What is the role of the Sound Mixer in theatre productions?
The Sound Mixer/Engineer develops or sources music and sound effects according to the Sound Designers specifications. The sound crew sets up the sound system for a production and runs it during the course of each performance. The Sound Mixer/Engineer takes all of the sound in a show – Actors’ voices, environmental noise, sound effects, the orchestra – and balances them to create a rich and exciting sound for the audience to experience.
Ask the Experts – Mixing for Broadway and Theatre. This is your chance to ask professional sound mixers/engineers working on Broadway questions.
Elisabeth is a Sound Designer and Composer for theatre. She served as the Sound Director/ Resident Sound Designer/Composer for 10 years at PCPA-Pacific Conservatory Theatre, before going full freelance in 2019. Elisabeth is also an adjunct professor at California Polytechnic State University SLO where she teaches Sound Design and Engineering for Theatre, and she sits on the USITT Sound Commission jury for the Current Practices and Research in Sound papers submissions. In 2020 she was elected to serve as Co-Vice Chair of the TSDCA )Theatrical Sound Designers and Composers Association). She is also the producer of the podcast: No One Likes Us. www.elisabethanneweidner.comRead Elisabeth’s Blog
Sound Mixers/Engineers
Heather Augustine
Heather is an audio engineer currently touring around the US with Broadway-style shows. She graduated from Penn State University with a BFA in Theatrical Design and Technology, with an emphasis on Sound Design, and has been on the road for the past 7 years. During her touring career, she has worked on a variety of shows including Billy Elliot, Dirty Dancing, Phantom of the Opera, Les Misérables, and Miss Saigon. Currently, she is the A1 for the first national tour of Mean Girls. Read Heather’s Blog
Becca Stoll
Becca is a theatrical audio engineer. She specializes in mixing musicals and is especially passionate about mixing new works. Pre-pandemic, her main gig was Head of Audio on Rock of Ages (Off-Broadway at New World Stages). Other New York credits include: Two’s A Crowd (59E59), A Strange Loop (Playwrights Horizons), Antigone in Ferguson (St. Ann’s Church); We Are The Tigers (Theatre 80). Tours: Million Dollar Quartet (A2). Selected Regional: The Donkey Show (OBERON), Caucasian Chalk Circle (A2, Yale Rep), 3 seasons as Production Audio Engineer for the Goodspeed Opera House. Education: Carnegie Mellon School of Drama, NHSI “Theatre Cherubs”. Member: TSDCA, USITT, SoundGirls
Cassy Givens
Cassy is a New York City-based theatrical audio engineer. Her mix credits include the Broadway productions of Frozen, Something Rotten, Newsies, Memphis, and The Scottsboro Boys. She has also mixed various theatrical shows and events on tour, Off-Broadway, and regionally at venues including Huntington Theatre Company, Williamstown Theatre Festival, The Old Globe, Glimmerglass Opera, and The Public Theatre in NYC. When she isn’t mixing musicals she works as a sound designer, system technician, as well as a wireless microphone technician. Proud member of IATSE.
Julie M. Sloan
Julie was, before the world shut down, the production sound mixer for Tina: The Tina Turner Musical on Broadway. Previous Broadway musical credits include Ain’t Too Proud, SpongeBob Squarepants, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, On Your Feet, Jesus Christ Superstar (2012 revival), Guys and Dolls (2009 revival), and over ten years of Jersey Boys. Tours: Hairspray,Jesus Christ Superstar, Aida, Annie Get Your Gun.
She holds a degree in Audio Technology from the Indiana University School of Music, where she once mixed a tree-planting ceremony with the Dalai Llama and monitors for GWAR on the same day.
The SoundGirls Podcast and Living History Project is Seeking Volunteer Editors
The SoundGirls Podcast and Living History Project are volunteer-run and features interviews with audio professionals (from all walks of life) to learn how we can better support one another towards a more diversified industry. We are seeking podcast and living history editors to assist with post-production.
Editors will be responsible for:
Episode assembly (adding intros/outros, music beds, ads)
Edit and mix multi-channel audio (DAW of your choosing)
Basic audio repair, such as removing pops and clicks
Ability to turn in materials on a deadline (1-2 week time frame)
Preferred skills:
Ability to do noise reduction
Willingness to write show notes (guidance will be provided)
Past experience with spoken word or podcast editing
If you are interested in volunteering you can applyhere
The deadline is Feb. 1st
SoundGirls Podcast Producer and Host Volunteers
Want to learn how to produce and host a podcast? This opportunity might be for you
We are looking for some passionate, dynamic hosts and co-hosts volunteers that would be interested in taking the reins of the SoundGirls Podcast this coming May.
Our vision with the SoundGirls Podcast is to pass it on to inspire and empower young women and girls in our field. SoundGirls that have a desire to build the best SG podcasts possible.
Do you love to talk to people about their lives and our industry? Do you have creative ideas you would love to do with a podcast? Do you desire to interview others and find out more about them? Do you have a passion to build the SoundGirls network, through discussions about diversity, inclusion, and sharing the tools to help the next generation of women in audio? Do you have interviewing experience and abilities?
What is expected
You will be scheduling your guests (we have a growing list), interviewing guests, producing a graphic for social media, and uploading each episode (after it is edited) to our podbean account. You may possibly do some light editing of the podcast too.
Time Commitment
Each interview takes about an hour to record. Editing can take up to three hours per episode, scheduling, posting, and graphic content can take up to three hours a week. Your time commitment is approx. 10 hours a week.
Gear needed
A great audio interface like (Focusrite, M-audio air, or SSL2+), a great vocal microphone (Shure Sm7B, Rode NT1, or whatever makes your voice sound amazing), a quiet room, good pair of headphones, pop filter, and squadcast recording software (we use squadcast to separately multitrack record interviews and each other). A DAW (ProTools, Audacity, Audition) for editing.
What you can expect
We will help you: We have streamlined a process that has helped keep us on track. We have systems in place and won’t throw you to the wolves. An ongoing schedule of guests, a google drive account, an SG Pod email, and templates for graphics, as well as a squadcast account and a podbean account. We will train you on how to make all these things work for you.
Training dates: March 1st, 2021 through May 1st, 2021 via Zoom
Your Start date: May 1st, 2021
This is a volunteer position and you will be working with two or three other podcast hosts, under the supervision and guidance of Beckie Campbell and Susan Williams, our current podcast hosts. This volunteer position is a year-long commitment and you will train 2022 volunteers. The application deadline is Feb. 1, 2021.
So, the holidays are over, New Years’ has just been and the past year is gone. A year of great challenges but also a year of incredible personal achievements.
I step into the new year as a 30-year-old cis woman and I made some great things happen this past year. I joined the women’s network Her Hustle, got engaged on a Swedish mountain, and adopted the cutest puppy.
