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Empowering the Next Generation of Women in Audio

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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.

5 takeaways from SXSW Sydney 2023 relevant to the Entertainment Industry

I had the privilege to attend SXSW Sydney in October last year, and here are my top five takeaways that affect the entertainment industry

Tiktok has changed how young people listen to music.

In a panel titled TikTok soundscapes, WPP House gave the participants blindfolds and headphones and played us a series of narrations with soundtracks. That was a good way to demonstrate how music elevates storytelling by augmenting emotional connection. It also shows how pairing songs with narration can completely alter the meaning of the song, bending it to the storytelling. In a way, that’s what the platform does, especially with its audio trends. You know, those bits of audio that consist of a song or voiceover, and that users can add video to. Musician Ashwarya mentioned that if she heard a song first on the platform, she would tend to associate it with the mood of the videos using it, even if that wasn’t the original intent of the songwriter. And everyone who’s been on Tiktok long enough will agree.

Licensing and sync are currently some of the best income streams for working musicians 

Songtradr CEO Paul Wiltshire, who recently purchased Bandcamp, told us how his platform uses AI to scan audio files and extract data points like bpm and genre to determine who is the best target audience for that track. More than that, they use that data to match these tracks to brands looking to evoke a specific feeling in their customers. With streaming platforms paying pennies and physical media sales dwindling due to the cost of living crisis, it’s smart to explore every revenue stream available. Oh yes, he also reassured us he has no intention to change the experience that Bandcamp offers their users, so indies out there can breathe a sigh of relief.

Science-based marketing gives us the chills

No, literally. Speaker manufacturer Sonos teamed up with Eric J Dubowsky and creative agency Amplify to design a track specifically to elicit physical responses like goosebumps, chills, elevated heart rate, and I get butterflies in my stomach. Campaigns like this aim to grab our attention in an increasingly noisy landscape, using a scientific approach to make them impossible to ignore. And with spatial sound becoming more ubiquitous, their impact is greater. It’s fascinating but also a bit dystopian if you ask me.

Check it out here.

VR and AR are still very niche but growing steadily

There was a special section in the expo for VR exhibitors and there was a lot of competition to get to a headset. People are excited about these technologies and I particularly didn’t test any experience that had immersive sound, which in my view would elevate the experience exponentially. An interesting take on the possibilities of VR was given by artist Lynette Wallworth, who creates interactive experiences in partnership with indigenous communities to translate their worldview to Western minds. She says that the new technologies open space for new ways of working with them, and producing for them. That makes them more flexible to work within different cultures. An Amazonian shaman told her that VR headsets work just like Ayahuasca, changing your perception to deliver a message, and afterward, you come back to your reality.

AI in music is more a partner than a threat

One of the highlights of my SXSW was the panel on AI in Music production, by Justin Shave and Charlton Hill from Uncanny Valley studios in Sydney. Both have been at the edge of the intersection of Music and Technology for decades; and have been involved in projects such as Music of the Sails, a generative piece made for the 50th anniversary of the Sydney Opera House, and developing their own AI Music Engine, Memo. Their argument is that generative AI tools like DDSP, Lyrics generators, Voice replicators, Musicgen, Source separation, and others are to be seen as tools instead of competition. They use synths and Napster as examples of technologies that disrupted the music industry and stirred fears that they would end it, but in the end date didn’t. Playing with any of the above-mentioned, it becomes clear that they are useful resources; but if they might one day replace a skilled human, that day is still far away.

 

Mix With the Masters Scholarship Available- Craig Silvey

SoundGirls Members have the chance to receive a 2,000€ scholarship provided to SoundGirls members from Mix With The Masters.

There is one scholarship available for the week-long session with Grammy and Multi-platinum Producer/Mixer Craig Silvey. (Travel and remaining tuition balance not included)

This is a week-long seminar valued approximately at 4,000€ and includes lectures and workshops, accommodation within the mansion, catering (breakfast, lunch, dinner) the fitness room, swimming pool, and shuttles from Avignon to the studio. (Travel and remaining tuition balance Not Included)

You must have an advanced understanding of audio and work as producer/mixer/engineer to attend Mix with the Masters.

Session Dates: May 20 -26, 2022

Apply for the scholarship here

Deadline to apply is April 17th

You are responsible for Travel to France and the remainder of the balance to Mix with the Masters.

Session Includes

  • private bedroom, on-site within the mansion for 6 nights
  • Full-board accommodation with meals prepared by gourmet chefs on-site
  • Return shuttle services from Avignon to Studios La Fabrique
  • Unlimited drinks and snacks throughout the week
  • Approximately 50 hours in the studio with the guest speaker
  • One-on-one time between you and the master to assess and work on your own material
  • Professional photography done throughout the week, including portrait shots of you with the Master
  • Hundreds of full-resolution photos shared with you afterward via download link, to keep and use as you please
  • A certificate of completion issued on behalf of Mix With the Masters and Studios La Fabrique, signed by the Master if you wish
  • Exclusive MWTM merchandise given only to seminar attendees: embossed Moleskine notepads, pens, mugs, t-shirts, USB keys and stickers.
  • Use of the La Fabrique swimming pool, garden, fitness centre, and scenic walks
  • Nearby access to the enchanting town of St. Rémy de Provence

About Craig Silvey:

Craig Silvey is a London-based record producer and mix engineer from the Bay Area of northern California.

He first set foot in a recording studio as the keyboard player of a high school band. The facility was owned by his bandmate’s father, who allowed the use of his equipment but wouldn’t go as far as operating it for the group. Silvey was keen to accept the challenge.

He soon became an apprentice engineer at Russian Hill Recording in San Francisco, taken under the wing of George Massenburg. In the early ‘90s, Silvey progressed to working at Skywalker Sound for Lucasfilm, where he got involved on records and movie projects for Mariah Carey, Linda Ronstadt, Jennifer 8, and Rising Sun.

