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Living the Dream

This April I opened my first Broadway show: The Outsiders. It was a whirlwind, an adventure, and it was incredible: working on Broadway, on a show of my very own! This was something I’d dreamed of doing since I was a twelve-year-old middle schooler who stumbled headfirst into theatre and decided it was what she wanted to do for the rest of her life.

The highs were breathtaking: parties to celebrate our milestones, press events for morning and late-night shows, getting 12 Tony nominations when we had no idea what to expect with this jam-packed season, a Tony watch party where we celebrated as we won for Best Lighting, Best Sound (!!!), Best Direction, and practically cheered ourselves hoarse when they announced that The Outsiders won Best Musical.

Even better, my parents were there to support me for some of those moments. Having them there on Opening Night made me appreciate my own milestone in a way I would have missed without them there. They were my reminder that this was something special, that not everyone gets to do this kind of thing. Not only working on Broadway but achieving a childhood dream.

Some so many people knew that little girl with dreams of Broadway and when they found out I was mixing Outsiders, the grown-up me received a steady stream of congratulations and “Aren’t you just thrilled?!” as I was going into shop prep, then load in, followed by tech, and previews.

Most of the time my reactions were less than excited. Those old friends were thinking of the glamour of a dream come true as I stared down the reality of months of long days, endless stress, and fatigue of every kind. There were countless mornings when I groaned as my alarm went off before there was even a hint of light on the horizon. Load in days where I looked around the room with a sigh as I realized that I was once again the only woman on the crew, or that there were so few of us that you could count it on one hand.

One of our tech/preview days I had food poisoning and decided to suffer in silence instead of telling anyone, giving myself the excuse that no one else knew how to mix the show. So I spent any downtime during that morning work call and afternoon rehearsal with my head on the console or heading to the mercifully empty women’s bathroom in the downstairs lobby, hoping I could get to a state where I wouldn’t feel the need to mix with a trash can next to me. (Thankfully, I was functional for the show.) That was smack in the middle of six weeks working six 14-16 hour works days (80+ hour work weeks for those of you doing the math at home) before we made it to Opening.

It wasn’t easy or glamorous. But was it worth it?

Absolutely.

Maybe not the food poisoning. That I definitely should have called in sick for.

But the rest of it? 100% worth it.

There’s this thought in our culture that the highest goal we should aspire to is one where we don’t actually do anything, we’re always having a good time, and nothing is difficult. The adage that “if you do what you love you’ll never work a day in your life.”

The irony is that the exact opposite is true. But this thought lingers, so when things get hard, it causes so many people to doubt themselves until they give up. It’s not easy to slog through long days at work and come home in sweat-stained shirts with dirt ingrained in the creases of your palms.

It is easy to let doubt creep in when we’re confronted with things we don’t know or people who’ve been doing this so much longer that they make it look effortless.

When we’re starting to learn, we fall into the trap of thinking that obviously we aren’t doing something we actually love, because if we really loved it it wouldn’t feel like work, it wouldn’t feel difficult. We wouldn’t be banging our heads in frustration as we tried to solve problems because if this was actually our passion it would be effortless.

The reality is when you enjoy your job when you’re passionate about your work, and you love what you do, you’ll work harder than you ever have in your life. You’ll throw a project in the trash because you’ve tried absolutely everything, then come back and pull it out because you’ve thought of one more way you might be able to make it work. You’ll go the extra mile to organize your workflow, clean up the cable runs, double double-check everything because you’re proud of what you’re working on.

There’s an energy around a show when people are excited to be there. Where everyone wants to be a little more ambitious because they know that the whole can be so much better than the sum of its parts.

I was incredibly lucky that The Outsiders was one of those projects. From the first day, you could tell that everyone was ready to make some magic with this show. That drive and dedication to say “I have an idea” or try a hundred different solutions to scenes that “weren’t quite right” until we found the one that fit (or realized we’d had the best one along) made our show something special. It’s likely one of the reasons we won Best Musical, even with amazing contenders where so many people thought that Hell’s Kitchen had it locked, Illinoise would break the mold, Suffs would have its rallying cry or Water for Elephants would wow with its incredible acrobatics. Our passion shone through every corner of the production and people have responded to that in amazing ways, which is really what you hope for. The nominations and the awards are incredible recognition, but nothing makes the long hours and the stresses of tech worth it like hearing an entire audience gasp or seeing people leap to their feet night after night, knowing we got it right.