As I sit down to write this, my adorable pup is trying to get the treats out of his toy, but I can’t seem to shake this thing my now-fiance said to me. I was sitting on the kitchen floor on New Year’s Eve; no, not a drunk floor moment, I was having an anxiety attack. I cried for my unhappiness/failure and hyperventilated into a panic. Almost a year has gone by without work.
So there I sit, crying over what I’ve lost when my dearest asks me: was I happy a year ago? When I was working, but terrified of asking for a raise, struggling to talk about money and equality with those who paid me. Those who paid me to live, eat and sleep. Those who paid me for doing something I loved. Was I happy then? No, I was anxious, worried, and stressed. I remember not getting the NYE shift and that it went to one of the extra male engineers and that I wasn’t even considered. No matter how hard I worked or how much I worked, I felt that I was valued less. I still didn’t have enough money to become a citizen in a country I lived and worked in for over 11 years. I still didn’t have enough to save for my future nor to get a driving license. Which in retrospect could’ve been useful now, I could’ve been a delivery driver… because right now I’m not useful, I’m not working. I’m just waiting…
Human rights activist Mohamed Ali talks about “waithood” in his TedX seminar The Link Between Unemployment and Terrorism. He talks about Somalia where poverty and unemployment are common. He tells a story about a young man that is one of many poor young people in his country. One day he’s approached by a gentleman who feeds him, houses him, gives him purpose and a community. A few years later he blew himself up in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia. The gentleman belonged to a terrorist group Al Shabaab which has links to Al Qaeda. (The reason why I know this is because of my podcast that I started this summer. It’s called And It Went Like This Podcast, so please have a listen and share.) Now I’m not saying that all unemployed will resort to terrorism, but the story shows what desperation to occupy ourselves can lead us to. What Mohamed calls “waithood”, can change us for the worse.
We are right now all in this “waithood”. We don’t know what the lineup is nor the curfew of this disease or if there’s a support act coming to soundcheck… But if there’s anything we sound engineers are good at. It’s winging it!
So stay safe and resilient.
Love, Linnea
Revenge on the Nerds
Democratising education to diversify the workplace
Part 1: Formal Education
I’m sure I’m not the only one who has spent time learning during the pandemic. Even if you didn’t attempt to fit all of humankind’s knowledge into your brain just because you had a few months of downtime, you’ve probably attended at least a couple of the seemingly never-ending webinars that audio manufacturers and groups have kindly made available to us. I chose to learn how to code and found there are so many parallels with audio, both in the nature of the subject and how it’s taught. It keeps reminding me of the tiresome debates about why our workplace isn’t more diverse: for whatever underrepresented group is being discussed, it gets suggested that they just aren’t interested, they aren’t cut out for it, or the people who do well in the industry are there because they’re naturally suited to the role. The solution, if it’s seen as a problem at all, is to encourage more of that underrepresented group to study STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects at school. Everyone breathes a sigh of relief that it’s the next generation’s problem and they’ve narrowly avoided having to examine or change their own behaviour or the processes they participate in, and they go back to the status quo.
The people on the left are computer programmers, the people on the right are actors. Credit (left): NASA
Unfortunately, “more education” is not the panacea it’s touted to be and actually presents its own set of problems. One coding lecturer explained that he had named his course “Python for Everybody” (which I highly recommend, available for free from http://www.dr-chuck.com/) because he wanted to make computer programming truly accessible for everyone and stop it being the reserve of nerdy gatekeepers who hoarde the knowledge for themselves (I may be paraphrasing slightly). That really resonated with me, because I’ve seen it time and again in audio too.
We’ve been raised by movies and sitcoms to see ‘nerds’ as mostly harmless goofballs, born with huge analytical brains and zero social skills, who deserve to succeed because they got bullied by ‘jocks’ in school. It’s apparently inevitable that most computer programmers, physicists, mathematicians and even audio engineers are straight, white or Asian, middle-class men because the nerd stereotype teaches us they are the ones who are born to fit those roles. This simply isn’t the case and teaching in a way that only appeals to people who think like them is a self-fulfilling prophecy that they’re the only ones who can do that work. If we want to encourage and retain a more diverse workforce in every sense, we need to change how we participate in education, both as teachers and pupils.
Case study: Women computer programmers
[I apologise for the length of this example, but I found it so fascinating and it had so many echoes of audio that I had to share. There’s a tl, dr: at the end.]
Women programming the first digital computer, “ENIAC”, for the US military c. 1946. They were given no credit for their work at the time and it was later presumed they were simply models. Credit: U.S. Army photo from Getty Images.
Women have been involved in computer programming from the very beginning. Ada Lovelace, while probably not the first programmer as is often claimed (1), had a thorough and profound understanding of the potential of computing machines, even beyond their inventor Charles Babbage’s. When the first “digital computer” was built for the U.S. military during the second world war, six women were the ones who programmed it, because they were already working as ‘computers’: humans who did calculations (2). As far back as 1943, women of colour were performing calculations for NACA (which became NASA), as immortalised in the film Hidden Figures (3). They proved to any doubters that women and people of colour were perfectly capable of handling mathematical and engineering problems, efficiently and under pressure.
For the first few decades of modern computing, hardware production was seen as important, ‘manly’ work and software programming, like manual computing, was seen as menial administrative work, so was commonly done by women. There are countless instances from the time of people using traditional gender stereotypes to explain why women were naturally suited to coding, because they were meticulous and good at repetitive tasks like knitting or typing. Even Dr. Grace Hopper, a behemoth in the world of coding, said in a Cosmopolitan article from 1967 that it was “just like planning a dinner… …Programming requires patience and the ability to handle detail. Women are ‘naturals’ at computer programming.” (4).
The first women programmers didn’t have manuals to learn from, and had to figure out what to do from first principles, using paper diagrams at first because they didn’t have security clearance to enter the room that housed the computer. I defy anyone in audio to look at these banks of circuits and not see patch boards. Credit: U.S. Army photo from the ARL Technical Library.
The boom in computing was so great that there were far more jobs than candidates, even after men came back from the war. This opened up opportunities to people who might otherwise have been excluded. The New York Times Magazine cites a time when a young woman of colour called Arlene Gwendolyn Lee applied for a systems analytics job in Toronto in the 1960s. “Lee persuaded the employers, who were all white, to let her take the coding aptitude test. When she placed in the 99th percentile, the supervisors grilled her with questions before hiring her. “I had it easy,” she later told her son. “The computer didn’t care that I was a woman or that I was black. Most women had it much harder.” (5).