In 1994, he co-founded Toast Studios in San Francisco, where he worked with a diversity of artists including R.E.M., Money Mark, and Suzanne Ciani. In 1998, Silvey moved to London, basing himself initially at Konk Studios and then The Garden. His reputation as a top-flight mixer began to grow as he completed landmark projects such as Portishead’s ‘Third’ and Arcade Fire’s ‘The Suburbs’.

He has since mixed records by Arctic Monkeys, Bryan Ferry, Florence + The Machine, The National, and Noel Gallagher. As a producer, he has worked with Baxter Dury, Bear’s Den, and John Grant.

Program

The process of greatness fostering greatness has long been recognized and is the reason why masterclasses are organized. The Mix With The Master’s seminars is part of this tradition, offering an exchange of in-depth first-hand studio experience and knowledge that is unparalleled and not available anywhere else. Each seminar is conducted by one of the world’s top music mixers and producers, ready to share their professional secrets with a select group of a maximum of 14 carefully-screened, professional-level participants, who come from all over the world.

One factor that contributes to the enormous success of the seminars is that all tutors support the general MWTM ethos, which is about the love of music, music technology, and want to help others. Participants also are in part selected on displaying similar, positive attitudes. The fact that the seminars last a full week is another major contributory factor because it offers tutors the time and space to go into real depth, and the participants the opportunity to spend a prolonged time watching a master at his peak, and to ask any question they can think of.

The tutors share exclusive, insider information on any subject: detailed technical knowledge, how to run sessions, how to handle artists, how to manage a career, the right attitude, how to remain successful, and more. The tutors also assess the work of the participants, by listening to their mixes and mixing recording sessions that they bring, and providing extensive feedback to each participant on where they are at, and how they can get to where they want to be. This is invaluable and offers participants wanting to become world-class professionals in their own right a unique advantage.

Another primary factor in making the MWTM seminars exceptional is that they take place at La Fabrique, a large, comfortable, high-end recording studio located in a picturesque historic building, surrounded by huge, lush grounds, and set in the south-east of France in one of the world’s most beautiful environments. The secluded and idyllic location offers the participants and tutors a lot of space to relax and recharge, far away from the hustle and bustle of daily life and the all-demanding intensity of their regular professional environments.

Because the courses are residential, the participants and tutors work, eat, socialize, and sleep in the same environment. While tutors, and participants, will at times opt to retire to their private quarters, there is ample opportunity for social interaction outside of the studio environment. Participants interact extensively with each other and the tutor, making it easier to assimilate the intangible qualities necessary to be successful at the highest level—presence, focus, social skills, intelligence, creativity, the right attitude, and so on.

In short, for seven days participants can experience mixing with a master in both senses of the phrase, mixing and interacting with them. Get more information about Studio La Fabrique

 

 

Zoe Thrall – Love of Gear, Recording, and Music Makers

Zoe Thrall is a groundbreaker and a legend with 40+ years working in the music industry. She spent years working as an engineer and studio manager for Power Station Studios and Hit Factory Studios in NYC, then touring with Steven Van Zandt and his band, The Disciples of Soul. In 2005, she relocated to Las Vegas taking over the reins at The Palms Studio until it was shuttered due to COVID. Zoe has moved to The Hideout as the Director of Studio Operations, where artists from Carlos Santana to Kendrick Lamar have recorded. Zoe is an artist, engineer, and is well versed in studio management.

Zoe was introduced to audio as a career path while a freshman in college, (State University of New York at Fredonia) where she had a friend who was majoring in audio engineering. She applied to the music department and then transferred to audio. While she attended all four years, she was offered a job in her fourth year and never finished her last eight credits.

Zoe was always interested in audio, she remembers as a kid “tinkering with my cassette machines and my records taking two tape machines and recording from one to the other.” Her parents loved music and she was exposed to all kinds of music growing up from pop standards to Broadway. At age eight Zoe says “I tried to learn any instrument I could get my hands on.  Turns out I was best on woodwind instruments and pursued learning them more seriously.” As we will learn woodwind instruments led her to record with Steven Van Zandt.

Working with Steven Van Zandt

Zoe was working at a studio as an assistant engineer that Steven was working on several albums he was producing, as well as his first solo album. Zoe remembers that he was looking for a specific sound, and his guitar tech mentioned that she played oboe and she ended up on the record. After the record was finished Steven asked her to go on the road. She was 22 years old and says “that was not something I ever considered.” Zoe would continue to work with Steven for eleven years, playing on and engineering several albums. Zoe says “I learned everything about the business from Steven, about music production and contracts and publishing. Steven was extremely politically active and so I also got involved in a number of social and political organizations, mostly in human rights.  I got to see that side of the world and meet Nelson Mandela. It was a whirlwind of 11 years and something I never dreamed of doing in terms of touring and being a member of a band.”

“Having a mentor like Steven was absolutely critical in my professional growth.  He would push me to do things that I would never thought I could do, but he trusted I could and that gave me the confidence to try.  There were so many invaluable lessons.  He would push me as a musician (playing keyboards on a Peter Gabriel track), as an engineer (building a home studio and recording his projects there), as a manager (rehearsing, hiring/firing band members), and even in the political arena where I was least comfortable.  One time he sent me to meet with Archbishop Desmond Tutu as the representative of our foundation, The Solidarity Foundation.  I was scared to death.  But I was able to discuss some of the programs we had instituted in the anti-apartheid movement.  These are just a few examples of what could get thrown at me at any given time”.

Zoe has been recognized for both her work and her humanitarian efforts including planning and co-organizing a fundraiser for Nelson Mandela, receiving a commendation from the United Nations for work done in the anti-apartheid movement, and serving 3 times as co-chair of 2005, 2006, and 2021 Conventions of the Audio Engineering Society.

Career Start

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

The internship was essential to my growth and my future.  It introduced me to some extremely talented engineers and producers who were my early mentors.  That specific internship led to every other door that opened for me.  11 years later I was back as that studio’s manager.