The jobs like that where you can point to something tangible and say “This is amazing, this is why I’m here” make it easy to justify why we chose this career, but what happens when you’re not there because you love the show?  Not all pieces are “art.” Sometimes you just have to pay the bills.

When that’s the case, look to the intangibles that will help you in the future. Does this job give you more experience, better connections, or open up other opportunities? If the answer is no, it may be time to look for something else. If it’s yes, remind yourself of that when you feel exhausted and frustrated. You can’t see it now, you can’t hold onto it, but this temporary moment becomes an essential building block for a stronger foundation down the road.

Dirty Dancing was one of those shows for me. I was there to learn how to be an A1 because I wanted the Les Mis tour going out the next year. Dirty Dancing is entertainment: you’re going to have a good time, but it’s not going to change your life. I worked with wonderful people who are lifelong friends, but I had no illusions that I was going to be artistically fulfilled on that tour.

What that show did do for me was pack a massive amount of learning into a very short time. I’d had the option to stay on Phantom, potentially move up when the A1 left, and then learn as we moved the show every 2 weeks. Instead, I encountered a lot of raised eyebrows as I took a smaller tour that moved multiple times a week. It was the harder, more labor-intensive option, but it was the right one. In one year I moved Dirty Dancing more times than I would have in three or four years on Phantom and got better that much faster at being an A1. Anytime I felt confused or ready to call it quits, I reminded myself that this was working towards a goal, this was a stepping stone and a temporary situation as I learned and improved.

When you don’t have a concrete goal in front of you (or forget that you do), you have a tendency to fall into the trap of self-doubt and wonder what all the hard work is actually for.

I’ve run into some new stagehands who’ve looked at me, already dejected when they’ve barely even started, and said “I don’t think I can do this.” To those people, I tell them to give it time and we’ll talk again in a few weeks. To give themselves the space to learn how to do the job and how to ask questions. So far I’ve yet to have anyone come back to me and still feel like they’re floundering.

This has also come up in troubleshooting. Now, I’ve reached a point where I can troubleshoot most problems over the phone without having to look at the gear. When I remotely pinpoint the problem I usually get a frustrated sigh of, “How do you know that?!” I try to remind them that I have over ten years of experience. Ten. Years. Over a decade of yelling and grumbling at gear while I searched through menus or looked up user manuals. I’ve learned the most likely fails and the best questions to ask to narrow down the possibilities, but that took time. A lot of it.

Those who aren’t plagued with self-doubt tend to veer in the opposite direction and just want to skip to the “easy” part. They want to go on tour, but not one-nighters. They want to be a designer, not an assistant. They want to work on Broadway, not the smaller Off and Off-Off Broadway shows. These are the people who forget that cheat codes are best left in video games. The jobs that get your foot in the door will prepare you one hundred times better for that future dream job than getting dropped in the middle of that amazing gig with little experience and no network to act as a safety net.

Shows don’t get easier, they just get bigger. Bigger budgets, higher stakes, less margin for error. Yes, on The Outsiders I don’t have to move from theatre to theatre, so the physical labor is less, but the shows where there hasn’t been a producer, director, choreographer, composer, or other creative in the house are few and far between. There is a microscope constantly on this show and it never lets up.

Even now, some people hear that I moved to the city last year and think it’s a Cinderella story that I already have my own Broadway show. I remind them of the time I spent on tour. Ten years that gave me the skills to stay calm under pressure, to develop systems that make me efficient, and a habit of responsibility so my designers and creatives know that I will take good care of my show. I wouldn’t be able to handle this show if I hadn’t had all the practice over the years on smaller ones.

The jobs that seem overly difficult or thankless are usually the ones that do the best job of preparing you for your future. The days that you question if you can do this are the days you start figuring it out. It’s not always easy or fun, but it’s necessary. Dream jobs require a lot of work not only to get to them, but to be in them, and that’s what makes them worth the journey. Let’s be honest, most of us who end up in this industry would be terribly bored without a good challenge anyway.