Unfortunately, those tests that allowed everyone’s aptitude to shine through regardless of appearance or background gradually came to be accompanied by personality tests, which selected for ‘detached’ people who were less likely to have home or social commitments and could therefore dedicate longer hours to the job. “The primary selection mechanism used by the industry selected for antisocial, mathematically inclined males, and therefore antisocial, mathematically inclined males were overrepresented in the programmer population; this, in turn, reinforced the popular perception that programmers ought to be antisocial and mathematically inclined (and therefore male), and so on ad infinitum.”(6). This, combined with the marketing of personal computers in the 1980s as boys’ toys, slowly eroded women’s position in the field. It paved the way for middle-class white boys, whose families could afford personal computers and would usually keep them in the son’s room, to arrive at college having had years of experience experimenting and learning to code in their spare time. Anyone else who joined computer science courses was made to feel inferior or not suited to the subject because they lacked that exposure. However, when the gender disparity in university courses was examined, “It turned out that having prior experience is not a great predictor, even of academic success”, “the pace of learning at college was so much more intense that by the end of the degree, everyone eventually wound up graduating at roughly the same levels of programming mastery.” (5).
So women, including women of colour, had been showing up and doing the work from the outset, and the research found they were just as capable as men, and yet even now biology and gender stereotypes are used to support men’s dominance in the field. A Google engineer’s 2017 memo against their affirmative action policies (7) caused quite a lot of hyperbole on each side of the argument, but it exemplified this attitude to women in tech. Despite the engineer’s bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biology from Ivy League universities, his arguments made clear that he didn’t understand the field’s nuances or consensus on humans’ innate abilities (8) or, in fact, what it takes to be an engineer (9). Judging by the ensuing internet meltdown, and conversations I see again and again in our own field, he’s far from alone in holding those views.
Tl, dr: People have been using gender stereotypes to explain women’s involvement in computer programming from the beginning. First to justify their aptitude for it, then to justify their absence from it. Starting a course with prior experience of the topic might make a student seem more promising than others, but by the end, even students with no prior experience will have caught up.
What’s holding us back?
The case of women in computer programming covers some major points of what limits women and minorities’ participation in STEM, especially PECS (physics, engineering and computer science). A very useful Physics Today article (10) outlines worries students may have that can lead to them dropping out or underperforming, and how they can be addressed effectively. There are concerns about belonging, about being able to improve, and being respected by classmates and teachers alike. These often stem from harmful stereotypes about nerds, and opinions about innate ability. I have previously discussed how ‘fetishising brilliance’: i.e., believing that natural talent is the main requirement for success in a given field, enables discrimination and reduces diversity (11). It is particularly damaging in an education setting because it can discourage students from even trying, and educators are less likely to put the effort in to teach pupils who don’t take to a subject immediately (10).
What can we do?
The good news is there are ways to counteract these effects. For example, it is true that, on average, women perform less well on spatial reasoning tests than men. Whatever the reasons for this, potentially because boys more than girls are raised to play with toys that improve that skill, the gap in ability can be narrowed significantly with one 15 hour course (12) or even just 10 hours of playing spatially rich video games (13). This is a huge deal because many PECS courses start with activities that emphasise spatial reasoning, alienating people who are less skilled in it from the start, even though they may be perfectly competent in other areas of the subject. This can have a ripple effect on their feelings of fitting in and competence, and they are more likely to drop out of the class altogether.
Fostering a ‘growth’ mindset (“I can improve”), rather than a ‘fixed’ mindset (“I was born with a certain set of abilities”), is massively beneficial too: ‘Students with a fixed mindset who encounter a difficult problem or concept see that difficulty as evidence that they lack ability. Across many different research studies, such students tend to seek out easy problems (to prove their ability) and avoid challenging ones that would help them learn. They avoid speaking up in class or in group discussions so they don’t seem stupid. When they face setbacks, they lose motivation and turn their attention to subjects for which they feel more “natural” ability.
In contrast, students who have a growth mindset see difficulties as opportunities to learn—“I love a good challenge!” So they work harder and ask more questions, which naturally improves their learning.’ (10). A key way educators can encourage this way of thinking is to explicitly state in their feedback that they are giving it precisely because they believe the student is capable of improving, rather than trying to comfort them for their lack of ability (10).
Don’t make it awkward
Perhaps counterintuitively, these measures work best to improve diversity when they’re offered to everyone (10). Singling underrepresented groups out for special treatment can make them feel less able and like they don’t belong. It can also cause friction with other classmates who think they’re being offered an unfair advantage. Interventions like playing video games can help all students, but they tend to have the biggest effect on the people who have the biggest improvements to make, thus levelling the playing field without explicitly helping one group over another (10, 13).
It may seem strange for an advocate of Soundgirls, which is aimed mainly at an underrepresented group in audio, to recommend against targeted initiatives. Of course, I feel that organisations and fora specifically for underrepresented groups can be very beneficial. They can counteract the feeling of not belonging, and provide an understanding and supportive environment that they may not have access to elsewhere. However, it’s essential that people seek these organisations out and partake in them because they choose to, not because their school or teacher tells them they need to.
Key takeaways
Next time I’ll discuss more detailed examples of how we can help to attract a wider variety of people to our industry through teaching. Until then, the key points to remember, whether you’re learning or teaching, are:
Not knowing something doesn’t make you stupid: We all come from different backgrounds and have different life experiences. The whole point of learning is to fill gaps in your knowledge. Mocking a student for not knowing something is about as impressive and helpful as yelling from the sidelines of a Peewee game that they suck.
We’re all different, but we have the same potential to learn: Don’t rely on lazy stereotypes and cherry-picked biological research to justify prejudices.
A growth mindset is a key to learning: Viewing learning demanding topics as a fun challenge rather than evidence of unsuitability to a field results in the best and longest-lasting improvements.
Movies and sitcoms lied to you: Wearing glasses and a pocket protector doesn’t make you smart. Who knew?
8 Habits that Help Me Keep My Sanity as a Freelance Entrepreneur
In the spirit of New Years Resolutions and all of that, I thought I would share with you some of the tips I’ve gathered as a freelance entrepreneur. If you are an “indie artist” or a songwriter, a producer or engineer, running a music teaching studio, or operating your own business in any way, this is for you.
The thought of not having a boss or working for a corporate entity sounds pretty sweet, right? Well, it is. But it’s also really REALLY hard sometimes. I worked for financial institutions for 18 years while I built my music business part-time so I fully understand both worlds. As a matter of fact, I still have days when the security of the day job lures me into pulling up the “careers” page of my local credit union. These tips and habits are things I’ve figured out over the 12 years I’ve been a full-time freelancer, all based on my own experience. I can’t say for sure that I have it all figured out yet. I’m still a work in progress However, I hope some of this will be helpful to someone. If you have other pointers or a different perspective, I’d love to hear about it.
