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Empowering the Next Generation of Women in Audio

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The Secret to Being a Woman on the Road

 

The secret is there is no secret

If you want to tour or you want a career in this industry, you can and will make it happen. Dive in, work hard, prove you deserve every opportunity, and get the job you want.   Then once you get there remember:

You don’t owe anyone a thing.  You’ve gotten where you are with hard work, determination, and dedication. As women in these fields, we are often highly skilled and overly qualified for our jobs because we’ve had to prove it over and over again due to the bias in the industry.  You do not owe anyone around you justification for your accomplishments; it was your hard work that got you where you are today. Do not let someone’s negative energy, jealousy, or anger get you down. You’ve achieved a lot! Carry yourself with confidence.

Set your ego aside

When other women see you in your role, they’ll likely envy you and want to reach the goals you’ve already achieved. Help them, talk with them, share your story, and, most of all, support them. At some point in your career, you likely met someone you looked up to who helped you reach your dreams. Be that person for someone else.

Invest

Invest in yourself and in others around you. Build the environment you wanted when you started so others can get even more of a jump start. As women continue to break the barrier, let’s leave an easier path for those to follow than we had. Invest in the next generation just as those before you did for you.

Be kind

Sometimes we can get jaded as we continue to fight our fight each day. Resulting in taking our frustrations out on the wrong people.  Try to close the door of frustration and anger nightly to be able to start each day with a new perspective. Perspective is tremendous, try to see it from the other side before you act.  Grace and forgiveness will get you so much farther than anger and hate. Some people may take advantage of your kindness along the way, but it will get you farther in the long run.

 

So you Think you Want a Career in Live Sound.

Are you sure?  

I’m not saying it’s a bad idea; I think it’s fantastic as long as you are doing it for the right reasons.

I have been working in live sound for 30 years, and even though it can be grueling at times, I’ve never felt like I was ‘working.’  My passion for music is what drives me.  The camaraderie of my fellow touring crew and the opportunity to travel to and experience different places and cultures are all perks of the job.  When I first discovered my desire to get into this crazy business, it was so strong that nothing was going to convince me to do anything else.

That passion and desire have helped me through the struggle of the early years, years of building my skills and experience, hustling to get enough work, the jobs that weren’t my dream job but essential to learning what I needed to know for my next job.

It’s good to have an end goal in mind for where you want to be.  Equally important is to clarify your motivations so you can be sure that your expectations are aligned with the realities of the job.

Here are some questions to ask yourself.

What exactly do you want to do?

What is your ultimate goal? Why?

What do you envision that being like?

What is the driving force behind it?

What do you feel you are going to get out of it?

How badly do you want it? In other words, how hard are you willing to work to achieve it?

What do you imagine this path being like?  What is the first step?

Are you prepared to move around a lot?

How are you going to set yourself apart from all the other people who want to do the same thing?

How do you feel about getting filthy, sweaty, doing a lot of physical work and some heavy lifting?

How do you feel about working nights and weekends, holidays, and stupid hours?

If your goal is to go on tour with a band, can you live out of a suitcase for weeks/months at a time, and without all the comforts of home?

Are you a self-starter, responsible and dependable or do you just want to mindlessly punch a clock and surf Facebook all day?

How good are you at building connections and networking?

These are all things to consider when before choosing live sound as a career.

If your motivation is to make a lot of money, hang out and party with your favorite band, or just because you like music, you probably won’t make it.  I’m not trying to burst your bubble but realistically – yes you can make a lot of money in live sound, corporate work pays great and touring sound engineers can make good money, but it can take a long time to get to that point.

As far as hanging out and partying with the band, let’s think about that.  The band is your boss, and while yes, at times you can and will develop great friendships with the people you work for, there is a fine line between employee and friend.  You need to know your place, and as crew, it’s not backstage partying with the band when loadout is going on.  You are there to do a job, this a business like any other and as much as we don’t want to believe it, it’s about making money-  money for the artist, their management, the promoter… All of which depends on each person doing their job.

You love music, that’s great.  That’s a good start but is it your passion?  Is it something you are willing to bust your butt for, to work 16 hour days getting dirty and sweaty?  To slug it out in smelly bars and clubs if you are trying to cut it as a mixer?  Or working as a grunt on the audio crew for tour after tour until you are experienced enough to be the system tech?

