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The Next Generation

Amidst my post-graduate pursuit of a career in audio, I was recently allowed to act as a short-term educator at St. Michael’s Academy, where the film and music programs are both about as refined as can be for a pre-collegiate setting. It was an exciting chance to share my love for audio with a new generation of high school students who were just beginning to explore the field.

I had the honor of both watching and participating in this program, known as Winter Term, as it was first introduced back when I was a student from 2016 to 2019. Winter Term is a three-week period held in January where students can take an array of classes focused on unique topics, such as ornithology, an in-depth study of Jane Austen, pickleball, and even study abroad programs to places like Morocco, Nicaragua, and Germany. This unique high school experience was a key reason why I ended up pursuing audio professionally. As a curious high school kid, I was able to take several music and recording classes where I was not only allowed to but encouraged to try my hand at every available instrument or recording tool. My horizons were expanded early on, providing me with the opportunity to hone my skills and interests before college.

Fast forward almost nine years, and I found myself back at St. Michael’s, this time as a teacher for a class about sound for movies and TV. It was a simple class, just to give these students, mostly freshmen, the opportunity to learn about all that goes into creating the worlds they dive into when stepping into a dimmed movie theater or pulling up their favorite streaming service on the living room TV.

This wouldn’t be my first time teaching an audio class. While at Belmont University, my alma mater, I was a T.A. for the Foley and ADR in Depth class. However, I wasn’t teaching so much as I was manually running the recording sessions and occasionally offering insight to the students– most of whom were my peers. Here, the classroom atmosphere was always casual. But my weeks at St. Michael’s would be my first time teaching a group of kids who had virtually no prior experience and in some cases, lacked even the slightest bit of interest in the subject of sound. I knew going into this month of teaching that my approach would need to be slightly adjusted to cater to this new audience.

I arrived on the first day a little restless and a little intimidated, though I refused to let either emotion show. I had a full PowerPoint presentation of over fifty slides ready and waiting, as well as backup notes and videos in case I, as I often do when nervous, sped through all I wanted to talk about and was left with an excruciating amount of time to fill. I knew I would undeniably steer off the path of my overprepared lectures, but what I didn’t know was just how far off that path this classroom of students would take me.

As previously mentioned, this classroom was filled with a wide array of kids, mostly freshmen, who ranged from sound design aficionados to those who chose the class simply because their best friend was in it. I was concerned this would affect the classroom atmosphere, and it did, but it turned out, only in the best ways. After a few days of icebreakers, small team-building assignments, and generally getting to know one another, I started to see each of their personalities shine. I realized by the second week that following my notes and showing them videos was not going to cut it. These students worked best in hands-on, interactive environments, so that’s exactly where I pivoted. We spent the first week outside building a sound library to use for our own take on a State Parks commercial. We used the state-of-the-art recording studio, iso booth, and SSL console at the school to record lines of dialogue and ADR for a scene from The Breakfast Club. One day, I completely ditched my previous lesson plan and instead held a Socratic discussion about what makes art “good”, where we went from talking about 4’33” by John Cage to the Minecraft soundtrack, and even to Hisashi Indo’s monochromatic canvases. By the third week when starting our final projects (sound designing the “Interlinked” scene from Blade Runner 2049), I was so excited to see how each of their unique perspectives would manifest in their work.

In the short month I was teaching the class, I was continuously impressed at how intelligent, creative, and adaptive my students were. Even the ones who initially weren’t all that interested in sound ended up working together to create some pretty unique work. I was proud of them for just trying things out. Overall, I could tell they were having fun, which was always my ultimate goal. I couldn’t help but think about how momentous it was for me at that age to have been able to experience this kind of class and been allowed to run wild on a DAW or with a mic out in the wild, to create not for a final product, but for the sake of discovery.

It is easy to become blinded by our learned experiences in higher education or our professional achievements, and therefore become closed-minded to new ideas about how things can be done in our industry. If I learned one thing from my students, it’s that often, going in with a clean slate is the best way to get a new perspective, and therefore a unique end product. I often had to practice holding my tongue to offer advice, insight, or opinions. Of course, there are appropriate times to offer those things (especially as an educator), but like in any creative industry, sometimes the best way to learn is to try, fail, and adapt. Learning by doing proved to be the most effective way for my students to problem solve and, in the end, create some very impressive work all on their own.

As a 22-year-old, it’s surreal to see the next generation of creatives on the brink of their own journeys. I’m proud to have played a small part in shaping their paths and grateful, too, for the lessons they’ve taught me along the way. Teaching, it seems, is more of a two-way street than I had previously imagined.

Here’s to open minds and open horizons, paving the way for endless possibilities and mutual growth in our journeys of audio exploration and discovery.

If you’re interested in seeing some of the end products of this class, here is a link to our final Foley assignment: Tennessee State Parks Commercial.

Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you again for my next post here on SoundGirls.

The Power Of Finding Your Voice

I recently stumbled across an interesting podcast episode about the power of voice, featuring world-renowned vocal coach Stewart Pearce. A fascinating guest and captivating speaker, Pearce’s celebrity clients have ranged all the way from Princess Diana to Margaret Thatcher, with a healthy dose of Oscar winners and accomplished theatre actors included in the middle.

One of the most intriguing things Pearce talked about, was women reclaiming the power of their voices in the aftermath of the #MeToo movement, and now living a very spiritual and esoteric lifestyle, he claimed that the next chapter of history was more likely than not going to be told by women, rather than the patriarchal model. While that next chapter can at times seem elusive and out of reach observing all the pain, injustice, and oppression in the world around us, we can but hope that it’s on the horizon.

Pearce’s conviction and allyship with women had me intrigued, and so I investigated further into his work. As a taster for his online course, The Magnetic Voice, Stewart offers a three-part masterclass, so of course I delved in.

In addition to his apparent classical, Shakespearean training, there were also somewhat spiritual and less formal elements ingrained into his teachings. The second masterclasses covered: how to create a great voice, your breath power and how to relax, discovering the centre of your authentic voice, acquiring gravitas and personal sovereignty, how to create presence, and evolving your magnetic voice.

