Episode 1 explores the history of early wireless, episode 2 shows how to solve the seven most common wireless mic problems, episode 3 is an in-depth clinic about Lectrosonic wireless designer software, and episode 4 further explores best practices when using wireless.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwnOnolFSN5K2-2QZOwzVq-0ZFYgoPXDH

eMotion LV1 WEBINARS

Join Waves on our special eMotion LV1 Online Webinars series with one of Waves’ top live sound specialists as your guide. The seminars will be conducted as intimate sessions for small groups, involving an overview of eMotion LV1 mixer with a chance for you to ask questions after being given an overview of the layout and main functions and advantages of this product. Check the website for upcoming dates.

https://www.waves.com/events/lv1-online-webinars

Richard Furch – #mixtipwednesday

Now in the third year,  #mixtipwednesday aims to offer quick tips to get you out of the creative ruts and keep you inspired making records and improving your craft. Also, an Instagram Live event, every Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. PDT, mixer Richard Furch (@richardfurchmix) answers your questions and engages the listeners with insights into the craft and business of record mixing.

QSC@Home

QSC@Home is a comprehensive online launch point dedicated to users’ success across a vast range of solutions and applications. Through its “Connect, Learn and Experience” architecture, QSC@Home visitors are treated to unique collection of online training, tutorials, certification, webinars, entertainment and live online support from company experts, all of which is constantly curated and updated. QSC@Home is a valuable tool for everyone from systems contractors, integrators, A/V IT technicians, A/V consultants, musicians, artists, djs, live sound engineers, recording pros, HOW musical directors, cinema technicians, cinema dealers and end-users at all levels of expertise

https://www.qsc.com/qsc-at-home/

Conversations with Sound Artists

The Dolby Institute and the SoundWorks Collection Podcast, now in its 6th season, is putting the spotlight on episodic content, featuring in-depth conversations with the sound artists behind some of the best broadcast and streaming shows. Join the talented artists behind the shows The Mandalorian, Westworld, Mindhunter, Ozark, Locke & Key, and Unorthodox for in-depth discussions about the creative sound choices for these shows.

Learn more:  https://dolbylabs.co/33NNrgw

Wrong End of the Snake

Tuesdays at 2:00 PM EST

Front of House Live Sound Engineer Ken “Pooch” Van Druten, and Monitor Live Sound Engineer Kevin “Tater” McCarthy, team up to host a webinar exploring the sometimes irrational, always spirited relationships between the music industry tribe. Join us each week as Pooch and Tater reflect on decades of highs and lows, professional tips and tricks, and a special industry guest.

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_R2_ZRFobS3Og41Ax9JeQqQ?

ADAM Academy

An informative video series on the company’s YouTube channel which provides all viewers from entry-level audio students to skilled working professionals with valuable information, tips and tools that they can use to get the best performance from their loudspeaker monitor systems. Recent video topics include: How to Calibrate a Subwoofer; Studio Monitor Placement; Proper Monitor Maintenance & Cleaning; Mixing Rap and Hip Hop Master Class by Brooklyn-based hip hop producer and engineer Paul Womack; Audio Post; How to Mix Acoustic Sessions; How to Mix Live Sessions for Video featuring engineer Eric Bastinelli;  How to Tune Drums; How to Mic Drums; Drum Editing in Pro Tools; Tips for Becoming a Successful Freelance Musician presented by Grammy-nominated bassist Jonathan Maron.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGSZx_3dmWXqXo1-k5GqJtEmU9Uy4Sfye

New Lurssen Mastering YouTube Channel

On this channel with weekly updates, Lurssen Mastering engineers, Gavin Lurssen and Reuben Cohen get you closer to their audio engineering world and share useful tips and insights into the art of mastering.

Lurssen Mastering is a world-renowned multi-Grammy award-winning mastering studio. They have mastered many gold and platinum records and have received several industry awards. In addition to the Grammys earned and proudly displayed by Lurssen Mastering, numerous songs worked on by the team have been nominated for Oscars over the years and several have won this prestigious award.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuSlopV23zOqLzuKpeLKSIQ

 

The Importance of the Cover Letter

College may or may not be in person where you live this semester but that doesn’t mean school isn’t starting soon. As students prepare for Zoom or in-person orientations this August I encourage you to consider looking for places you may want to intern at or be employed at after school. While you may have your resume prepared and it is important that you do, do you have the cover letter to complement it? Recently when talking to my peers I realized that while most people talk about the importance of having your resume prepared, they don’t realize how important a cover letter really is! So why is it so important? If it is as important as a resume, how do I begin? Well…let’s talk about that!

The Importance of the Cover Letter

Resumes are important because it’s a look at what your qualifications are for the position that you are after. However, it’s no joke that if you are considering a highly sought-after job (like a top-liner for instance), you are competing with dozens – possibly even hundreds – of applicants. The ones looking over your application are having to scour through all those applications and resumes, and will likely only have the time to briefly review yours. The goal of the employer is to find the best-fit candidate, while your goal is getting hired. The cover letter is that extra life to make you more than just a name on some paper – it makes you a person. The cover letter is a brief introduction about you, your background, education (if any), and experience ( if any). With a cover letter, you are more likely to join that narrowed-down pool of candidates.