What did you learn interning or on your early gigs? 

Keep your mouth shut and your ears open.  Let a helping hand anywhere you can.  Put in as much time as you can and someone will notice.  Be honest, don’t try and do something you don’t know how to do (then learn how to do it later).  Be willing to do everything and anything asked of you (to a degree). Don’t count the hours.

Did you have a mentor or someone that really helped you?  

Initially, as I stated above I was fortunate to have been around some pretty talented (and tolerant) people from day one like Bob Clearmountain, Neil Dorfsman, James Farber, Tony Bongiovi.  But really my main mentor is Steven Van Zandt and then eventually worked with him for 11 years.  Everything I know about the music/recording industry I learned from him.

Career Now

What is a typical day like?  

You have to wear a lot of hats managing a commercial recording studio.  I’m the first one to come in the morning because I like to check the rooms and the rest of the facility before anyone gets here.  Then I make sure we have everything we need for the sessions coming in.  I keep an eye on when the staff is arriving to make sure they get here on time for their sessions.  I book studio time and negotiate the deals with the clients. I review the sessions from the previous day and do the billing.  As the day goes on I will check with the clients to see how their sessions are running.  Then mid-day I will look to see what the next few days are bringing us to be sure we are prepared for them.  There are many phone calls, overseeing staff, vendors, etc.

How do you stay organized and focused?  

I write everything down.  People make fun of me for it but if I write it down I won’t forget something.  There are so many details that come at you during the day I couldn’t possibly remember everything.

What do you enjoy the most about your job?  

Even though I no longer engineer I still love gear and the recording process.  I love music makers.  I love creativity.

What do you like least?  

Clients that expect to sound like Drake in three hours.  Their expectations are not realistic. Also, the 24 hours, 7-days-a-week aspect of it.

If you tour, what do you like best?  

I did tour when I was younger.  It’s really hard but exhilarating at the same time.  It’s an easy way to see the world.  I loved learning about different cultures. The feeling you get just before you step on the stage is something I’ve never felt doing anything else, whether it was to an audience of 200 or 100,000.

Zoe Thrall on The SoundGirls Podcast

 

 

 

Noise Engineering SoundGirls Scholarships

About Noise Engineering:

Noise Engineering‘s mission is to make engaging tools for sound and music production. Started as a hobby in 2014(ish), we cut our teeth making Eurorack synthesizer modules in new and unusual styles. We love exploring new sound spaces and interesting ideas in synthesis to help broaden the universe of musical tone. We strive to put as much immediate functionality into every product as we can: we want to make fun products that inspire creativity; products WE want to play with. With products spanning a growing range of platforms, we aim to meet you, the artist, wherever you are. On the road, in the studio, in hardware or software, anywhere in the world, we have tools for you.

Our core values are based on community. Music is a place for everyone. We believe that all people should be treated with acceptance and respect and we welcome everyone into our community. But synthesis can be difficult to wrap your brain around, and we believe that it’s our job to help lower the barrier to entry. We work hard to offer extensive outreach and education, but we know there is always room for more–there’s so much to learn! We created the SoundGirls Noise Engineering scholarship to help people dedicated to the SoundGirls mission follow their dreams.

Award: We are awarding two $500 scholarships to be used for audio education and continuing education.

APPLICATIONS For 2021

Noise Engineering is providing members of SoundGirls two $500 scholarships to be used for audio education and continuing education. Applications are now open

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?

Any member of SoundGirls that is attending or plans to attend educational programs in Professional Audio. There is no age requirement and includes college programs, trade schools, seminars, and workshops. Applications are open to all genders and non-conforming genders.

HOW TO APPLY

Write a 400-600 word essay on the topic:  Why you love working or want to work in professional audio. Applications are now open- Apply Here

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION

The essay submission deadline is 12:00 midnight EDT July 30, 2021. The scholarships will be awarded in August 2021 and paid to scholarship winners. Scholarship winners will be required to send proof of enrollment in the educational program to SoundGirls or scholarship money must be returned.

SELECTION PROCESS & NOTIFICATION

The SoundGirls Board will review essays and will notify the winners via email.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS

The scholarship funds awarded can be used for educational programs related to professional audio. Scholarships are non-renewable. You will need to submit proof of enrollment in a program.

QUESTIONS?

Any questions on the scholarship essay can be directed to soundgirls@soundgirls.org.

Additional Scholarships and Resources

 

 

 

 

Jeri Palumbo – Sports and Entertainment Broadcast Mixer

Jeri Palumbo is a Broadcast Sports and Entertainment Mixer based in Los Angeles. Jeri has been working in audio for over 30 years, first as a trained musician and arranger before going into post-production and then moving into live broadcast. Working mainly within sports broadcasting, her clients include the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, NASCAR, The Super Bowl, World Series, Stanley Cup, and The Oscars. Jeri is also part of the RF Coordination team each year for the Rose Bowl. She has worked with entertainment shows including The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Conan O’Brien, and American Idol. She has won a Telly Award for her mixing work on “Songs of the Mountains”, a live bluegrass show.

Jeri’s family background is made up of four generations of musicians and her grandmother and mother were both professional jazz musicians. Her great-grandfather was a musician and violin maker, and Jeri’s father was a folk guitar player. Jeri started piano at age three and by the time Jeri was in high school she was arranging and writing scores. Jeri attended The Juilliard School of Music majoring in composition and orchestration, landing her a contract as a musical director which led to her interest in sound engineering. She worked side by side with the sound engineer and was introduced to the Fairlight CMI, the first digital synthesizer and wave manipulator, she was fascinated by how the engineer was able to change pitch and EQ. This was a game-changer and inspired Jeri to learn more about engineering and the potential possibilities of sound manipulation with digital audio tools.