I was quite taken by Pearce’s holistic approach to emotional elements of self-confidence and breath work, not just in a performative and vocal speaking/singing sense, but in what felt much more akin to spiritual and yogic practices. Of course, the practical side of breathing from the diaphragm, tone, range, speaking, and singing from the belly and the chest as opposed to the nose or the head were covered, which I was expecting going into the masterclasses. The inclusion of elements such as alignment, grounding, energy work, inner stillness and awareness to become present, also found their place, much to my surprise.

In looking at Pearce’s other works, discovering his 2020 book Diana The Voice of Change illuminated where his passion lay in all of this, and it was clear that sharing the exercises that had worked so well in coaching the Princess during her final years, was a large part of his women’s empowerment mission:

“Diana The Voice of Change is a call to action for women everywhere, for it begins and ends with love. The essence of this book urges the heart of each woman or man to awaken, to heal any breakage within, and so commit to a flow of empathy as an opening impulse for the mighty voice of change. It was Diana’s greatest desire that through her example each woman or man of the world could find their own authentic voice, expressing their own unique purpose, liberating love to transcend enmity. Diana believed that wherever tyranny existed it would be freed by grace, that wherever cruelty existed it would be freed by bravery, and that wherever the voice of oppression occurred it would be freed by the voice of kindness. In this, Diana was a trailblazer!”

 

The Farlex dictionary defines the idiom of “finding your voice” as:

  1. To find one’s distinctive style or vision of artistic expression.
  2. To regain the ability to speak, especially after something frightening or startling has happened.

The parallels in Pearce’s work between finding your voice and building a strong voice are quite significant. Both are equally important for the transformation of self-discovery, growth, and empowerment. Both entail developing confidence, authenticity, and resilience in expressing oneself and making a meaningful impact in the world, particularly for women.

Speaking authentically, powerfully, and magnetically can certainly be helped with vocal training, mindfulness, breathing exercises, and practicing performance techniques, but is that enough? It became apparent to me that Pearce’s message of “our voices reflect the core of our being” means that we also therefore have to do some work on the core of our being.

Perhaps this inner training and reflection is what will accelerate the confidence in more of us to find our authentic voices, especially as women in a world that isn’t working as well as it should. And in doing so, maybe Pearce’s prediction that the next chapter will be told by the feminine is looking more likely.

Mixing: Down to the Details

My previous two blogs were about how to get started mixing first with the vocals, then working with the band. Once you start to feel like you’ve got mental energy to spend on other things, it’s time to zero in on the subtleties. These are the details that take the sound from a functional mix to part of the story. You as the mixer start to have room to make the show your own and add some artistic flourishes!

So what does that mean? At this point you have the vocals at good levels, you’re blending the band and pushing solos, so what else is there to do? In my very first blog, I talked about what makes a functional mix versus a good one. Up until this part of my mixing series, it’s been about functionality, so now we’re going to look at how to shape a show.

First, it’s time for an extra bit of script analysis. Some lines in a show will ask for special attention. These are plot points, setups, and punchlines for jokes, and sometimes special moments like ambient noises or ad-libs you want to highlight. Plot points are things like character introductions, foreshadowing, and establishing scene/time that might get lost. On Saigon, there is an abrupt jump three years ahead, something the characters briefly reference, so I’d try to pop those lines out to help the audience understand what was happening. On Mean Girls, when the Plastics make their entrance and each character gets a little bump as they start their introductions, especially Gretchen where we also took out the vocal verb to help make her quick, wordy bit more intelligible.

Sometimes you’ll have sections where multiple people are all singing at the same time. In Phantom of the Opera, you go from “Notes” or what we call “Managers,” a scene where the seven people on stage have rapid-fire lines back and forth to “Prima Donna” where those same people are now singing on top of each other. Your job as the mixer is to highlight the parts that are important to the story: Carlotta making her distress abundantly clear, Raoul and Mme Giry debating about the Phantom, and the managers bemoaning dealing with the aforementioned Prima Donna. You’re keeping everyone up so you maintain the musical texture that the song uses, but make sure to push the important bits just a little bit more.

Script Excerpt from “Prima Donna” in Phantom of the Opera

This was a scene that made me fall in love with mixing every time I got it right. Managers are technical and all about getting the mics up at the right time and Prima Donna is a complete 180 into artistic blending. It’s a section where you have to bring your best every single night and I thrive on that kind of challenge. There was a while between when I learned how to do a good mix with multiple faders up to finally making it to the point where I could truly do it line by line, but that show when I finally managed it was a highlight of my early mixing days.

Back to the more technical bits, we have laugh lines. For these, you have the setup, the punchline, and the return. You typically have to push all three of these: if the audience can’t hear the set up they won’t get the joke, and then you need to signal that we’re returning to the flow of the show again with the return, usually over some last bits of laughter. Frequently, the set up comes right before the punchline, but there are sometimes the punchline will be a callback to a previous scene or act. These setups are even more important to accentuate for a later payoff.

Along with the plot, you can shape emotional volume. The goal is that the overall sound for a show is cohesive and smooth, but that doesn’t mean monotone; you’re trying to make sure that all the levels make sense in the context of the show. My favorite songs to mix are the most dynamic ones. Both “World Burn” from Mean Girls and  “Little Brother” from Outsiders are great examples of songs that start very quiet and work their way all across the emotional spectrum to a big dramatic moment by the end. In both, the end wouldn’t have the same impact if you started the soloist at a normal speaking level because you wouldn’t have as much room to build. The range from deathly quiet at the start to all-out power at the end can drive the emotion home.

 

playbill.com Studio sneak peek at “Little Brother” from The Outsiders

As you work on more and more shows you’ll start to develop an ear for how the dynamics of the band want to shape a song, but there will always be some element of trial and error. Until you find what the band is consistently doing, there’ll be some shows where you build too fast and don’t leave yourself anywhere to go and other times when you don’t start early enough and have to rush to the end. Once both you and the band settle into the pacing of the songs and you learn how dynamic your actors are throughout a song, you’ll get more accurate and more consistent on how far and how fast you can push everything.

I had to relearn that on Outsiders. The music is different from a traditional musical theatre show and it took me a while to resist the urge to push for that big opening number or a huge finale when the music didn’t actually want to do that. For days I ended up fighting with myself on the faders, trying to get mics up hotter so I could push the band more, but reaching a point where there was only so much that I could do. I left rehearsals feeling like the mix was okay at best, and I do not like that feeling. When I got the note to pull things back and let the music sit where it wanted to, I could finally see what was supposed to be happening. When I didn’t try to force it into something it wasn’t, I didn’t have to manhandle the dynamics or push the actors too much because I was going too big with the band. That made all the difference and drew me back to take a hard look at the rest of the show to see if there were other times I was working against myself.