How to Write a Cover Letter With Experience 

If you have some experience already, say off a mentorship, internship, or job(s) you have done then a cover letter will be a breeze for you!

Let’s look at an example of one cover letter for a foley artist.

Firstly when finding out who to address – do your research before you apply. This is a no-brainer, if you want the job you make sure you know everything that you can before you apply. Maybe you need to email in your resume and cover letter, or maybe you are applying on Indeed/ a job site. In the case, you know the hiring manager’s name refer to them in a formal tone. In the case you do not, you could use the name of the venue or location of the job. Here’s a start :

 

Dear (Insert name)/ John’s Studio, 

I am currently a college undergrad majoring in film at the University of Jane, I am seeking the opportunity listed on Indeed as foley artist. 

I have experience in film in post-production, working on multiple foley stages around the northeast and abroad. Some films I have been credited to are Vampires Eight, Jakie John, and Horseshoe Mountain. My responsibilities included ____ and ____. I feel I am the best fit for the job due to my experiences working as a foley artist and my ability to work well under tight deadlines. 

I seek an environment that challenges and is proactive in bringing stories from page to screen, I identify with the values of your studio and I feel that John’s Studio is the perfect environment for me to flourish creatively as I look to work with your establishment for the next five years and so on. 

I hope to connect with you at your earliest convenience to discuss my qualifications further. 

I appreciate your time and consideration and hope to be hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,

Josephine Doe

In this example, Josephine addressed the studio they wished to work at, explained their education and experiences, and explained why they would best fit the studio environment. The best way to write a cover letter is to be formal, but authentic.

KEEP IN MIND! 

STAY AWAY FROM!

Writing a Cover Letter With No Experience

If you do not have job experience yet and want to apply, how should your cover letter look?

Well, most of the tips for the top portion are applied here as well, however, you will have to lean more into how you can benefit the company.

For example, let’s use Josephine again.

 

Dear (Insert name)/ John’s Studio, 

I am currently a college undergrad majoring in film at the University of Jane, I am seeking the opportunity to intern at your establishment under your foley department. 

I have managed our college fall festival and worked well with collaborating with others to create an entertaining experience, and throughout the project, I exhibited strong leadership and time-management skills. I recognize that working with strict deadlines is imperative to the position and I am prepared to work overtime if necessary to see the projects asked of me to completion. 

I seek an environment that challenges and is proactive in bringing stories from page to screen, I identify with the values of your studio and I feel that John’s Studio is the perfect environment for me to flourish creatively as I look to work my way up to joining the staff as a foley artist with hard work and dedication.

I hope to connect with you at your earliest convenience to set up an interview,

I appreciate your time and consideration and hope to be hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,

Josephine Doe

In this example Josephine doesn’t have the film experience written out in the first example, however, Josephine is able to relate a personal story to the position. From explaining their experience managing the festival they demonstrated leadership skills, resiliency, and management capabilities. They show they can collaborate with others to get work done, and that they see themselves with John’s Studio, establishing their timeline.

While considering places you may want to intern or apply for jobs this fall consider writing a cover letter, it might help bring you to places you dreamed of being.

More Resources on Resumes and Cover Letters

The Poem of Fire… Symphony No. 5

 

A few years ago, I had the fortune to work for a while in Japan, a country I have known for a long time, during my stay I visited MORI Building DIGITAL ART MUSEUM: teamLab Borderless, is a digital museum full of works with images, lights, sound and objects that invite you to get lost in its labyrinths and live multi-sensory experiences that make us awaken the imagination and the senses. For those who have not been able to live any of these experiences … imagine entering a building with many rooms where for seasons they make audiovisual works representing nature using technological digital means in each of the rooms, the first memory that comes to mind is to enter a dark room, walk on a narrow corridor that takes you to a network suspended in space … I felt little vertigo for the transparent and unstable but since I settled it was very nice and comfortable!, after this the lights begin and the music I began to see flashes of different colors moving around me it is as if I were inside a galaxy, inside an infinite tunnel … this was amazing in a second it transported me to another world. What if you had these experiences in your day to day …? What if we could see colors when we hear sounds? Can color be a sound? Can the touch of a surface cause an emotion that makes you sad?  Can a smell or taste make us feel cold? Can something have a sharp taste?

 

Creation

In 1910 the Clavier á lumère was created, a keyboard-like instrument by which each note produced a beam of light with a color corresponding to a chromatic scale visualized by the composer and pianist Alexander Scriabin, this great artist had a vision of sharing and transmitting to the audience what he felt multi-sensorial, I mean seeing colors through sounds.

