Empowering the Next Generation of Women in Audio

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Maya Finlay – Feet in Two Worlds

Monitors for Rosanne Cash tour, 2019, credit: C. Elliott Photography

Maya Finlay is a sound engineer that works in live sound, as well as in the studio recording, editing, mixing and producing. Maya freelances and works for the SFJAZZ Center as well as Dolby Laboratories and recently has started touring with Rosanne Cash as her Monitor Engineer. She has been working in professional audio for the past 11 years.

Maya has a B.A. in Spanish and Portuguese, Language and Culture, from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and Certificates in Sound Recording and Sound Design from City College of San Francisco. She also has completed workshops offered by Women’s Audio Mission and assisted in the build of their first studio.

Maya would start her audio career at City College of San Fransisco and fortunate to study under both Terri Winston, Founder of Women’s Audio Mission, and Dana Jae Labrecque, Co-Director of SoundGirls. After that Maya would start interning at Talking House Studios, which led to an engineering position for VO talent/composer, Mark Keller, at Keller Studios in Sausalito, CA.  Shortly after she also started working at Sound Arts Studio in San Francisco. Her introduction to Live Sound would take place working with local Bay Area promoter Bay Vibes, that produced three shows per week at Yoshi’s Lounge. It was a restaurant recalls Maya,  “so I had to pull all the gear out of a closet and wire everything up from scratch each time.  That was a great learning experience and created a solid foundation. At first, after each show, I would make a note of anything that went wrong. Then the next time before I’d go to work, I’d review my notes to avoid making the same mistake twice. That was a useful method, and it didn’t take long before I stopped needing the notes and things just became second nature.”

WAM studio, 2013

With a combination of referrals and reaching out to larger venues like Boom Boom Room, Elbo Room, and The Independent Maya would have more work than she could handle. Women’s Audio Mission would refer Maya to both SFJAZZ Center and Dolby. She has been at SFJAZZ Center for six years as an Audio Mix Engineer and Dolby for three years working as a Critical Listener.

 

What’s the environment, gear, and typical day at SFJAZZ Center?

SFJAZZ Center has two concert halls: One is Miner Auditorium, which holds 700 seats, and the other is the Joe Henderson Lab (JHL), which holds 100 seats.  We have Meyer Mains (going through Galileo hardware, controlled by Compass software) and L’Acoustic (108p and 112p) Monitors for both rooms.  In Miner Auditorium, we have a 16-speaker Minna line array system for each Main L/R (divided into 4 zones with separate delay times), 5 HP500 cardioid flown Subs, JM1P Side Fills, M1D Front Fills, and UPJ Rear Fills.  We have a VENUE Profile at FOH and an SC48 at “Monitor Beach.”  In JHL we do FOH and Monitors from a Soundcraft Si Impact, and we have 2 UPJ Mains and 1 HP500 flown Sub.  We have an 8-rack patch bay (6 for Audio, 2 for Video) backstage that allows us to route signal all over the building.  We have a 4-way split that, in addition to feeding FOH and Monitors, also sends to the Truck Dock, and a ProTools Suite on the third floor, where we have a Digidesign D-Command and can capture multi-track recordings of our shows into ProTools.  We have a ton of in-house backline – various drum kits, amps, keyboards, percussion, and the stage in Miner can be various sizes/shapes depending on the event needs.  The building is only six years old, so things are still in very good condition and well-organized. 

I’ve been fortunate to work with many fantastic artists there including Esperanza Spalding, Booker T, Robert Townsend, Snarky Puppy, Ravi Coltrane, Anoushka Shankar, Chick Corea, Hermeto Pascoal, and facilitated the touring crews of Van Morrison, Herb Alpert, Sergio Mendes, En Vogue, Kid Koala, Taj Mahal, among many others.  That’s how I met Rosanne Cash.  She was an SFJAZZ Resident Artistic Director the past two years, and I did Monitors for her weekends there, which were collaborations with Emmy Lou Harris and Lucinda Williams the first year, and Ry Cooder the second.

