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Do I Still Know How To Do My Job?

My last mixing FOH for a real audience was January 8, 2020. For some reason I feel a necessity to write down a year as well, being afraid that if this stand-still stays longer than we all hope I’ll still be able to track down to my last real show. I only wish we won’t get in the scenario of those memes where there’s a senior person being led by a young kid saying “my 2020 gigs were rescheduled again” and the youngster answers “let it go granny, it’s 2063 already”.

So, it’s over a year at this point without being surrounded by live music, audience cheers, and the feeling of those butterflies in a stomach two minutes before a show starts. I had rehearsals with my supposed-to-be cast on a cruise ship through mid-February to mid-March, so I feel like I was still in the right vibe. And after that –  that’s it.

The slow sway of a vaccination process gives some positive thoughts that we’re moving in the right direction and one day to be able to get back to our jobs, Here comes the scariest part. Do I still know how to do my job?

I was talking with other artists and randomly we started talking about skill loss when not practicing. An artist that I genuinely admire, shared his experience that after not painting for a year it was very frustrating to take a brush in a hand again, and then it took time to get back the same technique. A scriptwriter told me that not writing a script for some time has become a struggle to get those creative juices going again. Then I thought about myself, as an ex-drummer. When our high school band split up and I stopped drumming for good. A couple of years later I got a job as a backline tech and one day I got asked to do a drum soundcheck. Kick – fine. Snare- fine. You know how it goes. And then a guy running FOH who knew about my drummer career asked me to play something. I froze, couldn’t keep a steady 4/4 beat. So, at this point, I already know how it feels to try doing something that you knew well some time ago, but suddenly it feels so unknown. –

Let’s point out that I’m not only talking about mixing. Mixing is easy, I see live sound engineering as a complex set of skills. A lot of us, live sound engineers, didn’t have a necessity to be sharp for over a year, no 5-minute changeovers, no crew management, no immediate problem solving on the fly, no 300ft power cable ran backward, you name it. All of these skills didn’t come overnight. It took years and years going through fire and ice just not to freak out and learn how to calmly make the right decisions. Thinking about that honestly makes me worry, do I still know how to behave? Or is it just like riding a bike? Am I the only one in the industry concerned? Or will it be a slow start for everybody when live shows will get back? Is there a way to do a self-check? Or it is not necessary, because everything we knew comes back naturally once we start doing what we’ve been doing?

Can’t tell how much I appreciate those virtual product presentations, free training, and Q&A sessions. I haven’t watched that many educational videos ever in my life. But does that keep us, live sound engineers acute and prepared for the live environment? Can’t wait the day to come to find out!

Dovile Bindokaite is currently based and working as a freelance sound engineer in Lithuania. She has an MA degree in sound engineering and started working in sound in 2012. Since 2014, she has worked in various positions in live sound including FOH, monitor engineer, sound engineer for broadcasting, RF coordinator, backline tech, stage tech, stage manager. For the past year, she was part of an audio team at Schubert Systems Group (USA). She has experience working in theatre as a sound designer and recording studios as a recording engineer.

 

Tips and Tricks for Subs and Replacements.

A lot of folks’ first “big break” doesn’t come in the way that you might expect. Mine was a matter of good timing, mostly. I had just finished a run as the A2 on a small new musical, and during the load-out week, my boss pulled me aside and asked to discuss something with me. The show running at the theater’s main stage had become a giant box office hit and was going to extend its run by an additional month. However, the current mixer on that show had a conflict with the final weeks of performances, and my boss, who would usually cover for him, had other things going on. So, did I want to do it instead?

The “In-Out” sheet provided by stage management outlining what understudies and subs are in the show that night. Paperwork created by Pamela Remler, Alison Simone, and Christine Seppala.

 

I had never been a substitute or replacement on a show before. Ever! I think I might have understudied someone when I was in the ensemble of the eighth-grade musical? But I definitely never went on. Shows in school and college also tend to have really short runs, and often the sprint to get the show open is so crazy that no one gives a thought to having to possibly replace an actor or technician at a moment’s notice. So as a result, these skills are most often learned “on the job.” And they are important skills to have because subbing or replacing someone on a show is how a LOT of people get their start in the industry!

Being a substitute or replacement on a show definitely comes with its own unique set of challenges. Regardless of the situation, it’s always tricky to be the new kid. You’re coming into a group that has already formed, and in all likelihood, they have a bond that comes from having been through the process together up to that point. So, not only are you trying to learn to do your new job, but you are also navigating the social situation and seeing how you are going to fit in. Plus, on the practical side, you will not have been privy to all the decisions that were made throughout rehearsals, tech, and previews, which led to why things are done the way they are. You’re getting a lot of new information but without the underlying context.

 

How I felt my first-day training on Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn. Don’t worry, everyone was nice!

Sounds challenging, right? But fear not! There’s a lot you can do to set yourself up for success. So, with that, here are a few best practices for making your transition into a show as smooth as possible.

*quick side note for definitions: I think of a sub as someone who covers for the current mixer in the case of a planned or unplanned absence, and a replacement as someone who is training to take over mixing the show full time. Sometimes they overlap, certainly, there are differences, but hopefully, these tips and tricks will help in either case.

Do as much homework as you can!

One great thing about joining a show that is already up and running is that you don’t have to come in as blind as on an original production. As soon as you’re hired, ask to see the show. See it as many times as you can from the audience before you start watching it from the mix position. This will give you a great sense of how the sound system is laid out, because in all likelihood the show feels pretty different under the balcony vs. second row orchestra. That knowledge will inform your understanding of why the mixer does things a certain way, and how the balance that you hear at FOH is translating to the audience.

If you can’t be in the theater prior to your start date, get any recordings or cast albums that exist and listen to them nonstop. The show that I first came in on as a replacement was a new jukebox musical called Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn, so there wasn’t a cast album of any kind. My solution? I made a Spotify playlist of all the original songs so that I could at least get a handle on the lyrics, even though the songs in the show were in different arrangements and keys. Ask for any scripts, scores, and show paperwork, so that you’re as familiar with the material as you can be before hitting the ground running.

Read the room

Your first day at the theater should be 99% about listening and observing. What is the vibe like backstage? How does the current mixer interact with people? You can get a lot of knowledge from watching them because they know the people they work with and how to interact with them. They will know which actors want to chat, and which ones would prefer to be left alone to get into character. At least when you’re first phasing in, follow the current mixer’s usual walking paths and tendencies. It will help to create a sense of continuity, because your new coworkers will see that you are not here to rock the boat or upset the existing balance.

Of course, if you get the sense right away that there is some tension, use your judgment about how you might do things differently when it’s just you there. And certainly, you shouldn’t do anything that you are uncomfortable with, or mimic a behavior that you think is making other people uncomfortable. You are your own person, after all. Don’t be afraid to ask your mixer questions about why they do things a certain way or speak to people a certain way once you’re able to talk privately later. But when making those first impressions, take a leaf from the Hamilton book and “talk less, smile more.”

Respect precedent

A follow-up to #2. As we’ve covered, things usually are the way they are for a reason, even if you aren’t sure what that reason is yet. When you start learning to mix the show, do it as identically to the current mixer as you can. Do not change any programming! This is considered rude, as the Mix Bible and Control Group assignments is the original mixer’s main artistic contribution to the piece. Sure, if you’re a replacement, you may do some cleanup of the show file once you’re on your own (spelling errors and such), but for now, mix the original mixer’s show, and mix it their way. Also, if a show runs in multiple cities (e.g., there is a New York production and a touring production), those productions are likely set up to be exact replicas of each other, so that if someone is transferred from one to the other, they aren’t suddenly learning a new way to mix a certain scene. Everyone who mixes the show needs to be able to do it the same way, so you risk creating inconsistencies between mixers if everyone has their own slightly different show file. You should definitely have your own script, set up in a way that makes sense to you, but to make this script you should be copying the notes out of the current mixer’s script exactly, and taking cues where they take them. If you’re replacing someone on a show, your mix will naturally evolve over time, as other folks in the company swap in and out, or after a director or designer comes to note the show. But for now, your job is to do what the current person does.

 

Left-Brad Zuckerman’s original mix script for Rock of Ages Off-Broadway. Right: my version of the mix script. Same notes and info just conveyed in two different ways.

Form smart alliances

In my opinion, the 3 most important relationships that a mixer on a musical has are with the Stage Manager, the Music Director, and the House Manager. Including you, these are the 4 people whose jobs really have no breaks! Y’all are busy the entire show, steering your own related parts of the ship that come together to make a whole production. The stage manager will be able to give you insight into the actors, the general energy backstage, and other things that may help to inform your mix that evening. They can also be an ally when working through scenarios such as a a split track (when there are multiple actor absences and lines/vocals need to be reassigned to do the show “person-down”), a post-show speech, or a special event onstage. The music director is depending on you to make sure the band is coming through well to the house, as well as to the monitors. They will appreciate knowing that you are on their side! The MD knows the show better than almost anyone, and they will know when you might need to make an adjustment based on a sub musician or understudy actor. Finally, the house manager will be able to tell you about any weird audience/patron situations that may affect your mixing. Plus, you can work together to catch audience members using their cellphones to text or bootleg the show, because sometimes you have a better view of the audience than the ushers! This is an ENORMOUS pet peeve of mine personally, and I am grateful to the many house managers who work hard to minimize distractions for those of us who are out in the audience making the show happen.