Scriabin, composed Prometheus: The Poem of Fire (Symphony No. 5), in this orchestral work, the Russian composer added a piano, a choir and the Clavier á lumère where by means of the beams of light projected on the stage, he showed and towards feeling to the audience the colors that he saw when listening to the music, that is, that they could perceive sensations comparable to his own, or as he described it “a powerful psychological resonator in the listener”.

Synaesthesia

Neurologically the explanation that I liked the most was the one shared by Richard Cytowic, where he tells us that synesthesia is a fundamental attribute of mammals, we all have it but only some people are aware of this and each individual can develop it with greater or lesser intensity, he also explains that most brain processes work at the subconscious level, although there may be cases that reach a higher level of consciousness, in any case, this experience remains in the unconscious of the person, so in short, the only difference between synesthesia and a person who is not, is that the former is aware of their synesthetic experiences.

Synesthesia makes us experience sensations from different senses at the same time before a single perceptual stimulus. According to the Royal Spanish Academy of Language, the word synesthesia comes from Greek and is formed by the union of the words “syn”, which means union, and “aísthesis”, which translates as sensations, so we could define it together as “United Sensations”.

It is important to mention that this condition is usually manifested by the appearance of colors and shapes linked to the senses of hearing, smell, taste or touch, although there are also other rare ones, such as the touch-mirror, in which the synesthetic experiences the same sensations as another person he is seeing at that moment. For example, if the other person feels pain, the synesthetic also feels it.

In the case of music, melody has the power to provoke sensitive reactions in the human being, capable of reviving images, places, situations, memories, people and on the other hand, in the art of smells, a fragrance can make us visualize a memory, a situation or a specific fact.

Speaking of the history of classical music and art, we find many cases of composers, writers, and synesthetic painters, as is the case of the composer Richard Wagner and his peculiar way of writing scores with the colors that represented the sounds he heard. On the other hand, this is the case of Oliver Messiaen, one of the most important composers of the twentieth century, lover of the sound of birds, his synesthesia allowed him to see colors through sound and vice versa, Massiaen made countless references to light, color and visual in some names of his compositions. His condition took him so deep that he said…

“One of the great dramas of my life is telling people that I see colors when I listen to music, and they don’t see anything, nothing at all. That’s terrible. And they don’t believe me. When I listen to music I see colors. The chords are expressed in terms of color for me. I am convinced that one can express this to the public.”

We could stay a long time talking and citing many experiences of a wide variety of artists with this condition who have delighted us with magnificent works, but I would like to delve a little deeper into how people with this condition associate the senses specifically with sound and/or music. In general, synesthetic people automatically associate a color with each note, including the different tones, but a very interesting feature is that they will always associate the same musical tonality with the same colors or same color tonality. The difference lies in each synesthetic individual, that is, each person with this condition has its own association, that is, that one hears a note and sees the same color always, another synesthetic person can see the same or a different one, but always the same associated with each note or tone.

What happens with people who are not synesthetic, is that these associations between colors and music do not occur automatically, so they are variable because they can be influenced by various factors such as mood, or associations based on childhood learning modified by memory, although in general, most people already have certain associations such as bass sounds with dark colors and lighter colors when hearing higher sounds.

 

How is it that the frequencies of sounds and smells affect human behavior differently? High frequencies would incisively influence cognitive functions, such as thinking, perception, or memory. The average frequencies, in neurovegetative processes, such as heart rate, or in the emotions themselves, while low-frequency sounds would influence motor behavior.

Dr. Septimus Piesse who was a noted French perfumer and chemist created a unique way to combine smell and sound. Matched a particular note or sound with a particular smell. Starting with the Do1 of the key of F in 4th line, that is, 3 octaves below the central C, Dr. Piesse assigned to the bass notes, heavy odors, and to the sharpest, penetrating odors. Combinations of several notes, in turn, result in a chord. Piesse, produced a combination or mixture of different aromas generating a harmony of smells, from there emerged the “Odophone” (Perfume Organ), an impressive instrument which looks like an organ but instead of emitting sound when the keys are pressed, it gives off smells. It would be an unimaginable experience to be able to hear and feel the music through aromas.

 

In the same way that there were synesthetic builders of instruments, who in their manufacture not only sought the sounds of greater purity but also gave off “aromas” and “colored lights”, there are composers with the same synesthetic condition that is clearly reflected in their work, as in the case of the Austrian composer Franz Liszt, in 1842, when he was Kapellmeister (maestro di cappella) in Vienna, he used to ask his orchestras “A little more blue please, this tone requires it” or “a deep violet, please… not so pink”, in passages that he considered more appropriate to be interpreted with a color.

 

Human behavior is wonderful the more sensitive and creative you are, you can feel and experience very intense sensations, this makes me reflect on the importance of being the person responsible for transmitting a piece of music to the public. As monitor engineers, for example, we are constantly faced with very peculiar explanations of how “musicians listen” and how they refer to specific sounds or sensations, it would be a challenge to work with a synesthetic person and be able to transport you to that world of smells, colors and sounds that music awakens.

