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Designing Signature Sounds

The Project

I recently had the pleasure of creating signature elements for a new animated series which will likely air near the end of 2019.  We were brought into the process at a very early stage, the first animatic, which was incredibly exciting. If you aren’t already aware, in animation, an animatic is essentially a video of storyboard panels timed to work with the recorded dialogue and then exported as a video.  An animatic is a very thorough blueprint for the animation studio to follow. Adding sound design to an animatic can do a number of things: it can bring the animatic to life for the animation studio which allows them to better understand how to animate important moments. It can help executives to better understand the action when reviewing the animatic for approval. And it can establish signature elements early on so that the sound can help to inform the animators’ creative concept for the series.  Having clients who appreciate the importance of bringing the sound team into the mix (pun intended!) early on is a wonderful thing for us here at Boom Box Post! So cheer to all of our amazing clients!

The Process

Step 1: Brainstorm about an Overall Aesthetic

The key elements of the series are birds and babies (sorry to be cryptic about the premise, but it’s too early to share too much about this project!). My mind immediately started churning about how to incorporate these in a way that would be nuanced and special.  When designing sounds for a new project, it’s also important to consider the audience. This series is geared toward preschool-aged children. So I also wanted to create a soundscape that would be friendly and familiar to viewers in that age group.

First, I decided to make all of the items in this animated world sound like they are made out of materials familiar to preschool kids.  This would involve recording a ton of children’s toys to really let these textures shine through in the mix. The set locations look high tech and designing in that aesthetic is always fun. But isn’t it much more fun to design a baby’s take on tech?  Now that would be a challenge.  Second, I decided to incorporate the bird aspect of the series by creating new sci-fi sound effects for all of the tech elements by processing bird calls.  I didn’t want the bird calls to be in your face. After all, it doesn’t take much creativity to just throw a bunch of hawk calls on everything. But, folding them into my tech builds sounded like a fun challenge that would result in a truly unique signature sound aesthetic for the entire series.

Step 2: Decide which elements should be stand-out signature designs.

I consider anything that will clearly appear in a series again and again to be signature.  And so, even if it’s a mundane item, to me it’s an opportunity to add a little special flavor.  You might think it’s a waste of time to create special door open sound effects or record all-new hand grabs. But creating a new palette from scratch for all reusable elements can ensure not just stand-out sound design moments but an overall signature aesthetic for an entire series.

For this series, I decided that the sounds for all of the things in the main location should be signature: all doors, all grabs of items and furniture, all mechanical elements, etc.  Basically, anything that will clearly be seen again and again needed to be custom.

Step 3: Create a Custom Recording List

When I’m creating a recording list, I like to brainstorm things to record which might add to the overall aesthetic I’m trying to achieve while keeping in mind what I need to cover.  Sometimes, if you map out exactly what to record for each signature element, you close off your brain to considering other options during the process. Think about the general aesthetic you would like to achieve and come up with items that you think may help to achieve that aesthetic–whether you think you’ll use them now or they may just be handy to have in the future.

Here was my list.  Notice that I’m focusing on what I want to hear and not marrying myself to specific items just yet:

  1. Toy ratchet
  2. Toy click into place
  3. Different plastic items for grabs
  4. Toy rolling
  5. A toy which “pops” or “thunks”

Step 4: Browse for Items to Record

I took this list to a local children’s consignment store and roamed the aisles looking for interesting items and listening to how they sounded.  I chose a consignment store because it was cheaper, but also because the toys were not in their original packaging, so I was free to test them out.  Often browsing for things to record is best done in your own home or a friend’s closet for this very reason. Keep in mind that the best recordings are made from items which are different from what you actually see on screen. You want to achieve a certain texture, a certain sound, a certain feel. You don’t want to just record the exact thing you see in the picture.  Think about how an old loose doorknob is often used for gun foley or a piece of celery is broken for a good bone crunch. When choosing items to record, shut off the visual part of your brain that’s telling you to go for the obvious, and start listening to everyday items with your creative hat on. Evaluate each item solely on its ability to give you the sound properties you’ve already brainstormed in the above list.