 

Learn everyone’s names (and pronouns!)

I used to tell my apprentices that if they only learned one thing in their time working with me, it should be the names of the band members and their subs. I was only half-joking when I said it! This is one of the simplest things you can do to build trust and respect with people. Ask for a face page (a document usually made by stage management, with small photos of the company with their names and pronouns listed underneath them). Study it. If there isn’t a face page, make your own! Get a program or playbill, which should at least have photos of the cast, plus names of the orchestra and crew. Resort to googling and social media stalking if necessary. And if you forget, don’t be afraid to ask! I once walked right into the wardrobe room and said to one of our awesome stitchers “you are always here, and you are so helpful, and I cannot remember your name or pronouns!” Once he told me, I never forgot. Plus, I turned my forgetfulness into an opportunity to build respect not just with this stitcher, but with the whole wardrobe department. It showed everyone in the wardrobe room that who they are and what they do on the show was important to me.

Finally, don’t be afraid to ask questions! The more information you have, the better you’ll do at finding your place and doing your job as well as the person before you. Work hard, be patient, and show a lot of respect. If you’re a replacement, know that you will find your own role in time, so there’s no need to rush it. If you’re a sub, just focus on keeping things consistent on the nights that you are there.

Mid-way through my training on that first sub gig, the music director came up to the original mixer at intermission and said, “the show sounds good tonight!” To which the original mixer replied, “I’m not mixing the show tonight!” That’s how I knew I was doing it right. I had worked hard not just to learn to mix the show, but also to create a smooth and seamless transition between the outgoing mixer and myself. And someone not knowing that that transition had even happened truly was the best compliment of all.

Look out for my next blog in April, where I’ll flip the scenario and talking about TRAINING subs and replacements!

IWD SOUNDGIRLS Playlist 

In Celebration of International Women’s Day

IWD SOUNDGIRLS Playlist 

A collection of songs from artists & women working on both sides of the glass in the studio, curated by SoundGirls. Learn more about who we are, what we do, & join our community at Soundgirls.org.

Make Every Day of Every Month Women’s Day 

Things you can do to Diversify the Industry.

Diversify Your Studio & Road Crews by hiring women, women-identifying, and non-binary people working in Recording, Live Sound, Film & TV, Game Audio, Podcasts and more. Find them in The EQL Directory. The EQL Directory Amplifies the careers and achievements of women working behind the scenes in audio and production.

We would like to thank everyone for submitting their work for consideration, we received so many fantastic songs it was very hard to narrow down for the playlist. We would like to thank Ainjel Emme, Jett Galindo, Shruti Kumar, and Jasmine Mills for helping to curate and gather credit information

SoundGirls understands how important it is that musicians, composers, producers, and engineers are credited properly. We have done our best to list proper credits, if you do not see proper crediting, please contact us and we will update the credits.                   

SoundGirls IWD Playlist Credits

Resistance Revival Chorus

Everybody Deserves To Be Free

SONGWRITERS Deva Mahal, Lips, Stephanie Brown

MUSIC PRODUCERS / VOCAL PRODUCERS Tiffany Gouché, Deva Mahal, Abena Koomson-Davis

RECORDING ENGINEERS / EDITORS

Jaclyn Sanchez, Abbey Lewis

MIXING ENGINEERS

Jaclyn Sanchez

MASTERING ENGINEERS

Jett Galindo

MUSICIANS

WEBSITE

https://www.resistancerevivalchorus.com/; Bandcamp: https://resistancerevivalchorus.bandcamp.com/album/this-joy

JARINA DEMARCO

Ilegales

SONGWRITERS

Jarina DeMarco

MUSIC PRODUCERS / VOCAL PRODUCERS

Jarina DeMarco, Dylan Brady

RECORDING ENGINEERS / EDITORS

MIXING ENGINEERS

MASTERING ENGINEERS

MUSICIANS

WEBSITE

JACKIE VENSON

Make Me Feel

SONGWRITERS

Jackie Venson

MUSIC PRODUCERS / VOCAL PRODUCERS

Jackie Venson, Chris “Frenchie” Smith

RECORDING ENGINEERS / EDITORS

Christopher Messina, Jas Nowicki

MIXING ENGINEERS

Tim Palmer, Eddy Hobizal

MASTERING ENGINEERS

Eddy Hobizal

MUSICIANS

additional drum parts: Jas Nowicki

WEBSITE

Bandcamp: https://jackievenson.bandcamp.com/track/make-me-feel; Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jackievenson/; Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jackievenson; TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jackievenson

TOKiMONSTA ft. VANJESS

Come and Go

SONGWRITERS

Jennifer Lee

MUSIC PRODUCERS / VOCAL PRODUCERS

TOKiMONSTA

RECORDING ENGINEERS / EDITORS

TOKiMONSTA

MIXING ENGINEERS

TOKiMONSTA

MASTERING ENGINEERS

TOKiMONSTA

MUSICIANS

WEBSITE

https://tokimonsta.com; Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tokimonsta/; Facbook: https://www.facebook.com/tokimonsta; Twitter: https://twitter.com/tokimonsta

KIM GORDON

Sketch Artist

SONGWRITERS

Kim Gordon, Justin Raisen

MUSIC PRODUCERS / VOCAL PRODUCERS

Justin Raisen

RECORDING ENGINEERS / EDITORS

Justin Raisen, Anthony Paul Lopez

MIXING ENGINEERS

Justin Raisen

MASTERING ENGINEERS

Mike Bozzi

MUSICIANS

WEBSITE

https://kimaltheagordon.com; Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kimletgordon/; Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/watch/KimGordonOfficial/

JOYEUR

Motion

SONGWRITERS

Anna Feller, Mischa Mandel

MUSIC PRODUCERS / VOCAL PRODUCERS

Anna Feller

RECORDING ENGINEERS / EDITORS

Anna Feller

MIXING ENGINEERS

Kevin Feller

MASTERING ENGINEERS

Jett Galindo

MUSICIANS

Joelle Corey, Anna Feller

WEBSITE

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsjoyeur/?hl=en; Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/itsJoyeur/; Twitter:https://twitter.com/itsJoyeur?fbclid=IwAR33zZjeW9w9SnZX5CvgBwVW8IM30jGm913p-3Wa7035e4Il3K8x2w31xLE;

PRIYA RAGU

Good Love 2.0

SONGWRITERS

Aristoteles Filipe, Roshaan Ragu, Priya Ragu

MUSIC PRODUCERS / VOCAL PRODUCERS

Priya Ragu, Japhna Gold

RECORDING ENGINEERS / EDITORS

MIXING ENGINEERS

MASTERING ENGINEERS

MUSICIANS

WEBSITE

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/priyaragu.music/; Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/priyaraguofficial/; Twitter: https://twitter.com/PRIYARAGUMUSIC?fbclid=IwAR2UwVJNDlWSJjZPw6d4-V8lNFfXBEfF03hGR-ZuXG1JpQbR9cPskRktDcs

SIERRA HULL

How Long

SONGWRITERS

Sierra Hull, Cindy Morgan

MUSIC PRODUCERS / VOCAL PRODUCERS

Shani Gandhi, Sierra Hull

RECORDING ENGINEERS / EDITORS

Shani Gandhi, Ron Block, Elise Hayes, Sierra Hull, Josh Kaler, Justin Moses, Gary Paczosa, Sam Reider, Jano Rix, Kai Welch

MIXING ENGINEERS

Shani Gandhi, Gary Paczosa

MASTERING ENGINEERS

Adam Grover

MUSICIANS 

WEBSITE

https://www.sierrahull.com; Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SierraHullMusic; Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sierradawnhull/; Twitter: https://twitter.com/sierrahull

LUNA LI

Afterglow

SONGWRITERS

Hannah Kim, Luna Li (Hannah Bussiere)

MUSIC PRODUCERS / VOCAL PRODUCERS

Braden Sauder

RECORDING ENGINEERS / EDITORS

Braden Sauder

MIXING ENGINEERS

MASTERING ENGINEERS

Brock McFarlane

MUSICIANS

violin: Luna Li; bass: Luna Li; keys: Luna Li; vocals: Luna Li; guitar: Luna Li

WEBSITE

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lunaliband/?utm_source=ig_embed; Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lunaliband/; Bandcamp: https://lunali.bandcamp.com/?fbclid=IwAR103OnUz31jSlS36GhsiPITHmeHnNjgBpUR01CeaPKio9l79n-c7I2d8GE; Twitter: https://twitter.com/lunaliband

HER SONGS: MARIE DAHLSTROM, EMILY C. BROWNING, EMMAVIE, DANI MURCIA, THE NAKED EYE

If We Try

SONGWRITERS

Her Songs: Dani Murcia, Emmavie, Marie Dahlstrøm, The Naked Eye, Emily C. Browning; Francesca (additional lyrics)

MUSIC PRODUCERS / VOCAL PRODUCERS

Dani Murcia, Emmavie, Marie Dahlstrøm, The Naked Eye

RECORDING ENGINEERS / EDITORS

Jaclyn Sanchez

MIXING ENGINEERS

Jaclyn Sanchez

MASTERING ENGINEERS

Jaclyn Sanchez

MUSICIANS

vocals: Emily C. Browning; guitar: Emily C. Browning; keys: Marie Dahlstrøm

WEBSITE

https://www.mariedahlstrom.com/her-songs, https://www.hersongsmusic.com; Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mariedmusic/, https://www.facebook.com/hersongscollective; Twitter: https://twitter.com/mariedmusic; Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marie.dahlstrom/, https://www.instagram.com/her.songs/