Having a sincere passion and strong desire is a great start.  Getting your expectations in check is also helpful, which is where these questions come in.

In fact, you could ask yourself most of these questions about anything you are going after in life.

-What is it I want?

-Why do I want it?

-How do I expect to feel when I have it?

-Are my expectations in line with reality?- Talk to people who are where you want to be for a reality check.

-How hard am I willing to work for it?

Answering honestly will help you clarify if you are on the right path for you.

I wish you success in whatever path that is!

For more from Michelle, check out https://www.mixingmusiclive.com

Missed this Week’s Top Stories? Read Our Quick Round-up!

It’s easy to miss the SoundGirls news and blogs, so we have put together a round-up of the blogs, articles, and news from the past week. You can keep up to date and read more at SoundGirls.org

October Feature Profile

https://soundgirls.org/bryony-october-tolerance-patience-the-ability-to-remain-calm/

The Blogs

An Open Letter to Theatre Reviewers

 How to be the New Crew Person

Glossary of Sound Effects (Part 1)

SoundGirls News

AES Exhibits-Plus Badges for SoundGirls Members

NAMM 2020 Badges for SoundGirls Members

Accepting Applications for SoundGirls Bloggers

We just got some new merch in. Long Sleeves, Onesies, Toddlers, Gig Bags, and Canvas Totes. Check it out Here

Internet Round-Up

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Natalie Hernandez – synthesizer and electronics technician

Natalie discusses her background in electronics design and repair, including her work at Death By Audio. She speaks candidly about combatting imposter syndrome and the importance of saying “I don’t know.”

List of Woman and Non-binary-Run Music Organizations Is the Future of the Industry

SoundGirls Events

Colorado SoundGirls Chapter Social

Colorado – BLUE MAN GROUP – BACKSTAGE TOUR & DINNER

Bay Area Chapter Monthly Meeting

SoundGirls Dante Certification Level 1, 2, 3

SoundGirls Alberta Chapter – Field Trip

Vancouver SoundGirls Console of the Month

SoundGirls Electricity and Stage Patch

Los Angeles – Live Sound Workshop

SoundGirls FOH Tuning Workshop – Los Angeles

SoundGirls Opportunities

SoundGirls and SoundGym

Sound Particles Licenses Available

Meyer Sound Supports SoundGirls

SoundGirls Resources

Spotify and SoundGirls Team Up – EQL Directory

SoundGirls – Gaston-Bird Travel Fund

Letter for Trades and Manufacturers

Women-Owned Businesses

SoundGirls Scholarships 2021 Now Open

Events

Sexual Harassment

https://soundgirls.org/about-us/soundgirls-chapters/

Jobs and Internships

Women in the Professional Audio

Member Benefits

An Open Letter to Theatre Reviewers

The play includes more than the actors on the stage

Dear theatre critics and reviewers worldwide,

First off, I’d like to say thank you for the love and enthusiasm you have for live theatre.  While the general population launches forward to keep up with technological trends such as virtual reality, wearable gaming, augmented reality, high-def displays, and holographic video, some of us, yourselves included, are desperately clinging to the lost art of live performance.  While technological leaders spend billions of dollars trying to invent the next piece of equipment that will make that game or movie look so real you can touch it, theatres everywhere are struggling to get people into their auditoriums to witness what can only be described as the pinnacle of reality, and no, the irony is not lost on me.  We theatre-makers appreciate you because you still believe in the magic of theatre. You still come to the shows, you put your phones away, you pay attention, and most importantly, you report. We rely on these reports to get the word out about this beautiful piece of REAL magic that’s happening in the readers’ very same city. There’s just one little thing I want to discuss, though: There’s more to the play than just the actors on stage.