Everyone’s Favorite – What’s In My Pelican

A favorite conversation among touring techs centers around the tools we carry in our pelicans or bags. It’s taken me years to refine my kit, but the pieces have become incredibly personal to me in how they support my career. Some items in my FOH kit tend to shock people, but I maintain that even though I typically have a “speciality,” I’m not free from responsibilities as a tech. Equally, while these items don’t always directly benefit me, they’re oftentimes helpful to others I may be working with.

Hopefully, this can serve as a guide for someone building their first kit. While none of these are necessarily outside of the box/unconventional, I consider them must-haves for either backup on tours or as part of my fly rig.

First, I carry a small tuning rig. This includes a Smaart Suite license purchased from Rational Acoustics. Along with this, I have a 2-channel Focusrite Scarlett 2i2, a 100-foot cable, and a couple of measurement mics such as the Isemcon 7150 or dbx RTA-M. I also carry a Manfrotto 156 BLB stand with a couple of adapters and clips.

Next up, testing tools are a must. This includes fiber cleaner, a Rat Sound XLR Sniffer/Sender tool, and a Sound Bullet. They’ve come in handy countless times for double-checking my work on stage or in the shop prepping.

Small organizational items also make it into my pack. A label maker is always present, as are zip ties and cable ties, a variety of colors of e-tape, and some gaff. Allen wrenches come in handy, as well as screwdrivers. Extra thunderbolt/usb adapters, drum keys, and RJ45 cables are also generally seen in my kit.

These items are generally organized within a Pelican 1510, but I also make sure my backpack is packed with essentials. Other expected items I include are my JH V2 16 in ears and a pair of HPH-MT8 headphones. And of course, I never leave the house without a notebook and flash drives.

More Resources

What’s In Your Go Bag?

Living In and Out of A Big Fat Suitcase

EveAnna Manley – Boss Lady, Owner, CEO, President, Typist!

EveAnna Manley has been manufacturing Pro Audio and audiophile vacuum tube gear since 1989. EveAnna would start at Vacuum Tube Logic of America, Inc., which would eventually split to form Manley Laboratories, Inc. in 1993.

Early Life:

When did you discover audio as a career path?

January 1989 when David Manley hired me to work on the assembly line.

How did you get interested in audio?

Growing up, I listened to my stepfather’s tales of the glorious days in the late 1960s when he acquired AMPEG. During his reign, the illustrious SVT bass amplifier was developed, and the Rolling Stones took the first prototypes out on the road. While I never was a guitar player, the thought of working in manufacturing was not altogether foreign to me.

Did music and audio interest you while you were growing up?

Yes, absolutely. As a child, I had no shyness turning on my parent’s tube Hifi system to play top 40 radio or spin up a record on the Garrard turntable. I had a little dictation cassette player which I used to record Casey Kasem’s American Top 40 to be able to enjoy the shows later. I just had no knowledge of Electronics and the best I could do was to place the dictation microphone in front of one of the loudspeakers, which also captured our dog barking, unfortunately.

Educational Background

Did you attend a University/College/Trade School?

Yes! Columbia University in the City of New York, graduating with a B.A. and a minor in music.

Musical Background?

Initially in fourth grade, we could all get out of social studies class if we joined Strings. So, of course, we all did that and learned how to read music and play violin but in fifth grade all the cool kids jumped to Band. The Band Director put me on clarinet. In 7th Grade, I learned how to play Alto Sax. When my braces came off in 8th Grade, I learned how to play trumpet. I was a huge band geek all through high school playing clarinets and saxophones. I played a little trumpet during college for the Columbia University Marching Band (r.i.p.).

Career Start

How did you get your start?

Inspired one day in a music class by the great impresario Bill Graham, I decided to take the next semester off and traveled to the West Coast to seek a job in the music business. I initially was heading to San Francisco to try to get a job for BGP, but got sidetracked in Los Angeles where I had stopped to visit one of my high school band directors.

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

My first summer job was performing a campus-wide physical inventory for my high school in Atlanta. I had to also enter every asset into a very primitive computer system. For the next few years, I worked at a picture framing shop cutting glass, cutting mats, building frames, and generally working with my hands. At this job, I observed business practices such as Purchasing, Inventory, and Quality Control while also appreciating working to a high standard to satisfy the rich housewives of Atlanta with the quality of our work.

What did you learn interning or in your early jobs?