KILLS BIRDS

Volcano

SONGWRITERS

Nina Ljeti, Jacob Loeb, Fielder Thomas, Bosh Rothman

MUSIC PRODUCERS / VOCAL PRODUCERS

Justin Raisen

RECORDING ENGINEERS / EDITORS

Ainjel Emme, Anthony Paul Lopez

MIXING ENGINEERS

Justin Raisen

MASTERING ENGINEERS

MUSICIANS

WEBSITE

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/killsbirdsmusic/; Twitter: https://twitter.com/killsbirdsmusic?lang=en

SUDAN ARCHIVES

Confessions

SONGWRITERS

Sudan Archives (Brittney Denise Parks), Wilma Archer, James R. McCall IV

MUSIC PRODUCERS / VOCAL PRODUCERS

Sudan Archives (Brittney Denise Parks), Wilma (or Will?) Archer; additional arrangement: James R. McCall IV

RECORDING ENGINEERS / EDITORS

Will Archer

MIXING ENGINEERS

Kenny Gilmore

MASTERING ENGINEERS

Dave Cooley

MUSICIANS

keys: Will Archer; cello: Clíona Ní Choileáin; mandolin: Sudan Archives; drum programming: Sudan Archives; synth: Sudan Archives; violin: Sudan Archives; bass: Sudan Archives; percussion: Sudan Archives

ELIZABETH GOODFELLOW

Milwaukee

SONGWRITERS

Elizabeth Goodfellow

MUSIC PRODUCERS / VOCAL PRODUCERS

Elizabeth Goodfellow

RECORDING ENGINEERS / EDITORS

Elizabeth Goodfellow

MIXING ENGINEERS

Theo Karon

MASTERING ENGINEERS

Stephen Marsh

MUSICIANS

vocals: Elizabeth Goodfellow, strings: Dina Maccabee, pedal steel: Ryan Hommel drums: Elizabeth Goodfellow, marimba: Elizabeth Goodfellow

WEBSITE

ANNABELLE MAGINNIS

Blastin’ Pastem

SONGWRITERS

Annabelle Maginnis

MUSIC PRODUCERS / VOCAL PRODUCERS

Annabelle Maginnis, Kenny Zhao

RECORDING ENGINEERS / EDITORS

Rachel White

MIXING ENGINEERS

Kenny Zhao

MASTERING ENGINEERS

Delwin Campbell

MUSICIANS

vocals: Annabelle Maginnis; bass: Kenny Zhao; keys: Kenny Zhao

WEBSITE

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnnabelleMaginnisMusic/; Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annabellemaginnismusic/

MADAME GANDHI ft. TRAKGIRL

Freedom (Spotify EQL Sessions)

SONGWRITERS

Madame Gandhi ,TRAKGIRL, Sophie Ackroyd

MUSIC PRODUCERS / VOCAL PRODUCERS

TRAKGIRL, Sophie Ackroyd, Alissa Faratro (vocal producer)

RECORDING ENGINEERS / EDITORS

Sophie Ackroyd, Alissa Faratro, Jessica Taylor

MIXING ENGINEERS

Ann Mincieli

MASTERING ENGINEERS

Piper Payne

MUSICIANS

WEBSITE

https://www.madamegandhi.com; Twitter: https://twitter.com/MadameGandhi/status/1247395530096775168, https://www.instagram.com/trakgirl/?hl=en; Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trakgirl/?hl=en

RIE DAISIES 

Float

SONGWRITERS

Rie Daisies

MUSIC PRODUCERS / VOCAL PRODUCERS

Rie Daisies

RECORDING ENGINEERS / EDITORS

Corey DeRushia, Rie Daisies, Ainjel Emme, Jasmine Mills

MIXING ENGINEERS

Corey DeRushia

MASTERING ENGINEERS

Audrey Martinovich

MUSICIANS 

percussion: Rie Daisies, Larry Salzman; programming: Rie Daisies; keys: Rie Daisies; synth; Rie Daisies; trumpet: Kelly O’Donohue; trombone: Kelly O’Donohue; flugelhorn: Kelly O’Donohue; vocals: Dr. Susanne Lewis, Ainjel Emme, Jasmine Mills, Corey DeRushia

WEBSITE

http://www.riedaisies.com; Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RieDaisies/; Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rie_daisies/; Twitter: https://twitter.com/RieDaisies

DOE PAORO

Walk Through The Fire

SONGWRITERS

Sonia Kreitzer, Shruti Kumar

MUSIC PRODUCERS / VOCAL PRODUCERS

Jimmy Hogarth, Shruti Kumar

RECORDING ENGINEERS / EDITORS

Jimmy Hogarth

MIXING ENGINEERS

Michael Brauer

MASTERING ENGINEERS

Joe LaPorta

MUSICIANS

WEBSITE

KAT HAMILTON

Medicine Line

SONGWRITERS

Katherine Hamilton, Allee Futterer, William Lynch

MUSIC PRODUCERS / VOCAL PRODUCERS

Allee Futterer

RECORDING ENGINEERS / EDITORS

Vira Byramji

MIXING ENGINEERS

Ryan Gilligan

MASTERING ENGINEERS

Joe La Porta (at Sterling Sound)

MUSICIANS

guitars: Liv Slingerland, Molly Miller, Tomas Morello, Kat Hamilon, Allee Futterer; bass: Allee Futterer; drums: Will Lynch, Jake Reed, Kiel Feher; keys: Allee Futterer, Kat Hamilton; trumpet: Niko Giamo

WEBSITE

Bandcamp: https://kathamilton.bandcamp.com/track/medicine-line; Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kathamiltonofficial/; Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kathamiltonofficial/?fbclid=IwAR2Bsm7BG7WONTFSK4VzF50J2vtjl5NegJJkQ-HVYVak1NXyASMmtd26_tk;

WE ARE KING

Space Oddity

SONGWRITERS

David Bowie

MUSIC PRODUCERS / VOCAL PRODUCERS

Paris Strothers

RECORDING ENGINEERS / EDITORS

Paris Strothers

MIXING ENGINEERS

Ben Kane

MASTERING ENGINEERS

Heba Kadry

MUSICIANS

WEBSITE

KEREN ABREU

En Guayubin No Llueve

SONGWRITERS

Keren Abreu

MUSIC PRODUCERS / VOCAL PRODUCERS

Stephen Rodes Chen

RECORDING ENGINEERS / EDITORS

Andrew Sheron, Nathan Prillaman, Stephen Rodes Chen

MIXING ENGINEERS

Daniel Ávila

MASTERING ENGINEERS

Anna Frick

MUSICIANS

drums and percussion: C-bass Chiriboga; bass: James Quinlan; EGT: Jeb Roberts: AGT: Chris Peters; saxophone: Stephen Rodes Chen, Steven Salcedo; trumpet: Olivia Malin; vocals: Keren Abreu; BGVs: Shyamala Ramakrishna, Shirley Paxton Fofang

WEBSITE

https://kerenabreu.com/music-2/; Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kerenabreumusic/; Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kerenabreumusic/; Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerenabreumusic/

ALY & AJ 

Slow Dancing

SONGWRITERS

Aly Mikeala, AJ Mikaela, Yves Rothman, Ryan Spraker

MUSIC PRODUCERS / VOCAL PRODUCERS

Yves Rothman, Ainjel Emme

RECORDING ENGINEERS / EDITORS

Yves Rothman, Jesse L. Newport, Nate Haessly, Ainjel Emme

MIXING ENGINEERS

Yves Rothman, Jesse L. Newport

MASTERING ENGINEERS

Emily Lazar

MUSICIANS

vocals: Aly Michalka, AJ Michalka; guitars: Ben Zelico, Amir Yaghmai; wurlitzer: Ben Zellico; bass: Jake Bercovici; drums, percussion, programming: James McAlister; mini moog , mellotron, TR 505: Yves Rothman; slide guitar, organ, cello: Stewart Bronaugh; winds: Sylvain Carton.