I’m a sound designer working mostly in regional theatre, and I would say 85% of the reviews I read don’t even mention designers or technical crew.  Now, I know that there is a lot that happens in this industry that people on the outside just don’t know about, so I get that, but if you are reading your program before the show starts, you’ve probably noticed that there’s an entire page dedicated to production.  There’s probably an artistic director, production manager, scenic designer, costume designer, lighting designer, and sound designer. There’s sometimes a projection designer, wig designer, music director, pit musicians, composer, choreographer, fight director, and honestly, probably some other designers/directors that I didn’t even know existed.  You will also most likely find a stage manager and sound engineer, a light board operator, spotlight operators, deck crew, wardrobe crew, audio crew, and all of the artisans that built, sewed, and painted all of the physical aspects of the show. At the level of theatre, I work on; I’d say there’s generally an additional 40-50 people contributing to the show that are never seen on stage.  Isn’t that also worth reporting on? The actors do an amazing job of taking audiences out of their worlds for a few hours, but would it even be possible to make that journey in a dark, empty, silent room?

This is not the first letter to theatre reviewers that I have written.  Several years ago, I kept reading review after review of shows that my colleagues and I had designed the sound for and never read even a mention of those designs.  All of those shows were reviewed by the same person, and I emailed him asking why he never reported on what the show sounded like. Given that most of those shows were musicals, I’d say the aural response was a pretty significant one.  His reply to me was that he didn’t know what sound design was, or that it was even a thing. I get that, I really do, but as a newspaper writer, aren’t you something of a journalist? Haven’t you been taught to investigate, research, and find out the whole story?  I gave him some enlightening information on the practice of sound design and waited on pins and needles for an improvement in his next review. I’m sad to report that I never received that satisfaction.

It’s not just sound designers that get this treatment, even though, as a sound designer, it is the area where I am the most sensitive.  Many of the reviews I have read of theatres in my area over the past year have had little to no mention of design or crew. Instead, the reviews have consisted of a paragraph or two sending glowing praise to leading actors in the show, the occasional shout-out to supporting ensemble members, and then the rest of the review reads like a book report telling us what the story is about.  Sometimes there is the rare and seemingly obligatory list of designer names at the bottom of the review like their editor told them they had to say something about design, so they mentioned the designers’ existence to appease the boss. I’m not a reviewer, so maybe I’m wrong, but I just don’t think that dedicating 75% of the column to writing the show’s Cliff’s Notes is a review of what actually happened in that room.

As I mentioned before, I know that what we do is mysterious, and sometimes difficult to understand, so here are some facts about regional theatre and the kinds of questions you should be trying to answer:

  1. Making a play takes a lot of planning!  The design team of a regional show will probably start that planning process 4-6 months ahead of the show’s opening, and meet every 1-2 weeks to discuss the show’s progress.
  2. Making a play also takes money!  A large-scale musical on the regional theatre level could cost $30k-$60k to get the show looking and sounding spectacular.
  3. Making a play takes research!  The next time you’re reviewing a show, take a look at the details.  Do those civil war era costumes match what you remember from history books?  Where did they come from? Did this theatre make them in-house? What about that authentic-looking Mid-Century Modern furniture that is so popular now.  That chair alone would go for $5000, so how did this theatre get it?
  4. Making a play takes technical knowledge!  See all of those lights moving, changing colors, and making interesting patterns on the stage?  Do you hear all of those sound effects swirling around the space? Can you hear the amplified voices blending with the music? This is not a My-First-System kind of thing.  Someone went to a lot of trouble to make that cool stuff work.
  5. Making a play takes coordination!  There are so many moving parts to a play, and once it starts, it has to keep going.  We can’t just skip over the hard parts, and if something goes wrong, someone has to make a quick decision on what to do to keep the train moving.  Who’s doing that, and how? How do the people on the ground know what do to? How much practice does all of this take?

So, reviewers of theatre, again, thank you for your dedication and love.  We really do appreciate it. But please, the next time you go to the theatre, try to answer the not so easy questions, because for this dying art, “the actors were great, and this story is a lot of fun,” is just not enough anymore.  We need you to help expose this world to those who don’t know what they’re missing, and this world has some pretty stiff competition in this modern and highly technical society.