Her Parents

Jeri’s parents would warn her that a career in music was unpredictable and urged her to obtain skills needed for steady employment and the possibility of retirement. Jeri studied computer science and IT (for two semesters) and then landed a job working in IT/LAN platform trouble-shooting at First Union Bank. While Jeri loved working and learning the technical aspects of the job, she still craved the creativity music provided. She wanted to blend her technical skills with her creative skills and looked toward Post-Production.

Post-Production

Jeri enrolled at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC, and hit the streets knocking on doors of all the post-production houses in nearby Charlotte, NC. She offered to intern for free and most did not return her calls. One that did was Media-Comm where she interned for a semester and learned to use the video editor from AVID and AVID’S AUDIO VISION, their pre-cursor to ProTools. Eventually, Media-Comm hired Jeri where she focused on enhancing audio for TV shows. One show that broadcast out of Media-Comm was RaceDay, a live show that preceded NASCAR on Sundays. Eventually, RaceDay came knocking and asked Jeri to mix the show. While Jeri had never mixed a live show and she had her doubts, the director of the show said “Audio is Audio and you will be fine”. Jeri did her homework and was told by a former mixer that he would not touch it as it was live and found that several people had turned it down because of the live elements and fast pace. Jeri took the gig and pulled it off.

Sports Community Radar

RaceDay was a big, complicated national show, and Jeri ended up on the list of live sports mixers because of it. Within a week CBS Sports called and asked Jeri to work on the NCAA Final Four. Jeri caught the attention of CBS Sports, Fox Sports, and ESPN. All of this led to a career working across the country on high-profile sports events, primarily serving as an A1 working in the broadcast truck. She was also asked to A2 for a friend in need one day and eventually wore all the hats in broadcast audio; A1 mixer, A2, RF Tech and Comms. As an A1 mixer, Jeri is in charge of everything you hear in the final broadcast. Jeri has been particularly embedded in RF technology and coordination, which has numerous technical challenges, particularly with the shrinking RF UHF spectrum. She worked alongside major RF manufacturers and colleagues of RF gear and technology in the recent RF Spectrum auction and lobbying to save a portion of the RF Spectrum for production. One of Jeri’s close partnerships with regard to saving these RF changes was with the late, great Mark Brunner of Shure. Jeri’s in-depth tech articles on the RF spectrum and the impact of the changes have appeared in several trade magazines.

Her most recent stint in sports was as A1 mixer for eSports and Gaming. In an unusual and unprecedented move, (and to much debate from many of her colleagues), Jeri mixed a live broadcast in stereo while simultaneously mixing an embedded object-oriented surround to the HOUSE – with no FOH – from the same console (Calrec Artimis see article https://calrec.com/blog/craft-profile-jeri-palumbo/). What Jeri tried to convey, and what those on the outside didn’t know, was that the network launch for this major event was three weeks short of having their studio finished for audio. So she did what any professional would do, tried to make it work with what she had, from the broadcast truck.

It’s Not All Sports

Jeri with her mentor Les Paul

Jeri has also been involved in other fields of audio and has worked as an A1 on a bluegrass show called Songs of the Mountains. Songs of the Mountains was a live-to-tape bluegrass show broadcast on PBS. There were tough parameters on this show as the producers did not want to mic the traditional instruments. Instead, they wanted it to be organic and traditional, where the musicians would play around a central microphone and step forward for solos. The show was challenging with the various acoustical instruments and Jeri found herself riding EQ more than faders as the frequencies would often play against each other. They used an AKG C414 because of it’s adaptability in the ever-changing scenario of the different instruments used.  Jeri is proud of the work she did using simple techniques and she was awarded a Telly Award for her work.

New Projects

Recently Jeri has been instrumental in launching Arena Waves, a library of the highest quality music audio for Sports and Television content. Arena Waves kept Jeri extremely busy in 2020, while most live events were canceled due to COVID19, and was launched at the beginning of 2021.

Like so many in our industry, Jeri’s career path has been diverse. Her solid educational background in music and IT allowed Jeri to move into post-production and then into live broadcasts and engineering and again, back to music.  In her own words with Arena Waves, “It’s a perfect meld of everything I know”.

Arena Waves is high-caliber music licensing library for sports, gaming, television and film. With seasoned composers and session musicians on board, (most have played on your favorites records), Arena Waves debuted at launch in the mid-three-quarters to high range when it comes to catalog volume (over 70k+ and adding 50-100 new cuts per week). Several things make this catalog unique, one being its ease of use while also having mobile platform flexibility. But more importantly,  it’s worth noting the efficiency of the ready-made cut-downs for bumpers and highlights in the Producer’s Edge section. Cues are drop-in ready. Arena Waves also writes on-demand theme and cue requests and can provide quick turn arounds. With remarkably catchy themes from hard-driven rock, to dark and broody or moody, there is literally every style for every listener and media requirements and tastes. In fact, the catalog is so eclectic that, even though its intended purpose is sports, television and film, one can create personal playlists (register, it’s free) for their own listening pleasure. The music is that good and that diverse.

For more information, check out www.arenawaves.com and be sure to follow all their socials.

What is a typical day like?

Arrive early, unload the truck, run cables, interconnect with the facility, set up audio, fax if working in the field. In the truck, patch my patch bays, SAPS, routers and fader layouts. Load and set up music cues.

How do you stay organized and focused?

The pressure of live keeps me focused.  Also having a Plan A, Plan B, etc as backup options for live. For complex mixing (i.e. eSports or multiple routers of audio), I’m a big fan of populating my bottom layers to remain static while cloning to upper layers per need of each show.

What do you enjoy the most about your job? 

It’s live, it’s exciting and when it goes well, it’s instant gratification.

What do you like least?

It’s live, it’s exciting and when it goes badly, you SWEAR there’s not enough money in it EVER!

The best part of being on the road?

I’m on the road although I’m not on a bus, I am on planes a lot.  The best part is the road family, exploring new areas of the world and for certain eating local cuisine.

What do you like least? 

The hours, the wear and tear on your body, lack of sleep.

What is your favorite day off activity?

Exploring local cultures

What are your long-term goals? 