When I joined David Manley’s VTL factory, I saw that they were missing some of these rudimentary business organizational systems and took it upon myself to create paper systems for that young company. Those systems later evolved into spreadsheets in Excel and later into more complicated, custom-built, relational database systems using Filemaker, which we still use today.

Did you have a mentor or someone that helped you?

During those early years, I came off the production line and set up my own electronics test bench. I started to learn how the equipment worked mostly by learning how it did not work. I received equipment from the production line that had human errors that had to be figured out and corrected. I received early prototypes of David Manley’s design bench that did not fully function, thus, my quest for improving everything around me taught me most of what I know about Electronics. That said, of course, many people over the decades fostered my informal education in Electronics and design. I am very fortunate to have garnered inspiration from working with people such as The Mastering Lab’s Steve Haselton, early customers such as Chris Pelonis, or even famous folks like Ray Charles!

Career Now:

What is a typical day like?

Coffee, Feed the Dogs, Attack the Inbox. Numerous administrative tasks take me through the whole day. I am basically on the computer all day every day.

How do you stay organized and focused?

I was diagnosed in my mid-40s with ADHD, which explained why I naturally had to develop coping mechanisms to stay ultra-organized. As somebody in the audio industry, I have a terrible auditory memory as it relates to words or reminders so I have to write everything down. For instance, if I see somebody’s name written down, or better yet if I write it out, I have a better chance of remembering it. I also rely heavily on my calendar and my 1Password password management system. If I don’t write it down, I’ll inevitably get distracted, and forget to do it.

What do you enjoy the most about your job?

The people around me! I get to work with fellow music geeks, and at the end of the day, we all get to be friends and socialize.

What do you like least?

Endless typing and administrative tasks. I am imprisoned by my Inbox. I am chained to the computer. It is literally wrecking my body.

What is your favorite day off activity? 

Riding motorcycles or playing softball.

What are your long-term goals?

To regain my health after breaking my shoulder and having a spinal fusion last year so that I can spend more time outdoors, with family and friends, and away from The Computer.

What if any obstacles or barriers have you faced?

Youth and Optimism were overcome by experience and pain….

How have you dealt with them?

Head On. Knowing I was doing the right thing. Trying to do the best for everyone. Always being honest and as full of Integrity as I could muster.

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

Don’t be ashamed to start on the ground floor and work harder than everyone around you to build skills and experience. We don’t step on others and competition is overrated. A rising tide floats all ships. Build associations and friendships even with your fierce competitors. Everyone wins!

Must have skills?

Honesty, Integrity, Drive.

Favorite gear?

3rd gear on the Twisties!

More on EveAnna Manley

Manley Labatories Inc. 

Selected Interviews with EveAnna Manley

Aligning Professional Paths With Our Values

Working in an unpredictable industry and an unstable economy can sometimes mean that we say “yes” to every job and gig that comes along, without much further introspection. When rent is due, the bills keep coming in, and taxes are relentless, it can be challenging to objectively look at the path we are on and honestly reflect upon whether we’ve lost our way.

I recently saw a quote with an analogy about understanding your worth, which said:

“A bottle of water is 50 cents at a supermarket. $2 at the gym. $3 at the movies and $6 on a plane. It’s the same bottle of water. The only thing that changed its value was the place. So, the next time you feel your worth is low, maybe you’re just at the wrong place”.

This brought up memories from many years ago; I had been reading a job advert, and as I made my way through the specifications and company values, I was surprised to see a long list of attributes that I considered to be my negative quirks and flaws. These traits were making my life increasingly difficult and hostile in the role I was in at the time, and I had started to view myself in a distorted way as a result. It was a real wake-up call that I’d become stuck in a harmful rut with my work and wasn’t where I wanted to be. Although it was difficult to acknowledge, it was a brutal reminder to go where you are celebrated, not tolerated.

The Impact of Environment

A 1984 study by Roger Ulrich discovered that hospital patients recovering in rooms with a view of nature recovered considerably better, and had a much higher survival rate than patients with a view of a brick wall. Subsequent research has found that creating safe conditions that include being within easy reach of the nurses physically and having access to a call button, having privacy and peace, as well as the view of nature, impacted recovery even more positively. Although this might seem obvious and intuitive if we apply these criteria to our working environments, these ideals can seem like a luxury when we are juggling multiple roles to get by, are seeing through the end of a contract, or are struggling to line up the next gig.