 

Bibliographical references:

-The Synesthetic Composer: Oliver Messiaen

– Scents & Sensibility: Perfume in Victorian Literary Culture

– Synesthesia: music and color

– Synergy Between Art and Science

 

El Poema del Fuego… Sinfonía nº5

 

 

Hace algunos años tuve la fortuna de trabajar un tiempo en Japón, país que conozco desde hace mucho, durante mi estancia visité MORI Building DIGITAL ART MUSEUM: teamLab Borderless, es un museo digital repleto de obras con imágenes, luces, sonido y objetos que te invitan a perderte en sus laberintos y vivir experiencias muli-sensoriales que nos hacen despertar la imaginación y los sentidos. Para aquellos que no hayan podido vivir alguna de estas experiencias… imagínense entrar a un edificio con muchas salas en donde por temporadas hacen obras audiovisuales representando la naturaleza utilizando medios digitales tecnológicos en cada uno de los cuartos, el primer recuerdo que me viene a la mente es entrar a un cuarto obscuro, caminar sobre un pasillo angosto que te lleva a una red suspendida en el espacio… sentí un poco de vértigo por lo transparente e inestable pero ya que me acomodé fue ¡muy agradable y cómodo!, después de esto comienzan las luces y la música comencé a ver destellos de diferentes colores moviéndose alrededor mío es como si estuviera dentro de una galaxia, dentro de un túnel infinito… esto fue increíble en un segundo me transportó a otro mundo.

¿Que pasaría si estas experiencias las tuvieras en tu día a día…? ¿Qué tal si pudiéramos ver colores al escuchar sonidos? ¿Puede ser el color un sonido? ¿Puede provocar una emoción que te provoque tristeza el tacto de una superficie? ¿Puede provocarnos sensación de frío un olor o un sabor? ¿Puede algo tener un sabor agudo?…

La creación

En 1910 fue creado el Clavier á lumère, instrumento parecido a un teclado por el cual cada nota producía un haz de luz con un color correspondiente a una escala cromática visualizada por el compositor y pianista Alexander Scriabin, este gran artista tenia una visión de compartir y transmitir a la audiencia lo que él sentía multi-sensorialmente, me refiero a ver colores por medio de sonidos.

Scriabin, compuso Prometeo: El Poema de Fuego (Sinfonía nº5), en esta obra orquesta, el compositor ruso añadió un piano, un coro y el Clavier á lumère donde por medio de los haces de luz proyectados en el escenario , mostraba y hacia sentir al público los colores que él veía al escuchar la música, esto es, que pudieran percibir sensaciones equiparables a las suyas, o como el lo describía “un poderoso resonador psicológico en el oyente”.

Sinestesia

Neurológicamente la explicación que más me gustó fue la que comparte Richard Cytowic, en donde nos dice que la sinestesia es un atributo fundamental de los mamíferos, todos lo tenemos pero sólo algunas personas son consientes de esto y cada individuo lo puede desarrollar con mayor o menor intensidad, también explica que la mayoría de los procesos cerebrales funcionan a nivel subconscientes, aunque puede haber casos que llegan a un nivel de conciencia mayor, de cualquier forma esta experiencia permanece en el inconsciente de la persona, por lo que en resumen, la única diferencia entre un sinestesia y una persona que no lo es, es que el primero es consciente de sus experiencias sinestésicas.

La sinestesia nos hace experimentar sensaciones provenientes de diferentes sentidos a la vez ante un solo estímulo perceptivo. Según la Real Academia Española de la Lengua, la palabra sinestesia proviene del griego y está formada por la unión de los vocablos “syn”, que significa unión y “aísthesis”, que se traduce como sensaciones, entonces podríamos definirlo en conjunto como “Sensaciones unidas”.

Es importante mencionar que esta condición usualmente se manifiesta por la aparición de colores y formas vinculados a los sentidos del oído, el olfato, el gusto o el tacto, aunque también existen otras más raras, como la tacto-espejo, en la que el sinestésico experimenta las mismas sensaciones que otra persona a la que está viendo en ese momento. Por ejemplo, si la otra persona siente dolor, el sinestésico también lo siente.

En el caso de la música, la melodía tiene el poder de provocar reacciones sensitivas en el ser humano, capaz de revivir imágenes, lugares, situaciones, recuerdos, personas y por otro lado, en el arte de los olores, una fragancia nos puede hacer visualizar un recuerdo, una situación o un hecho específico.