To try new things, push my personal limits and continue to follow current and new passions.

What if any obstacles or barriers have you faced? 

For CERTAIN misogyny and sadly, only from certain productions and a small posse of peers.  Also sadly, everyone else –  not just me – has experienced the exact same treatment from the exact same people from the exact same productions.  When a recent interviewer offline told me she encountered these issues WITH THE EXACT SAME PEOPLE 20 YEARS AGO on a sports event (this production travels), I challenge all the networks to wake up and investigate these “hand fuls” that are predictable, unprofessional and putting a black eye unfairly on the entire broadcast community (and is now into its second generation of newcomers being mistreated yet again, by the EXACT same people). I assure that the broadcast community is not what these few bad apples represent, but the network productions ignoring it won’t fix it.

How have you dealt with them? 

I ask questions not only of them but of those around them.  If they all “posse together”, then I move on to a team that is worthy…and good…and healthy.  I don’t stay in places where I know it will be IMPOSSIBLE to change.

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

1) you have to have thick skin.   Sports and Rock n Roll comes with a lot of testosterone that often “react” in their environments of comfort (ie a football field before a game).  These people are in “game mode” and are not there to think of anything else.

2) production mal-treatment vs real emotions.  Please know the difference.  It’s intense and gets crazy and not every minor thing said is a reason for “HR”.  HOWEVER, abuse should never be tolerated.  Just know the difference and if you don’t know, get educated before entering this environment, hence “thick skin”.

3) know when you are in a toxic team – those that withhold information, constantly throwing their fellow members under the bus, not owning up to errors, etc.  Be aware that even though this exists to some extent everywhere, not EVERY production conducts itself this way and the good ones, with good leaders, will NOT tolerate this from their team.

4) move on when you know it’s not going to work out for you.  Get out earlier and find your tribe sooner

5) hone your skills

6) when you’re wrong, admit it. If you don’t know something, admit it.  When you DO know, help your teammates learn

Must have skills?

1) know your audio or tell those around you you are willing to learn what you don’t know

2) people skills

3) be kind and understanding to those around you

4) everybody has a bad day and everybody has a bad GIG…shake it off, learn from it, get up and do it again

Favorite gear?

OOOOOOoooooh….well, in-studio mixing,  I’m a big fan of Eventide gear.  I’m also a big fan of the AKG414 due to its wide range of patterns,m. I love Sennheiser wireless mics for field and lav needs. I love all Lectrosonics RF wireless IFB/In-ear products. Both Sennheiser and Lectrosonics wireless mics and IFB/IEMs are interchangeable to me in quality and robustness.  Radioactive Audio Designs uses a nice VHF and lower bands for communications that steer clear of broadcast bands….and Clear Comm and Telex have some nice workarounds with their comms systems as well. Shure’s Wireless Workbench is great for some concert venues (although I haven’t really used this on large scale events). I like seeing Studers in the studio broadcast environment while I like seeing a Calrec on  broadcast trucks or remotes.

More on Jeri

Jeri Palumbo | NAMM.org

The Life of an A1, in the Booth and on the Field

Women in Audio: Jeri Palumbo, Broadcast Engineer and Musician

Jeri Palumbo — Roadie Free Radio

Jeri Palumbo – Signal to Noise Podcast

https://open.spotify.com/episode/656bzuW0yjwfw74KHNZTT8?si=uZv1QV-cQs-z9XBC3UMKAw

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5zYGqU9njB1AUqdbZXFWUz?si=thDEBDaNRIqqTQpCPFyeww

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Profiles of Women in Audio

Lara Dale, Foley Artist

Lara Dale is a New Mexico native, trained in classical music and ballet, who fell in love with choreography and began creating ballet and modern works at the University of New Mexico before moving to NYC to pursue a career as a dancer and choreographer. 

Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans. Through a series of career twists and turns, she ended up in the East Village working as Administrative Assistant for the late great Howard Guttenplan, Director of the legendary Millennium Film Workshop, back in the days of Super 8 and 16MM.

She got to see early works by Todd Haynes, Susan Seidelman, Spike Lee, Jim Jarmusch, and others, and was deeply inspired by their hard work, innovation, and independent success. She went on to pursue theater and the arts for many years, and has resided on both coasts and in Europe. She is now happily back in her home state of New Mexico. 

While searching for a job in the flourishing NM film market, she came across a Craigslist ad asking for someone with a trained dance background to become a Foley Assistant. The precise timing of classical music and the rigorous physical movements of ballet and modern became the perfect background for mastering the art of Foley, which she learned from the Academy Award-winning Foley Artist Ellen Heuer, who was ET’s footsteps among many other amazing credits. 

In partnership for many years with Wildfire Studios in Los Angeles, she built an extensive Hollywood resume of both major features and important independent projects. She opened Footvox Studio in 2013 to better serve the vibrant New Mexico film community. 

Her credits include Twilight: Eclipse, The Mechanic, Mildred Pierce, Drunktown’s Finest, Rosemary’s Baby – NBC, Black or White, and Expendables 1 and 3.

Lara’s credits on iMDB

What is the job of a Foley mixer and a Foley artist?

As a Foley Artist, at the most basic level, I walk all the footsteps of the characters in a film, whether animated or human, while my sound engineer makes sure they are recorded correctly. It’s actually way more complicated than that, so I will use Toy Story as an example since so many features today are animated or have animated effects.

Cartoons don’t make any noise. The filmmakers have to bring all the actors into the sound studio to record them reading the script, then the studio animates to those vocal tracks. Once the animation reaches final edit, some of the greatest Foley Artists in the business, including Jana Vance and John Roesch, have to invent from scratch all the physically generated noises of each of the characters.

They meticulously invent sounds like Buzz Lightyear’s wings unfolding, or the footsteps of Woody walking along the wooden bedroom floor. Every single toy has to have a distinct sonic footprint, both literally and figuratively. This can literally be hundreds of tracks, and thousands of cues.