Something that will start to set you apart as a mixer is learning to correct on the fly when people are inconsistent. This could be an off day where an actor is sick or a sub-musician is in or you have someone who is just consistently inconsistent. Ideally, everyone does the same thing every day, but our job is based on dealing with the human elements and the reality is that nothing will ever be exactly uniform day in and day out. This means staying engaged and focused on the show with your fingers on the active faders and keeping your ears engaged. As you learn how an actor sounds, you can start to tell when something sounds off (they’re tired, sick, not paying attention, someone they want to impress is in the audience, etc) and even sometimes anticipate when they might go off course and you either have to give them some help or rein them in.

Sometimes those anomalies and small mistakes help you find things that work better. I’ve had times when I left the band to focus on something else and realized there’s a fun feature for someone that I want to highlight. (Or you learn that the musicians will make noise as soon as they’re done playing and it’s imperative you pull them out quickly.) On Mean Girls, our Aaron would give a little chuckle after he repeats Cady’s embarrassed “grool” (“great” + “cool”), and when I noticed he did that, I left his mic up for that extra beat. It gives his character a cute moment where you see he’s starting to fall for Cady and it draws the audience in.

Adante Carter as Aaron Samuels and Danielle Wade as Cady Heron in the 1st National Tour of Mean Girls (photo credit: Joan Marcus)

 

With all the talk of getting into details, this is a point where we can easily fall into the trap of over-adjusting. Sometimes for long scenes or songs, we’ll feel like we have to change something or we’re not doing our jobs. It’s hard to accept that sometimes doing nothing is the most effective path. On Les Mis, at the end of “Bring Him Home” there’s a moment when Valjean and the orchestra would start their final note. Most days I didn’t have to do anything: they did a natural resolution to the end and I’d learned that trying to push it didn’t sound right, so it was one of the very rare moments I would actually take my hands off the faders and step back. For a beat, I got to take in the picture of the stage and just breathe. To this day, whenever I hear that song, I still have a physiological response where the muscles in my back and shoulders will automatically relax because it triggers that subconscious reminder of that beautiful moment and being able to trust my coworkers and simply let go.

Nick Cartell as Jean Valjean in the 2017 National Tour of Les Miserables (photo credit: Matthew Murphy)

As the mixer you are in the unique position where you’re simultaneously in the middle of the show and the middle of the audience at the same time. Lighting and the spot ops are in booths and everyone else is backstage. You’re the only one who gets the chance to breathe with the actors and the flow of the music as you hear every reaction from the audience at the same time. Theatre is one of the few places where we find ourselves comfortable to let emotions loose in public. I love it when you can hear people start to sniffle or cry in the audience or feel the entire theater gasp as one because it means they’re with us. Shows are so much more fun to mix when that happens and digging into these details takes the audience from simply watching actors to investing themselves in stories where they care about what happens to these people.

The best thing you can learn to do is pay attention to what’s going on around you. Listen to the notes that the director is giving the actors or the composer is giving the band. Get your head out of the script and off your hands and see what’s happening onstage. The more you watch and listen, the more you’ll learn about what the vision for the show is and the better able you are to make intentional choices to further that goal. If the creatives can tell that you’re heading in the right direction, they’ll give you some leeway to figure things out. If the actors and musicians can trust that you’re there to support them even when they’re having an off-show, they’ll give you better performances. None of us work in a vacuum in this business and the sooner we learn that, the better we can make the show.

SAPPHO, DREAMS AND MEMORIES

“by the time you hear this / I’ll be somewhere far away. / I’d rather not say it at all / but these moments have to burn / they are the fuel that will get me home” Ada Rook

“someone will remember us, I say / even in another time”. Sappho

 

Do you ever imagine yourself in ancient times? Not yourself exactly like a reversed 80s movie where a medieval knight time warps into New York, but whatever nature you are, nurtured by the gears of whatever was going on 2000 years ago. Do you imagine yourself rich? Poor? In pain? Happy? Anxious? Self-aware?

Lately, I’ve been kind of obsessed with Sappho. Her work and times, her desires and fears, her whole existence as a successful writer and musician, the young Sappho, the aging one…

How do you make sense of someone who lived 2600 years ago? We only keep a few fragments of her work and a few testimonials not even from her times, either praising her for her work or demoting her for her sexuality. There’s not much we can hold on to (except the omnipresence of patriarchy throughout history).

I feel like the borders of this moment in time that we’re probably sharing and what happened before are very similar to the thin borders between dreaming and wakefulness. Sometimes it’s a blurred line, and certainly, the more you venture beyond that border, the more fragmented and imprecise things get and the more holes there are for your imagination to fill. Sappho -and the fragmented nature of what we keep of her songs and poems- feels like a dream, and maybe you don’t need to figure her out. Maybe we can embed ourselves in the oneiric mystery of it all, like Paul B. Preciado suggests, by considering dreams as biographical as whatever you do while awake. For him, his dream about having an apartment in Uranus is as valid as his talk at l’Ecole de la Cause Freudienne. Maybe a way to experience Sappho is precisely from an oniric perspective, a magical ghostly figure floating between Lesbos and the Pleiades. How do you make sense of someone who lived 2600 years ago? Maybe you don’t. Maybe you just float with the bits and pieces that orbit the Moon and gain momentum until you’re released with enough force to reach Uranus.

I’ve been writing songs using Sappho’s poems as lyrics for the last year and a half. My relationship with her has passed through many stages, even though the “maybe she was a rich chaser abusing a power imbalance between her and her disciples” stage. But was she a teacher? A priestess? A performer at weddings? All of them? None? I’d like to challenge the need to commit to a particular version of her, or of anything at all. For me, uncertainty is much more inspiring. Anything that comes in the shape of fragments and missing pieces drives your imagination to more interesting places.

Remembering is very similar to dreaming. I feel like the inner voice that explains our dreams to us is the same creative force that tries to make sense of our past and memories.