Colorado – BLUE MAN GROUP – BACKSTAGE TOUR & DINNER

 

BLUE MAN GROUP – BACKSTAGE TOUR & DINNER

A Big Thank You to Blue Man Group and DPA Microphones

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2019

7pm Dinner (provided by DPA Microphones),

9:15PM Tour

DINNER AT THE CORNER OFFICE, 1401 Curtis Street, Denver, CO 80202

TOUR AT THE BUELL THEATER, 1350 Curtis Street, Denver, CO 80202 (meet near the stage door)

Space is limited to 10 SoundGirls Members – You Must be a member of SoundGirls to attend.  Register to become a member here

Register for Event Here

Come get a backstage tour of Blue Man Group’s national tour at the Buell Theater! DPA Microphones treats us to dinner at 7pm at The Corner Office, then we’ll meet up with Steph Gorden, the A2 for the show (and fellow SoundGirl member) after the show for a look at what all goes in to making and touring the show.

 How to be the New Crew Person

 

 

In the live entertainment industry, you will find yourself working new venues fairly often; in the beginning, it might be every week! It’s not easy being ‘the new crew,’ and it can feel somewhat daunting at first. I remember when I started out and I used to not be able to sleep and get stomach ache because I was so stressed out that I was not going to fit in or that I was not going to be able to make some friends or do a good job.

Obviously, it was all in my head, and nowadays, I don’t lose any sleep over being new, but it took some time to get my confidence up and be comfortable with the unknown.

So let’s look at how we can tackle the basics of being new!

Pre-Gig

Look smart and wear practical clothing. Black is the standard colour in the industry because we are meant to be invisible, but it just always works. Honestly, any life situation where you feel like you do not know what to wear, wear black.

If you have got long hair or hair that tends to be in the way, put it up! It’ll be in the way when you’re working or get stuck into something you don’t want to have it stuck in.

Same with jewelry, make sure you’re not wearing anything that might come in the way or be at risk of being pulled out.

If you are new to a venue, make sure you look up the technical specifications of that venue and make sure to familiarise yourself with their equipment. If you are lucky and have got the time, ask to shadow the in-house person, or have a walk through their in-house system.

If you are working with new equipment, make sure you read the manuals beforehand, so you come prepared. Watch YouTube tutorials and make notes of handy tips and tricks to make sure your shift will run smoothly throughout the day/night.

The Gig

Be on time, or preferably be early! Time is not always on our side, so make sure you buy it as soon as possible. Being 30 min early might save you later on in the day, or you will have the time to actually have a little break later on. Either way, you will thank yourself later.

Introduce yourself!

To avoid assumptions on who you are, be the one to introduce yourself first. Let them know your name, who you are, and what job you’re there to do. This way, there will be fewer misunderstandings on who you are.

Ask for help, if you’re in a new venue, but there is a house technician, ask this person for help! That’s what they’re there for, and it will save you time rather than trying to figure everything out on your own. Although all venues are set up on the same basics, there are some differences due to XYZ.

Be friendly and keep the conversation light, if you are not as busy as somebody else ask them if they need a hand with anything.

Always bring a snack and water. There is nothing worse than working long hours on an empty stomach, and well, no one is pleasant to be around when they’re hungry and low on energy.

Post Gig

Hopefully, the gig has gone well, and you had a successful night with hopefully very minor to no issues at all. Before you leave, make sure everyone is OK, ask if anyone needs help with anything. Loadout goes a lot quicker with a helping hand, so make sure you do not leave anyone loading out on their own.

Drop them an email saying thanks; if you have covered someone’s shift, just let them know how everything went.

Find out whom to invoice and make sure to invoice as soon as possible to stay on top of your finances!

With these basics in the bag, you’ll make a good impression, and hopefully, with time and knowledge your confidence will come along, and you will no longer be ‘the new crew person

 

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Glossary of Sound Effects (Part 1)

One of the major hurdles of becoming a sound effects editor is learning your library.  This means knowing what keywords to search in a given situation as well as building up a mental catalog of “go-to” sounds.