WEBSITE

https://alyandaj.com; Twitter: https://twitter.com/alyandaj; Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alyandaj/; Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alyandaj

IMOGEN HEAP

Last Night Of An Empire

SONGWRITERS

Imogen Heap

MUSIC PRODUCERS / VOCAL PRODUCERS

Imogen Heap (includiing instrumentation

RECORDING ENGINEERS / EDITORS

Alexis Michallek (recording studio assistant)

MIXING ENGINEERS

Imogen Heap

MASTERING ENGINEERS

Simon Heyworth

MUSICIANS

vocals: Imogen Heap; programming: Imogen Heap

WEBSITE

http://imogenheap.com/myceliatour.php; Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/imogenheap; Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imogenheap/; Twitter: https://twitter.com/imogenheap

FLETCHER

Forever (SOPHIE Remix)

SONGWRITERS

Kinetics, Amy Allen, One Love, FLETCHER

MUSIC PRODUCERS / VOCAL PRODUCERS

SOPHIE, Jason Evigan, Gian Stone; vocal producers: One Love, Lionel Crasta, Jason Evigan, Gian Stone; additional production: One Love; studio personnel: SOPHIE

RECORDING ENGINEERS / EDITORS

MIXING ENGINEERS

remixer: SOPHIE

MASTERING ENGINEERS

MUSICIANS

WEBSITE

http://www.findingfletcher.com; Snapchat: https://www.snapchat.com/add/findingfletcher; Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fletcher/; Twitter: https://twitter.com/findingfletcher; Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/findingxfletcher/

JULIA NUNES

Feels Good

SONGWRITERS

Julia Nunes, Shruti Kumar

MUSIC PRODUCERS / VOCAL PRODUCERS

Shruti Kumar

RECORDING ENGINEERS / EDITORS

Eva Reistad, Vira Byramji (vocal engineer)

MIXING ENGINEERS

Vira Byramji

MASTERING ENGINEERS

Heba Kadry

MUSICIANS

Solomon Dorsey, Dave Mackay; drums: Aaron Steele; ukelele: Julia Nunes; synths/programming: Shruti Kumar

WEBSITE

www.julianunes.com; Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/julianunesmusic; Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/julianunesmusic/; Twitter: https://twitter.com/JuliaNunes

MERCY/LYNNE, feat. Mercy Collazo

Countdown

SONGWRITERS

Mercy Collazo, Lynne Earls

MUSIC PRODUCERS / VOCAL PRODUCERS

Lynne Earls

RECORDING ENGINEERS / EDITORS

Lynne Earls

MIXING ENGINEERS

Lynne Earls

MASTERING ENGINEERS

Piper Payne

MUSICIANS

vocals: Mercy Collazo; drums and percussion: Lynne Earls; tamborine: Jay Bellerose; bass: Lynne Earls; keys: Lynne Earls; programming: Lynne Earls

WEBSITE

http://www.lynneearls.com; Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mercycollazomusic/, https://www.instagram.com/lynneearls/?hl=en

CARLY PARADIS

Rooftop

SONGWRITERS

Carly Paradis

MUSIC PRODUCERS / VOCAL PRODUCERS

Carly Paradis

RECORDING ENGINEERS / EDITORS

MIXING ENGINEERS

Satoshi Noguchi, Olga Fitzroy

MASTERING ENGINEERS

John Webber

MUSICIANS

WEBSITE

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carlyparadis/?hl=en

TAYLA PARX

Stare

SONGWRITERS

Tayla Parx, Wynne Bennett

MUSIC PRODUCERS / VOCAL PRODUCERS

Tayla Parx, Wynne Bennett & Junior Oliver Frid

RECORDING ENGINEERS / EDITORS

Cory Bice, Sam Holland, Jeremy Lertola, Fermin Suero Jr.

MIXING ENGINEERS

Gert-Jan Blom, Mikal Blue, Dem Jointz, Junior Oliver Frid, Neal Pogue

MASTERING ENGINEERS

Joe LaPorta

MUSICIANS

WEBSITE

https://www.taylaparx.com; Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/taylaparx; Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taylaparx/; Twitter: https://twitter.com/taylaparx

ANOUSHKA SHANKAR, ALEV LENZ

Space

SONGWRITERS

Anoushka Shankar, Alev Lenz

MUSIC PRODUCERS / VOCAL PRODUCERS

Anoushka Shankar, Alev Lenz

RECORDING ENGINEERS / EDITORS

Joe Brown

MIXING ENGINEERS

Matthew Robertson

MASTERING ENGINEERS

Mandy Parnell

MUSICIANS

vocals: Alev Lenz; sitar: Anoushka Shankar; programmer: Alev Lenz; piano: Alev Lenz; Jew’s Harp: Pirashanna Thevarajah

WEBSITE

https://www.anoushkashankar.com; Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnoushkaShankar; Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anoushkashankarofficial/?hl=pt; Twitter: https://twitter.com/shankaranoushka

BJORK

Arisen My Senses

SONGWRITERS

Bjork, Arca

MUSIC PRODUCERS / VOCAL PRODUCERS

Bjork, Arca

RECORDING ENGINEERS / EDITORS

Chris Elms, Bart Migal, Bergur Þórisson

MIXING ENGINEERS

Marta Salogni

MASTERING ENGINEERS

Mandy Parnell

MUSICIANS 

harp: Katie Buckley; beats: Arca; synth: Arca; electronics: Arca

WEBSITE

https://www.bjork.com; Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bjork/

FEMALE FREQUENCY, CLAIRE LONDON

Speak Easy

SONGWRITERS

Claire London

MUSIC PRODUCERS / VOCAL PRODUCERS

I Am Snow Angel, Kerry Pompeo (additional production)

RECORDING ENGINEERS / EDITORS

Kerry Pompeo

MIXING ENGINEERS

Kerry Pompeo

MASTERING ENGINEERS

Maria Rice

MUSICIANS

lead vocals: Claire London; instrumentation: I Am Snow Angel; programming: I Am Snow Angel; BGV: Claire London

WEBSITE

https://www.clairelondon.com, https://www.femalefrequency.com; Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClaireLondonMusic/, https://www.facebook.com/femalefrequency; Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairelondonmusic/?hl=en, https://www.instagram.com/femalefrequency/; Twitter: https://twitter.com/clairelondon?lang=en, https://twitter.com/femalefreq; Bandcamp: https://femalefrequency.bandcamp.com/track/speak-easy

SLEATER KINNEY

Bad Dance

SONGWRITERS

Sleater Kinney (Corin Tucker, Carrie Brownstein, Janet Weiss)

MUSIC PRODUCERS / VOCAL PRODUCERS

St. Vincent (Annie Clark)

RECORDING ENGINEERS / EDITORS

Cian Riordan

MIXING ENGINEERS

Tom Elmhirst

MASTERING ENGINEERS

Chris Gehringer

MUSICIANS

drums: Janet Weiss; vocals: Carrie Brownstein, Corin Tucker; guitar: Carrie Brownstein, Corin Tucker

WEBSITE

http://www.sleater-kinney.com; Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SleaterKinney; Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sleater_kinney/; Twitter: https://twitter.com/Sleater_Kinney

LAE.

Someone New

SONGWRITERS

Alexandra Schulz, Shruti Kumar

MUSIC PRODUCERS / VOCAL PRODUCERS

Shruti Kumar

RECORDING ENGINEERS / EDITORS

Eva Reistad, Ryan Gilligan

MIXING ENGINEERS

Ryan Gilligan

MASTERING ENGINEERS

Lurssen Mastering

MUSICIANS

Shruti Kumar, Brandon Walters, Sarab Singh

WEBSITE

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/lae.music/

DRESAGE

Holy

SONGWRITERS

Keeley Bumford

MUSIC PRODUCERS / VOCAL PRODUCERS

Keeley Bumford

RECORDING ENGINEERS / EDITORS

MIXING ENGINEERS

Keeley Bumford

MASTERING ENGINEERS

Keeley Bumford

MUSICIANS

WEBSITE

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dresagemusic/; some site: https://linktr.ee/sheisdresage; Twitter: https://twitter.com/dresagemusic; TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dresagemusic; Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dresagemusic/?ref=bookmarks

RUTH B. ft. The Harlem Gospel Travelers

If I Have A Son

SONGWRITERS

Ruth Berhe

MUSIC PRODUCERS / VOCAL PRODUCERS

Ruth B., Patrick Wimberley

RECORDING ENGINEERS / EDITORS

MIXING ENGINEERS

MASTERING ENGINEERS

MUSICIANS

WEBSITE

YIFY ZHANG

Light

SONGWRITERS

Yify Zhang

MUSIC PRODUCERS / VOCAL PRODUCERS

Julie Kathryn /aka I Am Snow Angel

RECORDING ENGINEERS / EDITORS

Julie Kathryn /aka I Am Snow Angel

MIXING ENGINEERS

Julie Kathryn /aka I Am Snow Angel

MASTERING ENGINEERS

Jeff Lipton and Maria Rice at Peerless Mastering

MUSICIANS

Julie Kathryn/I Am Snow Angel and Yify Zhang

WEBSITE

http://www.yifyzhang.com; Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yifyzmusic; Twitter: https://www.instagram.com/yifyzhang/

 

SHUNGUZDO

To Be Me

SONGWRITERS

Shungudzo

MUSIC PRODUCERS / VOCAL PRODUCERS

RECORDING ENGINEERS / EDITORS

MIXING ENGINEERS

MASTERING ENGINEERS

MUSICIANS

Shungudzo Kuyimba

WEBSITE

https://shungudzo.com/

GIRLPOOL

Pretty

SONGWRITERS

Avery Tucker, Harmony Tividad

MUSIC PRODUCERS / VOCAL PRODUCERS

Girlpool, David Tolomei

RECORDING ENGINEERS / EDITORS

Ryan Howe

MIXING ENGINEERS

David Tolomei

MASTERING ENGINEERS

Heba Kadry

MUSICIANS

WEBSITE

https://www.girlpoolmusic.com; Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GIRLPOOOL/; Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/girlpoool/; Twitter: https://twitter.com/girlpool

RENEE GOUST

La Cumbia Feminazi

SONGWRITERS

MUSIC PRODUCERS / VOCAL PRODUCERS

RECORDING ENGINEERS / EDITORS

Rube Gomez

MIXING ENGINEERS

Rube Gomez

MASTERING ENGINEERS

Jaime Cavazos

MUSICIANS

drums: Cachi Zazueta; percussion: Baloo Rayas; bass: Eliud Ernandes; EGT: Renee Goust; AGT: Renee Goust; trumpet: Jose Luis Aleman Cano; trombone; Hugo Ayanegui; lead vocals: Renee Goust