Hablando de la historia de la música clásica y el arte, nos encontramos con muchos casos de compositores, escritores y pintores sinestésicos, como es el caso del compositor Richard Wagner y su peculiar forma de escribir partituras con los colores que le representaban los sonidos que escuchaba. Por otro lado, esta el caso de Oliver Messiaen, uno de los compositores más importantes del siglo XX, amante del sonido de los pájaros, su sinestesia le permitía ver colores por medio del sonido y viceversa, Massiaen hizo un sinnúmero de referencias a la luz, el color y lo visual en algunos nombres de sus composiciones. Su condición lo llevó tan profundo que decía…

“Uno de los grandes dramas de mi vida consiste en decirle a la gente que veo colores cuando escucho música, y ellos no ven nada, nada en absoluto. Eso es terrible. Y ellos no me creen. Cuando escucho música  yo veo colores. Los acordes se expresan en términos de color para mí. Estoy convencido de que uno puede expresar esto al público.”

Podríamos quedarnos mucho tiempo platicando y citando muchas experiencias de gran variedad de artistas con esta condición quienes nos han deleitado con obras magníficas, pero me gustaría profundizar un poco más en como las personas con esta condición asocian los sentidos específicamente con el sonido y/o a la música.

En general las personas sinestésicas asocian automáticamente un color a cada nota, incluyendo las diferentes tonalidades, pero una característica muy interesante es que siempre asociarán la misma tonalidad musical con los mismos colores o misma tonalidad de color.

La diferencia radica en cada individuo sinestésico, esto es, cada persona con esta condición tiene su propia asociación, es decir, que uno escucha una nota y ve un mismo color siempre, otra persona sinestésica puede ver el mismo u otro diferente, pero siempre el mismo asociado a cada nota o tono.

Lo que sucede con las personas que no somos sinestesicas, es que estas asociaciones entre colores y música no se producen de manera automática, así que son variables porque se pueden ver influidas por diversos factores como pueden ser el estado de ánimo, o asociaciones basadas en un aprendizaje de la infancia modificadas por la memoria, aunque en general, la mayoría de las personas ya tenemos ciertas asociaciones como por ejemplo, sonidos graves con colores oscuros y colores más claros al escuchar sonidos más agudos.

¿Cómo es que las frecuencias de los sonidos y los olores afectan de diferente forma al comportamiento humano?

Las frecuencias altas influirían de forma incisiva en las funciones cognitivas, como sería en el pensamiento, la percepción o la memoria. Las frecuencias medias, en procesos neurovegetativos, como el ritmo cardíaco, o en las propias emociones; mientras que los sonidos de frecuencias bajas influirían en la conducta motora.

El Dr. Septimus Piesse quien fue un notable perfumista y químico francés, creó una manera única de combinar olor y sonido. Igualó una nota o sonido determinado con un olor en particular. Comenzando por el Do1 de la clave de fa en 4ª línea, es decir, 3 octavas por debajo del Do central, el Dr. Piesse asignó a las notas graves, olores pesados y a las más agudas, olores penetrantes. Las combinaciones de varias notas, a su vez, dan lugar a un acorde. Piesse, produjo una combinación o mezcla de aromas diferentes generando una armonía de olores, de ahí surgió el “Odophone” (Órgano de perfume), un instrumento impresionante el cual pareciera un órgano pero en lugar de emitir sonido cuando se presionan las teclas, éste desprende olores. Seria una experiencia inimaginable poder escuchar y sentir la música por medio de aromas.

De la misma manera que había constructores sinestésicos de instrumentos, que en su fabricación no sólo buscaban los sonidos de mayor pureza, sino que también desprendieran “aromas” y “luces de colores”, hay compositores con la misma condición sinestésica que se refleja claramente en su obra, como el caso del compositor austriaco Franz Liszt, en 1842, cuando fue Kapellmeister (maestro de capilla) en Viena, acostumbraba a pedir a sus orquestas “Un poco más azul por favor, este tono lo requiere” o “un profundo violeta, por favor… no tan rosa”, en pasajes que él consideraba más apropiado interpretarse con un color.

El comportamiento humano es maravilloso definitivamente entre mas sensible y creativo seas, puedes llegar a sentir y experimentar sensaciones muy intensas, esto me hace reflexionar la importancia que existe en ser la persona responsable de transmitir al público una pieza musical. Como ingenieros de monitores, por ejemplo, constantemente nos enfrentamos con explicaciones muy peculiares de cómo “escuchan los músicos” y como se refieren a sonidos o sensaciones especificas, seria todo un reto trabajar con una persona sinestética y poder transportarte a ese mundo de olores, colores y sonidos que despierta la música.

 

Referencias bibliográficas:

-El compositor Sinestésico: Oliver Messiaen

– Scents & Sensibility: Perfume in Victorian Literary Culture

– Sinestesia: música y color

– Sinergia Entre Arte y Ciencia

 

It’s Not Just A Phase

 

Understanding Phase Relationships in Constructive and Destructive Interferences

If a tree falls in the forest and nobody is there to hear it, does it make a sound? If an engineer walks between two loudspeaker systems and says it sounds “phase-y,” is there really a “phase issue”? What does that even mean?? In the world of audio, music results from the amazing amalgamation when science and art combine together. Descriptive terms often define subjective experiences whose origin can either be proven or disproven objectively using tools such as measurement devices that utilize dual-channel FFTs (Fast-Fourier Transforms). The problem that we audio engineers face when dealing with the physics of sound is that we deal with wavelengths in orders of magnitude from the size of a coin to the size of a building (see my blog on acoustics here for more info). How two different waveforms interact depends on many factors including frequency, amplitude, and phase. Not to mention what medium they are traveling through, what atmospheric conditions exist, and more…The point being is that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer because most of the time the answer is frequency and phase-dependent. When two correlated audio signals at the same frequency combine, do they really create 6dB of gain from summation? Well, the answer is…it depends.

