April holds both a Master’s Degree and a Bachelor’s Degree in Sound Recording, and has over 10 years experience in the field. April works primarily as a re-recording mixer and sound editor (based in Los Angeles), but also has experience as a music editor and mixer, and ADR and Foley engineer.
Tips for Applying to Scholarships/Awards
Assume you are up against 30-50+ other applicants. It’s worth putting in your best effort. When most applicants follow directions exactly or give thorough answers to questions, the ones who didn’t will probably be passed over. A scholarship application is about showing your best, but it’s also about showing financial need. It’s ok, to be honest ...Audiologists and Hearing Tests
You’d think in an industry where our careers depend on hearing (and we do educate about hearing loss) we may want to get our ears checked periodically.Mary Shipman Howard
Mary Shipman Howard was one of the earliest known female recording engineers and one of the earliest women studio owners (in the 1940s). Mary worked with great musicians and composers of the era such as Glenn Miller, Arturo Toscanini, Charles Ives, and Samuel Barber.Mixing with a Toddler
Being an Audio Parent is a challenge but also incredibly rewarding. Managing pregnancy in the audio industry is a lot about self care. Managing an infant and working in the audio industry is about mental and physical exhaustion. But then everything starts getting easier, you catch up on sleep, and you start feeling like yourself ...The Importance of Good Production Sound
from a post-production perspective In a tv show or movie, dialog is the core of the mix. Music, sound effects, and Foley add interest and excitement, but it all fundamentally works around dialog. Dialog is typically how we learn the characters’ names, their relationship to the other characters, and what challenges each character faces. We learn ...Film Score Mixing with a Team
One unique part of this project was the mix crew was composed of 50% women! Our composer, Darren Fung, put it well when he said, “This is amazing – but it should just be normal.”How to Mix Using Multiple Reference Monitors
I didn’t trust the rooms I was working in. I didn’t trust my speakers. I sometimes questioned my ears or ability. When there’s that much doubt how are you ever able to make a decision? You can’t. Constantly questioning what is “right” slows down the mix process severely.How to Subcontract work
There are a number of good reasons to subcontract work. Subcontracting allows you to do more work than you could on your own, to spend less time on tasks you don’t want to do, or to hire someone to do a task better than you can. What qualifies as subcontracting? Anytime you pay someone else to do ...How to Communicate About Audio With Non-Audio People
So, the next time a client asks you about the “gaggle of Girl Scouts”** in the mix, you’ll have a better idea what they’re talking about.The Six Figure Home Studio: A Review
Business education is lacking from audio education curriculum and it’s often low on the priority list for a lot of freelancers and home studio owners. Owning a studio is about so much more than what gear to buy or learning how to mix better. The Six Figure Studio fills some of the business gap and ...The Mental Game of Unemployment
Being unemployed is a mental game. You’d think it’d be time to relax and enjoy some freedom, but it’s totally the opposite. I felt rejected. I questioned my skill and ability. I felt silly for not having a backup plan.Post-production basics: Studio jobs (and how to get one)
If you’re looking to build a career in post-production sound (sound for picture/television, film, and web) there’s generally two routes: working for yourself, or working for a sound facility that specializes in post-production. There’s advantages and disadvantages to both. If you don’t have a lot of experience, working for yourself could mean high competition for ...How Business Classes Helped My Audio Career
Many business owners in our industry experience the same growing pain: there’s a struggle between doing the work you love and the demands of a business growing larger than you can manage. There’s a learning curve to business, and if you’re not prepared, it’ll cost you work, relationships, and most importantly, money.Mixing With a Newborn
While I was pregnant my plan was to take off a couple of months off after the baby was born then go back to work part-time for a while. My husband, who also works in audio, planned to work from our home studio. We figured between the two of us we wouldn’t need a babysitter ...Dealing with Difficult People
We’ve all had it happen. Someone you’re working with is moody or doesn’t seem to like you. You get yelled at for something that’s not your fault. How do you handle it?The “Game” of Finding Work in Los Angeles
I tried the regular job channels like applying to job listings or sending my resume to studios but got no response. It was so bizarre that all of this was the reality of starting a career. It felt more like a game making friends using code words versus job seeking.Why We Don’t Use Buss Compression
Buss compression (or mix buss compression) is a hot topic. It’s taught in audio schools, videos and tutorials, mentioned in textbooks, blogs, forums, and podcasts. For such a covereBd topic we rarely hear about why or when it SHOULDN’T be used.The Versatile Engineer
Do you consider yourself to be a master of one type of audio engineering or do you regularly practice different trades?Post-Production Audio: Promo Mixing
As a promo mixer you get to wear a lot of hats. You might be recording voice over, editing dialog, sound design, recording Foley or walla (background voices), and music editing.Post Production Audio: Broadcast Limiters and Loudness Metering
Any time you’re working on a mix that’s going to broadcast, it’s important to ask for specs. Specs are essentially a set of rules for each broadcaster, such as: how loud content can be (overall average and peak levels), what format to deliver (files or tape) and how or where, and specific mix requirements (such ...How to Bid on a Project
Bids become easier the more you do them. Sometimes you’ll land the gig and other times you’ll never hear from the client again. It’s not personal and maybe there’s nothing wrong with your bid – it might be that you’re not the right fit for the project. All of it is experience which makes it ...On Diversity in the Industry
The more women share stories and knowledge it’ll allow other women who are interested in the field or who need assistance to come forward for that support. That’s the great thing about organizations like Soundgirls.org or Women’s Audio Mission that bring us together.The Audio Girlfriend’s Guide to Pregnancy
You may get philosophical about your career. There’s a lot of questions about what your new life will look like. How do you want to balance work and a baby.Looking to move from music into post-production? Here’s some things to consider.