Workplace toxicity impacts both physical and mental health, and it’s well-documented by medical professionals. In the Framework for Workplace Mental Health and Well-Being, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy, MD explains that “Chronic stress can lead to depression, heart disease, cancer, and other illnesses.” So, perhaps we should consider the environments in which we work and reside far more carefully, and view them as less of a luxury and more of a necessity.

Murthy’s framework outlines five essentials people require in the workplace, which are grounded in human needs, and are universal across industries and roles. While a toxic culture is defined by disrespect, non-inclusivity, unethical practices, cutthroat competition, and abuse, the inverse is outlined in the five essentials for workplace mental health and well-being.

Moving On 

Hatching an escape plan can take time when factoring in the nuances of our circumstances, such as how much or how little help we have in our network, and ways in which we might need to realign and heal from the impact of the toxicity. When appreciating the idiosyncrasies of a niche, tight-knit industry or of freelance work, there is often no one person or organisation available for support and advice. Lauren Florko Pd.D. recommends in Psychology Today that finding solace beyond the professional environment is a crucial first step. Florko writes:

“In extreme cases, where a toxic work environment persists, and internal resources are scarce, seek support outside of work. This can be found through career coaches, therapists, health practitioners, and/or spiritual or religious leaders. Creating a robust support system beyond the office can provide the necessary resilience to endure and, if needed, make a strategic exit.”

Acquiring the tools to move on successfully requires not only a fresh start in the external world but also inner work to find cognitive closure. Harvard Business Review recommends therapeutic exercises for processing the experience, implementing self-care in the form of forgiving your past self, and using the knowledge you now have to propel you forward:

“Self-compassion goes a long way to rebuild your confidence, as does taking your power back through constructive action that strengthens your sense of self. Put what you learned from your last role to good use by clearly communicating your boundaries and expectations.”

Aligning with Culture and Values

When we’re looking for our next client or role, aligning with culture and values is key to meeting our five essential needs as outlined by Murthy, but what does this mean, and what does it look like in reality?

Understanding your core values is integral to making the best choices in all areas of life. When we live in alignment with our values, we feel happy, and when we live out of alignment, this is when we struggle, because inwardly we know that something is wrong.

While we all hold many values, our core values are our most highly prioritised, top 5. It can be useful to go through a list and narrow down which are important to you.

 

When we have our core values, it then helps to look at how we can live by these values through our actions, and identify where we might be out of alignment, both personally and professionally. What do these values mean to you by your definition, on a micro and macro level, and are they specific instances, or more of an experiential sensation?

By following this process, we can become aware of where and what we would like to change in our lives and seek out those values in both our behaviours and in the actions of others. Being mindful of our core values when researching and meeting new clients, collaborators, and companies from the outset is useful for keeping us on the path we wish to follow.

Our core values may naturally move and change over time, however, if we keep them in mind as we go through life, it is much easier to notice when things are out of alignment sooner rather than later and adjust accordingly.

The Art of Trying

As of June 11th, I will have been officially in my “post-grad era” for ten months. Ten months consisting of moving home (and then back to Nashville, where I went to college), nearly 700 job applications (just on LinkedIn), four internships (only one paid), three part-time jobs, 20+ sound credits on international TV shows (streaming on Disney+, Cartoon Network, and Netflix), and ultimately, one girl behind it all who is just… trying to make it work.

Hint: that girl would be me.

If there’s something I’ve learned during this almost full year of figuring life out, it’s that 1) despite having six seasons, there just aren’t enough episodes of Sex and The City, and 2) there is most definitely an art to “trying to make it work.” I am currently making my way through Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way, and though the topic is touched on throughout the book, Week 8 specifically emphasizes reclaiming your time, energy, and strength as an artist by simply trying things out for the sake of doing them. It’s easy to come up with excuses as to why we can’t or shouldn’t pursue our desires: too young, too old, too out of shape, too busy, too broke, too scared. However, Cameron stresses that as creative beings, none are the real reasons. Like Carrie Bradshaw, I couldn’t help but wonder: have we lost our ability to try for trying’s sake?