Back To The Basics

Before we go any further, let’s talk about what comprises a complex waveform. In 1807, Jean-Baptiste Fourier wrote in his memoir On the Propagation of Heat in Solid Bodies [1] his theory that any complex waveform can be broken down into many component sine waves that, when reconstructed, form the original waveform. This theory would be known as a Fourier Transform [1]. The Fourier Transform forms the basis of the math that allows us to perform the signal processing in dual-channel Fast-Fourier Transforms, which in turn allow us to take data in the time domain and analyze it in the frequency domain. Without going too far down the rabbit hole of FFTs, let’s take what Jean-Baptiste Fourier has taught us about complex waveforms and know that by analyzing examples from simple sine waves, we can apply the same concepts to the behavior of more complex waveforms, but layered together to create an end result. The question then becomes what happens when you layer these simple sine waves together?

Let’s narrow our focus from complex waveforms to sine waves and first define some basic terminology such as constructive and destructive interference. When two correlated waveforms, whether it be discrete values of an electronic signal or a mathematical representation of air oscillations, combine together to create an increase in amplitude of the combining individual waveforms, it is known as constructive interference.

Figure A

When the two correlated signals combine to form a decrease in amplitude, this is called destructive interference. In the worst-case scenario, with enough offset in time or a polarity reversal of one of the individual waveforms, the waveform results in complete cancellation.

 

Figure B

Figure C

What’s important to note in these graphics is that both waveforms have the exact same frequency and amplitude (for the sake of this example 1000 Hz or 1kHz), but the difference is their offset in time or polarity. In Figure A, both waves start at the same time with the same amplitude so that the sum results in constructive interference which we audibly perceive as a +6dB increase in amplitude. In Figure B one wave starts at time zero while the other starts with a 0.0005s offset in time, this results in a phase offset of 180 degrees (don’t worry we will get into this more) which results in theoretical perfect cancellation of the two waveforms. Similarly in Figure C, the two waveforms start at the same time zero, but one wave has a polarity reversal where the one form starts at the crest of the wave and the other starts at the trough of the wave. This also results in a theoretical perfect cancellation, but it is important to note that a polarity reversal does not involve any offset in time. It is a physical (or electronic) “flip” of the waveform that can result from situations like having the + or – leads on a cable going to an opposite terminal on an amplifier, or pins 2 and 3 on one side of an XLR reversed compared to the other side, or the engagement of a polarity reversal switch on a console, etc. It is also important to point out that we are talking about the effects of time offset versus a polarity reversal in simple sine waves. In these cases, the destructive effects cause the same result, but as soon as we talk about complex waveforms we can definitely tell the difference between the two because there is more than one frequency involved.

So we have reviewed the basics of how waves interfere with one another, but we still haven’t explained what phase actually is. We have only talked about what happens when two waves combine and in what circumstances they will do so constructively or destructively.

In The Beginning, There Was A Circle

In order to really understand what we are talking about when we are talking about phase, we are going to dive even further back into our basic understanding of sound. Not just sound, but how we represent a wave in mathematical form. Recall that sound, in and of itself, is the oscillation of molecules (typically) air traveling through a medium and for us humans we perceive the oscillations moving the organs in our ears at rates between 20Hz to 20,000Hz (if we are lucky). We represent the patterns of this movement in mathematical form as sine waves at different frequencies (remember what Fourier said earlier about complex waveforms?). Because of the cyclical nature of these waves, i.e. the wave repeats itself after a given period, one period of the wave can be thought of as a circle unwound across a graph.

A sine wave can be thought of as an unwound circle

This concept blew my mind when I first put these two things together. The magic behind this is that many cyclical behaviors in nature from light to quantum particles can be represented through wave behavior! WOW! So now that we know that a wave is really just a circle pulled apart across the period of a given frequency (more on that to come!), we can break up a circle in terms of degrees or radians (for math and formal scientific calculations). Conversely, we can indicate what position at a particular point along that waveform is in terms of degrees or radians along the circle. This is the phase at that given position. In the analog world, we talk about phase in relation to time because it took some amount of time, however small, for the waveform to get to that particular position. So how do we figure out what the phase is at a given time for a given frequency sine wave? Time for some more math!