There’s this memory I have. I’m two years old, my mother is doing laundry and I approach her and ask her if I’m two or three years old. To this day, I’m not sure if it’s a real memory or a dream I had at some point. Maybe it’s neither; maybe it’s an experience created by myself after looking at pictures from when I was two. Regardless of what it actually is, like Paul, I keep it with me as a relevant piece of biography, even if it’s not real. Even then it’s inspiring; it triggers complex and interesting emotions.

Piecing together the shape of Sappho from her fragments is like creating a vivid dream or a false memory. Reading her feels like remembering her. Remembering her feels like dreaming her. “Someone will remember us”, she writes. “Even in another time”.

Judit K. (Barcelona, 1984) is a restless musician in constant transformation with a passion for glitchy, noisy, loud and almost annoying sounds. She’s been playing keyboards with Obsidian Kingdom from 2016 to 2021 and now is the girl behind the synths in Lys Morke. She’s also a solo artist working on her second album SAFO.EXE, a reinterpretation of Safo’s poetry from the end of the world. She combines her passion for music with feminist and lgtbiq+ activism. You can find her sharing musical and political content (and selfies, bc why not) on instagram: @_juditk

Prepping With Intention

Last month I took a brief look into some routines I’ve developed that help me feel centered to better reach my full potential as a mix engineer. In it, I mentioned the importance of solidifying your understanding of the music to achieve the most impactful, distraction-free mix. Here we highlight how I approach learning music before a show or tour to achieve this goal.

When I ask my mentors what I should do to improve my mixes, this is usually their number one comment: proactive, intentional listening. But how do you listen, and how do you commit that to memory? When it comes to tour prep, it helps me if I create playlists based on the setlist or discography of the artist, and refer to it several times a day. Outside of sitting down to actively listen, I also will let it run in the background while I’m doing other activities. I find ways to quiz myself on the arrangements, becoming aware of a few key elements throughout the song and other fundamental elements of the mix.

For me, being proactive has translated into a two-fold process. I have duality as a musician, growing up both in the bluegrass community and developing retention for pitches and rhythm from a young age and later learning how to correlate that to sheet music through classical studies. The second kind of musicianship taught me so much about how to notate musical information, long before ever becoming a tech. I’ve bridged my career as a musician and as a tech by learning how to transcribe what I hear to sheets of paper. If you have a musical background, visualization in this manner can be powerful. This can look like simply being able to learn how to notate the chord progressions, keys, and tempo, or just identifying what stands out throughout the listening process and subsequently writing it down. Even shorthand can be impactful. Make any and every attempt to understand the entirety of the arrangement and understand each tiny piece of it like the back of your hand.

I also find it helpful to find meaningful associations of the song. Other than the black-and-white analysis of the music, you must be able to bridge the gap between what you’re hearing to the pieces of the sound that resonate with your human experience. Research the music or artist to understand their intention and ask the musicians for information regarding the show. What is one player’s role? When are their solos, or when do they play something that they deem show critical? Maybe your steel guitar has a tiny little lick in the verse that parallels the emotions the singer is trying to convey. You should emphasize that. Show that you have a comprehension of what they’re creating. And if you have access to multitracks, you can use these to help you dissect each element and invite the players into the conversation as you prepare to help them deliver their show.

In conclusion, take time for yourself before having your hands on faders to learn the music. Doing research like this can help provide you with a toolset to make decisions quickly and with intention. After all, we have so many resources available at our fingertips and within our community that can help us achieve the goal of a distraction-free, artistic mix. Make sure you keep listening and find a method that works for you so that you can continue excelling and delivering top-tier mixes.

Review of ‘This is What It Sounds Like’

When I first hear the name Susan Rogers, I think of her work with Prince.  Having her name as an engineer on Purple Rain already lands her in the history books, even without writing a book of her own.  However, a storied Audio Engineer is only one portion of Rogers’ varied career in music.  Even after crafting Prince’s Vault, Rogers earned a doctorate in Behavioural Neuroscience from McGill University, which means her title is now Dr. Multi-Platinum Record Producer Susan Rogers.  All of that culminates into This is What It Sounds Like, her treatise on why humans love music.

Together with her co-author, Ogi Ogas, Rogers breaks down music into 8 components.  Authenticity, Realism, Novelty, Melody, Lyrics, Rhythm, Timbre, and Form & Function.  Each of these components are broken down into binaries, the extremes, with examples for each.  This is What It Sounds Like is the updated, cooler version of What to Listen for in Music by Aaron Copeland.  Adding neuroscience and factoids brings hard evidence to the music theory and musicology of Copland’s music appreciation classic.  Rogers’ and Ogas’ playlist is more accessible to the modern listener and is not bogged down by anchoring itself to one genre.  Furthermore, the music notation is replaced by an external website https://www.thisiswhatitsoundslike.com/ with streaming links and mini-games for ambitious readers.

In Rogers’ 8 components, we also see how she prioritizes music listeners over musicians.  Rogers admits that she cannot play an instrument, but that is her strength.  In Authenticity, Realism, and Novelty we get to the heart of music.  Yes, these components are not specified in music scores, but any layperson can find it in their headphones.  The other components take the standard musicology analysis terms and consolidate them into easily identifiable categories.  Music Theory is not a prerequisite.

While Rogers incorporates scientific neuroscience, she avoids becoming dry or patronizing.  Anecdotes from Rogers’ career provide levity in between the descriptions of experiments to demonstrate what happens to our brains when we listen.  It is stressed that no one preference determines “good music.”  Rogers uses her co-author Ogas to help showcase the range of listening styles.  The goal is to be objective with the subjective.  The differences exist, and how you respond to the components determines how you feel about the music.  Your overall emotional reaction is the conclusion and is independent from the next person’s reaction.  The next person could even have a rare experience of synesthesia or be unable to keep a beat or sing a melody.  At the end of every section is a quick look at unique musical perceptions.

To wrap it all up, the vibrant cover (my edition is neon pink) attracts the eye to a book about music and the brain.  We find the successor to Aaron Copeland’s music lectures.  Vibrant pop cover, with vibrant pop samples for a vibrant pop generation.  Audio engineers of any musical (or non-musical) background have a valuable window into the minds of listeners, straight from Dr. Multi-Platinum herself.

Tax Returns and the Music Business

It’s “tax return” season in the U.S. Every furniture store and car dealership is begging us to come spend our big cash “bonus” we get from the government on something new and shiny. My favorite ad I see is the tax businesses who say “Let us help you get the biggest refund possible!”