Step 5: Record new sounds

Step 6: Edit your recordings to work with the picture.

Once you’ve recorded all of your new (or old) props, bring everything into your DAW and start playing.  Often I find that elements I recorded in hopes of covering a certain signature element actually work best for something else.  Don’t be afraid to play around and try new things. Use the clean recordings, process them to the point that they are unrecognizable, or mix them together with sounds from your library.  In this step, you are the sonic painter. Give yourself the creative freedom to use your full palette and don’t be afraid to make a mess. That’s how the best discoveries are made!

Step 7: Collaborate with your clients.

Sound is never a job that’s pursued in a vacuum.  We’re part of a larger project team, and most often that project is the creative property of someone else.  Once you’ve come up with your most alluring signature sounds, share them with your clients and let the collaboration ensue.  It’s incredibly important to realize that the creative process doesn’t end with you: it’s easy to think that your signature sounds are the best they can be when you’ve finished designing.  In fact, I find that they often get even better when I present them to the clients and they offer tiny tweaks and new creative insights. Sometimes muting one element or incorporating something else that you never even considered is the key ingredient to the perfect sound.

The Sounds

Here are a few of the original recordings I made with the help of our intern, Sam, and the signature elements that I designed using those recordings.  The recordings and designs may sound simple, but remember that signature sounds compound with each other in order to create an often nuanced and distinguishable scape for the series as a whole.  It’s the totality of all of your creative ideas that form an overall new and exciting aural aesthetic.

 

Shadow TM Erika Duffee – Canada

Erika Duffee has invited SoundGirls Members who are interested in learning about Tour Managing and Production Managing to shadow her on the upcoming Scott Hellman Tour across Canada.

Erika has over 20 years experience in international touring and production management working with a wide variety of talent ranging from Canadian platinum-selling artists, Scott Helman and Walk Off The Earth to Italian pianist/composer, Ludovico Einaudi to Brazilian music royalty, Bebel Gilberto. She began her career as a volunteer radio programmer in New Orleans, worked in day to day management and spent 10 years at  Concord Music Group in Los Angeles doing artist development and producing showcases and special events for the label.

Things you need to know

You must apply – Apply Here

Start Time around 3 pm each show.

You will be responsible for your own dinner

Please note you must be 18 years of age to apply for this opportunity.

Shows available

Shannon Deane – Post-Production Engineer and Stunt Car Driver

Shannon Deane has been working in post-production sound for over 15 years. Shannon has been working as a freelance engineer for the last ten years, and her specialties are sound design, editing, and mixing for film, TV and new media. She owns, operates and works as creative director and ninja for DeaneCreative.

Shannon attended The University of Texas (UT), graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Radio-TV-Film, with a concentration in audio. While at UT, Shannon’s interest in post-production audio was piqued with an assignment to recreate a scene from a movie using only audio, entirely from scratch/field recordings. “My partner and I chose a prison riot scene from the film Carandiru, based on actual events at the prison in Sâo Paulo, Brazil. Hearing the scene come to life as we added layer after layer of sound was exciting to me. There’s something magical about being able to evoke emotions through sound alone.”

Shannon reflects on this assignment “I wouldn’t say this project single-handedly led me down the sound design rabbit hole, but it does stand out as having had a notable impact on me and my choice to pursue post sound seriously.” But her internship at Emmis Austin Radio would, as it soon led to a job doing sound design/production for a cluster of six commercial radio stations in Austin, TX. “My boss, Jimbo, was a huge inspiration to me – he was a fantastic mentor. He’s an exceptionally talented creative mind who always offered me thoughtful guidance, insight, and encouragement, all with the patience of a saint.”