Set a work schedule
It would be easy to sleep in, stay up late, wear PJ’s all day, show up at your computer whenever the heck you want, not take a lunch break, etc. Based on your current situation, set a time that is your “go to work” time, a “punch out for lunch” time and “leave work” time. For me, since I have a family and a husband who is a crazy morning person, I really had to adjust my work schedule to fit his (more on that in number 2).
So, I have my morning routine that includes a dog walk, meditation and scripture study and the gym (which I’ve learned in 2020 that those last two have to be a priority or my brain doesn’t function). After all of that, the soonest I can get to my computer for “work” realistically is 9:15-9:30 a.m. Then I have to take my dog on another walk in the afternoon (she is spoiled), which forces me to take a little breather and get some fresh air (very good for freelancers who are on a computer most of the time). Then I like to stop working when my husband gets home so I can make dinner and he can play the drums. My schedule follows that flow Monday through Friday with only an occasional exception. I also take the weekends off so I have time to clean my house, grocery shop, spend time with family and keep my life feeling balanced.
When we are not in a pandemic, my Sundays and Thursdays (and sometimes more) are busy with the Tabernacle Choir rehearsals and performances. It’s a volunteer part-time job and if I don’t properly balance it all, I start to feel overwhelmed very quickly.
Create boundaries
When I started my business I was single and basically had no life. I had also just moved to a new town and had to build my business and brand awareness from scratch. It felt like I had no choice but to work constantly, as late as I had to, on weekends (when I wasn’t out of town on a gig with the band No Limits) and holidays in order to turn projects over quickly. I also accepted every project that came my way at whatever budget the artist could afford. I was working constantly and barely making enough to stay afloat. Not a good strategy but at the time, it felt like the only way.
When I got married to my J-Dub in 2013, just a few months into our marriage, his teenagers started moving in with us. Quite suddenly I became a full-time mom with demands on my schedule I wasn’t used to. Driving kids places, parent-teacher conferences, dinner every freaking night (?!) Not only could I not handle the same work schedule but I needed to create a home that felt like a “home”. Family meals at a set time at the dinner table, being available to help with homework or just conversation with the kids, cleaning the house (OMG cleaning the house). I had to make changes. I had to create boundaries. It. Was. Hard. I had to learn to say “I’m sorry, I don’t record after 6 pm.” Or, “I’m sorry, I don’t work on the weekends.” I was sure all of my business would leave and I would have to start applying for jobs at neighborhood financial institutions. But, alas…my clients respected that and worked with my new schedule. Thankfully!!
Planner
Create a schedule for yourself; daily, weekly, monthly and annual. An exercise I have started doing and am now having my artists do is create a daily and weekly schedule. First, determine your priorities in each of these categories:
Mental health – What needs to be part of your daily routine to keep you sane? Meditation in the morning? Turn your phone off an hour before bed?
Spiritual health– Set aside a day to turn it all off and connect with whatever it is you connect within the universe. Nature, family, God, whatever. Disconnect from technology at least one day a week if you can and be sure to schedule it so that it will happen.
Physical health – If you need to adjust your schedule to fit in 30 minutes at the gym or a walk with the dog or whatever, do it. Getting the blood pumping, eating right and taking care of your body will spill into every other category. Remember, as a vocalist your body is your instrument. Just like you wouldn’t leave your acoustic guitar in the trunk of your car overnight, you should feel protective of your health in the same way. And if you smoke, I strongly suggest trying to quit.
Creative health – As an artist, developing the necessary skills won’t just happen. Be sure to carve out the time you need for vocal work, songwriting/creative writing exercises, collaborating and co-writing sessions with other artists, work on your instrument, practicing your setlist, etc.
Now create a daily and weekly schedule that you will follow. Adjust as needed!
It’s easy to write those goals down on January 1st but I found a “project worksheet” and started to use it for all of my goals this year and I actually love it. It helps me keep track of the steps needed to accomplish the goals and create checkpoints along the way. I extracted what I loved from that worksheet and made my own. Here’s another free printable for you! Project Worksheet
One “bold” action a week/month This is a new action for me that I started taking in 2020. Business was good but the vision I had in my mind wasn’t quite there yet. It began to feel that if I didn’t make a drastic move once in a while, things would stay the same. Was it ok if things stayed the same? Yes, but that was the problem. The safe zone wasn’t the goal aka the dream I had in my mind, but it was safe. Even as unpredictable as it feels as a freelance creative, I had found my groove and was scared to disrupt that groove. Therefore it was tempting to stay there. So I set the goal of making one bold action once a month. I picked once a month to start, but you can try once a week or even once a quarter.
Whatever feels right for you. A bold action for me might be messaging an artist that I’ve always wanted to work with but has never reached out to me (Big time limiting belief voices in my head are always telling me that I’m not good enough so why would so and so artist reach out to me, right? So this is also a way for me to battle against those limiting beliefs.) Another big move I made this year was doing a total rebrand so that my business actually looked like what I wanted it to be rather than waiting for it to gradually happen. This included hiring TEA Creative on a continual basis to handle graphic design, website design and some social media work instead of trying to just do it all myself (and not very well, I might add).
That big move includes actual money going out the door to pay professionals to do something that will elevate what my business looks like online. I don’t know why that one was scary for me, but it was. It’s as if the statement “yes, I have a graphic designer” felt like I thought I was thinking I was a bigger deal than I actually was. ANOTHER LIMITING BELIEF WHAT THE HECK??? Another reason why this step is such a good one.
What is a BOLD action for you? Could that be finally finishing that song you’ve been sitting on that’s half done? Or actually, jumping in with both feet and working with a mentor (like me!) to help you build your business? Reaching out to an artist you admire to see about a collab writing session? Taking a mixing course or a songwriting course? DO IT!
Expand your network
Freelance generally means working with a variety of people but also working very much alone. It can feel isolating and overwhelming. Networking is often thought of when we’re trying to “build our business” or “make connections” to climb up our own entrepreneurial ladder. But what I am talking about here is expanding your network so that you can work with others who can do some of what you do, maybe even better. What if you outsourced one element of the project? If you are a producer, what if you had someone else mix it? What if you regularly hired musicians instead of trying to shoulder the load all yourself project after project?
This leads us to the next one…
Create processes
If you have been in your “freelance groove” for a year or two, think about what some of your tasks are that you do regularly, especially tasks that feel mundane or like an interruption to your “real” work. Is it something you can take 30 minutes to explain to someone with basic computer skills? Then it might be something you can train someone on and outsource. There are high school students or even virtual assistants who can do this work for you. It might mean taking an hour to type up a step-by-step guide or an afternoon to put together a tutorial video. But if it removes a task that someone else can do for you so that you can do the “meat and potatoes” work, then it’s worth that small investment.