A typical day at SFJAZZ Center is a call time in the early afternoon, set up the backline, patch ins/outs, and do a line check.  Then the band comes in, we set up and soundcheck for an hour or two, then dinner, show, and strike.  Shows range from 60-120 minutes, and in JHL we have two shows per night.  We rarely have openers, and we often do 4-night runs of the same artist.  We also have a fair amount of rental companies, individuals, or organizations renting out space for private events, which involve a lot more wireless, and we have two “off-site” rigs (Soundcraft Si Impact consoles and QSC speakers).  We use these for our free outdoor concerts and for our middle school program in which we’re working with local musicians to bring concerts to all middle schools in San Francisco and Oakland, thanks to our awesome Education department.  So a “typical day” there can have a lot of variety in the audio department.

What is a Critical Listener?

As a Critical Listener, I participate in various audio tests that provide feedback to Dolby on current and developing audio technology.  Often the tests involve listening to multiple versions of the same audio and either choosing a preferred version or finding a hidden reference.  We go into acoustically tuned listening labs and listen to audio on headphones or over loudspeakers, sometimes with video too, and complete whatever test we have that day.  Basically, they want to know if people with critical hearing and listening skills can distinguish a perceptible difference between raw, uncompressed audio, and audio that has been digitally compressed using specific algorithms.  It’s only a few hours a month, more or less, and it’s very flexible.

What is your set up for Roseanne? Gear, Work Flow: Are you touring with production.  Challenges? How are you dealing with them?

There are two different setups for Rosanne: the Duo with her husband, Guitarist/Producer John Leventhal, and the Band setup, which adds Drum Kit, Bass, Guitar, and Keys to the Duo.  John sets up Downstage Right and gets a single wedge.  Rosanne is always Downstage Center with a mono pair of wedges and wireless IEM.  In the Duo configuration, she has another wedge on her left side, almost a side fill, for just John’s channels.  They both need healthy amounts of their vocals in their wedges, so the first thing I do is ring out their wedges and make the vocals sound as clear as possible with enough headroom before feedback.  After a couple shows on the road, I started doubling Rosanne’s vocal channel so that I could have completely separate control over her vocal channel going to her wedges vs. in-ear.  That’s been helpful.  We carry the wireless IEM unit and a couple of Beta58s for vocals.  In addition to Monitors, I also take care of the tour merchandise.  David Mann is the Tour Manager and FOH Engineer, and there are a couple of other Monitor Engineers they work with based in New York. 

As for challenges, a couple of times, the IEM audio was cutting in and out or sounded “underwater.”  I dealt with it by replacing some parts of the kit like the cable that goes between the earpiece and the belt pack and the desiccant pod that absorbs moisture.  I also started storing her earpiece differently to reduce strain on the connector since doing that it’s been working great.  Once, the earpiece filter got loose and was making clicking sounds only Rosanne could hear.  I now prevent that by making sure it’s tightly pushed in before each soundcheck and show. Another challenge is working on unfamiliar consoles. When I know, that’s the case; I do some prep work before I get to the venue, like watching tutorials and reading manuals, to head off any potential questions or obstacles I anticipate.

In between all of this, Maya still works in the studio and in 2017 released an EP with her band, Gringa called “Letters From A. Broad.”  Maya produced the album and engineered most of it, as well as playing several instruments and writing three of the songs. Maya says it reflects her “style as a Producer, blending organic recordings with sound effects and pop and dub mixing techniques.  It was a labor of love that took several years and involved many different musicians in various studio spaces. It was a challenge making it all come together, and at times, I thought it would never be finished, so it felt great to finally release it.” She is looking forward to putting out more records in 2019.

Bedulu, Bali during the International Body Music Festival, 2015

Give us a little background on what other tours you’ve done and what your position was on them

In July 2016, I spent two weeks in Bali as part of the International Body Music Festival, doing both FOH and Monitors. The annual Festival, led by master body percussionist Keith Terry, takes place in a different country each year and invites participants and artists from all over the world to come together for body percussion workshops and performances in collaboration with local communities.  We stayed in Ubud as our home base and traveled to different places each show day.  The first show was in a theater in Denpasar, but the rest of the time we rented gear from a local sound company and worked with their crew to load in and set up in different villages.  The gear was very basic; a 32-channel Yamaha analog console, a rack of graphic EQs, and passive mains and monitors. Most of the stages were outside, open-air but covered community spaces, and I used a combination of a shotgun, PZM, and overhead mics to get subtle body percussion sounds over motorcycles and other loud street noise.  It was challenging, but I had a blast and got to meet so many wonderful people.