While it is always a good idea to start by looking at the picture and then thinking of descriptive words to search, it helps if you know which words will yield the best results.  This is where onomatopoeia enters the scene.  Onomatopoeia is defined as the formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named (e.g., cuckoo, sizzle).  Following is a beginner’s guide to onomatopoeic sound effects search words.  Some of these terms can be found in any dictionary, and some are unique to sound effect library naming conventions.

crackle – a sound made up of a rapid succession of slight cracking sounds. Also, look up: sizzle, fizz, hiss, crack, snap, fuse, fuze, burn, fire

crash – a sudden loud noise as of something breaking or hitting another object. Also, look up: bang, smash, crack, bump, thud, clatter, clunk, clang, hit

body fall – a sound made by a body falling onto a hard surface. Also, look up: body hit, land

boing – the noise representing the sound of a compressed spring suddenly released. Also look up: bounce, bouncing, bonk, jaw harp

boom – a loud, deep, resonant sound. Also look up: explosion, slam, crash, drum, taiko, rumble

buzz – a humming or murmuring sound made by or similar to that made by an insect. Also look up: hum, drone, insect, neon, fluorescent

chomp – munch or chew vigorously and noisily.  Also, look up: munch, crunch, chew, bite

click – a short, sharp sound as of a switch being operated or of two hard objects coming quickly into contact. Also, look up: clack, snap, pop, tick, clink, switch, button

creak – a harsh scraping or squeaking sound. Also look up: squeak, grate

flutter – the sound of flying unsteadily or hovering by flapping the wings quickly and lightly.  Also look up: beat, flap, quiver, wing

glug – the sound of drinking or pouring (liquid) with a hollow gurgling sound. Also look up: pour, drain

groan – a low creaking or moaning sound when pressure or weight is applied to an object OR an inarticulate sound in response to pain or despair. Also, look up: creak, squeak; moan, cry, whimper

honk – the cry of a wild goose. Also look up: gander, goose

ahoogah – the sound of a particular type of horn.  Also look up: model a, model t, antique horn, bulb horn

jingle – a light ringing sound such as that made by metal objects being shaken together.  Also, look up: clink, chink, tinkle, jangle, chime, sleigh bells

neigh – a characteristic high-pitched sound uttered by a horse. Also, look up: whinny, bray, knicker

poof – used to convey the suddenness with which someone or something disappears.  Also look up: puff

pop – a light explosive sound. Also look up: bubble, cork, jug, thunk

puff – a short, explosive burst of breath or wind.  Also, look up: poof, gust, blast, waft, breeze, breath

rattle – a rapid succession of short, sharp, hard sounds.  Also look up: clatter, clank, clink, clang

ribbit – the characteristic croaking sound of a frog. Also look up: frog, toad, croak

quack – the characteristic harsh sound made by a duck. Also look up: duck, mallard

rustle – a soft, muffled crackling sound like that made by the movement of dry leaves, paper, cloth, or similar material.  Also look up: swish, whisper, movement, mvmt

rumble – a continuous deep, resonant sound.  Also look up: boom, sub, earthquake

scream – a long, loud, piercing cry expressing extreme emotion or pain.  Also, look up: shriek, screech, yell, howl, shout, bellow, bawl, cry, yelp, squeal, wail, squawk

screech – a loud, harsh, piercing cry.  Also, look up: shriek, scream, squeal

skid – an act of skidding or sliding.  Also look up: slide, drag

slurp – a loud sucking sound made while eating or drinking.  Also, look up: suck, drink, straw, lick

splash – a sound made by something striking or falling into liquid.  Also, look up: spatter, bespatter, splatter, bodyfall water

splat – a sound made by a wet object hitting a hard surface.  Also, look up: squish

splatter – splash with a sticky or viscous liquid.  Also, look up: splash, squish, splat, spray

squawk – a loud, harsh, or discordant noise made by a bird or a person.  Also, look up: screech, squeal, shriek, scream, croak, crow, caw, cluck, cackle, hoot, cry, call

squeak – a short, high-pitched sound or cry.   Also, look up: peep, cheep, pipe, squeal, tweet, yelp, whimper, creak

squish – a soft squelching sound. Also look up: splat, splatter

swish – a light sound of an object moving through the air.  Also look up: whoosh, swoosh

swoosh – the sound produced by a sudden rush of air. Also look up: swish, whoosh

thunk – the sound of a cork being pulled out of or placed into a bottle or jug.  Also, look up: pop, cork, jug