Let me elaborate. I believe our inability to follow our dreams might lie in the fact that we are too attached to the comfortable, familiar anxiety of thinking about the thing rather than doing the thing and being faced with the truth of a real outcome.

In other words, we’d rather not try and not know than try and fail.

This belief resonated with me as a young woman pursuing a career in the entertainment industry, specifically in audio. As I’ve navigated the last 10 months, it’s been so easy to blame my lack of progress on several things. I’m too young and inexperienced. I should be grateful just to be given a chance at anything, so I need to avoid speaking my mind or taking up space just to keep the opportunity. I’m too busy juggling multiple jobs. I’m too focused on trying to keep myself afloat. But if I’m honest with myself, the real reason is that oftentimes, I don’t think that I’m good enough.

The beautiful thing about being this young and inexperienced is that right now, I have nothing to lose. When you’re at the bottom, the only way to go is up. And if I take a second to evaluate where I’m at, things are quite wonderful. I’ve had some great professional opportunities, and though they haven’t yet landed me the full-time gig I’ve been hoping for, I’ve learned a lot about myself and the industry I’m pursuing. I’ve been able to spend more time at home in Texas with my family, which at this point in life, you don’t often get to say. I’ve also been able to live with my friends and chosen family now that I am back in Tennessee. I have freedom with my schedule and can take on smaller opportunities that arise, like flexible sound design gigs or working on friends’ films and projects. What I thought were gaps in my “grand plan” are looking more like stained glass than a shattered mirror, and in the cracks, I’m finding time to dedicate to trying. As I said, there’s a real art to it, and slowly but surely, I feel like I’m picking up the skill.

Whether you’ve been in the industry for years or, like me, are just starting out, I encourage you to take the time to evaluate both your past and present. I’m almost positive that if given the opportunity, you’ll be able to provide a much fuller list of accomplishments, big and small. And the great news? If you’re not where you want to be, if you aren’t feeling fulfilled, if you find yourself off track from your goals, you can always try again. And I don’t just mean in your career.

Pick up the brushes and start a watercolor painting.

Grab a pen and paper and jot down a few pages for that memoir you’ve been wanting to write.

Sit down and find an old clip from a movie you love and redesign the SFX.

Have a favorite artist who releases the raw stems for their songs? Set aside an hour or two to remix them.

You don’t need a perfect, finished product.

Stop thinking about what could happen.

Try.

And just like that, the process goes from daunting to invigorating.

Like any kind of art, to get better at “trying” requires practice. And the truth of the matter is you won’t ever really be good at trying, just better at accepting the outcome. If I recall, it was also Carrie Bradshaw who noted that “life gives you lots of chances to screw up, which means you have just as many chances to get it right.”

But hey, you’ll never know until you try.

Photo courtesy of HBO MAX

Call for Volunteers: Join Us in Making a Difference!

Call for Volunteers: Join Us in Making a Difference!

Dear Community Members,

We are excited to announce an incredible opportunity for you to give back and make a positive impact in our community. We are seeking enthusiastic and dedicated volunteers to join our team and support various initiatives aimed at improving the lives of those around us.

Volunteer Opportunities:

  • Feature Profiles: Assist in organizing and writing our monthly feature profiles
  • Co-Director for Blogs: Help organize, schedule, and edit our blogs from our contributors.
  • Co-Director for Chapters: Three to four Co-Directors to align our current chapters, recruit new directors for chapters, and rewrite chapter guidelines.
  • Co-Directors for SoundGirls Podcast: Looking for three to four people to relaunch and organize our podcast.
  • Co-Directors for scholarships and internships: Looking for three to four people to secure scholarships and internships for our members.
  • Co-Directors for workshops and events: Looking for three to four people to organize workshops either virtual or in person for continuing education.
  • Co-Directors for mentoring: Organize mentoring and schedule 10 to 15 hours a month

Why Volunteer with Us?

  • Make a Difference: Contribute to meaningful projects that positively impact our community.
  • Meet New People: Connect with like-minded individuals and build lasting relationships.
  • Develop Skills: Gain valuable experience and develop skills that can benefit your personal and professional growth.
  • Have Fun: Enjoy the rewarding and fulfilling experience of volunteering in a supportive and friendly environment.