Set financial goals and boundaries
One of the downsides of being a freelancer can definitely be the fluctuating income. Not to mention, an annual tax bill if you aren’t careful, more expensive healthcare, etc. It definitely took me a while to wrangle all of the craziness into something that didn’t feel like a wild roller coaster ride financially. It requires saving a percentage each month for taxes, medical expenses, unexpected expenses and regular savings. If you aren’t disciplined with money, then find an accountability partner (perhaps an accountant) that will hold you to these goals.
Creative brains at times have a difficult time staying on course. So for me, putting bumper pads on the lane of my life has helped me stay focused. Then knowing when to move them, expand them, or completely obliterate them has taken years of trial and error. I hope these guidelines can be helpful to you.
Christa Giammattei – Bridging Audio and Apparel with CMD+S
“Each celestial body, in fact each and every atom, produces a particular sound on account of its movement, its rhythm or vibration. All these sounds and vibrations form a universal harmony in which each element while having its own function and character, contributes to the whole.”
— PYTHAGORAS
Christa Giammattei is an audio engineer, sound designer, and musician. She provides both mixing and editing post-production sound services including dialog editing, cleanup, sound mixing, sound design, music editing, and music composition.
While completing several internships, Christa was able to create and mix sound for many top TV shows, documentaries, and advertisements. Now, she freelances those services across the nation while based out of the triangle area of North Carolina. She draws inspiration from her favorite video games and TV shows, which are what originally pushed her to seek out music and sound as a career. Her mission is to create the same sense of wonder and imagination in others that she felt when she first experienced those stories through sound.
She recently created Command + S Apparel was created with one goal in mind: design interesting, wearable clothing for audio engineers and musicians that isn’t just a black tee and “SOUND GUY” written in block print white letters.
How did you first become interested in audio?
Growing up, I was always fascinated by the sound in movies and video games. I would watch scenes over and over, just listening and appreciating how sound impacted the story. One Christmas, my mom bought me a beginner Yamaha keyboard, and I started to play along with songs I loved and wanted to learn more about. That was sort of the foundation of my interest in audio and music.
What music were you first attracted to as a kid?
This sounds kind of crazy, but I was brought up in a house that very much appreciated some 80’s rock and roll. So, for many years I went through a Journey/Def Leppard phase. Also, of course, lots and lots of video game music. I played tons of Final Fantasy and other rpgs [role playing games], which have a definite classical sound to them. It was a balance in polar opposites.
When did you first think about audio as a career?
I was an avid musician throughout middle and high school (classical percussion and marching band for the win!), but audio engineering never truly clicked in my brain as something I wanted to do until a couple of years into college. I was planning to get a degree in business, but when I stepped away from music after high school, I realized something was missing. I started to Google ‘jobs in music that weren’t teaching or performance.’ Eventually, I stumbled onto music production. I literally had no idea audio engineering was even an option: no one had told me this was a career path that I could take. Once I read about it, there was like this weird inner light bulb that went off; I knew I had found the thing I needed to do. From that moment on, my path was audio engineering, and nothing else.
You work a lot in TV and games; how does sound work specifically in these genres?
I always tell people how awesome it is to work in audio post, because you’re helping to tell a story, and that’s really true! When doing sound for TV or a game, it’s all about furthering that overall narrative. In music, there are a lot of different genres: rap, rock and roll, classical, etc. Similarly, in TV and games, there’s a bunch of distinct styles and ways to do things. The sound can make it mysterious, or playful, or upbeat, or gloomy. There are a million possible options, with plenty of room for creativity.
You attended Appalachian State University. How do you feel this program prepared you for your field?
I was incredibly lucky. Not everyone can say that their college experience was worth the money, time, and effort. But mine absolutely was. I had a great professor who pushed everybody to work hard and learn from their mistakes (Shout Out to Scott Wynne at App State!). We had access to multiple recording studios 24/7 and could head in anytime it wasn’t booked to work on our own sessions, class projects, or just fiddle with the equipment. I spent hours sitting at the various desks and preamps and synthesizers just figuring them out. We were also required to pass an audition on the musical instrument we were most proficient on. Having that musical background supporting audio education was enormously advantageous.
The community of musicians and audio engineers I met there was invaluable as well. App State is like the hidden audio gem; alumni have gone on to work on shows like Outlander or at gaming companies like Epic Games. So, there’s a great network of us that can ask for advice or help when we need it.
What gear do you currently use? Any favorite pieces?
Most of my gear is “in the box,” since I work in post. Izotope RX7 advanced is my saving grace and the best $800 I have ever spent. I use it on every single session I work on, without fail. Dialog Isolate, De-Rustle, and De-Reverb have saved many a zoom recording this year for me, and I honestly don’t think my workflow would be complete without it. Recently I have been loving Oeksound’s Soothe 2, and also the API-2500. I have this really specific Yamaha piano that I adore called the P-115 as well.
Have you ever experienced any sexism as a woman in the industry?
Oh, absolutely. I could probably write an entire saga of instances where I’ve experienced sexism in the industry. “Where’s the sound guy?” is my personal favorite (haha). Over time, I’ve learned who to work with and who to avoid, so it’s definitely gotten better. I think women have to create a harder shell for comments to bounce off of in the audio field, and a stronger technical foundation to stand on. The worst experiences involving sexism for me were the more subtle ones- situations where I noticed I was being treated very differently in the workplace by people I thought I respected. It took a long time for me to understand that certain behaviors were not acceptable and to stick up for myself. But I’ve made it part of my personal goal to make it known that women are here in this field, we are growing, and we’re damn good at audio.
Your apparel CMD + S seeks to redefine apparel in the audio field that usually depicts stereotypical gendered images on it. As you say on your website: the aim of CMD +S is “[…] to design interesting, wearable clothing for audio engineers and musicians that isn’t just a black tee and ‘SOUND GUY’ written in block print white letters.” What inspired you to manifest your feelings about such apparel into your own clothing line? How has the journey been?
I wanted to buy myself an audio shirt one day and searched sound engineering t-shirts online. I browsed for hours, trying to find any clothing that an audio engineer would want to wear. There was this growing sense of disbelief as I saw there were maybe 20 versions of very similar tees, and most of them had some iteration of sound guy or sound dude or something like that. I was like “Is there not one single shirt that a woman could wear?!” And not only that, even the sound guy shirts were so generic and non-inclusive. It was embarrassing. And just another small example of how womxn are so often excluded in this industry. I realized there was a market here that was missing- there are millions of people out there who love sound and music, either for their career or just a hobby or casual interest. The more I thought about apparel for audio engineers, I realized I had ideas for designs that could be worn by anyone in the industry, regardless of gender, and inclusive for everyone.