Many years ago, when I was a brand-spanking new adult, my dad (who is a money guy) taught me something that I think about every year during this “tax return” season. He said, “Why would you want to give the government an interest-free loan?” What we are essentially doing is giving the government our hard-earned money to use however they want for free. And then, if we did our figuring right, we get a bunch of it back the following April. Dad explained to me that you want to figure out the amount of tax taken out of your check each payday as closely as possible so that you get ZERO back in April. You may even be better off having to take a few hundred out of your savings to pay them because at least you earned a little bit of interest on that money over the previous months.

So, instead of giving the government a couple hundred extra dollars a month FOR FREE, why not put it in an interest-bearing savings account??

This was a big shift in my thinking. It grinds against the cultural message here in the US that you must be doing something wrong if you don’t get a big tax bonus in April. In addition, there are a lot of companies that profit from you NOT thinking this way. They want you to get a big chunk of change every April. They are counting on it.

This blog isn’t meant to be about taxes, though. I mean, feel free to argue with me and my dad in the comments if you’d like. But I’m here to discuss how making a major mindset shift as big as this, is an essential part of being a musical entrepreneur today. It occurred to me how many MAJOR mindshifts we have to make year after year as independent artists, singers, producers, songwriters, and performers. Some of these mindset shifts require looking at things with a new perspective. Some may have you saying… “MIND BLOWN”. At least I hope so 😉

Mindset Shift #1: “I only have 96 followers on Spotify! How can I get more followers??”

Thinking this way will keep you focused on numbers rather than fans. It’s hard not to get excited when a new release gets an influx of streams and followers, or even a post on Instagram gets a lot of love. What happens though if you stop there? Do you do anything when you get those surges? Or are you just happy about it and take a screenshot and post about it? The most important part of building your music business and fan base is the nurturing that takes place after you are discovered. As a musician of any type, your focus should be on real people who connect with your music. How many of those people listened once and never listened again? Or never listened to another song? How can you get those new listeners to buy a ticket to your show when you are in town? The short and simple answer is to nurture your fanbase, one fan at a time. The numbers mean nothing. It’s the people who want to sign up for your email list because they want more from you. They are the ones worth getting excited about.

Mindset Shift #2: “No one is finding my website! Maybe I need a new design or need to use a different hosting platform?”

I saw someone say this in a Facebook group. Of course, everyone jumped in the comments to tell this person their recommended website platform. “WordPress is the best!” “Squarespace!” “Wix”! Etc. Then a couple of comments said, “If your problem is discoverability, it’s not about your website. It’s about SEO.” The individual didn’t even know what they were referring to. Search Engine Optimization. If you have a website and you are expecting to be “found” when anyone searches, you have to have this aspect dialed in. While I’m not an expert on SEO and won’t get into this, if you are an independent artist or you have a music business and haven’t hired an expert to help with your SEO, there is no possible way strangers will find you with a search. 

Social media platforms and even streaming platforms use the same type of “math” for discoverability. They call it “algorithms”, to grossly simplify it. This is where the use of hashtags, consistency, and types of content comes into play. Just as having no keywords, or the wrong keywords, in your SEO settings will keep you from being found in a Google search, posting a static picture once in a while with no hashtags will do you no favors.

Mindset Shift #3: “How do I sell my songs?”

I see people ask this question in songwriting groups all the time. It tells me that they don’t know how this industry works. First of all, as a songwriter, you most likely will never want to outright “sell” your songs. In music news, you may have seen major artists such as David Bowie, Bob Dylan, or Sting recently sold their catalogs. For MILLIONS. I don’t know their reasons but I’m sure it has something to do with just being done with the industry and ready to cash out. What if David Bowie had “sold” his songs at the beginning of his career for something like $100,000? That would have probably seemed like a lot of money for him back then. But what sort of sinking feelings would that bring to watch some other company making millions of dollars on that same song? If he had just waited until the catalog value was high enough, he could have created wealth for his family for generations. $100,000 might buy a nice camper trailer.

The question you are meaning to ask as a songwriter is, how do I get artists to record my songs? The answer to this could be a separate, long blog. So I’ll give you the general answer. The point, however, is to shift your thinking from “selling” your songs to “signing, assigning, licensing.” If you have zero connections in the music industry and are just starting out, join a group such as NSAI. You can also purchase a book called “Songwriter’s Market” which, for years, was published every year with updated information. But, since the industry has changed so much, it looks like the last publication was released in 2016 (!) Still, the information in this book is essential for songwriters just getting started. Specifically, songwriters who aren’t interested in being an artist.

The way to a major artist is by their manager. Usually, a major artist and/or their manager will not accept song submissions from anyone but a reputable publishing company or other industry pros they are already connected with. Getting a song signed with a publishing company that pitches major artists may be your first target. Major publishing companies usually have the same “barrier to entry”, however. So, with no connection, start out by finding a smaller music publisher who is interested in working with “undiscovered” songwriters (who write great songs).

Also, don’t forget that there are probably artists in your own town and music scene that could be a good fit for your song. I’ve had the joy of connecting artists with songwriters in my local scene and it’s a really neat experience. Keep your mind open to these sorts of opportunities as well!

Mindset Shift #4: “How do I get on the radio?”

When I hear this question, I always ask….why? I understand it’s the novelty of it. I remember the first time I heard my own music and voice on the radio. I cried. It is surreal. That was in the 90’s, though. Can we get over the novelty of this now? The reason why you should ask yourself, “Why should I get my song on the radio?” is that the purpose needs to make sense for your demographic and promotional plans. Who listens to the radio? People commuting to work, most likely, right? Is that your fan demographic? Getting on the radio can help with local events or promotional plans. Will you be doing a show in a few weeks? Then you should be not only on the local radio station but also, sitting in as a guest on a local radio show and early morning TV shows. But what if your fan demographic doesn’t listen to the radio *at all*  and has never watched local morning shows? Then, it doesn’t make sense to worry about it. Ask yourself the question, “Where are my fan demographics’ eyes and ears?” If you don’t know your fan demographic, then you need to do this Fan Profile Worksheet.

Mindset Shift #5: “This management company that has worked with Beyonce wants to sign me. It’ll cost me $70,000 and I’ll have no control over my songs, my artist brand, or promotional strategies, but … .Beyonce!”