KaosBriefAnarchy

Shannon has worked on a variety of projects and mixed small gigs with Christopher Walken and Will Ferrell. She has worked on a full season of the Brody Stevens Show for Comedy Central and done sound design for Netflix internal projects, which she found amazing but challenging due to crazy turnarounds! Some of Shannon’s favorite gigs “are actually the smaller ones, where I got to wear many hats. I did full post sound on a feature called The Kaos Brief, which is a supernatural thriller. I got to design “alien” sounds from the ground up, combining a lot of arguably opposing elements to get the effect I wanted. I regularly collaborate with a talented artist/director named Nadav Heyman, whose stories always speak to me in a powerful way. Our styles totally clicked right off the bat, and it’s a joy to work with another artist that you’re so in tune with creatively.”

Shannon is also a touring, recording musician playing guitar and bass, production sound mixer, and she spent seven years as a music instructor.  She also had a brief detour working a stunt driver. Yes, you heard that correctly a stunt driver.  Shannon explains how she stumbled into this “I was chatting with a college friend years ago at a party, whom I didn’t realize had become a stunt coordinator. When he discovered I had a background in martial arts, roller derby, bike racing, etc., he asked: “why aren’t YOU doing stunts?” I paused for a second, laughed, and said: “I don’t know.” He hooked me up with local stunt guru Richard Hancock, and I ended up training with him and getting little movie parts here and there for about three years until I moved to LA. My favorite gig was doubling a lead actress in a car chase scene, in which I spent nine hours power sliding around corners and smashing into another car. The other car caught fire at the end of the day (not planned).”

What do you like best about post sound?

I love that every day is different, every project is different, and I get to be creative with basically everything I put my hands on.  Picture is obviously essential, but if the sound is no good, then, well…bad sound can ruin a film or show. Mediocre sound is almost as bad – the image will never live up to its full potential. As a sound designer, I have to be sensitive to the needs of the project. What’s the best choice for x or y project? The answer is whatever helps tell the story the best – whatever drives the story, compliments it and makes it as compelling as it can possibly be.  I have to be objective and subjective at the same time – as an artist, you have your own ideas about what might sound cool, and you can get attached to specific ideas, but you have to be objective enough not to get married to something if it just isn’t working. Filmmaking is a collaborative endeavor, and I like the process of balancing my own creativity with that of the editor, director, writer, etc. I’m always striving to compliment the stories and images in ways that are unique or exciting. I may not achieve that to my satisfaction with every project, but I sure get a lot of opportunities to do so, and sometimes I feel like I succeed. That’s extremely rewarding.

What is your favorite day off activity?

I race motorcycles, so you can usually find me on a motorcycle of some sort. Or a bicycle. I also train Muay Thai and Gracie Jui-Jitsu.

What if any obstacles or barriers have you faced?

The sheer volume of talented folks in this industry, especially here in Los Angeles, means you have to work really hard to stand out and keep work coming in, especially as a freelancer. You have to be driven, passionate, and extremely persistent. I’m still a tiny fish in this big pond, but I feel fortunate to have built a solid client list of talented folks, and it just keeps growing and growing.

How have you dealt with them?

Perseverance. Never give up. It’s been challenging at times, but I buckled down and kept driving forward, and I’ve found that the reward has been great as a result.

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

If you’re truly interested in and/or passionate about a career in audio, don’t let anyone or anything stop you. It’s a male-dominated field, but who cares? I don’t let that intimidate me, and neither should any other female. Gender doesn’t matter. I’m in this because I love it, and that’s all that matters. So stay focused on what you want and never lose sight of your goal.

Also, don’t feel like you have to do it alone. Seek out mentors, don’t be afraid to ask questions, be humble and be a kind human. Also, don’t be scared to make mistakes and don’t be afraid to fail. It’s often out of the failures and mistakes that we learn and grow the most. Cheesy? Maybe. But it’s true.

Must have skills?

Know your gear! For me, that means Pro Tools, synths, MIDI controllers, plugins, and production sound gear for gathering original sounds. Take the time to learn as much as you can about the tools of your trade. Once you’ve gained a decent level of technical proficiency, you can get right to the (arguably more fun) business of being creative with your sound.

Favorite gear?