It’s been a learning experience for sure, so far. Having to figure out websites, shipping, pricing, wholesale, social media, and everything else has been a challenge. But every person who buys a shirt is one more person that I know feels like I do. Even though I just started Command +S Apparel this year, it already means so much to me. It’s helped me network with people I never would have otherwise, and I can’t wait to keep going.
I love the myth and was elated to see her hair have cables. Her story is often misunderstood, I think, in that she was punished for a sexual assault and turned into a monster whose eyes could turn man to stone, with snakes as hair. Perseus beheaded her, popular with the Perseus movies lately. To reclaim this image in a field that is dominated by men was just incredible to see; I bought a shirt right away. How did you pick Medusa for the icon on one of your CMD + S shirts?
THANK YOU. Yes, I totally agree. Parallel to what you said, I was reading an article about how the story of Medusa is misunderstood; that she wasn’t a monster and was instead punished for being a powerful woman. The story stuck in my brain, and as the idea for Command +S started to form, the snakes in her hair turned to cables in my mind. I decided we needed some more powerful women on shirts, and knew that I needed to include her, but in all her audio glory.
What’s the difference between working in sound for music and working in sound for TV?
In music, the audio production is (obviously) the core focus, but in post, sound is more of a supporting act. That’s really the key difference. I’ve heard a lot of people in post-production say that if the audience doesn’t notice the sound then you did a good job. What they mean is that if the audience leaves that experience remembering the story and the characters and the emotion behind it, and not like “Oh, that one song,” or “Yeah that explosion was something,” then you did what you set out to do. You supported the narrative, whatever that was, and that’s what it’s all about.
Do you approach sound for TV and film documentaries differently?
I think I approach sound for documentaries as a whole pretty differently than say, a commercial or something based on fiction. Docs tend to be more reflective and linear, mostly because you are telling a very real story of someone’s life. It’s important to them, and so I try to honor the vision that is presented to me and uplift it the best I can. I don’t use quite as many unconventional effects, and I focus more on the dialog to make it as upfront as possible.
If you could talk to yourself from ten years ago, what one piece of advice would you tell yourself?
Don’t be afraid to experiment and jump outside of your comfort zone. That’s how you’re going to find your own unique sound, and that’s what’s going to make you stand out. Stay true to yourself, remain humble and willing to learn. Arrogance doesn’t get you super far in audio, and people will eventually recognize the individuals who work hard, support their friends, and love the industry.
Thank you for your time!
Thank you so much for having me!
Follow Christa/CMD+S Apparel
Instagram @cgiammatteisound @command_s_apparel
Facebook @commandsapparel
Twitter @izzy_marizee
Rachael Moser System Engineer for Clair Global
Rachael Moser has worked for Clair Global in Nashville for over ten years as a PA Tech, Monitor Systems Tech, RF Tech, Monitor Mixer, and most recently System Engineer/Crew Chief. She has worked in audio for over 15 years and attended Belmont University, graduating from their Audio Engineering Technology program with a BS and minor in business.
Rachael grew up surrounded by music. Her dad was a bass player in a local band and had a full-scale recording studio in his advertising agency. She would spend time in the studio when school was canceled for snow days and other holidays. She would tag along with her parents to concerts and asked to see Tina Turner. Rachael remembers “being in awe of everything I was witnessing; the lights, the dancers, everything. I also remember whining because it was too loud and being too stubborn to put in earplugs. I find that fact to be quite funny given my current profession. Even though I may have complained, it sparked something inside of me that never burnt out. I can still get that feeling of wonder and awe going to a concert.”
Rachael played the oboe and alto saxophone in band throughout middle and high school and described herself as a band nerd. “I was what you would call a self-certified “band nerd.” I was a member of the marching band and was named drum major my senior year. I performed in the backing band for our school’s competitive show choirs, played in the pep band for at-home basketball games, and played in the orchestra for the school musicals. If I wasn’t in class or working on a video project, I was probably in the band room. I enjoyed playing music, but I didn’t LOVE performing. When I found a way to combine my love for music and technology, my passion for playing began to take a backseat.”
Being exposed to both technology and music in school and Rachael developed a love for playing music and working on the student television team. She became an assistant for her video communications teacher, where she could work on editing segments for the daily news and short films that students had put together. Rachael would be introduced to audio while taking a Digital Media Class, where she learned Pro Tools and recording. “It was there that I learned that I could combine my technology background with my love for music and never looked back.”
During her junior year in high school, she realized she wanted to pursue an audio career, although, at the time, she was not thinking about live sound. “I wanted to be a producer and own my own independent record label at the same time. I started looking at various colleges and universities that offered music business degrees along with audio programs. I visited a few different colleges, but none felt like the right fit. One day my dad ran into my middle school band director while out shopping. He suggested I check out Belmont University in Nashville. After my first campus visit, I knew it was where I could get a practical, hands-on education while in a small university environment. I would also have access to top-quality internships and job opportunities by being in Nashville, with Music Row just down the road. I knew it was where I needed to be.”
She would enroll at Belmont University in the Music Business program with a production emphasis. It was during her 3rd semester of college that she was introduced to live sound and when she realized that “I had a totally different audio passion. It didn’t come as much of a surprise seeing how much of a connection I felt going to concerts. I switched my major to Audio Engineering Technology but kept a minor in music business. I knew there was value in understanding how this industry and the music business works.”
At Belmont, Rachael was provided a lot of opportunities to work on and off-campus. One of her first jobs in the industry was working for the student-run live sound company, Clear as A Bell. The students were responsible for advancing, prepping, and working all shows they booked under the faculty advisor’s supervision. “It was a great introduction to knowing what it takes to work a show from start to finish.”
As part of the live sound curriculum, they worked on a series of showcases, which were full-scale productions six times a year in the campus arena. It was during one of these showcases that Rachael was introduced to Clair. Rachael would gain experience working alongside the Clair system engineer and monitor tech, flying the PA, ringing out wedges, mixing FOH and monitors. She says this experience solidified her career path in live sound, and she would set a goal to work at Clair and move her way up to system engineer.
Rachael has achieved her goal of becoming a system engineer for Clair Global, and while it was not an easy path, it is one that she says was worth it. She now finds herself thinking, “deeply about where this path takes me next. I know at some point, my husband and I hope to start a family. That will be a big change and potentially impact the next steps in my career. For now, I will continue to grow and educate myself to become an even better system engineer.”