What do you like best about touring?

I love seeing different places and meeting/working with different people. I’m used to being a House Engineer, so it’s been fun to do the opposite and be the Guest Engineer, with all the different challenges and perks that come with it.  I feel more like an asset, not just an expense. I’m also really liking the simplicity of living out of a suitcase.

What do you like least?

Flying and spending time in airports.  Not being able to cook my own meals.

What is your favorite day off activity?

On tour – Sleeping in.

At home – Writing, playing, and producing music.

What do you like best about the Studio?

I love the creative possibilities in the studio.  There’s more time to play around and come up with unique sounds and effects and to use panning and mic positioning that I can’t necessarily do in live sound.  I’m fortunate that live sound is my bread-and-butter, so any studio stuff I do is on my terms and for pleasure. 

What do you like better Live or Studio?

That’s a really tough question and probably changes from day-to-day.  I enjoy the immediacy and social aspects of Live, as well as being part of an event that brings joy or release for others.  However, I also love being able to experiment in the Studio and being part of the magic that will be immortalized on a record.  In the long run, I’d like to get back to doing more Studio work, and in particular trading, out some of the grunt work, I do in live sound for more creative studio work.

What if any obstacles or barriers have you faced?

Although initially, I loved the lack of routine, over the years, I’ve experienced how hard it is on the body to work inconsistent hours and to eat and sleep at irregular times.  My circadian rhythm is all off, and my health and social life have suffered for it.

Also, I wanna be real about the fact that the industry is still primarily a (White) Boys Club. As a woman, I’ve experienced microaggressions, objectification, and everyday sexism all throughout my career (such as being told to smile while I work, getting patted on the head for doing a good job, being asked to wear a skirt at a job interview, overhearing musicians ask “Where’s the Sound Guy?” while I’m on stage doing my job…I could go on).  I hesitate to call it an obstacle because it never really held me back. In fact, it probably propelled me forward in some ways. But it’s annoying at best, and exhausting over time. I do see that women, non-binary folks, and people of color have to work much harder for the same recognition and advancement opportunities as white men.

How have you dealt with them?

In terms of my health, I started prioritizing jobs that didn’t end so late, in an attempt to sleep regular hours each night.  I still don’t, but it’s less erratic than before. I also started cooking more on my days off and meal planning, so I could bring healthier food to work and not skip meals.  I’ve had to develop a discipline around resisting free booze and junk food, which is a work-in-progress.

As for the Boys Club, I’ve had to just ignore a lot of shit, figure out who my true allies are and which battles are worth fighting, and ultimately prove myself in my work.  I have learned to find the joy in smashing stereotypes and the humor in witnessing that my existence cause squirming or heads exploding. I enjoy poking holes in the patriarchy every time I go to work, and I try to stay involved in networks like WAM and SoundGirls, where we can share experiences, knowledge, and resources.

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

Don’t let your insecurities limit you.  Take as many opportunities to learn and gain experience as you can.  If you’re unsure of the equipment, you’re using or the type of gig you’re doing, do some homework.  Read some manuals, watch some tutorials, get yourself prepared, and then jump in.

Don’t let others intimidate you out of it.  It may seem like there’s a way you’re supposed to look and act, but that’s because the job has been portrayed a certain way for so long.

Embrace your skills and what makes you unique.

Have a sense of humor, drop the ego, be professional, humble, and kind.  There’s nothing more refreshing than a friendly engineer and a crew that’s having fun.  There are plenty of grumpy sound people out there…don’t be one of them!

Must have skills?

I think the best sound engineers have a trifecta of interpersonal, technical, and musical skills: I treat it like a customer service job.  I’m there to serve the needs of the Artist, the audience, and the venue, not my ego. I do my best to communicate well and try to make everyone happy.  It’s important to be able to adapt quickly to new technology and have strong attention-to-detail. It helps to have a musical background, to be able to relate to musicians and know musical terms and genres and to have an ear for music.

Favorite gear?

To be honest, I’m not really a “gear head.”  On tour, I request an Avid SC48 or Profile console, because I’m quickest on those.  I love my vintage Telefunken 421 and UA 710 Twinfinity preamp that I have in my home studio.  But ultimately I’d say my ears are my favorite gear. They’re more important than anything I could buy, and it’s been a process learning to trust them and understand them better.