Need I explain this one? Unfortunately, I’ve seen artists jump into these agreements. They aren’t necessarily scams because these companies do have great connections to amazing producers and the best songwriters. But what I’ve seen is that they are not interested in the artist and helping them develop but are only interested in getting hit songs out the door as fast as possible. And, even after you (or your parents) have paid them a ton of upfront money, they own the masters. This is like an old-school record deal, only worse because YOU fronted the investment upfront and never recoup that cost. Don’t fall for the name-dropping. It looks like a fast track but it’s more of a big debt you can never pay back.

Mindset Shift #6: “Streaming companies are ripping off artists! There’s no way we can make any money when they only pay $.0003 a stream!”

Streaming is not going away. And, if you take a good look at the reality of what happened when the internet took over the music business, you’ll see that the only resolution (to keep people from flat-out stealing music from creators) was a platform such as Spotify. Is it perfect? Absolutely not. And we as creators need to continue to advocate for reform as new technology continues to change the landscape for us. Blaming your failure in the music business on the amount we make on streaming platforms is a waste of energy. First, complaining about it won’t change it. Second, there are many other ways you can and should be earning money from your music. Are you aware of all of them? Are you registered in all of the places you need to be registered to collect all of the royalties? Do you know Spotify is paying only one of several types of royalties? It’s like getting mad about the price of gas and blaming your corner gas station for all of your financial woes. Grab this Releasing Music Checklist so you know you are registered in all of the right places.

Mindset Shift #7: “I just need someone to discover me.”

This out-of-date thinking was never good thinking, even back when the music industry was completely different. We would hear stories of stars being discovered living out of their car, playing in dive bars, and then suddenly signed to a label and now a megastar. Those occurrences were so rare. The chance of being discovered by a legitimate company or executive that will be able to catapult you into sudden stardom is even less now. Do you know why? Because millions of artists are already releasing music… GREAT music, who already have their crap together and will therefore take a lot less effort, money, time, and investment into. Record labels are only looking at artists who have done most of the hard work. What this means is that you need to be building a music business on your own. Once you reach a point where you might think you don’t even need a record label, that’s probably when they’ll start hitting you up 😉 Now you are the one in the driver’s seat.

The priority as an independent artist is to figure out what makes you unique. Your BRAND. If you haven’t yet figured this out, you know of course I have something to help you! Grab this Building Your Artist Brand Workbook for free.

I hope you had your mind blown maybe a time or two. Or at the very least, you’ve realized you need to shift your thinking just a bit to make some movement in your music career. The key is to think like an entrepreneur and business owner, rather than an artist. That shift alone can be a big one to make.

Gender in the Workplace

 

 

A Nonbinary Individual’s Foray into Corporate A.V.

Part 3: Religious Intersectionality

 

Since writing my last blog post, a lot has changed. Namely, I no longer work at the A.V. company that I mentioned before. To be frank, the misgendering and discriminatory practices became too much to handle, and I needed a way out.

Before I left, there were unfortunately a few more instances of transphobia, and worryingly, antisemitism that I faced.

Our A.V. team would always work with other teams to make the corporate world function. A.V. would set up and coordinate projectors, laptops, internet (whether WiFi or Ethernet,), sound boards, microphones, lights, you name it. We were on the tech side of the event sphere. The banquet team would prepare and serve food, the sales team would budget and interact with the clients, and the arrangements team would set up chairs, tables, and stages for each event. My main problems always seemed to arise from arrangements.

The arrangements team was all-male. I find this worthy of note for a variety of reasons, but primarily that it had created a work environment that lacked any diverse perspective, and as such, created a “locker room” environment (borrowing words from Justice Kavanaugh here.) This meant, in their case, that there was no wariness of verbiage among them, and they felt free to say whatever was on their minds without fear of repercussion. In one particular instance, I found myself in the Great American Hall with the arrangements team and one of my A.V. coworkers. We were folding drapes, and as the arrangements staffer rolled in a table, he was loudly complaining about millennial women. Of course, I turned an ear in. The Great American Hall is a very large space, which is worthy of note because even as he walked past me, he was talking to his coworkers across the space. Once again, I felt very ignored. This would have been fine had he been discussing work, or shared stories with his coworkers, or even movies or music. However, when he’s loudly talking about women’s rights (yes, specifically that we belong in the kitchen making him dinner! So original,) I find myself unable to keep quiet.

In response to his complaint, I uttered a quick “Oh, I just love working in a hostile sexist workplace, don’t you?” to my male A.V. coworker. He looked at me with wide and concerned eyes. A hush fell over the entire hall, and I felt my perceived female invisibility vanish in an instant. Eyes were on me as I continued working like nothing had happened. Later that hour, as I had moved on to another task, I heard one of the arrangements team start to make a joke about how Starbucks is only for women. He then paused, looked directly at me, and then said “Well. Let’s just say, my wife likes it more than us guys, huh?” I rolled my eyes and continued my task, thinking to myself that the group of them probably won’t even remember this conversation. But I will. I have to. If we could so easily forget discrimination, perhaps life would be easier, but as it is, I will never forget how it feels to be mocked and talked down to.

Another member of the arrangements staff found it funny to torment me at length. Somehow, he found out my dead name and thought it was really funny to constantly refer to me as that at work. I tried to tell him this upset me, and that I didn’t find it funny. When I expressed that, another arrangements employee approached me, saying that his coworker was only making fun of me because I reacted, and that I should be less hurt! I balked at those words. I distinctly remember looking into his eyes, and saying “But I am hurt.” Clearly, this didn’t matter, as the toment didn’t stop.

Since leaving the A.V. company, I began work at a small theatre, Civic, located in the West End of Allentown. I wish I could say the misgendering instantly ceased, but even with short hair and a gender neutral presentation, I am still often referred to with she/her pronouns. What brings me comfort, though, is that the strangely passive-aggressive comments and debaters trying to engage me have all but completely ended. In theatre, someone might mess up your pronouns, but most seem to believe and understand you when you say you’re not cis. I am no longer responsible for explaining my reasoning for being, and that is such a relaxor.

On one of my last days at the A.V. company, I was not only asked to explain my gender but also my religion. I don’t find myself talking about my Jewish identity much. I wear a Star of David pendant most days and occasionally will wear my Star of David earrings. I will request off for major holidays, but other than that, I tend not to discuss it. Throughout my time working there, I was met with different levels of acceptance from my coworkers, and I learned that sometimes even the most vocal supporters are the ones with something to hide.