WEBSITE

https://reneegoust.com; Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reneegoust/; Twitter: https://twitter.com/reneegoust

MAWD

Demons

SONGWRITERS

Mawd, Josiah Mazzaschi

MUSIC PRODUCERS / VOCAL PRODUCERS

Josiah Mazzaschi

RECORDING ENGINEERS / EDITORS

MIXING ENGINEERS

Josiah Mazzaschi

MASTERING ENGINEERS

Anthony Puglisi

MUSICIANS

lead guitar: Aiden Scrivens; violin: Kyle Bailey; Tommy Paradise; trumpet: Nick Bruno; trombone: Robert Verdugo;

WEBSITE

https://www.mawdmusic.com; Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mawdofficial; Imstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mawdmusic/; Rwitter: https://twitter.com/mawdmusic

JAMILA WOODS

SULA (Hardcover)

SONGWRITERS

Jamila Woods

MUSIC PRODUCERS / VOCAL PRODUCERS

Jamila Woods, Slot-A

RECORDING ENGINEERS / EDITORS

MIXING ENGINEERS

Matt Hennessy

MASTERING ENGINEERS

Jett Galindo

MUSICIANS

WEBSITE

http://www.jamila-woods.com

LAUREN RUTH WARD

Pullstring

SONGWRITERS

Lauren Ruth Ward

MUSIC PRODUCERS / VOCAL PRODUCERS

David Davis

RECORDING ENGINEERS / EDITORS

David Davis

MIXING ENGINEERS

David Davis

MASTERING ENGINEERS

Calin Enache

MUSICIANS

drums: Stella Mozgawa; bass: Eduardo Rivera; guitar: Eduardo Rivera; strings: David Davis

WEBSITE

https://laurenruthwardmusic.com; Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/laurenruthwardmusic; Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurenruthward/; Twitter: https://twitter.com/laurenruthward

LYDIA AINSWORTH

Forever

SONGWRITERS

Lydia Ainsworth

MUSIC PRODUCERS / VOCAL PRODUCERS

Lydia Ainsworth

RECORDING ENGINEERS / EDITORS

MIXING ENGINEERS

Dajaun Martineau

MASTERING ENGINEERS

MUSICIANS

drums: Mark Kelso; bass: Neil Chapman; guitar: Neil Chapman

WEBSITE

https://www.lydiaainsworth.com/?fbclid=IwAR1xIDx56Vw3Pm3ONU3pfNlmWJehGHCXwVvo8WJS4HkICzHnOXVhT7dQzhM; Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lydmusic/; Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lydia.ainsworth/; Twitter: https://twitter.com/lydiaainsworth

ZÖE 

Shook

SONGWRITERS

ZÖE

MUSIC PRODUCERS / VOCAL PRODUCERS

ZÖE

RECORDING ENGINEERS / EDITORS

Asmundr Johannsson

MIXING ENGINEERS

ZÖE

MASTERING ENGINEERS

Eric Zobler

MUSICIANS

drums Gulli Briem, bass Guomundar Oskar, violin Unnur Birna Bjornsdottir

WEBSITE

https://www.zoesongs.com; Twitter: https://twitter.com/zoerutherwin;

ANNA MEREDITH

Inhale Exhale

SONGWRITERS

Anna Meredith

MUSIC PRODUCERS / VOCAL PRODUCERS

Anna Meredith

RECORDING ENGINEERS / EDITORS

MIXING ENGINEERS

Marta Salogni

MASTERING ENGINEERS

John Webber

MUSICIANS

WEBSITE

http://www.annameredith.com; Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annahmeredith; Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annahmeredith/; Twitter: https://twitter.com/annahmeredith

KYSHONA ARMSTRONG

Listen

SONGWRITERS

Kyshona Armstrong, Emma Lee

MUSIC PRODUCERS / VOCAL PRODUCERS

Andrijja Tokic

RECORDING ENGINEERS / EDITORS

Andrija Tokic

MIXING ENGINEERS

Andrija Tokic

MASTERING ENGINEERS

John Baldwin

MUSICIANS

vocals: Kyshona Armstrong; BGVs: Christina Harrison, Maureen Murphy, Kyshona Armstrong; drums/percussion: Derrek Phillips; bass guitar: Ryan Madora; EGT: Ellen Angelico; AGT: Ellen Angelico; keys: Michael B. Hicks, John Pahmer, Kyshona; violin: Kristin Weber; cello: Larissa Maestro

WEBSITE

http://www.kyshona.com; Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kyshona; Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kyshonamusic/; Twitter: https://twitter.com/kyshona

LP GIOBBI

Move Your Body (feat. hermixalot)

SONGWRITERS

LP Giobbi, hermixalot

MUSIC PRODUCERS / VOCAL PRODUCERS

LP Giobbi

RECORDING ENGINEERS / EDITORS

MIXING ENGINEERS

MASTERING ENGINEERS

MUSICIANS

WEBSITE

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LPGiobbi; Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lpgiobbi/; Twitter: https://twitter.com/LPGiobbi

NADINE SHAH

Kitchen Sink

SONGWRITERS

Nadine Shah, B. Hillier

MUSIC PRODUCERS / VOCAL PRODUCERS

Ben Hiller

RECORDING ENGINEERS / EDITORS

Ben Hiller, Dan Crook, Maisie Cook

MIXING ENGINEERS

Ben Hillier, Dan Crook, Maisie Cook

MASTERING ENGINEERS

Katie Tavini

MUSICIANS

lead vocals: Nadine Shah, guitar: Ben Hillier

WEBSITE

https://nadineshah.co.uk/#home; Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Nadineshah/; Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nadineshah/; Twitter: https://twitter.com/nadineshah

THE WILD WEST

Better Way

SONGWRITERS

Manda Mosher / Deb Morrison / Heather Anne Lomax

Arrangement by The Wild West

MUSIC PRODUCERS / VOCAL PRODUCERS

Manda Mosher & Eric Craig

RECORDING ENGINEERS / EDITORS

Eric Craig, Pi Jacobs, Amilia K Spicer

MIXING ENGINEERS

Mark Niemiec

MASTERING ENGINEERS

David Donnelly for DNA Mastering

MUSICIANS

The Wild West: Amilia K Spicer, Manda Mosher, Heather Anne Lomax, Tawny Ellis, Pi Jacobs, and Deb Morrison.

WEBSITE

https://www.blackbirdrecordlabel.com/

EMILY KING

Can’t Hold Me

SONGWRITERS

Emily King, Jeremy Most

MUSIC PRODUCERS / VOCAL PRODUCERS

Jeremy Most, Emily King

RECORDING ENGINEERS / EDITORS

Jesse Singer, Chris Soper

MIXING ENGINEERS

Tom Elmhirst, Ben Kane, Jeremy Most

MASTERING ENGINEERS

Bob Ludwig

MUSICIANS

WEBSITE

https://www.emilykingmusic.com; Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emilykingmusic/; Twitter: https://twitter.com/Emilykingmusic

NATALIE PRASS

Sisters – alternative selection

SONGWRITERS

Natalie Prass

MUSIC PRODUCERS / VOCAL PRODUCERS

Matthew E. White

RECORDING ENGINEERS / EDITORS

Adrian Olsen

MIXING ENGINEERS

Adrian Olsen, Mikal Blue, Michael Brauer

MASTERING ENGINEERS

Bob Ludwig

MUSICIANS

WEBSITE

https://natalieprass.com/#home-section; Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NataliePrass; Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natalieprass/; Twitter: https://twitter.com/natalieprass

Tips and Suggestions for Making a Better Sounding Podcasts 

 

It’s 2021, we’re in an age where making podcasts is easier than ever! But, with that comes wanting to make sure your podcast sticks out from others. One way is to have a better-sounding podcast. The great thing is, you don’t need to spend a lot of money to have a great-sounding podcast! The point of this post is to help you “fix” your podcast in pre-production so you don’t have too much to clean up during post.

First off, I’ll say I’ve been working on set and post sound for almost 10 years and I’m still not an expert. I’m constantly learning something every day. It’s also what makes each day interesting and exciting! I’ve worked on other peoples’ podcasts and started my own in 2020. I’m still learning about what equipment and software there is out there!

For my own podcast, I had planned for it to be all in-person interviews. But, COVID happened and it changed the format. Actually for the better! Now that my interviews are online or by phone, I’m able to meet and chat with way more people than I would have had it only been in person. Especially since I don’t live in Los Angeles.

My setup includes:

Set Up

To start off, your setup is key. You can record in a closet, in some couch cushions, pad out your area with some sound panels or sound blankets. I record straight into a comforter with sound blankets around me. Be sure to check when garbage day is as that’ll pick up in your audio! Since most of us are at home, you can’t control all the sounds in your neighborhood. Especially if you’re in a suburban area like myself. I even live next to two airports! Padding out your area or using a closet can quickly clean up that audio and keep out unwanted noises.

Phone and Anchor.Fm

You can also use your phone! You and your friends or interviewee can record straight into your phone (even better if you plug in a microphone or use headphones with a built-in microphone). You don’t want feedback from the audio so some headphones are great to have no matter your set up. If you’re recording through your phone, you can go straight into Anchor.FM and it’s one of the simplest ways to record your podcast. It even helps you with recording intro and outros and adding music.