I’m biased, but my Manley Ref C and VOXBOX are staples in my studio. I record 99% of my VO through them and even do a lot of Foley with them as well. Output’s Arcade is a really rad tool for sound design. It’s easy to use, and highly customizable. You can drop in your own loops and manipulate them on the fly. (Full disclosure – I create content for Output). I’m a huge fan of Native Instruments stuff, as well as Soundtoys plugins. Izotope, Altiverb. I love my Grace Designs m906 monitor controller, and my Universal Audio Apollo for ease of use and sound, especially for the price point.

What are your long-term goals?

To be as good as I possibly can at what I do. To tell stories that matter. To represent the under-represented whenever possible. I’d like to be able to collaborate with as many talented people as possible with the time I have, and hopefully, leave behind some art that really matters for generations to follow.

Shannon’s Studio

 

 

Lost in Translation

Should we be mixing with lo-fi portable devices in mind?

Some say “a great mix is a great mix”, and they’re not wrong. However the question remains a constant source of discussion, amusement and point of frustration between friends and internet strangers alike – should we be mixing with lo-fi portable devices in mind?

It seems a 21st Century problem that isn’t going away anytime soon; we have our portable devices on hand with a connected convenience between us that means we can listen to our peers’ newest song or latest mix in seconds. Is it any wonder that we surreptitiously count the “real” ceremonial listening sessions as drastically less frequent events compared with our habits of multitasking and listening on the go?

Considering most listeners and consumers listen to music on portable devices and speakers the majority of the time, should it at least be considered as a factor when mixing? Perhaps the better question is can we maneuver this current technological phase by using our phones as a reference point for how the mix translates on small mono speakers, helping us to reach that holy grail of a great mix in all forms.

Our phones are limited in their frequency range, with most having a distinct lack of highs and lows. We lose most of what’s going on below approximately 500 Hz and above 6 kHz in translation. To use our phones as our small mono reference speaker means balancing in ways that enhance the absent lows and highs with our busy mids, but that does not then overpower on better speakers.

One of the most universally agreed methods, to begin with, is the appropriate use of harmonic distortion, utilising the full range of naturally occurring harmonics, notably of the kick drum and bass which are often the first casualties of the mix. On the flip side of this, keeping the upper end in check from overcrowding of high frequencies from other instruments sitting in that upper range provides a much clearer and more even spread.

While mixing in mono is preferential to some, checking mono compatibility is a must. Phasing issues between left and right can mean even more loss of sound in a mix, so getting width and balance in mono is good practice. Checking compatibility audibly by doing an A/B of mono versus stereo via the DAW output is one relatively painless way, and there are several visual tools available on the market that can analyse the signal for us, helping to spot anything our ears may miss.

Without diving down the rabbit hole that is ‘compression,’ it is worth remembering the brief philosophy of “less is more,” which is possibly truer here than for any other technique or effect! Running the mix through a high pass filter from the low midrange is also regarded as a useful check for clarity in the mix, and can only help when taking into account the issues of translation. While these points are by no means extensive, they can go some way to helping our mixes sound better, and easily alleviate some of the loss encountered on most lo-fi devices.

While there have always been lo-fi speakers in days gone by, it does seem to have become more of an everyday consideration with modern solutions available – mastering software such as iZotope Ozone now incorporate a phone speaker pre-set on their output referencing features. Though the convenience of listening on our devices hasn’t run its course just yet, it doesn’t have to be a source of struggle and deliberation in the mixing and mastering process

 

The Importance of Critical Listening as an Audio Engineer

For my first blog post, I wanted to talk about a fairly obvious but incredibly important topic the skill and practice of critical listening.

When much of our time and energy as audio engineers is spent zoomed in on developing sounds, it can be tiring to come home and want to really listen to music again. Sometimes I find myself wanting to sort of shut off to the experience; to put music on as background noise when I’m at home cooking, lounging, or even on my drive to or from work. It’s always good to have a balance, but I find when I can take time to listen to music mindfully, it provides an endless source of inspiration and helps me remember why I wanted to be an engineer in the first place!