Career Start
I have worked for Clair Global since January 2010. I first started working at Clair in their Nashville shop my last semester at Belmont as part of a student work partnership. I would work two days a week testing cables or assist in whatever department needed help that day. One day it could be the speaker department, getting PA systems tested and ready for a tour. Another day could be in tour prep, packing caddies, and helping the touring staff get their stage and console packages together. During this time, I learned how each department worked and saw how each tour came together. After graduation, I was offered a full-time position in the electronics department, assembling racks. I would spend the next three years working in the electronics shop, specializing in wireless and intercom systems. I moved to Lititz, PA, in 2013 to complete the road staff training program. After training, I moved back to Nashville and have been touring in various roles since, from PA Tech, Monitor Systems Tech, RF Tech, Monitor Mixer, to most recently System Engineer/Crew Chief.
How did your first internships or jobs help build a foundation for where you are now?
In my early years, I learned a lot about myself and who I wanted to be. Starting out, I was so shy and intimidated by everyone else in my classes. It seemed everyone else was further along in their knowledge of audio or had already been working in audio for a few years. I felt behind the curve, and like I would never catch up. I knew the only way to overcome any of that doubt was to put my head down and learn. I took every job and internship as an opportunity to advance further. Not every internship I had was fulfilling from the technical standpoint, but I learned where I wanted to end up and what I wanted to achieve.
When I was first starting out at Clair after college, I was offered the opportunity to run sound for a new worship service starting at a local church. It was an entirely new system that was installed, and I was walking into it about a week before the first service. I was doing it all, setting up the tech cart (the console was a Yamaha LS9 that was on a cart with the lighting console that rolled out of a storage closet and patched into a column in the center of the room), patching the stage, running monitors from front of house, etc. This job taught me a lot about self-sufficiency and time management. I absolutely loved my job running sound at the church and continued to do so for several years until I started touring. I’ll still occasionally fill in if I’m home on a Sunday morning.
What did you learn interning and on your early gigs?
In my early gigs, I was able to develop the confidence I needed to make it in this industry. I remember the very first show I ever had to mix on campus; I was so nervous that I passed out while mixing. Everything was going along fine, but my adrenaline bottomed out, and I may have locked my knees, and I went face-first into the console. I was mortified and wanted nothing more than to run back to my dorm and never come back. But I remembered the few moments right before I left a small dent in that Midas Venice console; I felt so alive. I felt like I was right where I belong. Sure, I could run away and be too embarrassed to mix a show again. Or I could take a beat, remember to breathe, and move on. And move on is what I chose to do. Every show after that, I found myself becoming more confident until I genuinely believed that I belonged.
Did you have a mentor or someone that helped you?
There have been many people who have been big influences throughout my career. However, a few people really stand out as ones who have helped or mentored me along the way.
One of those people would be Jeff Briggette. Jeff was one of the first people to see potential in me as an RF tech when I started building wireless systems. He helped push for me to go on my first broadcast gig to gain real experience. Every time I have worked with him since he has continued to offer knowledge and experience that I continue to use throughout any RF work I do.
Another one who has been a mentor to me is Robert Bull. I have had the privilege to work with and learn from him for several years now. Whether I’m needing guidance through a tough moment in my career or celebrating even the smallest of victories, Bull has been someone who I can go to for advice or help. If I’m struggling with my monitor mixes and have dug myself into a hole I can’t get out of, Bull is the first person who is there to not only help get it sorted but teach along the way.
Career Now
What is a typical day like?
A typical day starts out with me walking into the venue and looking around to see what we can look forward to for the day. I usually have a checklist of questions that I try to get the answers to before load-in begins. I will also determine how will be hanging the PA that day. Once my pre-load in tasks are done, I head off to catering to grab some breakfast.
The first thing we see off the trucks is our rigging and power package. We will run feeder and get motors prepped to be hung, all before PA starts coming in the door. Once we have PA sorted on the floor, we will see the console and stage packages shortly after.
Once all audio gear is in the building, our stage manager gives us eight stagehands to assist with tipping consoles, hanging PA, and setting the stage. Once the PA is at trim, I head to front of house to assist our front of house engineer with the system’s tuning. Once all fine-tuning is complete, and we verify coverage, the audio team heads off to lunch.
Typically, we will have a band soundcheck each day. During soundcheck, I will walk the room again and verify that we are covering properly and everything we have done to the system is translating well. Once soundcheck is over, it’s time for the opening acts.
Some opening acts carry their own audio packages, while others will utilize a package that we carry with our PA. We will assist the openers to get set up on stage and provide front of house/monitor mixing if requested. Once all soundchecks are done, it’s just about time for doors to open.
With just enough time to take a quick breather and grab some dinner, it’s time to head back out for the start of the show. I sit out front for the remainder of the night, making sure everything is working properly with the system. I will occasionally walk the room to make sure we are still covering well now that the venue is full of people.
Before loadout begins, I’ll get with our PA tech to meet with our stagehands and go over the load-out game plan. I start my loadout at front of house, then move over stage right to begin bringing in PA. Once everything is out and loaded onto the trucks, I shower up, grab some after-show food, and try to get as much sleep as I can.
How do you stay organized and focused?
One of the first things I do in the morning is to make sure I know where our gear is coming in from and where it will end up. I also have a plan with the rest of the crew to stage our cases in an easily accessible area for load out. I always keep a little notebook on me as well to write down any notes or pertinent information that may arise during the day.
What do you enjoy the most about your job?
I was asked recently by someone what is my “why” for doing this job. The best way I could describe it was knowing that I am a part of something that is bigger than myself. I love being able to be a part of a team that brings to life an artist’s vision and help them present it to their fans every night. Being able to look out and know everyone in the crowd is there feeling a connection in their own way to the artist on stage; it brings a feeling that is indescribable. Even after having toured for several years, I still get that feeling when I go to concerts. I love knowing that I can help bring that feeling to other people.
What part of touring do you like best?
I like the challenge of doing the same thing every day but in a completely different place. Sure, the venues all kind of look the same, and after a while, begin to blur together. However, each place has its own uniqueness that you must learn to work with. I feel like that’s what keeps this job from feeling too monotonous. It’s easy to look at touring as doing the same thing day in and day out; load in, do a show, load out. However, every day provides its own set of challenges that keep you on your toes. At the moment, I may be upset at the fact I’m having to do a parking lot party loadout while it’s snowing or that my points took an extra hour because rigging in the building is difficult. I wouldn’t change it for the world.
What do you like least?
Being away from loved ones for so long. It’s easy to feel like I’m missing out on big life events or even the simple joys of normal home life. My husband and I both toured and were even lucky enough to tour together for three years. Before that time, though, he was gone nearly 300 days a year, and I was usually on the road when he was home on a break. It was incredibly tough. Not to mention, with both of us on the road, it made having a dog next to impossible, something we both want very much.
What is your favorite day off activity?