Post-production can be a great fit and career move for someone with music skills and experience. While the skills are similar, there can be an expression of creativity and collaboration that is different from any experience in music.Student Loans – Student Debt
Here’s some information and ideas to help tackle student loans (it’s specific to the US but the general idea is the same no matter where you’re at). If you’re considering a degree or are still in school, see the later sections about how to minimize what you need in loans.Post -Production Basics Part 2
In part one, we covered file transfer between a video workstation and DAW and how to prep these materials for a sound editor. In this part, we will cover some of the basics of sound editorial.Part Time Mixer… and Part-Time What?
“No, I mean, really… I work at a correctional facility in downtown Los Angeles.” He could tell I was totally confused.Post-Production Basics – What is an OMF or AAF, and Why Does it Matter?
One of the technical challenges in post-production is sharing media between video and audio. Here’s a basic overview of how it works“Yes, we exist!” A year later…
A year ago, April contributed a post to Designing Sound about being a Woman in Audio. She examines the progress women have made over the past year and discrimination beyond gender.Bad Interview Stories: The Five Minute Interview
One of my first interviews in LA – and worst interviews – came through an industry job website. I saw an ad for a sound mixer for a “film with an up-and-coming director”. I sent my resume asking if they needed a sound assistant.Independent Contracts – The Business Skills You Need
Working for someone else and managing a project yourself aren’t apples to apples when it comes to pay.Anything That Can Go Wrong Will Go Wrong” – Murphy’s Law
One of my “Murphy’s Law” moments was during a one-man theater show with a live orchestra (where I was running front of house). We had a full house, and the show was being broadcast live on a radio station in Chicago. The same show the night before was nearly flawless so this night’s sound check ...Happy New Year! Goals, anyone?
April Tucker is re-recording mixer and sound editor in Los Angeles. She also has experience as a music editor and mixer, ADR, and a Foley engineer. When it comes to work and business, goals can have a huge impact. Goals can help us grow skills, learn to network better, change jobs or find better gigs.Snap Judgments
Take a minute and go through the following list. Try to think of at least one person from each category that you really dislike, can’t stand, or find really annoying.Fake it Until You Make it – Or Not
By April Tucker I’ve recently seen some websites for sound professionals that made me cringe. Something didn’t add up, and some quick research showed exaggerated accomplishments, job titles, or experience level. There’s an industry saying that you should say yes to everything and then figure it out later (“fake it til you make it”), but when ...Mentoring and Receiving Mentorship
By April Tucker I wanted to add on to the great articles this month about mentoring Karrie’s blog Paying it Forward and Kirsty’s blog How to Be an Effective Mentor Part 1. When we talk about having a mentor (or mentee), it sometimes sounds like a story right out of Star Wars. Obi-Wan Kenobi was a mentor ...Getting a Start in the Field While You’re Still in School
By April Tucker I recently met up with fellow SoundGirl Member Ameeta ,who’s in her last semester of college and looking to move to Los Angeles after to pursue sound design. She asked a lot of great questions about how to get a jumpstart on her career while in school, so I wanted to share some ...Searching Online for Jobs – The Good and the Bad
By: April Tucker One way to describe job searching in our industry is “hurry up and wait.” Sometimes you’ll interview quickly but not start working for months. Other times, hiring happens at lightening speed. In television, it’s common to get a call about 3 months of consistent work only a few days before you need to ...