What is Foley responsible for covering in a film or tv show?

We do all the human or character-generated noises in a film – walking, running, eating, brushing hair, brushing teeth, punching, kicking, even kissing noises since the room mic doesn’t pick that up. What we don’t do is sound effects such as explosions, car crashes, trains, planes, factory sounds, etc.

If you want to hear a brilliant example of Foley and sound effects, seamlessly mixed to seem like the hundreds of tracks are the real sounds, watch the chase scene in Toy Story when Woody is trying to catch up to the moving van. That is true Post Production sound at its finest. And there are a number of really good videos online now if you use the search term “Foley Artist.”

A talk Laura gave about her work

Can you describe the workflow of a Foley project? What elements do you cover?

When I tell people that I worked on major projects like Twilight: Eclipse and Expendables 1 and 3, I often get asked if I got to meet any of the actors. I patiently explain that post means post and that some films can take a year or more to edit, so Post Sound teams are generally getting the project long after the sets have been torn down and the actors are on to other films.

Picture Lock is a technical term, meaning what we get is what audiences will actually see on the big screen. Once the final edit has been approved, we are part of three sonic stems. The first stem is Composing or Soundtrack, the second stem is Foley (human-generated sounds), and the third stem is Sound Effects (non-human-generated sounds) – not necessarily in that order.

Most beginning filmmakers think music is all they need for Post Sound until they do a horror film and realize music doesn’t create the heart-wrenching bloodiness of someone being stabbed or having their eyes gouged out. Then they hear the boom mic sound and realize most of that is unusable. It used to be that 50-60% of the on-set sound was wiped and re-recorded. Nowadays with all the green screen and visual effects, the post teams pretty much wipe the entire original soundtrack and then meticulously rebuild it from scratch.

The shiver you get in horror is a lot about Foley, with lots of layered sounds and very messy props, what with stabbing or hacking watermelons for bodies being dismembered, or wrenching celery to do a neck being broken, or biting through a Pomegranate as I did in NBC’s Rosemary’s Baby, to simulate the sound of Rosemary eating a human heart in one of the creepier scenes.

One of the major components of Foley recording is footsteps. How many types of shoes do have for work? How many different surfaces are there at the studio?

If you work long enough on diverse projects you will eventually need to have every type of shoe, or at least the sound of that shoe, that you possibly can. I have about three hundred pairs of shoes, both male and female – everything from 1940s orthopedic women’s heels that sound like really great stilettos, to men’s Italian leather loafers that sound like Fred Astaire style ballroom dancing shoes.

My best shoes I have whittled down over the years and they are the ones reserved only for leading characters. I tend to name them after old Hollywood stars, so I have Greta Garbo, Marilyn Monroe and Betty Davis as my favorite leading lady shoes, and Clark Gable, Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart as my favorite leading men.

As far as surfaces, next time you watch a major movie, pay attention to how many surfaces all the characters are walking on. Everything from mud to dirt to concrete to wood to carpet to linoleum to tile to marble – filmmakers shoot anywhere and everywhere, including outer space, so you have to have floor surfaces that can stand in sonically for whatever that location requires.

I have about thirty to forty floor surfaces I can create. Some of them I walk as is, and some of them I layer to get different types of sounds, such as making a wood floor creakier for a scary scene by layering another creaky floor surface on top or making concrete more gritty for an urban crime setting by adding fine dirt and broken glass. It’s all about the layers and about how well you know the particular complexities of each surface you are working with.

What are the challenges of doing different types of footsteps especially when the character is much larger or smaller than you are (and you naturally don’t sound like them)?

Learning to walk Foley correctly for your skills and body type is the hardest part, especially since you have to get in a heel-toe, heel-toe sound, and most people tend to flatfoot it when they are first learning, which makes it sound like Frankenstein or a weird stalker.

The shoe choice is critical in the sense that the expectation of an audience is that a high heel sounds a certain way, and when you don’t produce that, it pulls them out of reality and into a place where now they are concentrating on the sounds and not the character. Gathering all your types of shoes and mastering how to walk in them can take many films and many years, and I personally didn’t come into my stride, so to speak, until about the third year or so.

Do you ever work on headphones or just listening to what’s happening in the room?

Some Foley Artists swear by headphones while others feel it compromises your ability to accurately hear what you are doing. I personally like headphones because I feel like I hear the nuances of the performance better, but I highly recommend using wireless because the cord can really get in the way when you are trying to bust through a lot of sound cues and you keep tripping or getting tangled up in the cord.

What are you listening for? How is it different from everyday listening? Or are you thinking more about performance?

The old cliché in Foley is that you are only a good Foley Artist if the audience doesn’t notice your work. If they are completely immersed in the film and the sound seems so real they don’t even pay attention to it, then our sound team is doing their job. If anything in the sound starts to stand out, then it is either poorly performed or a bad sound mix and we are not doing our jobs.

Consequently, though there are lots of tricks and techniques you learn or discover, the most subtle and real-sounding performance is always the best. When I am walking a character, I try to get my bearings as far as how many steps they have in that segment, what surface they are on, and what shoe they are wearing. Then I try to let go and just concentrate on the emotions they are conveying, particularly if it is a strong negative emotion such as sadness or anger which deeply informs the tone of the scene. If I am doing the mother of a dying cancer patient and I make her sound too cheerful or upbeat, I’m cutting into the work of that actor and undermining their performance. Your biggest job in Foley is to enhance and support the performance of each actor without any of your hard work ever being noticed.

Since the Foley artist is typically responsible for moving the mic while working, have you learned mic placement by watching other walkers or from Foley mixers instructing you? Was there a learning curve to learning mic placement?

Mic placement is definitely learned, but it is also about having a good ear. Your sound engineer may also request specific mic placements in order to create recording effects such as larger or smaller resonant spaces so they will not have to pull them from a sound effects library later.