Microphones

Microphones, as I said, can be plugged straight into your phone now! They actually don’t sound that bad. I would suggest for better sound quality you use an XLR based microphone with an interface straight into the computer. You can record it separately like I do sometimes and sync it up later. Rodes and Blue Yetis/Snowballs are great without breaking the bank. Also nothing wrong with USB microphones.

Pop Filters

You also want a pop filter to help stop the harsh P’s and S’s that can be picked up. They can be hard to get rid of if you don’t have a good audio clean-up program. You also want to be about a ‘hang loose’ hand sign away from the microphone.

Microphone Stands

For stands; I use a small microphone stand that goes on top of a table. Those are great and keep things out of the way. The ones that connect straight onto a table can make for a more minimalistic approach. You should always keep in mind that you’re not yelling into the microphone or you’ll peak in your audio. But also, make sure you’re not hitting the table where your microphone is. Those hits will pick up on the microphone and are even harder to fix in post.

Websites and Apps

If you are recording other people, there are ways to record their audio straight to the computer. Zoom, Audio Hijack, Zencastr, Squadcast, etc. are all great. But, for the best audio, you should try and have the other person record their own audio as clean audio through the internet isn’t always easy to get. Recording separate audio for each person makes it easier to edit and clean up. You also want the other person to be comfortable so it’s always great to start off asking how they are and getting to know them.

These are just some tips to help you have a better-sounding podcast prior to recording. Clean up would be a whole other post. Continue to social distance and reach out to people outside of your immediate area. Keep wearing a mask, stay home, stay safe, be kind, be courteous, keep recording!

Here are some links for resources:

https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/podcast-how-to-start-best-equipment-804418/

https://podcasthosting.org/podcast-starter-kits/

https://www.thepodcasthost.com/equipment/minimum-equipment-podcast-starter-kit/#usbstarter

 

 

Empowering Manifestations

 

I’m tense but in a strangely positive way. I can feel my muscles contract until they ache. So much of my body is already hurt, I don’t even notice the extra pressure. The kind of hurt that comes from being ill for a month and the violent cough caused me to pop and bruise my ribs. Even though the pain is excruciating and the painkillers I got from the hospital do the trick, the added pressure is something different. I have a project happening that is so intoxicating. Let me just give you the background first.

In the summer I was not well, mentally I was not able to cope on my own. Being a bit of a proud character, I struggle to ask for help. Work, friends, directions, I have no problem asking for help, but when it comes to me, I am too proud and probably insecure. Being a woman in a male-dominated industry only enforces this idea of not needing help.

 “I can do it as well as my colleagues! I shouldn’t need to prove myself!” 

So recently when my best friend told me that I need to stop being in pain and call an ambulance I just gave in and did it. Since the summer I’ve learned to accept help when it’s offered and trust my instincts. This brings me to today’s good news. In the summer I manifested a dream I’ve had since my teens of being on the radio, I created my podcast @anditwentlikethispodcast. Now I’ve actualised another goal I set out in the summer when it all seemed so bleak and I thought I should re-educate myself to a dog therapist. I wanted to produce radio and podcasts. I started working with brilliant women’s network Her Hustle last year and now we are making a podcast together for a client. You guessed it, I am recording, editing, and producing it!

Not only is this the first substantial project and income I will have had in almost a year, but it is also a huge goal. I want to celebrate and scream about it! So here I am, writing this post bragging because I am proud of myself. So proud! 

“Hm… maybe there are good sides to pride after all…”

Finally, my thoughts go out to you and what you are wrestling with right now. It will get better, I believe it so hard that hopefully, you can feel it too. I want to advocate for the power of manifestations and defining your goals. I never truly believed in it, but I did take steps that were in my power, to create my first stride towards it. That is the force of manifesting and empowering yourself. So slow down and make it your time. Set your own manifestations, tell others about your goals, and figure out what you can do tomorrow. Celebrate your little victories and have the courage to be proud.

 

Revenge on the Nerds Part 2

Democratising Education to Diversify the Workplace Read Part One

Part 2: Practical tips for learning and teaching

In my last blog, I discussed how certain sectors, like computer programming and audio, have grown to appeal mainly to stereotypical nerds and how this has spread into learning resources for those sectors. Teaching subjects in a way that only appeals to one type of person is a form of gatekeeping and is a significant barrier to attracting a wider variety of people to our field. If we want to benefit from diverse workplaces, we need to diversify how audio is taught and how we learn together. Today I’m going to outline a few suggestions that I have very unscientifically put together from my own experiences as well as friends’ and colleagues’, which I hope will help make education more enjoyable and effective for all kinds of people.

Why the anti-nerd sentiment?

I should start by saying there is nothing wrong with nerds. Some of my best friends are nerds! If you find current learning resources engaging and you learn well from them, that is fantastic and you should carry on. However, bear in mind that plenty of people find them difficult, boring, or off-putting, and if you teach others they could very well benefit from a different approach. I am not advocating for getting rid of all current resources, but rather adding to them with alternatives.

We have so much potential

I have mentioned a few times in previous posts (1, 2) that beliefs about whether our capabilities are fixed or not have huge ramifications for our lives. Professional fields with a consensus that you need to be ‘born with it’ and ‘super talented’ tend to attract very confident young men, and turn off less confident people. They also show signs of discrimination against the minorities that are present in those fields, because employers can hide their biases behind claims that those candidates just don’t have what it takes. Similarly in an education setting, students who feel that people are simply good at something or not are less likely to put effort into subjects in which they do badly, and teachers with the same opinions are less likely to take the time to help those who fall behind.

I was surprised to find that the idea of ‘learning styles’: that each person is most suited to learning through visual, auditory, or hands-on means, is not only a myth but can be detrimental to education (3). Although we may prefer to study in one of these ways, no evidence has been found that predominantly using one over the others helps us to learn more. In fact, we all benefit from using a combination of these methods. Tailoring materials to different learning styles may be well-meaning but doesn’t actually help pupils and it takes resources away from more effective forms of teaching. Belief in learning styles can also mean people miss out on great opportunities: “I’m not going to listen to that podcast because I’m a visual learner,” for example.

These beliefs all stem from a ‘fixed’ mindset that people are born with a certain set of abilities, but the key to effective study is having a ‘growth mindset: that we are all capable of improving. We in audio are continually learning throughout our careers, and we know that practice makes perfect. A growth mindset means you see learning as a fun challenge rather than proof that you don’t belong in a field, and you can surprise yourself with how much you achieve when you take that challenge one step at a time. If you catch yourself saying that you just have to be born with an innate talent for something, ask yourself why we spend so long in school. If ‘you either got it or you don’t’, we’d go to school for maybe a week, find what we were good at then head out into the world and do it. And I’m just going to say it: I’ve never seen a baby mix a band well. From front of house or monitors.

Find your level

It is totally fine to offer different classes to participants with different levels of experience. For example, if you needed to explain speaker design from first principles every time, you’d never get on to advanced topics within a one-hour session. It can also be quicker and easier to discuss things when you know everyone involved understands the terminology instead of explaining it in layman’s terms all the time. However, there need to be introductory materials in the first place before people can graduate to the more advanced ones. Think carefully about who the resource is aiming to teach, and what their abilities and past experience might be. If you are offering or attending beginner or mixed-ability classes, bear in mind that prior knowledge of a subject is no predictor of future success (4), and you could be alienating the most promising students by expecting them to have it. Snorting “I can’t believe you didn’t know that,” is one of the least helpful things you can do as a teacher or classmate (or colleague). Everyone has different life experiences and their own sphere of knowledge. You might know how to plug up a Digico SD7, but can you do the same for all Avid desks? SSL? Soundcraft? Can you build and mix a show entirely in Portuguese? In Korean? In Arabic? Everyone comes up against gaps in their knowledge eventually, and they should always be applauded for trying to fill them, not derided. Lording your proficiency over a novice only makes you look like the idiot, like boasting to a toddler that you could take them in a fight.

Know the unknowns

There is a phenomenon in education called ‘the expert blind spot’, where teachers have been in their field for so long that they’ve forgotten what is normal for the general public to know about it (5). The way they convey topics presumes a lot of knowledge that students don’t yet have, and the order and emphasis of their explanations would help a fellow expert understand but often leaves pupils confused and disheartened. I can’t tell you the number of times where I’ve come across a term while learning computer programming and have had to search online for “x” “definition”/ “explanation”/ “tutorial”/ “for beginners”/ “for absolute beginners”/ “for dummies”/ “EXPLAIN IT TO ME LIKE I’M A FIVE-YEAR-OLD!” and still couldn’t find out what the term actually means. Every resource would presume I knew, and would instead explain further issues related to the thing.

The expert blind spot also extends to the educators themselves. They often don’t remember how hard it was for them when they were starting out and tend to overestimate their abilities when asked about how they fared as novices. Even if you did find the subject you’re teaching easy to learn, that is probably why you ended up teaching it! When imagining your students’ perspective remember what it was like to study something you found difficult. Remember just how overwhelming the volume of new information was. If you discuss certain aspects like they’re obvious and everyone should already know them, it can be hard for students to speak up and admit they don’t understand. They might smile and nod along, but in the end that doesn’t help anyone progress.