twang – a strong ringing sound such as that made by the plucked string of a musical instrument, a released bowstring, or a ruler held steady on one end and plucked from the other.  Also, look up: ruler twang, boing twang, ripple, pluck, violin, guitar

whip crack – the loud and sudden sound of a whip moving faster than the speed of sound, creating a small sonic boom. Also look up: bullwhip, whip, swish, whoosh, swoosh

whoosh – a heavy sound of an object moving through the air. Also look up: swish, swoosh

woof – the sound made by a barking dog.  Also look up: bark, howl, yelp, whimper, dog

yelp – a short sharp cry, especially of pain or alarm.  Also, look up: squeal, shriek, howl, yowl, yell, cry, shout

zap – a sudden burst of energy or sound.  Also look up laser, beam, synth, sci-fi

See the original post here.

 

Missed this Week’s Top Stories? Read Our Quick Round-up!

It’s easy to miss the SoundGirls news and blogs, so we have put together a round-up of the blogs, articles, and news from the past week. You can keep up to date and read more at SoundGirls.org

October Feature Profile

https://soundgirls.org/bryony-october-tolerance-patience-the-ability-to-remain-calm/

The Blogs

Radioactivity and Sound

Hearing Health – Hearing Test

Deconstructing a Song

SoundGirls News

Opportunity to Shadow Sound & Lights National Tour

AES Exhibits-Plus Badges for SoundGirls Members

NAMM 2020 Badges for SoundGirls Members

Accepting Applications for SoundGirls Bloggers

We just got some new merch in. Long Sleeves, Onesies, Toddlers, Gig Bags, and Canvas Totes. Check it out Here

Internet Round-Up

Lisa Affenzeller on Roadie Free Radio!
FOH Engineer, Tour Manager, Production Manager, and Stage Manager based in Hamburg, Germany.

 

 

 

SoundGirls Events

Bay Area Chapter Monthly Meeting

Alberta SoundGirls Chapter Social

Colorado SoundGirls Chapter Social

AES SoundGirls Events

SoundGirls Dante Certification Level 1, 2, 3

SoundGirls Alberta Chapter – Field Trip

Vancouver SoundGirls Console of the Month

SoundGirls Electricity and Stage Patch

Los Angeles – Live Sound Workshop

SoundGirls FOH Tuning Workshop – Los Angeles

SoundGirls Opportunities

SoundGirls and SoundGym

Sound Particles Licenses Available

Meyer Sound Supports SoundGirls

SoundGirls Resources

Spotify and SoundGirls Team Up – EQL Directory

SoundGirls – Gaston-Bird Travel Fund

Letter for Trades and Manufacturers

Women-Owned Businesses

SoundGirls Scholarships 2021 Now Open

Events

Sexual Harassment

https://soundgirls.org/about-us/soundgirls-chapters/

Jobs and Internships

Women in the Professional Audio

Member Benefits

Deconstructing a Song

 

Songwriting can be one of the most rewarding parts of being a musician. The beauty of songwriting is that nothing is right or wrong, and the world of music is filled with a wide range of different genres and styles.

But, if you are new to writing, I decided to deconstruct a simple song structure to help get you started.

In my opinion, the most straightforward song structure to apply to your writing is the pop song structure. It goes a little like:

From my experience, the best thing to do before writing a song is to plan what you’re going to write about. For example, this could mean anything from deciding the name of the song and the topic, to write a few sentences about what you want to communicate within it.

Then I usually tackle the first two verses.

I think of writing verses like telling a story — you’re helping to build a world for the listener.

The pre-chorus is an excellent way to transition to the chorus, and you can also change the melody slightly here, which usually will perk up the listener as they will hear something new.

The chorus typically features the title of the song or repeats a specific phrase. This is the part of the song that I think you can get really creative with exciting melodies and rhythms.

The bridge of a song I like to think of as a little plot twist. You can often change the key of the song, or if you’ve written upbeat lyrics at this point, you can change them to something more somber.

Then you can nicely transition back to the chorus a couple of times.

I hope some of this information helped, especially if you’re new to songwriting. It can often be an intimidating and vulnerable thing to write a song if you’ve never done it before.

The best thing to do is to keep it up and keep practicing. You’ll have a couple of albums worth of songs before you know it!

 

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