Three Important Formulas in Sound

If you can imprint in your brain three formulas that can be applied to sound for the rest of your life, I highly recommend remembering these three (though we will only really go into two in this blog):

1/T=f or 1/f=T

1/period of a wave in seconds (s) = frequency (in cycles per second or Hertz (Hz))

or

1/frequency of a wave (Hz) = period of a wave (in seconds)

λ =c/f

wavelength (feet or meters) = speed of sound (feet per second ft/s or meters per second m/s) / frequency (Hz)

**must use the same units of distance on both sides of the equation!! (feet or meters)**

V=IR (Ohm’s Law (DC version))

Voltage (Volts) =Current (Amperes) x Resistance (Ohms)

The first equation is very important because it shows the reciprocal relationship between the period of a wave (the overall duration in time for one cycle to complete) to the frequency of the wave (in cycles per second or Hertz). Let’s go back to the example from before of the 1,000Hz sine wave. Using one form of the first equation T=1/f we find that for a 1,000Hz sine wave:

1/1,000 Hz = 0.001 s

The period of a 1,000Hz sine wave is 0.001s or 1 millisecond (1ms). We can visualize this as the amount of time it takes to complete one full cycle and travel from 0 to 360 degrees around the 1,000Hz circle as 1ms or 0.001s.

 

1,000Hz sine wave with a period of 1ms

 

The thing is, in most scenarios, phase doesn’t have much meaning to us unless it’s in relation to something else. Time doesn’t have much meaning to us unless it’s in relation to another value. For example, we aren’t late for a meeting unless we had to be there at noon and it is now 2:00 pm. If the meeting had no time reference, would we ever be late? Similarly, a signal by itself can start at any given position in-phase/time and it’s just the same signal…later in time…But if you combine two signals, one starting at one time and the other offset by some value in time, now we start to have some interaction.

Since we now understand phase as a value for a position in time along the period of a waveform, we can do a little math magic to figure out what the phase offset is based on the time offset between two waveforms. Let’s take our 1,000Hz waveform and now copy it and add the two together, except this time one of the waveforms is offset by 0.0005s or 0.5ms. If we take the ratio of the time offset divided by the period of the 1,000Hz waveform (0.001s or 1ms) and multiply that by 360 degrees, we get the phase offset between the two signals in degrees.

(360 degrees )*((time offset in seconds / period of wave in seconds))

(360)*((0.0005)(0.001))=180 degrees

That means that when two copies of the same correlated 1,000Hz signals are offset by 0.5ms they are offset by 180 degrees! If you combined these two at equal amplitude you would get destructive interference resulting in near-perfect cancellation! Knowing the frequency of interacting waves is only part of the picture. We can see that the phase relationship between correlated signals is equally important to understanding whether the interference will be constructive or destructive. It should be noted here that in all these examples we are talking about combining correlated signals of equal amplitude. If we have an amplitude or level offset between the signals, that will affect the summation as well! So how do we know whether a phase offset or offset in time will be destructive or constructive? Is it arbitrary? The answer is: it depends on the frequency!

Understanding Phase In Relation to Frequency

Remembering our 1,000Hz sine wave has a period of 1ms based on using the formula for the reciprocal relationship between frequency and period, let’s find the period of a 100Hz waveform:

1/f=T

1/100=0.01s or 10ms

That means the period of a 100Hz wave is ten times longer than the period of a 1,000Hz wave! A time offset between two copies of the same frequency wave at equal amplitude will have phase offsets dependent on their frequency because of their different periods. For example, the 0.5ms offset between two 1,000 Hz waveforms results in a 180 degree offset, but if we do the math for the same offset in time between two 100Hz waves,

(360 degrees)(0.0005s/0.01s)=18 degrees

That’s only an offset of 18 degrees! Will an 18 degree offset of two correlated sine waves at 100Hz have a constructive or destructive effect? (Remember for the sake of simplicity we are assuming equal amplitude for these examples). In order to understand this, let’s look back at a basic drawing of a sine wave:

Figure D

So here is the really cool part: much like we can use a sine wave or a circle to represent the cyclical nature of the period of a wave, we can also use a sine wave to describe the relationship between identical waveforms as well! Or rather we can use a sine wave/circle to describe the phase relationship between the two waves as an offset between the two waveforms because the effects are also cyclical in nature! We just went through the math of how different time offsets equate to a different phase relationship depending on frequency, so if you were to look at the effects of a time offset across a spectrum of frequencies, you would see a cyclical waveform of that phase response itself as it changes depending on the frequency! It’s like a sine wave inception!!