I love finding a day spa in whatever city we are in and booking a self-care treatment for myself. Whether it’s a massage, facial, or pedicure, I enjoy being able to break away from the tour bubble for just a couple of hours and unwind. We work these intense jobs with long hours, constantly on our feet with little sleep. I make sure to take time to relax and decompress.
I also enjoy finding great places to eat. I will remember a city based on places I have eaten on previous tours. Some places have left such an impact that I make a point to return whenever possible. Fun fact, my husband and I planned a vacation to Vancouver based around an oyster bar I found on a day off. I knew from the minute I sat down that I wanted to share it with him, so we booked the trip.
What if any obstacles or barriers have you faced?
I’ve had teachers in the past try to discourage me from pursuing a career in audio because “even though it may seem glamorous, most people don’t make it.” In college, I had fellow students openly discuss how they didn’t understand why women would want to be in this business. I had an internship interviewer ask me, “well, what are we supposed to do if a tour doesn’t want a woman on their crew? How would you feel about that?”. In my current job, while, for the most part, rare, I’ll run across the occasional stagehand who seems to have a major issue with me right from the start. Sometimes they are subtle; the eye rolls when giving directions or refusing to listen, then getting an attitude when my voice gets elevated. Others are more direct, making statements of “I don’t work with women” then trying to play it off as a joke while standing right in front of me (yes, this really happened).
How have you dealt with them?
The best way I’ve found to deal with it is to tune it all out and realize that it’s all just noise. Any person who doubts my abilities and refuses to look beyond my gender is not worth my time or worry. I have chosen to surround myself with incredible people and work for a company that supports and lifts me up rather than tear me down.
The advice you have for other women and young women who wish to enter the field?
Never compare your path to somebody else’s. It’s so easy to get caught up in how much more knowledgeable another person may be or how many other tours that person has done. There may be times where you feel stuck, but use that feeling and forage your own way. Never stop learning and never stop growing.
Must have skills?
Troubleshooting is an absolute must skill for me. Being able to locate and solve problems is key, especially if you are under a time crunch or have a dozen other tasks still on your plate. I also believe that continuing education goes together with being able to troubleshoot problems on the road. Further advances in technology require us as techs to stay up to date on the latest equipment that is being sent out on tours.
Favorite gear?
Whirlwind QBox. It may not be flashy, but it will be a lifesaver when you need it most.
As we strive to change the race and gender balance of panels at academic conferences, we have been reaching out to underrepresented groups to invite submissions as part of our larger call for papers. We find that sometimes people just don’t know where to begin, and it’s time to change that!
Join panelists Leslie Gaston-Bird, Jamie Angus, and Bert Kraaijpoel for a walkthrough of how to submit an abstract, précis, and paper to an academic conference.
Leslie Gaston-Bird (AMPS, M.P.S.E.) is the author of the book “Women in Audio”, part of the AES Presents series and published by Focal Press (Routledge). She is a voting member of the Recording Academy (The Grammys®). Currently, she is a freelance re-recording mixer and sound editor and owner of Mix Messiah Productions specializing in 5.1 mixing. Prior to that, she was a tenured Associate Professor of Recording Arts at the University of Colorado Denver (2005-2018) where she also served as Chair of the Department of Music and Entertainment Industry Studies. She led groups of Recording Arts students in study abroad courses in England, Germany, and Italy which included participation in AES Conventions. Leslie has done research on audio for planetariums, multichannel audio on Blu-Ray, and a comparison of multichannel codecs that was published in the AES Journal (Gaston, L. and Sanders, R. (2008), “Evaluation of HE-AAC, AC-3, and E-AC-3 Codecs”, Journal of the Audio Engineering Society of America, 56(3)).
With a mixed technical/musical background Bert started his audio career as a recording engineer in the 1980s, the beginning of the digital era. He was mainly recording and editing classical music and jazz. He developed secondary activities, establishing professional training programs in audio technology, initially for broadcast engineers and later expanding to other audio (-visual) companies. At present Bert is a full-time lecturer at the Dutch Film Academy and at the Royal Conservatory, mainly lecturing in the areas of electro-acoustics and psychoacoustics.
Bert has been an AES member for over 25 years and during that period he has a long history as a committee member for the Dutch AES Section. He has served as its Secretary for the past 10 years. He has organized a multitude of section meetings and tutorials on various audio-related subjects and presented tutorials on microphones and digital audio. He is pro-active in encouraging communication with the student community.
Bert served as a member of the convention committee for the 124th AES Convention in Amsterdam in May 2008. In his spare time, Bert is a baritone singer in one of the larger choirs of the Hague and he is also an enthousiastic amateur photographer.
Professor Emerita of Audio Technology at Salford University. Her interest in audio was crystallized at age 11 when she visited the WOR studios in NYC on a school trip in 1967. After this she was hooked, and spent much of her free time studying audio, radio, synthesizers, and loudspeakers, and even managed to build some!
After secondary education in Scotland, in 1973 she attended the University of Lethbridge in Alberta Canada. There, in addition to her studies in physics, music, computing, drama, philosophy, and english composition, she repaired their VCS3 synthesizer, and so obtained coveted access to the electronic music lab.
She then studied electronics at Kent (UK) doing her BSc and Ph.D. there from 1974 to 1980. During her Ph.D. study, she became interested in A/D conversion, and worked on a sigma-delta approach, but had to give it up to concentrate on her Thesis topic of designing a general-purpose Digital Signal Processor. After her Ph.D., she joined Standard Telecommunications Laboratories, which invented optical fibres and PCM. There she worked on integrated optics, speech coding, speech synthesis, and recognition in the early 80s, and invented a novel 32kBits speech coding method. She has been active in audio and acoustic research since then.
She was appointed as the BT Lecturer at the University of York in 1983, to develop the first integrated masters (Meng) in Electronic and Communication Engineering in conjunction with British Telecom. She then co-created the UK’s first Music Technology course in 1986 when it was considered a “silly idea”! She is the inventor of; modulated, wideband and absorbing diffusers, direct processing of Super Audio CD signals, and one of the first 4-channel digital tape recorders. She has done work on signal processing, analogue circuits, and numerous other audio technology topics. She teaches audio and video signal processing, Psychoacoustics, Sound reproduction, studio design, audio, and video coding, and loudspeaker and microphone design. She has co-written two textbooks and has authored, or co-authored over 200 journal and conference papers and 4 patents. She is currently investigating environmentally friendly audio technology. She has been awarded; the AES Silver medal, an AES fellowship, and the IOA Peter Barnet Memorial prize, for her contributions to audio, acoustics, and education.
For relaxation she likes playing drums and dancing, but not usually at the same time.
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Elisabeth Weidner
Heather Augustine
Becca Stoll
Cassy Givens
Julie M. Sloan