Critical listening was one of the first ideas taught during my Recording Arts degree program at Indiana University, and I’m thankful my educators had the thoughtfulness to include this in our education. Going into the recording program at IU I was an avid music fan, musician, and music consumer, but I hadn’t quite grasped or even understood the value of critical listening practices until those first lessons. I remember searching for songs purely based on their sonic qualities – drum sounds, vocal reverbs, use of stereo field, dynamics, etc. We would be tasked with finding examples and then presenting them to the class to discuss our observations. It started to open my world in a way that made the idea of becoming an audio engineer much more tangible. It also helped me appreciate music in a different way, and, at the same time, develop a language to talk with others about what I was hearing.

As audio engineers, it is often our job to chase a sound. One of the first things that drew me to the field of was the idea that it could be a path of lifelong learning. Sometimes I’ll hear a guitar tone, a drum sound, the balance of vocals against a band in a mix, and it really captures me in a way that makes me want to learn how to recreate it. It’s a different kind of sonic earworm, one that brings me to a curious headspace saying to myself, “how did they do that?” I think this is extremely fun.

I try to ask every artist I work with about what they are listening to at the time we begin a project; what inspired them while they were writing, what reference albums they may have of sounds they’re seeking, and what they grew up listening to. It’s so helpful to have these as learning tools and reference points for my work throughout the process of making a record. I can research and go into a project feeling like I have a better grasp of what sounds we’re trying to make while in the studio. It’s also helpful at an interpersonal level – the more I can relate to and understand where the musician is coming from, the more confident I can be in making decisions, suggesting ideas, and building common ground with them. Creating music is such a vulnerable and personal experience.

There’s a certain language people use when discussing music that’s relatively consistent across the board, and it translates to practical applications. For instance, when someone tells me, “I want my kick to sound boxy,” or “I want my acoustic guitar to be less tinny” – although it sounds rather generic, those are particular and helpful requests.  When a musician knows what they want, it becomes my job to find and capture the ideal sound in their head.

Think about your favorite songs, how would you sonically describe the guitars, bass, or the drums? Maybe you use words like “deep” or “round” or “smooth.” Maybe even “glossy” or “warm” or “rich.” The more you listen critically, the easier those words will come to you, and the easier it becomes to interpret and act on those requests.

I started a project last year where I collected a monthly playlist of songs to share publicly on Spotify. The platform is not perfect, but I enjoy the social aspect of sharing music with friends. I was a big mix-tape maker back in the day. My friends and I swapped CDs regularly and it was a big part of my musical discovery, Spotify is a little bit like that for me as an adult.

My playlist-making experiment started out as a way to collect and track some personal data on how my musical tastes were changing. I wanted to be able to highlight artists and songs I was listening to (or re-listening to), as markers on my musical timeline – some data to look back on in a few years. It became an exercise I really started to love doing, and it gave me an excuse to work on my critical listening skills. Each song selected is purposeful, the sequence of the songs is purposeful, and all the songs have a unique and special memory attached to them. By sheer accident, I created a soundtrack for my year, and a whole catalogue of songs I knew really, really well.

Critical listening skills are so invaluable to all audio professionals. Feel free to follow along to my monthly playlist or start your own, whatever works for you! Remember the importance of mindful listening, and why we’re engineers in the first place: to make great music people can connect with!

 

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

January Feature Profile

https://soundgirls.org/girls-cant-do-that-robin-kibble-live-sound-engineer/

The Blogs

Going Freelance

Where Can Student Radio Take You?

Sonic Tourism

Where Are You Going?

Internet Round Up

Why I Show Up & Reach Out: A Broadway Sound Mixer’s Story

 

10 Women Loudly Pushing the Boundaries of Electronic Music

 

 

SoundGirls News

SoundGirls and SoundGym

Music Expo – Miami – Representation on Panels –

https://soundgirls.org/event/qsc-soundgirls-tour/?instance_id=1394

NAMM Mentoring Session 2019

She Rocks at NAMM Ticket Orders

SoundGirls NAMM Dinner

https://soundgirls.org/event/soundgirls-namm-breakfast/?instance_id=1418

DiGiCo Training for Melbourne SoundGirls

SoundGirls Launches Initiative for Members Working in Production Sound

Shadowing/Mentoring/Internship Opportunities

Shadowing Opportunity – Greg Price – Ozzy

https://soundgirls.org/shadow-foh-ld-on-amanda-palmer-tour/

https://soundgirls.org/soundgirls-mentoring/

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

Where Are You Going?