The flipside of expert blindness can be just as bad. When you underestimate the other party and explain every single thing it can be seen as patronising and a waste of time. I see this a lot in a phenomenon I like to call ‘techsplaining’: it’s like mansplaining except the person isn’t motivated by sexism (I’ve seen plenty of male recipients of techsplaining), but rather a genuine lack of awareness of what is reasonable to expect other people to know. I come across it quite a bit in written resources too: the author explains a tricky topic, then explains it another couple of times, each time finding a new way to describe the easy bit everyone already understands but leaving the complicated bit the same. It makes the resource three times as long without making it clearer at all.

It can take a lot of conscious effort, but looking at a topic from the point of view of a beginner can really help to engage a wider variety of students and deepen their understanding of the subject at hand. It may seem innocuous, but I recommend cutting down on the number of times you say ‘obviously’ as much as possible. We’re all guilty of it; when you’re explaining the basics of a topic and you don’t want to insult your audience’s intelligence or waste their time you’re tempted to say “Well obviously…” and rush through that bit. However, if something needs to be said, it’s worth saying well and leaving out the ‘obviously’ can save you from alienating parts of your audience who might be perfectly intelligent but just don’t happen to know that thing. I took an audio networking course that said of IP addressing: “In binary, the address after 11111111 is obviously 00000001.00000000.” I would argue that unless you can be certain that everyone watching your presentation is a robot, counting in binary is not ‘obvious’, and saying so only serves to put people off.

Know your audience

Following on from being aware of your audience’s knowledge level, it can help to take their personal backgrounds into account. Adding pop-culture references or jokes to your materials can make them more engaging, but bear in mind that the enjoyment that comes from getting a reference is because you feel part of the in-group and by definition, there is an out-group who are being excluded. I’m not advocating for getting rid of these fun additions at all, but try to make them as widely appealing as possible. Make sure that they don’t get in the way of comprehension if someone doesn’t know what you’re referencing. Like the best family shows, there can be plenty of jokes for the adults while the story still makes sense for the kids. This isn’t about banning fun for fear of offending someone, it’s about finding ways to make it fun for everyone and keeping them engaged. For example, computer programming courses often have references to Harry Potter. As someone who couldn’t care less about the series, I don’t really mind if every list of example names is ‘Harry, Ron and Hermione’, but if a teacher claims that something is more like a Horcrux than a golden snitch, they’ve immediately lost me and my respect.

Analogies are like wrenches

Analogies are like wrenches: useful in a wide variety of scenarios, but not all, and indiscriminate application can make the situation worse. I like an analogy as much as anyone, but they should only be used when they contribute to the understanding of a topic. If your audience is already familiar with something it is pointless to wrap that up in an analogy and it can come across as patronising. Microphones don’t need to be compared to sponges, everyone knows what microphones are. In a similar vein to expert blindness, ‘smart-person analogies’ can be counterproductive. Analogies should compare their subject to something easier and more familiar to the learner, not something more complicated or oblique. Someone who finds audio and biochemistry equally intuitive might not notice that comparing reverb to adding a methyl group to a hydrocarbon is no help at all to the average learner, and just serves to confuse and frustrate them. If you’re unsure whether an analogy is helpful, ask a ‘normal’ person who doesn’t know the topic for their honest opinion.

Watch your language

I am no longer the grammar pedant I used to be, but I have to say that writing clearly is important. If writing isn’t your strong suit or you’re teaching in a language in which you aren’t fluent, that shouldn’t stop you of course, but get someone else to look over your work. Spell checkers are getting smarter all the time but they’re no substitute for a human yet. Spelling and grammar are standardised to help everyone understand each other. The odd mistake here and there isn’t a big deal but I know from experience that learning from resources that are, frankly, garbled is very difficult, even as a native English speaker. If someone is trying to learn in their second language, the way you misspell a word because it sounds right to you phonetically could be completely unintelligible to them. Similarly, if you’re going to use idioms make sure they make sense when directly translated. Even if “measure twice, cut once” isn’t a standard phrase in the reader’s language, they can figure out what it means. However, something like “he literally shot himself in the foot” could be completely baffling even though they know the meaning of the individual words.

Enthusiasm is infectious

I have always learned best from people who are truly enthusiastic about their field. Having an animated conversation with someone about a subject they’re excited to share with you is a great way to both understand and remember it long-term. People like Mary Beard, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and Tim Harford are such wonderful public educators because they’re genuinely fascinated by their subjects, and speak to their audiences like intellectual equals who just don’t happen to know the topic yet. My favourite is Dr. Maggie Aderin-Pocock, whose enthusiasm is so infectious and joyful that you can’t help but be interested, no matter what she’s talking about. Listening to people like this, combined with some more painful periods of study, has helped me to realise that very few topics are truly boring, it’s just how they’re presented. For example, did you know that word clocks (used for syncing digital audio devices together) are tiny quartz crystals that vibrate thousands of times a second, and that frequency of vibrations can be controlled by their size, shape, and even surrounding temperature? Gigs are held together by crystals! That’s crazy! Yet lots of resources about word clocks are super dry and don’t even mention what they physically are (or are replicating, in the case of digitally-generated word clocks). Expert blind spots can make teachers forget the original wonder that a subject might have inspired in them.

Share your story

Tim Harford, a British economics journalist, has said that the way to get people interested in concepts is to turn them into a story (https://freakonomics.com/podcast/pima-tim-harford/). Find the human connection in the data and use that as your hook. Using yourself as that human can be a great way to engage your audience. I definitely identify more with teachers who talk about the ups and downs of their own learning journey. I love hearing about the problems they faced, not because I’m a sadist but because it’s reassuring to know that even experts struggle sometimes, and we can all learn from their mistakes. The more people are honest about the challenges they worked through, the more people will be inspired to stick with it instead of giving up because they think they aren’t cut out for it. Recounting your story will also remind you of what it was like to be in the students’ shoes and can counteract your expert blind spot.

One caveat to this is beware of the humblebrag: for example, I recently saw a comment on a course’s forum about a notoriously difficult task that said “I just wanted to let everyone know that it was tough, but after 12 hours I finally finished it. If even I can do it, anyone can! :)” That task took me 9 days so… that person was not as motivational as they thought they were. Share your successes by all means, but the self-deprecation of acting like you’re the worst at something can make anyone who has to try harder than you feel even more inadequate.

Get involved!

When I spend hours or even days researching something, I find it so frustrating that after putting in all that effort, I’m the only one who has gained that information. I think it’s very inefficient to put lots of energy into something that only benefits one person, especially when countless other people might have to do the same research and get lost down the same dead-ends as I did. Sharing what and how you’ve learned with others helps save them from the pain you went through, helps them to learn how to study better and helps you understand the subject more thoroughly by explaining it to others. Share your excitement with your friends and colleagues, but do ensure you have enthusiastic and ongoing consent. If you see their eyes glazing over or they keep glancing anxiously at the exits, maybe find a more willing audience.

I like to use several different resources while learning. The repetition helps me to remember the information, but also seeing several different people’s take on it increases the chances I’ll find a phrase or example that helps it click for me and saves me from relying on one source that happens to be wrong! More voices adding to the conversation can’t be a bad thing. To increase diversity in audio, we need to increase the diversity in teaching. If you have knowledge to impart, it’s never been easier to share it. Write a blog, make a podcast, make videos about whatever excites you and put it out there. Even if the only person it helps is you, that is a worthwhile investment.

References:

  1. https://soundgirls.org/how-to-find-the-best-candidate-for-the-job/
  2. https://soundgirls.org/revenge-on-the-nerds/
  3. https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2019/05/learning-styles-myth#
  4. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/13/magazine/women-coding-computer-programming.html
  5. https://uminntilt.com/2014/04/16/check-those-blind-spots-before-teaching/

Basics of EQ for Vocals

 

The best thing you can do whilst mixing is cleaning up the recording so that frequencies don’t clash with one another. An EQ on the vocals can help sculpt the sound and really clean up and make a good recording sound great! Here are some basics tips to help you get started.

The first thing I do is roll off the low end. You can do this from around 90-100Hz depending on the persons’ vocal range. If they have a higher range, you can scoop out a bit more of the low end just make sure to use your ears and find a sweet spot so that you can still hear the tones of the voice clearly.

A slight tight boost around 800-1k HZ can boost the clarity of the lyrics. You can also reduce these frequencies to help with a nasality in the vocals.

If sibilance is a problem in your recording and you can prominently hear a lot of P and B sounds you can remove them around 4k-9k.

Boost between 1k-2k to open up the vocal.

You can then add a high shelf around 7k to brighten up the recording. Make sure to roll off the high end at around 18kHz.

It’s also important to remove any room noise so the easiest way to do that is to increase an EQ parameter by several dBs and sweep across the EQ to find any prominent frequencies. Once these have been discovered you can remove them by decreasing the dBs.

Just like most techniques in music production, just remember to use your ears to find what makes the track really sing. A good EQ can really help boost a vocal and help give it its own place in the mix.

After I EQ the vocal I then move on to compression and adding on effects like reverb, delay, etc.

I hope these quick tips helped get you started with vocal EQ but just remember every vocal is different and some singers will need their voice highlighted and altered in different places. This is completely normal and ok but these fundamental EQ points are a great way to get you started!