Visit Maya’s website

 

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

June Feature Profile

https://soundgirls.org/petra-randewijk-live-sound-recording-engineer/


The Blogs

The Power of an All Women Team

Freelancing – Scheduling Your Gigs

Allies and Aggression

Internet Round-Up


50/50 gender balance pledge extended to more of the music industry

 


Digital masters: how new initiatives equalise women in sound

 


 

‘You lift with your mind, not with your muscles’: female sound engineers on working in audio


SoundGirls News


Mixing Music Live – Discounts Available to SoundGirls Members

Meyer Sound Supports SoundGirls

Master Class – Del IN al OUT – Scholarships Available

The Ethel Gabriel Scholarship

https://soundgirls.org/scholarships-19/


SoundGirls Events

https://soundgirls.org/event/los-angeles-soundgirls-social-4/?instance_id=1564

SoundGirls Orlando Expo 2019


SoundGirls Opportunities


Apply to Work The Ladybug Music Festival

SoundGirls and SoundGym


Shadowing/Mentoring/Internship Opportunities


Shadow Gil Eva Craig – NZ & Australia

Shadowing Opportunity w/ FOH Engineer Kevin Madigan


SoundGirls Resources


Spotify and SoundGirls Team Up – EQL Directory

SoundGirls – Gaston-Bird Travel Fund

Letter for Trades and Manufacturers


Women-Owned Businesses

A More Inclusive Industry

Events

Sexual Harassment

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

Jobs and Internships

Women in the Professional Audio

Member Benefits

The Power of an All Women Team

I just got home from a load-in that I’ve been dreading for months. To my surprise, I don’t feel exhausted, I don’t have any harrowing stories of woe to share, and I’m not annoyed, frustrated, or angry. Instead, what I feel is proud, accomplished, and satisfied. I’m not immediately sure what is different about this load-in, and then it hits me: There was not one man on this team. The power of the all-women team is real, and I’m about to tell you why.

Yes, I am a feminist. No, I do not hate men. Yes, I work with great guys all the time. So why has my experience with this all-women team been so remarkable? I’m really not sure, and to be honest, I never expected myself to be the person attributing a smooth process to the lack of testosterone in the room, but here we are. Let me start with a little back story on the project.

This load-in was at my resident theatre company. The load-in was for a musical theatre show featuring a six-piece live band on stage. The Sound Designer (also a woman) is a guest, so the rest of the team has been prepping in advance of her arrival. All along, we have checked with her on patching preferences, microphone choices, speaker placement, etc., and she’s been very relaxed and happy with the choices that we’ve made. We haven’t had to deal with any ego or power trip. We haven’t encountered the “only brown M&Ms” on the rider just to make sure we’re paying attention. Easy and efficient is how I would describe the process of advancing this Sound Designer.

Because this show is just a two-hour long concert, we agreed to let the majority of the gear (monitors, FOH console + engineer, microphones, keyboard, etc.) be in the rehearsal room. The intention was that monitor levels, mixes and scenes could be dialed in during the rehearsal process, and save us some valuable tech time. Because all of our gear was sitting in rehearsal during our usual load-in time, we had a finite amount of change over time from rehearsal to stage in preparation for upcoming sound levels time and tech.

The last rehearsal ended at 3:30 pm. My crew, which consisted of the show’s A1, A2, and Assistant Sound Designer, started loading out the rehearsal room at 5:00 pm. We got to the stage around 6:30 pm and began mapping out our setup. Everything must be ready and working by 1:00 pm the next day for the Sound Designer’s designated sound levels time. This process isn’t entirely as cut and dry as it might sound. In addition to making sure everything looks and sounds great on this stage, we have to consider the outdoor theater this show will travel to in two weeks. We need to make sure we have enough resources set aside to support a significant orchestra recording that is coming up at the end of the week and the next musical that will be on this stage.

In addition to the band on stage, we also have two speaker specials hidden in the scenery, 2 Rio stage boxes 50 feet apart, and a wireless microphone rack used for actor body mics, and three of the instruments on stage. We also have eight channels of QLab and an external audio interface. All of this has to be networked in our Dante system. As the load-in progressed, some plans had to change, different runs needed to be made and troubleshooting gear.  This was the part when I noticed a difference in many of my past load-ins. These young women, basically fresh out of college, were very smart, keeping all of the pieces tracked through their plans, and working efficiently and calmly.