 

Around January, you can’t help but take stock of things. Even if you aren’t a “new year, new you” kind of person, over the holidays your family and friends quiz you on what you’ve been up to all year, and what you’ve got coming up. You might not want to say that you’ve had a tough time, or feel undervalued or ignored at work. Maybe your boss seems like the biggest a-hole ever, not giving you any support, or even somehow purposely sabotaging your career. Even if you’ve had a great twelve months, the unpredictable nature of the entertainment industry can make you feel like you just got lucky, or you’re floating from one job to the next without any direction or purpose.

I am not here to tell you that all you need is to believe in yourself and everything will work out. I’ve seen musician friends get nowhere because they thought believing in yourself and waiting to be discovered was how you got famous. The music business is a business. You have to put yourself out there, be your own promoter, find out who the decision-makers at record labels and festivals are, and hassle them until they give you a meeting. Throwing your demo at the stage when you watch your favourite artist will not magically give you your break (seriously. The artist never listens to them. We just have to throw them away afterward).

It’s the same on the audio side. Even if you’re in a full-time position, these days our (literal and metaphorical) gig economy means very few people have a job for life. Your boss is only your boss at the moment. If you’re a freelancer, they’re not even your boss. A friend of mine helped me to change my perspective on this: these people who give you work, or give other people work instead of you, are not your bosses, definitely not your friends, they’re your clients. They don’t owe you fairness, or help, or career progression. You wouldn’t hire a builder who didn’t know how to construct a wall, but was “eager to learn.” You wouldn’t take kindly to them complaining that you chose a better-qualified tradesman instead, or that you’re not sharing the workaround. At the same time, you don’t owe your clients loyalty or unpaid hours unless they deserve it. When you stop thinking of yourself as an employee and start framing yourself as an independent contractor, you realise that you are free to do what you want. There’s no point in complaining about your boss keeping you in a bad work situation because your boss is you. There are always other options, even if they seem scary at first. If you do work for good people who are willing to help you grow and flourish, I hope you see how lucky you are, and appreciate them for the superheroes that they are.

So, once you take ownership of your career, what are you going to do with it? You don’t need to come up with a detailed ten-year plan of how you’re going to take over the world just yet (although companies love that kind of drive and independence). Take a while to think about what you truly want from life, independent of the job role. Instead of thinking “I want to be a touring front of house engineer,” think “I want to travel,” “I want to help people,” or even “I want to be happy.” Once you have a shortlist of what you want out of life, think about the jobs that will help you get there. If you’re going to settle down, with a family, pets and a reliable income, or if quiet and personal space is integral to your functioning, touring is not for you, but you might do brilliantly in education. If all you want is to go to Coachella, it’s much easier and more profitable to get a steady job and buy tickets to it than to throw yourself into freelancing and hope someday you’ll get to work on it. If doing the same thing in the same place day in, day out would drive you mad, working in-house on a long-running theatre show will not suit you but the chaos of festivals might. If you love being artistic and creative, being a corporate AV tech will leave you frustrated, but you could be an exceptional sound designer. The audio world is much more varied than we first realise, and there are all sorts of niches that don’t often get discussed (that I will explore in a future post).

Of course, you’re very unlikely to work in one role for your entire career. Perhaps swapping between positions day to day, or spending a few years at each, will work for you. Your priorities will change at different ages as well, so be prepared to adjust your goals as you go along. Both life and this industry are so unpredictable, remaining flexible will help you make the most of what you’re presented with and will stop you feeling like a failure if you get thrown off track. Realising your lifelong dreams can feel like an impossible task, but the key is to break your goals down into achievable steps, as small as possible. If you celebrate the first time you troubleshoot a crunchy mic input as a step towards someday system teching for a festival, you will feel much more satisfied in your work. That sense of purpose will also increase your resilience: not every job will be awesome, but if you can put it into the context of how it’s helping you get to where you want to be (and paying the rent is a valid part of that!), you can take lessons away from it. At the very least, you can smile and invoice, and learn that it is not a job worth repeating. When you find the gigs that make you feel great and help you progress, you can recognise them for what they are, and it will motivate you to pursue more of them. I know it sounds unbelievably cheesy, but although it might not be where you planned at first, hopefully, you will end up in the right place, and enjoy the journey along the way.