How to Get Involved:

If you are passionate about making a difference and have a few hours to spare each week, we would love to hear from you! To sign up as a volunteer, please fill out the volunteer application form. Alternatively, you can contact our Volunteer Coordinator at soundgirls@soundgirls.org for more information.

Join us in creating a better future for our community. Your time and effort can make a world of difference!

We look forward to you joining the team

Going With the Flow

This spring I had the opportunity to step back into my roots and mix a loud rock band. The goal was simple: make sure it’s loud and doesn’t get in the way of their groove.

The opportunity came with a rocking stage (many guitar cabs, something the “luxury” of amp modelers softens us to) and PAs that ranged from questionable, to what is one of my favorite Cohesion systems that I’ve ever mixed on.

The tour brought me back to a sense of reality and perhaps grounded me in many ways. Sometimes the systems and consoles made me feel less than comfortable, either with their inability to work “flawlessly” or because of the fast-paced and unexpected nature of the show. I had to create a dialogue daily with house venue staff to learn about how they managed the system or room and try to employ their techniques when necessary.

The overarching observation is that this was such a valuable learning experience, providing opportunities to re-think the show and challenge myself with varying mixing platforms. I saw the gamut of nearly every mainstream console: PM5, X32, S6L, DLive, and even a Pro2. Sometimes these consoles worked flawlessly. Other times, they didn’t, forcing me to be creative with my layouts and workflow.

These shows solidified my technical understanding, and sometimes lack of. I had to quickly become comfortable with the fast-paced environments. It was also critical to maintain my composure in tense situations.

Efficiency was a must, as was learning how to prioritize daily tasks. It equally forced me to sit back and enjoy the show because I had to lean into what the band was doing, let them take the reins, and trust their input.

I offer this story to encourage you to be willing to step out of your comfort zone and enjoy the spaces you’re in. These moments teach us how to pivot and take things in stride. Being open-minded to these moments allows you to be creative and shows you how to be flexible when facing challenging circumstances. It’s another piece in the journey of continual improvement.

What matters about our unique careers doesn’t change:

These moments provide a ton of direction, self-reflection, and opportunity for growth. They can also increase your confidence in yourself, especially if you can learn to excel at keeping a cool, level head when moments are tense or stressful. So, next time you’re faced with something different, don’t be afraid to lean into it, learn from the challenges, and enjoy the present moment.

Women in Vinyl Review

Continuing on my quest to read ALL of the Audiobooks written by women and gender non-conforming individuals, Women in Vinyl: The Art of Making Vinyl written by Jenn D’Eugenio came across my desk.  As a self-proclaimed nerd, I love vinyl, therefore this book would have found its way into my library anyway.  Jenn D’Eugenio founded the Women in Vinyl non-profit to uplift marginalized humans working in vinyl.  After starting as a blog to share individual stories, it has become a resource hub that even has a podcast.  D’Eugenio herself is the Sales and Customer Service Director of Gold Rush Vinyl in Austin Texas.

Each interview has the same formula.  There is a short biography, then 4 questions: motivation for getting into the industry, favorite thing about working in vinyl, advice for folk wanting to work with vinyl, and what they wished more people knew about vinyl.  The interviews are organized based on the vinyl manufacturing process.  Starting from mastering, then lacquer cutting, electroplating, through the distribution and marketing and including DJ-ing.  For many of the women featured in the book, there is a love of listening to music.  While enjoying consuming music is emphasized, music performance is only necessary for the DJ’s.  Working in vinyl allowed them the chance to have a job they loved.  That love translates into the uniqueness of vinyl and prolongs it as a medium for music consumption.

If you follow Soundgirls, some of these names are familiar.  The vinyl industry is only a small branch within the music industry and requires people to work multiple roles.  Also, many of the women interviewed are involved in outreach in vinyl and the music industry.  D’Eugenio addresses why there is an overlap between the Women in Vinyl biographies and the board of Women in Vinyl.  At a panel discussing women in vinyl, and realizing the panel was more about vinyl in general, Jenn D’Eugenio and her fellow panelists realized there was a need to highlight those who work with vinyl that are not just men.  And just like that original panel, the book reads as a collection of experiences of working with vinyl.  Even though vinyl is a billion-dollar industry, through Women in Vinyl it still feels tight-knit.