As a woman working in a male-dominated field, I have been undermined, discounted, and “little-lady’ed” more times than I can count. This regular kind of interaction or expectation has made me permanently defensive, not only for myself but for my fellow SoundGirls in the industry. I have found myself on various calls watching the interaction between women and men, wondering if I’m going to have to drop what I’m doing to come to the defense of another woman who is being railroaded. When I’m juggling all kinds of various technical elements in my brain during a time-sensitive load-in, the last thing I need to be thinking about is whether or not (or how many times) I’m going to have to defend my position to a man who thinks he knows better. Whether or not that situation occurs, the possibility of its existence automatically puts me in defense mode every time.

Here’s the thing about all of this subconscious self-protection: I didn’t know I was doing that until I didn’t have to do it anymore. As I said, I was dreading this load-in. I knew so much was riding on my planning. When my expected stress never arrived at the onset of the load-in, I had to actively think about what was different. All of us on that project were able to focus on the task at hand and nothing else. What a luxury I didn’t know I was missing. Because of this cohesive team and everyone’s smart and careful planning, we walked out of the space at 10:30 pm, hours ahead of what I was expecting. I drove home beaming with pride. Why can’t every job be this way?

The moral of this story is not that we should kick all of the men out of our industry. The moral is that we ALL need to be able to work on an equal and cohesive team. I do not want to see the new generation developing the same defensive complex that I have. To the men reading this blog, pay attention at your next gig. Pay attention to your interactions and the interactions of your fellow male team members. Do you notice a difference in how you interact with the women on your team?  Does your voice change? Do your facial expressions vary? What about your body language? All of these things are second nature to all of us, so much I wasn’t even aware I was missing the serenity of working on an all-women team, you might not even be aware that your responses change for no other reason than the gender of the other party. If you see it, when you see it, change it. Make yourself aware. Stopping the cycle starts with you. It’s a fight the women of this industry have been fighting forever. Be an ally, be supportive, be on our team.

Freelancing – Scheduling Your Gigs

 

As a freelancer, have you ever worried about your schedule or saying no to a gig for fear they may never call you again? When you are new to the business, it can be hard or scary to say no to any gig. Your budget and career depend on these calls. Learning to say no can be hard, but learning to say no well will help you in the long run.

It is essential to balance your gigs and obligations. If you are on a 14-hour show until 2 am and someone calls to hire you for a show that same day at 6 am that’s just as long, it is likely in everyone’s best interest for you to decline the second show. You are probably already tired and already have been working many hours. You likely won’t be able to put your best into the second call, and the company would be relying on you to be fully present to complete the tasks at hand. Here is an example of where you should say no.

There is nothing wrong with saying no and you don’t need to justify to anyone why you are not available, but there are a couple of things you can do to make sure you stay in good standing with companies and stay on their call list for the future.

When scheduling yourself, the most important thing is to stay organized. Make sure you are promptly tracking when you are scheduled and where (especially if you travel for work regularly.)  The quickest way to burn bridges with companies is by overbooking yourself and not catching it until the last minute leaving someone without the staffing they need. The second way to quickly burn the bridge is to arrive at gigs tired and unfocused because you’ve overworked yourself.  Make sure you are balancing your schedule so you can be at your best for every show.

Once you are called for your availability, make sure to respond promptly. Don’t wait 3-4 days before getting back to the call. The company or client won’t wait for you to call back. They will move on to the next person on the list, and once the spot is filled it likely won’t be open again. If you get the reputation of never calling back, they will stop calling.  I recommend that you respond within 24 hours of a request, faster if you can. If you need a little more time, let them know. They will likely be more than willing to give you more time as long as they hear from you.

Call, text, or email them back letting them know you’re on a show or away from your schedule, and will try to let them know as soon as you can. Ask follow-up questions if the information hasn’t already been provided. Collect as much information as you can regarding the gig, such as what position you will be filling and an estimated timeline. This will provide all the information before you accept the gig.

After you’ve been able to determine if you’re available to work or not, it is imperative to respond to the hiring party.  Here again, if you do not reply, they will stop calling. Hearing sorry, no I am not available is better for your reputation than not responding at all.