In Figure D we see the markings for phase along the waveform or unwrapped circle as we learned earlier. We have also learned that these positions in time will change depending on the period/frequency of the waveform. Visually we can see as you approach 90 degrees on the sine wave, the slope of the wave increases up until roughly the 60-degree point where it begins to “flatten” out. This means if we were interpreting this as the phase response between two correlated signals, the resultant wave would still be increasing in amplitude. The summation of two identical, correlated waveforms at this offset will still result in addition. From +6dB when there is 0 degree offset since the two waveforms begin at the same time, up to 3dB at 90 degrees. Yet after 90 degrees, the slope begins to decrease, indicating that when we combine two identical waveforms with an offset in this range we begin losing summation and enter destructive interference until we reach 180 degrees, which results in theoretical perfect cancellation. As we continue our journey along the period of this waveform, we continue with destructive interference to a lessening degree until the trough of the waveform “flattens” out again at 270 degrees where we again have reached +3dB summation. After 270 degrees we increase in amplitude until we reach 360 degrees at which point we have made it all the way around the circle and the entire period of the waveform to 6dB of summation again. Merlijn Van Veen has a great graphic of the “wheel of phase” on his website that offers a visual representation of the relative gain (in decibels) between two identical, correlated signals as indicated by their phase relationship [2].

What this means is that whether two correlated signals will combine to form a destructive or constructive resultant waveform will depend on their frequency, amplitude, and phase relationship to one another. It’s easy to extrapolate that as you start talking about complex waveforms interacting, you are managing multiple frequencies at different amplitudes so describing the phase relationships between the interactions becomes more and more convoluted.

And Now Comb Filters

So now that we have come back from this world of mathematical representations of real-world behaviors, how can we actually apply this to the real world? Recall from the beginning of this blog the example of the engineer walking between two loudspeakers and declaring it to sound “phase-y”. Here is where we can finally understand what the engineer is hearing by using our new understanding of what phase actually means to describe the audible peaks and dips of the comb filter. A comb filter results from the combination of two wide-spectrum signals with some offset in the time domain. In fact, any change in level or phase relationship between the two correlated signals will affect the severity of the comb filter. Let’s imagine that the engineer is listening at a position equidistant from the two loudspeakers that are spaced equal distance apart from their acoustic centers and both have fairly wide dispersion patterns. For the sake of relative simplicity, we will make them directional point sources with a pattern wide enough to fully overlap each other. Let’s then imagine that both loudspeakers are playing the same identical broadband pink noise signal to both loudspeakers. With both loudspeakers playing identical signals at identical time, the engineer should hear an additive 6dB of summation from the two signals adding together. If one of the speakers gets pushed back roughly 1.125ft or gets 1ms of time delay added electronically via the DSP, the engineer will hear the resultant comb filter at the listening position. There will be a 1,000Hz spacing between nulls of this comb filter. We can figure that out using two of our handy physics equations from earlier. For the time offset of 1ms:

f=1/T so 1/0.001s=1,000Hz

And if we physically pushed back the speaker about 1ft, we can use the formula for wavelength to find the frequency:

Wavelength = speed of sound / frequency

or in this case, by doing some algebra we can rewrite that as:

Frequency = speed of sound / wavelength

The speed of sound at “average sea level”, which is roughly 1 atmosphere or 101.3 kiloPascals [3]), at 68 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees Celsius), and at 0% humidity is approximately 343 meters per second or approximately 1,125 feet per second [4] (see more about this in my blog on Acoustics). If we calculate this using the speed of sound in ft/s since our measurement of the displacement is in feet, we again get the resultant comb filter spacing of 1,000Hz:

1,125 ft/s / 1.125ft = 1,000Hz

Both equations allow us to predict or explain anomalies that we hear. These equations allow us to understand how to calculate the general behavior of comb filters! Now we can take this one step further by talking about subwoofer spacing.

There is a common trope in live sound of spacing subs within a “quarter-wavelength apart”. Using our knowledge of how the phase relationship between two correlated waveforms will be frequency-dependent, we can understand on a basic level (without taking into account room acoustics and other complex acoustical calculations) how if you take a critical frequency say of 60Hz and use that as your “frequency of interest” if you stay within 60 degrees of time offset between the two subwoofers, they will still result in summation to some degree at that frequency.

The truth is that understanding the interactions of complex waveforms involves not just doing these calculations based on one frequency of interest. We are dealing with complex waveforms composed of many different frequencies all in orders of magnitude different from one another with behavior that changes depending on what frequency bandpass you are talking about. Not to mention also including the interactions of room acoustics, atmospheric conditions, and other external factors. There is no one-size-fits-all solution, but by breaking down complex waveforms into their component sine waves and using the advancements in technology and analysis tools to crunch the numbers for us, we can use all the tools at our disposal to see the bigger picture of what’s happening when two waveforms interact.

Endnotes:

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

[2] https://www.merlijnvanveen.nl/en/study-hall/169-displacement-is-key

[3] (pg. 345) Giancoli, D.C. (2009). Physics for Scientists & Engineers with Modern Physics. Pearson Prentice Hall.

[4] http://www.sengpielaudio.com/calculator-airpressure.htm

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

Everest, F.A. & Pohlmann, K. (2015). Master Handbook of Acoustics. 6th ed. McGraw-Hill Education.

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

van Veen, M. (2019). Displacement is Key. Merlijn van Veen. https://www.merlijnvanveen.nl/en/study-hall/169-displacement-is-key

 

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