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

January Feature Profile

https://soundgirls.org/girls-cant-do-that-robin-kibble-live-sound-engineer/

The Blogs

The Double Glazed Glass Ceiling

Being the Intimidating Woman

Sexism in the Alternative Music Scene

Hello, I’m Susan. Educator. Microbudget Film Producer. Ginger.

5 Easy Steps To Becoming Rich and Famous While Working in the Sound Industry

Internet Round Up

WAVEcast: Women of Color & Diversity

You can build your own medieval soundscapes in this interactive website. Based on extensive research on Mystery Plays, it allows you to explore how the plays could have been affected by acoustic changes and sounds.

 

 

 

SoundGirls News

Music Expo – Miami – Representation on Panels –

https://soundgirls.org/event/meet-soundgirls-co-founder-michelle-sabolchick-pettinato/?instance_id=1416

https://soundgirls.org/event/el-departamento-de-mezcla/?instance_id=1414

https://soundgirls.org/event/qsc-soundgirls-tour/?instance_id=1394

NAMM Mentoring Session 2019

She Rocks at NAMM Ticket Orders

SoundGirls NAMM Dinner

https://soundgirls.org/event/soundgirls-namm-breakfast/?instance_id=1418

SoundGirls Launches Initiative for Members Working in Production Sound

Shadowing/Mentoring/Internship Opportunities

Shadowing Opportunity – Greg Price – Ozzy

https://soundgirls.org/soundgirls-mentoring/

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

Being the Intimidating Woman

It is frequently brought to my attention that people find me intimidating. Intimidating; for my interests, life choices, and career path. Intimidating because I like to live life on my terms. Intimidating because I don’t fit into whatever box they want to put me in and intimating because I don’t fit into the box, they’ve put themselves in.

I often find myself asking those who tell me I’m intimidating, what in your opinion makes me that way? I usually get a passive incoherent answer, because they weren’t ready for me to challenge them to explain. How intimidating, right? The best part is no matter their answer, it does not mean anything to me, because even though that is what they think, for me, it does not define who I am.

I like to think that their feeling of intimidation is my strength, intelligence, experiences, and outlook. I think women in tech are called intimidating because of the way we can look differently at situations, how we react, communicate, and problem solve. It’s different compared to what they are used to.

I’m sure many of you have also been told your intimidating for many of the same reasons and for that I have to say glad you’re here with me! And keep being you! For you are one of the reasons I can be intimidating and a reason those who follow in our footsteps may not automatically be looked at that way in the future.

We cannot let people like this get us down or allow them to affect us negatively. Instead of being upset at that person’s opinion, I think to myself that “I must be doing something right.” Maybe if they are uncomfortable enough, they will wonder why and that might be the trigger to get them to change or to at least think about it. We may never change some people’s outlook, and some may always be intimidated by women in the industry, but for me our perceived intimidation is strength. Strength to be with the women leading the way, taking the path that women before us laid so we could have the opportunities we have as well as the strength to continue creating a larger path for others to follow.

I am reminded every show how infrequent women are on a show site in a technical role, but I also get excited as I encounter more women in tech each day. We are making progress even though it may not feel like it when we face people who seem to work against us. Along with meeting more women in tech, I continually encounter men who are empowering women within the industry as well.  We are making an impact, and things are changing for the better.

As 2019 begins I hope all of us intimidating women can keep paving a path for the future, leading in our industry and creating change for everyone. I look forward to meeting and working with many more intimating women this year and to watch us all grow and excel.

 

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