 

 

Reverse Engineering to Learn Music Production

I am often asked how to get started with music production. Many of these people already have the recording equipment and a basic idea of how to record and mix. But they don’t at all know how to create a song from scratch.

Blank Canvas Syndrome: BCS

As a songwriter or producer, having a “blank canvas” in front of you, whether it be white-lined paper waiting for lyrics, the 88 keys staring up at you or the 24 audio/24 midi blank template in your DAW, it can be a total creativity-killer. If you have BCS, the answer is as simple as knowing where to start. And to learn to produce music, where to start is where someone else finished. In other words, we’re going to “Reverse-Engineer” a song.

Why would you want to copy what someone else produced? “I want to be a creative producer, not a copy producer!”, right? Well, because reverse-engineering trains your ear to hear the detail in every sound that makes up the song. The length of the reverb tail. The frequency boost on the kick. The panning movement on the oscillating synth…Every. Freaking. Detail. And until you hear those details in other songs, you won’t know how to create the sounds you hear in your head. Got it?

Since this article is aimed at folks hoping to learn how to produce music, I’ll share with you my process. After reverse-engineering for close to a decade now, I’ve found that there is a process that makes it flow the best for me. It goes like this:

Pick a song

First, select a song that you know you have the ability to recreate*. I don’t play guitar so I’m obviously not going to choose a guitar-heavy song. Virtual instruments are pretty darn amazing, however. If you are still learning your software and aren’t quite sure what instruments you have and can create legit sounds from yet, that’s ok. This is how you will learn what you have and don’t have!

Don’t forget the vocals. If you are a singer, make sure to pick a song you can sing. If not, find a singer and pick a song they know how to sing. Give yourself the best chance of being able to replicate the song in every detail. If you don’t have Kelly Clarkson chops or know someone who does, don’t pick a Kelly Clarkson song.

Now that you’ve chosen your song, import it into your DAW. Set the tempo, create markers at all of the verses, pre-choruses, choruses, interludes, notable moments (drops), bridges, etc.

*I strongly recommend starting with the song “Meant to Be” by Florida Georgia Line featuring Bebe Rexha because….it’s quite simple behind the vocals. Even if you don’t have vocalists that can sing it, just recreate the music and you’ll end up with a karaoke track!

Sounds

Drums

Start with the kick pattern throughout the entire song. If you are using a kick sample (which I usually use rather than programming a midi note and then tweak/EQ/Compress the crap out of the synthesized kick…I have samples that already sound pretty close to the way I want the kick to sound, especially for modern music so, why not?) I find the absolute closest sound to it that I can, knowing that I might still need to play with EQ/Comp before it’s right.

Then I go through the same process with the snare hats, cymbal crashes and swells, other percussion and sound effects.

What if you missed something? No biggie. You may notice later on when you are programming keyboards or synthesizers that there was this little triangle blip you didn’t notice before. Go ahead and add it as soon as you hear it. Get it in there. What if it takes 2 hours and you still haven’t gotten the kick drum to sound right? Move on. Get it as close as you can and take note of what you couldn’t get right. Then when you listen back and you can tell that your version sounds different than the original, you’ll remember what obstacles you encountered and hear what a difference those “little” differences make in the final product. This is part of the “learning to listen” process.

*Trick: Use your eyes when copying drum patterns. You can often see in the audio file of the original where drum hits are because there’s a big spike!

Bass

But I don’t play the bass! So what. One of the best discoveries I made when I started programming/producing music was that the bass is the coolest instrument of all! But you can still replicate it which eventually will help you figure out what your bass should do in a song you are producing from scratch. There will be some nuances that you will never be able to recreate using a virtual bass, even though you can get close. Most virtual instruments have amazing sounds including slides, string squeaks, string hits, etc. You can get pretty dang close. The point is that you are learning what a bass player does, what the tone of the bass is, and how that sound adds to the character of the song. If you do play the bass, good on ya. Focus on getting the tone and the feel to match the song you are recreating.

Other Instruments

Begin programming all of the “inner” instruments. If you are freaking out because you can’t tell what instruments are there, just start with the most obvious one first. You’ll probably experience something I call the  “zooming in” phenomena. The closer you listen, the more you hear. As you listen carefully, you’ll notice more sounds. And then more. Again, it’s ok if you now hear a synth sound that you didn’t hear 5 days ago or even 5 minutes ago. Keep “zooming in” until you think you’ve gotten everything.

Since matching synthesizer sounds exactly can be…” hard”, to put it simply, program the notes first then flip through synthesizer presets and find the closest one. Sound design is going deeper than what you’ll want to worry about at this stage, so don’t get hung up on matching the sound exactly for now. Just get as close as you can. This will help you to become familiar with your synths which is imperative. Once you know what your synth presets do and sound like, you can work toward learning how to shape and design the pre-set sounds to your desired sound.

A note about electric guitar tone: like I said, I don’t play guitar. But I worked closely with a guitarist for over 10 years and learned something very important. Guitar tone is king. And nailing the tone just right can be an elusive moving target. There are literally thousands of combinations of settings when you consider every guitar knob, pickup switch, mic placement, amp knob, pedal possibility, effects processing…it’s mind-numbing. Needless to say, you could spend years just figuring out how to match guitar tone to your favorite songs. Just like the synths, get it as close as you can and then move on. You’ll get better and better every time you tackle this reverse-engineering exercise.

Trick: Make note of places in the song where there are breakdowns, soft choruses, intros and outros. Oftentimes these are the sections where you can better hear patterns or sounds that may be going on throughout the song but aren’t as easy to hear in other sections of the song. In “meant to be” there’s an a cappella break down where you can clearly hear the harmony happening during the hook which is harder to hear during the “full” choruses.

Vocals

Begin with the lead vocal. Make sure the recording is clean and “uncolored” with room acoustics or outboard hardware that may add specific coloring to the track. You can add processing later. Once you have your lead vocal track you are happy with (I hope you’ve read my blog post about getting the best vocal performance from your singer in the studio before you do this) now you get to listen to the processing of the vocal and try to match the processing on your copy song.

Now, work on the backing vocals. Zoom in closer and closer and notice every harmony, double, and stack. If you are not a singer, this might be difficult for you to hear at first. Work with your singer to pick out all of the parts and get them recorded. Don’t overcomplicate it! The harmony notes will MOST LIKELY fit the underlying chords going on so make sure to follow the chords and you should be in good shape.

For all elements now in your song, make sure you have addressed panning, EQ, compression, reverbs and delays, and other fun spatial processing. As with everything in music production, you will get better the more you do this.

In case you didn’t notice, you started from the bottom and worked your way up. This is what I’ve found works the best for me. See if it works for you! If not, try it the other way.

Subway Conversations

 

 

The time is 12:46 PM. I sit here staring at my Macbook – cutting tracks and writing all at the same time. As I wondered what would be the best to write about, I came to look at the world around me. You can hear the eerie nature of the quiet set over New York- this city only last year had tourists bustling in the streets; Broadway both on and off was popping with showstoppers like BeetleJuice, Lion King, and Little Shop of Horrors.  The walls of music were not confined to the four corners of the room I sit in now, but it was the symphony of speeding cars and dozens crowding into the subway.  Concerts on every platform of the underground brimmed with light only seen in Hallmark Christmas films- This was my home.

My home is not the music in the city, rather it is the individual that sings, the one that strums a guitar on the M train, and the ones in the studio that are recording ad-libs for the twentieth time. These artists are at home, replaced by MTA workers fumigating the station like clockwork. I never thought I would come to despise this quiet.

Recently I had to break quarantine to go over to the city from my bubble in queens. I expected the trains to be mostly empty with scattered commuters in each train car, and believe me it was. We went through each stop with people dripping in and out. Yet when I got to 34th st. and went up the escalator I heard something familiar. A man sat on a bucket playing his saxophone -his mask laying on his chin. I was early to where I needed to be so I listened for a while.

I asked the man after his set if I could bother him with some questions, he said he would be willing to as long as I kept his identity anonymous. He claimed that he played down in Greenwich Village,  and when Covid-19 hit he lost most of his gigs since bars shut down. “I got Blasio don’t want people to get sick. I got that, but if I can go to an Applebee’s now and have a beer with my fries – hell will it make a difference if I go in with my sax.” he vented.

The mayor and governor Cuomo have recently reopened restaurants to indoor dining – but only to 35% as of yet.

“ Y’all know that zoom isn’t the best concert hall, even with the Carnegie Hall filters.”

When asked how he felt inspired to come out here today he came back with “ All these funny people have that cash to tell everyone else to do what they say. I say if I wanna play without pay – I’m gonna do it in the only city that will appreciate it.”

When asked about his plans for post-quarantine? “You’ll catch me back at the Village”

With that, he went back to singing with his saxophone. With each note as I listened, I felt nothing but inspiration. With more patience ( and believe me I know that’s easier said than done ), and a lot of creative solutions we might be able to get back to pre-quarantine life. Tourists will come to the city from all over to see a Broadway show, eat at a showy or simple restaurant, and maybe even see a concert down in Greenwich for a show like no other. The eerie quiet over this city is slowly starting to fade- replaced only by the symphony of speeding cars and dozens crowding into the subway, concerts on every platform of the underground brimming with light, and the knowledge that this last year of only being confined to the four corners of our rooms was temporary – even when it felt like it wasn’t.

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