I’ve definitely learned how to listen over the years and will say that generally for me a mic at about 18 inches away, at a somewhat low 45-degree angle is best for most of my footsteps. That of course can change from studio to studio but is what works best in my own space. I will say that the industry standard for mics can vary but the good studios use the finest mics regardless of cost, and the most commonly cited brands are Sennheiser and Neumann.

Props are a whole other challenge as you may be doing a dining scene and need to raise the mic up and over the props table if you are working on picking up silverware and plates for example. Certain props are much louder like paper, ceramics, or metal, so you have to either perform more subtly or move your mic back slightly from the noisy prop. With an experienced engineer, you can always run it by their trained ear if you aren’t sure about the sound you are producing. It’s kind of a sonic dance between the Foley Artist and the Sound Engineer when you are working out all the sound cues.

How has your background as a dancer helped you as a Foley artist?

Though Foley has its roots in radio, the earliest commonly heard Foley for major studios was tapping sounds for dance numbers. Uncredited day players with dance training were brought into the sound studio to overdub the rhythms of the tap shoes in any given dance number.

The most famous dance routines you hear with old Hollywood stars were not the actual recordings of the dancer’s performance, but post-production overdubs with contract day players. One exception was Fred Astaire, whose Foley was performed by his choreographer, Hermes Pan, because he knew the dance routines inside and out.

One of the only stars to do his own Foley was Gene Kelly. A notorious perfectionist, he would go into the studio after picture lock and record his own dance routines, so “Singin’ in the Rain” is one of the rare instances where you are hearing the artist’s own performance, re-recorded in a professional sound facility.

The precision, strength, and timing a dancer acquires through rigorous training is priceless when it comes to Foley, so I strongly recommend dance and/or music training as a prerequisite. Even some experience in martial arts can be beneficial, as you will know how to listen with your body and repeat precise sonic performances over and over again when necessary.

How did Footvox come about?

I originally answered an ad on Craigslist for the acclaimed Foley Artist Ellen Heuer, who was from Los Angeles and did ETs footsteps and Dirty Dancing, as well as hundreds more great films. She was looking for an assistant for a studio she was opening in Corrales, in order to take advantage of the New Mexico film incentives. I ended up apprenticing under her for about three years until she moved back to Los Angeles and I inherited the props from her studio.

I got to watch a master at work and did do some footsteps and prop noises for crowd scenes, but most often I was feeding cues, buying new props, and cleaning up the studio afterward. It wasn’t until Ellen moved back to L.A. that I really began to learn the serious work of walking for the major Hollywood stars. My engineer helped a lot, as he had seen so many sessions by that point that he could coach me when I had cues that I didn’t know how to execute. But I am proud to say that I did a lot of learning on my own, just experimenting and working things out by ear.

For someone interested in becoming a Foley artist, what personal strengths, skills, etc are beneficial or needed for the job?

A movement background of some sort is essential – either dance or martial arts or tai chi – anything that requires you to be in total command of your physical body. Dance is really the best foundation because timing is everything in Foley and dancers are masters at watching someone move and then duplicating it exactly.

How do you get a foot in the door or what’s the best way to get started?

Foley is handed down from artist to artist and there really aren’t that many of us in the industry compared to how many actors, editors or directors there are. My lineage through Ellen actually goes back all the way to Jack Foley, which kind of amazes me.

I would say that finding a good sound engineer who has worked on Foley and asking if you can sit in when they have a session would be a good place to start. Also, asking around in your community and seeing if there is a Foley artist who needs an assistant for bigger projects. In my case, I would never have known about this profession if I hadn’t seen an ad in Craigslist and had the curiosity and determination to learn about it from the ground up.

How much of your work comes from projects in New Mexico?

I would say that a lot of my independent work comes from connections I have to local filmmakers in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, and all of the features come from connections my engineer has out in Hollywood.

Could you give us a couple of Foley hacks? What sounds do you make in a way that probably aren’t how most people would guess you do it?

Grilled Chicken used as Foley for Rosemary’s Baby

Wet chamois is your best friend when it comes to dripping blood and gore kinds of noises, and in the Rosemary’s Baby remake for television, I used a grilled chicken to make the hacking sounds for a particular flashback scene where the ancient witches that are haunting the building are seen hacking a body to pieces in a human sacrifice ritual.

What’s your favorite part of being a Foley artist?

Everything, but most of all I love turning a promising film into a good film just by being able to do precise sonic choices that enhance what already exists or creates a new atmosphere that didn’t exist in the original tracks. My slogan is “Foley Makes a Bad Film Better and a Good Film Great!”

What’s your least favorite part?

I guess studio clean-up, but even that is very satisfying to me. After Rosemary’s Baby I cleaned up meticulously, as I do after every session, but I was finding chicken bits for weeks afterward in the strangest places as I had hacked so hard it had splattered everywhere.

Check out our interview with Lara on The SoundGirls Podcast

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Leslie Ann Jones Scholarship in Honor of Ethel Gabriel

This scholarship is made possible by a generous donation from Leslie Ann Jones and is in honor of Ethel Gabriel

APPLICATION For 2021

The Leslie Ann Jones Scholarship in honor of Ethel Gabriel and is a $250 scholarship to be used for education in the music industry. Applications will open on June 1, 2021

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?

Any member of SoundGirls that is attending or plans to attend educational programs relating to the music industry. There is no age requirement and includes college programs, trade schools, seminars, and workshops. Applications are open to all genders and non-conforming genders.

HOW TO APPLY

Write a 400-600 word essay on the topic:  Why you love working or want to work in professional audio. Application opens on June 1, 2021 – Apply Here

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION

The essay submission deadline is 12:00 midnight EDT July 30, 2021. The scholarships will be awarded in August 2021 and paid to scholarship winners. Scholarship winners will be required to send proof of enrollment in the educational program to SoundGirls or scholarship money must be returned.

SELECTION PROCESS & NOTIFICATION

The SoundGirls Board will review essays and will notify the winners via email.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS

The scholarship funds awarded can be used for educational programs related to professional audio. Scholarships are non-renewable. You will need to submit proof of enrollment in a program.