The older gentleman I mentioned last month, with the staunch antimask and climate denial beliefs, was quite the offender of that. As Chanukkah approached, he purchased a small LED menorah to keep in the office, and would have me light it each morning (I worked from 6 AM to 4 PM usually.) He seemed to take great pride in that. But on one of the last days of the holiday, the governor of PA, Josh Shapiro, was holding a Zoom meeting in one of our meeting rooms. I wanted to wish him a chag hanukkah sameach, or a Happy Chanukah. I mentioned to my coworker how important to me it was that we had a Jewish political leader, as we’ve never had a president who is anything but Christian. After that chat, he pulled me aside privately, and told me that “my people are plenty well-represented in government.” Oh. I left this conversation shocked– did he just imply to me that he thought Jews ran the world?

I was still working at this workplace during the Oct. 7 events that preceded Netanyahu’s siege of the Gaza Strip. Four separate coworkers tried to debate me about this, as well, like it was something that I had a personal stake in. I tried my best to explain that I’m against murder and war in any way and that by being an American Jew my experience and opinions were likely vastly different than a Jew living in Israel. But I kept being talked over. I left that conversation less shocked. Clearly, they didn’t actually want my opinion, but rather my ear and my time. They wanted my validation of their beliefs, with me simply being a token Jew, and a token female Jew at that– meant to sit quietly and agree. Fantastic.

The most egregious case of antisemitism came from a coworker named John. I feel less afraid to name him specifically, as he was well-known throughout the workplace for being a poor worker and an entitled, arrogant person. No conversation with him would last five minutes without him mentioning that he’d been in the industry thirty-five years (a number he kept inflating, as if we wouldn’t notice,) or that he knew better than his coworkers, despite his constant errors that would delay the team on a near-daily basis. As such, nobody wanted to work with John. Since I was young and quite a pushover, I was often assigned to work alongside him.

John would often try to teach me as if I were a young protegee and he was a grandmaster. The largest flaw in this was that he’d try to teach me the same few things over and over again, seemingly forgetting what he’d taught me before. Much like with my unwillingness to correct people on my pronouns, I found myself unwilling to correct this, either, and just go along with learning what he’d shown me before.

On my very last shift with John, he pulled the card he’d seemingly been waiting to pull: he asked me why I didn’t take work off for the Sabbath.

In today’s gig economy, it’s very hard to become an established professional. I want to be a sound engineer, so I will have to work Friday night performances. It may be a bit of a sore spot for me, yes, but I’m more than happy attending my Rabbi in Selinsgrove’s online services on Saturday mornings. To grow my career in this field, that is a necessary sacrifice. John wasn’t content with this answer.

Somehow, he began on a tangent about how he believed Jews were very controlling. I was very stricken to hear this. That is a common antisemitic talking point, and I didn’t want to stand for that. Of course, I didn’t. I tried to defend myself, but he kept talking over me. It was another weird circumstance where I wasn’t being talked to, but rather talked at– he didn’t care what input I had, only what he had to say. Whether he was holding on to this protegee notion or simply seeing me as “only a woman” (re: lesser and subservient,) I wasn’t sure. But I did leave that conversation seething at the hypocrisy. He’d just told me a good deal about his form of Christianity, and I couldn’t help but think: isn’t this a double standard? You call Jews controlling, but will happily turn a blind eye to Evangelical suffering in small communities, brought on by a controlling leader where no child is allowed to be different or they will be sent to hell? It is just all so convenient. If you shame the target (in this case, Jews,) for something your own religion struggles with, it will shift the focus and conversation away from your own issues, and perpetrate a stereotype that’s been in effect for decades. It’s the same scapegoat blame that has followed the Jewish people for generations.

Before I end this blog post, I want to take a moment to derail my own conversation. I want to say, unequivocally, that I stand with Palestine. It took some processing immediately following the music festival attack, but whatever supposed retribution Netanyahu has taken is so beyond the scope of that one day. Over 30,000 people have been killed by the IDF, and that number is only increasing daily. Gazans have been told to flee to the South, where they were then bombed. They were told to flee to Rafah, which was then bombed. Some of the poorest people in the world are being herded like cattle, where a mass extinction event is unfolding. What is occurring is not a take-down of a terror organization, as many U.S. Citizens would like to paint the issue. Civilians are starving to death in the largest numbers since the Holocaust, and to see my people perpetuate that cycle is so maddening and heartbreaking that I cannot truly put it into words.

I may have faced heightened antisemitism in the wake of the Oct. 7 attack, but it is nothing compared to the militaristic US-sponsored hell that Israel is invoking on Palestinian civilians currently. If you have taken the time to read this far in my humble blog, I ask, from the bottom of my heart, to donate where you can. There isn’t much one person can do, as I’m woefully aware, but as a union of individuals, we can change the world.

I am linking multiple GoFundMe pages from disenfranchised Palestinians. Please, if you have the means, donate what you can.

Christina Masha Milinusic – Sound Engineer and Audio Educator

Christina Masha Milinusic is a seasoned professional with 20 years of experience in Live Sound, Recording, Location Sound Recording, and Audio Education. As the owner of Unity Sound, Christina has contributed her expertise to various institutions, including the City of Calgary, the Calgary Stampede, the University of Calgary, the University of Lethbridge, Mount Royal University, The Grand Theatre, and Stage West. Currently a member of IATSE #212, Christina is also a Sessional Instructor in Digital Audio Arts at the University of Lethbridge, specializing in technical ear training.

As a teenager, I organized and mixed all-ages shows with “Just a Bunch of Kids,” a non-profit formed by a group of alternative-minded youths passionate about music. Despite being a homeschooled ballerina from the suburbs, I felt a magnetic connection to the established punk/no-wave/indie scene at the Multicultural Centre in Calgary’s East Village.

In my early 20s, I was offered the install and house tech position at the Broken City Social Club in downtown Calgary (now Modern Love), where I had the privilege of mixing some truly incredible bands. This period marked a turning point as doing sound was a job that provided me with the means to move out and support myself.

Entering my 30s, I was employed full-time as an Electronics Technician for the Calgary Stampede. Here, I earned respect as an audio professional and was recognized as a capable member of the events team. This position brought an awareness that I have forged a successful career and have unique skills that contribute to the field of audio and sound community.