I found myself pouring through the interviews like a deluxe fanzine.  Women in Vinyl makes for a smaller coffee table book that is sparse on pictures but essential for placing next to your turntable.  Unlike some of my other reviews that collect names and interviews in one volume, this is not a “pioneer” or “history-maker” grab-bag, but instead the names of those who touch and care for your records before they reach your hands.  They are the ‘Mothers of Vinyl,’ standing proud as their children spin on record players in homes worldwide.

Find out more about Women in Vinyl

Recording Acoustic Music in an Ambient Space

While many genres of music are customarily recorded in a studio, with overdubbing and flexible acoustics (vocal booths, acoustic panels, etc.) giving options to create a dry or wetter sound and allowing complete creative control sound’s resonance, genres such as classical, jazz and folk usually require the musicians to be playing in the same physical space together, and often rely on the acoustic to enhance the music.

What are some factors that we should keep in mind when recording these kinds of ensembles and bands?

Deciding on a space

Choosing an acoustically flattering space for the size of the ensemble and type of instruments is important when aiming to capture a naturally resonant sound. Classical music recordings (and live concerts) are usually made in spaces such as churches and large halls with acoustics that naturally enhance the sound of the instruments. Some jazz and other acoustic genre recordings also use resonant spaces to create a unique sound (the German label ECM is a great example). Digital or analog reverb can of course be used to further enhance the acoustic, but starting with a great-sounding space will be a huge advantage. You and/or the musicians should get an idea of the space before the recording session: by visiting and seeing the size of the space, hearing the reverb time, reflections, and how sound reacts there, or listening to another recording that was made in the space, or attending a performance there.

Direct sound vs. room sound

When you know what kind of space you will be recording in and how resonant it is, you can decide on how to record it. While simple acoustic recordings can be achieved with a stereo pair of microphones to capture a soloist or ensemble in a room, if you have access to multiple microphones, it will give you the option to blend between the close sound of each instrument and to produce a far more detailed recording.

An important aspect of the acoustic recording is finding a good balance between a main microphone array that captures the whole ensemble (e.g. stereo configurations such as AB, ORTF, and Decca Tree, or a surround setup), and spot microphones that are placed close to each instrument to pick up more detail. An additional pair of ambient microphones could also be placed much further away from the ensemble to capture more of the sound of the space and have the option to blend it in.

The space’s reverb time and how pleasant it naturally sounds could affect your microphone choice and type of stereo setup. For example, a naturally flattering acoustic might be best captured by an AB set up with omni mics, while a space that has a very long reverb time might be better balanced by using an ORTF with cardioids, and no additional ambient mics. Jazz, folk or music in a small dry acoustic will likely benefit from more use of the direct spot mic sounds with a tasteful amount of room acoustic blended in for cohesiveness.

Placement of microphones and musicians

When capturing a soloist or a whole ensemble with a stereo or surround microphone array, along with the acoustic space around it, your placement of the microphones and the players will affect all aspects of how it sounds: the depth, frequencies, panning, and potential issues such as phase. Depending on the shape of a space, placing the main microphone array higher above the ensemble can sometimes sound better than placing them further back. Think about how near or far each instrumentalist is to the main mic array, as well as how far left or right.

Another thing to note: while positioning the microphones and musicians in the space in a way that will allow you to capture the best sound is ideal, sometimes you might need to compromise for the players to move to their preferred spot to see and hear each other better and to obtain the best musical performance and balance that they can.

Another aspect to consider is the delay between the main microphones and each spot microphone. Some audio engineers like to measure and account for this delay by recording a loud click sound close to the microphone capsule, measuring the milliseconds or samples of difference in the waveforms between the main mic and the spot, and inputting this delay on the corresponding channel in the DAW so that the waveforms line up. In some cases, this can make the sound clearer and better, while in other cases it might sound better without inputting the delay. It’s all down to what you hear!

Further learning

This text is only a small introduction to the topic of capturing music within an acoustic space. If you’re starting out with this kind of recording, it’s a good idea to read more in-depth on acoustic music recording, stereo and surround techniques, and room acoustics. If possible, shadow an audio engineer on a location recording session, and most importantly gain experience by doing recordings in different spaces and learn by experimenting!

Photo by India Hooi of recording session with Duo Otero.

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