QUESTIONS?

Any questions on the scholarship essay can be directed to soundgirls@soundgirls.org.

APPLY HERE

Additional Scholarships to Apply for

The Ethel Gabriel Scholarship

SoundGirls Scholarships

 

 

Ethel Gabriel the First of the 5%

 

Ethel Gabriel (1921-2021) may be one of the most prolific recording industry professionals you’ve never heard of. Ethel was the first woman record producer for a major record label, and one of the first women in the world to work in A&R. She had a 4-decade career at RCA starting with an entry-level job and rising up to being an executive in the company.

During her career, Ethel produced over 5,000 records – some original recordings and some repackaged – by nearly every artist on the RCA roster (including Elvis Presley and Dolly Parton). Ethel was the woman in A&R to receive an RIAA Gold Record in 1959, and the first woman to win a Grammy for Best Historical Album (1982).

Ethel was willing to take risks, such as producing the first digitally-remastered album or working with artists who brought new types of music to the mainstream. Her credits include everything from mambo to easy listening to rap.

Ethel’s Background

Ethel was born in 1921 in Pennsylvania. She started her own dance band at age 13 (called “En and Her Royal Men”) where Ethel played trombone. She originally wanted to go to college for forestry (at the encouragement of her father) but women were not allowed into the program. She decided to attend Temple University (Philadelphia, PA) and study music education.

A relative helped Ethel get a job at RCA’s record plant (in Camden, New Jersey) to help pay for tuition and expenses. Ethel’s first job included tasks like putting labels on records. She was promoted to record tester where she had to listen to one out of every 500 records pressed for quality. She learned every note of the big hits since Ethel had to listen to them over and over.

Ethel was allowed to visit the nearby RCA recording studios. She brought her trombone with her, playing with major artists for fun between sessions. She also learned how recording sessions worked. Ethel was secretary to the manager of A&R at the time, Herman Diaz, Jr. Ethel got to produce her first recording session (with bandleader Elliot Laurence) when Diaz called in sick and asked her to do it.

In 1955, Ethel convinced her boss, Manie Sacks, to sign Perez Prado to RCA’s label. She produced his record, Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White, which became a worldwide hit and helped bring the mambo craze to the US.

She was with RCA during the creation of their Nashville studios, the signing of Elvis, and their transition from mono to stereo.

Through Ethel’s career, she was willing to take risks and experiment with new technology or music. In 1959, Ethel launched Living Strings, a series on RCA Camden’s label that ran for 22 years.

In 1961, she produced Ray Martin and his Orchestra Dynamica, the first release using RCA’s “Stereo Action.” In 1976, she was executive producer of Caruso,’s A Legendary Performer, the first digitally-remastered album. The technology used by Soundstream Inc (lead by Thomas Stockham) has gone on to be widely used in audio and photography restoration and Stockham’s work on the Caruso album was the basis for a 1975 scientific paper. In 1975, Ethel gave a chance to then-unknown producer Warren Schatz, who produced RCA’s first disco album, Disco-Soul by The Brothers.

Ethel managed RCA’s Camden label (designed for budget records) starting in 1961. Camden was struggling when she took over and went on to become a multi-million dollar label under Ethel’s watch. Some of RCA’s major artists even asked to be released on the Camden line over the flagship RCA label because of Camden’s success.

Ethel received two RIAA Platinum records and 15 Gold records (over 10 million record sales total) during her career with numbers still growing. Many of these were repackages or re-releases where Ethel put her expert eyes (and ears) on song selection and label redesign. One album she re-packaged, Elvis’ Christmas Album, was the first Elvis record to reach Diamond (10 million sales). Ethel said of creating special packages (in Billboard Magazine Sept 5, 1981), “It’s like second nature to me. The secret is that you know the market you’re trying to reach. You can’t contrive a special record. It has to be genuine and full of integrity because people know the difference.” Ethel re-issued albums for nearly every RCA artist (including the Legendary Performer series, RCA Pure Gold economy line, and the Bluebird Complete series).

Towards the end of her time at RCA, Ethel asked the company to fund a women’s group for lectures and seminars. She wanted to help women learn to become executives. Ethel said she felt like a mother to some of the women she mentored (Ethel was married but did not have children). She wanted to teach skills like how to network, how to dress or behave. Ethel also became involved with Women in Music, one of very few groups available to women in the music industry at the time. In 1990, Ethel publicly spoke out against the “boys club” in a Letter to the Editor of Billboard Magazine (Oct 6). She said, “Yes, there are ‘record women’ in the industry – and they have ears, too!”

Ethel also worked with many artists and ensembles in the studio during her career including Chet Atkins, Caterina Valenti, Marty Gold, Los Indios Tabajaras, Teresa Brewer and hundreds of recordings under the Living series. She said of working with artists, “There are times to ‘harness’ artists and times to ‘push.’” Ethel said her most helpful qualifications to do the job were “her knowledge and love of music and her ability to make difficult decisions and hold to them.” (Cincinnati Enquirer August 18, 1983)

Ethel was not promoted to Vice President at RCA until 1982, over 40 years into her career. Many colleagues said it was long overdue. The following year, she won a Grammy for Best Historical Album (for co-producing The Dorsey/Sinatra Sessions). After leaving RCA, Ethel remained in the industry where she worked as president and vice president to smaller record labels.

Ethel’s story is being captured in a documentary film about her life and career, called LIVING SOUND. Production on the film started in 2019, when Gabriel was 97 years old. The documentary began (with the aide of SoundGirls) through uncovering archival materials and conducting interviews with Ethel.

For more about LIVING SOUND visit livingsoundfilm.com.  SoundGirls also has a scholarship in Ethel’s honor: the Ethel Gabriel Scholarship.

The SoundGirls Podcast – Caroline Losneck and April Tucker: Living Sound the Ethel Gabriel Documentary Team

 

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