Career Start

How did you get interested in audio?

My journey was sparked by my lifelong fascination with the theremin—an entirely non-mechanical electronic instrument that is played by manipulating the electromagnetic field it generates, much like a radio using a heterodyned circuit. Imagine dancing or, more commonly, as most theremin players stand very still, moving your hands very precisely in the air to produce music. Being an integral part of an electronic circuit while playing is a fabulously connective experience that ignited my interest early on.

My fascination with the science and art of sound extends beyond my instrument of choice. I continually deepen my knowledge through a combination of in-person and online training courses. I’ve attended classes with Meyer Sound and Robert Scovill at the Banff Centre, participated in the AES Immersive Audio Academy, Jon Halliwell’s Audio System Engineering class, and most recently completed PK Sound Dynamics Training where I learned about robotic line arrays.

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

Yes, as a child my siblings and I put on plays and dance recitals in our basement. I was always listening and dancing to 33 and 45-rpm records on our little Strawberry Shortcake record player. We all played piano, but my brother was an exceptional talent. When he entered grade eight of the Royal Conservatory curricula, our family bought a baby grand piano for him. I still can recall an internalized reverberation of the sound; I would sit underneath the piano listening to him practice and feeling the soundboard resonating… perhaps getting up to watch the strings vibrate and hammers move. As a teenager, my older sister (who went on to host a radio show in Sackville, New Brunswick during her university years) and her cultured, cool friends (who are also still some of our best friends), introduced me to a lot of great music like Guided by Voices and Sonic Youth… my list of favorite music is long and groovy.

Did you attend a University/College/Trade School?

Yes, I studied Liberal Arts, Cultural Studies, and Psychology for my undergraduate degree at York University, St. Mary’s University, and the University of Calgary, earning an Honors Bachelor of Arts in 2015. I recently completed my Master’s degree with a focus on Digital Audio Arts at the University of Lethbridge, graduating this past October.

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

I had an invective experience as an unpaid intern at an analog recording studio in my late 20s and early 30s. I became good at soldering, recording session preparation, and strike, as well as tea-making. It was a rare opportunity to listen to some gorgeous analog gear that shaped and altered my way of listening forever. I discovered a deeper layer of existence that supported the sounds I heard in venues, and found an awareness of the electronic components hidden under the surface of equipment.

What did you learn interning or on your early gigs?

During another internship at an audiology clinic, I learned about human hearing and the importance of protecting our (and our audiences’) ears. While navigating this clinical environment, I discovered that my aptitude for, and interest in, cleaning out earwax was negligible. Additionally, my unique hearing preferences became apparent—I require more precise equalization parameters than most hearing aids offer, with a minimum requirement of 1/3 octave bands.

Did you have a mentor or someone that helped you?

I am blessed to have a distinguished and diverse group of friends and colleagues in my life, from whom I continually learn. Two individuals, Fred Boehli in technical services and Ronan McGurk, a systems technician, stand out as particularly supportive sound professionals who have been working with me for decades. A wonderful byproduct of working across various companies over the years has been the opportunity to absorb the different workflows utilized for both live events and recordings. For instance, the way I structure input and output routing on a console varies significantly depending on whether I am at FOH mixing a live broadcast with multiple media and record feeds, or am the monitor technician for bands.

Career Now

What is a typical day like? 

My schedule fluctuates. Today I have a noon-hour concert, a short shift, but many of my days are very long, 10-14 hours. Weekends may find me working from 6:00 pm to 2:00 am, followed by early starts at 6:00 am on certain weekdays. On days when I am not on a live event or recording, I am in my home studio preparing lectures for my technical ear training class which involves making presentations, grading, designing laboratory activities, as well as organizing resources to empower my students in their career endeavors.

What do you enjoy the most about your job?  

The equipment, the spaces, and the camaraderie with people I work for and with.

What do you like least? 

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the same three elements. While I have a preference for mixing on real consoles with physical knobs and faders, there are situations where using an iPad/tablet with its skeuomorphisms is the optimal choice. Years ago, I encountered a few colleagues who were hesitant to communicate and share gig-related information with me, which created challenges, particularly when assumptions were made—that behavior ranks high on my ‘least liked’ list. Additionally, discovering broken or unreliable gear that lacks proper labeling and is subsequently put back into ‘service’ is particularly displeasing.

What is your favorite day off activity? 

I am getting better at making a deliberate effort to rest and rejuvenate on days off. I find joy in creating art, heading to the mountains with my partner and our pup, attending shows, catching up on sleep, cooking, reading, or playing the theremin along to my favorite songs.

What are your short-term goals?

Now that I’ve graduated, my short-term goal is to work full-time with a fantastic team dedicated to delivering exceptional performances and sonic experiences. I believe in my capability to work in various settings, whether in live environments, recording studios, or on set. My preference is to consistently work with professional consoles and PA systems, allowing me to quicken my response time and develop a more meticulous workflow.

What are your long-term goals?

My long-term goals are ambitious. I aspire to become a go-to mixer for the bands I admire and work as a member of the audio teams for prominent Calgary venues like the Saddledome, Jubilee, and Jack Singer Concert Hall.

On a more artistic note, I envision controlling spatial audio systems using my theremin, leveraging new and developing technologies. As a service-minded sound professional, I want to contribute meaningfully to the audio community, producing engaging recordings and sound art that showcase collaborative efforts. Another aim is to become ‘Dr. Sound’ through a potential Ph.D., exploring how sound, a profoundly physical energy, may shape human perception.

What if any obstacles or barriers have you faced?

I hold myself to very high standards, grappling with self-deprecation, lack of confidence, and periods of intense depression. While facing numerous challenges, some shared by fellow sound professionals, I recognize that my self-treatment has been the most significant obstacle.

How have you dealt with them? 

I maintain a mindful practice where I actively correct negative self-talk and consistently remind myself to extend the same kindness and encouragement to myself as I do to others.

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

Go for it! You have the potential to be brilliant and successful in this field.

Just start where you are and keep learning, maintaining gratitude and humility throughout your journey.

I am immensely grateful to SoundGirls for its existence, connecting me with inspiring women who triumph over challenges and stand as crucial role models. Being part of this community is a true honor, and I am exceedingly humbled by the experience.

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