As you learn, mistakes will happen, and the best thing to do is to address them quickly. If you happen to overbook yourself, pick which show you will work and let the other group know immediately.  Apologize for your mistake and if you’re willing or know of anyone, offer suggestions for your replacement. These situations can be difficult, but we’ve all done it at some point in our careers, and as long as you address it immediately, you should be ok for future calls.  Over time you will get better at scheduling as well as understanding how much you can take on at a time as well as when it’s the right time to say no.

 

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

June Feature Profile

https://soundgirls.org/petra-randewijk-live-sound-recording-engineer/


The Blogs

Re-Amping a Guitar Signal

SoundGirls México on sound: check Xpo 2019

SoundGirls México en sound:check Xpo 2019

Internet Round-Up


Industry Insights: Linda Perry, Sylvia Massy & TRAKGIRL On Making Great Recordings

The Recording Academy Atlanta Chapter and the Producers & Engineers Wing hosted a special panel discussion, moderated by mastering engineer Michelle Mancini, delving into career paths, recording styles and the challenges of making great recordings.

 


SoundGirls News


Mixing Music Live – Discounts Available to SoundGirls Members

Master Class – Del IN al OUT – Scholarships Available

The Ethel Gabriel Scholarship

https://soundgirls.org/scholarships-19/


SoundGirls Events

 

SoundGirls Orlando Expo 2019


SoundGirls Opportunities


Apply to Work The Ladybug Music Festival

SoundGirls and SoundGym


Shadowing/Mentoring/Internship Opportunities


Shadow Gil Eva Craig – NZ & Australia

Shadowing Opportunity w/ FOH Engineer Kevin Madigan


SoundGirls Resources


Spotify and SoundGirls Team Up – EQL Directory

SoundGirls – Gaston-Bird Travel Fund

Letter for Trades and Manufacturers


Women-Owned Businesses

A More Inclusive Industry

Events

Sexual Harassment

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

Jobs and Internships

Women in the Professional Audio

Member Benefits

Re-Amping a Guitar Signal

Happy June everyone! I hope you enjoyed my three-part blog about “how to” record a four-piece band (drums, bass, guitar, and vocals). For this month I am going to be talking about the significance of re-amping a guitar signal.

 

I JUST re-amped a guitar signal for the first time in my life two days ago, and again yesterday. So, I’m no expert, but I will say that I did enjoy the process and I wanted to share my experience with SoundGirls! I’ve never “had” to do it before because I usually live track when recording a band. When I live track, I focus on getting the tone I want for the guitar right then and there, but I’ve always captured the DI signal from the guitar just in case I ever wanted or needed to change it later. The reason I am going to start re-amping more, and why I thought it would be an interesting blog post is because I see it as a more efficient way for my band to record guitar. Why is that you say? Well, this way we can just record a clean DI guitar at my house through my Focusrite 2i2, and then schedule a guitar session at one of the studios I intern out of to re-amp the signal we got from my home studio. It’s time-efficient, and to be honest- less stressful. Also, it can save you money! If you have a small home set-up but have always had trouble getting the right guitar tones, or don’t want to settle using an amp simulator (which I am NOT opposed to- there are some really great ones out there), capturing a DI signal at home, and scheduling time at a studio for a small amount of time instead of a giant block can save you money, and get you the right guitar tones!

Now that I’ve talked about the significance of re-amping, I’ll go over step by step how to do it.

The first step would be to record a clean DI. You don’t want to overdrive whatever pre-amp you may be using because you don’t want to “color” the tone of this clean DI. I suggest running your DI through a solid-state pre, not a tube pre. Let’s say you have a good signal. Record guitar with that clean DI signal until you settle on the takes you want for your guitar part. Make sure there are no clicks or pops in the audio. Go through and listen to each track you recorded in solo mode to make sure. You wouldn’t want to get to the studio, run the signal through an amp and then realize that there were comps needing to be faded or anything like that!

Now that you’ve got the takes you want & a clean DI signal let’s re-amp. Let’s assume you’ve already got your amp setup. In this case, you’ve placed it in an isolated room. You’ve already got mics picked out and set up, etc. Open pro-tools, and go to the first DI guitar you want to re-amp. Output the audio track for that guitar to a mono converter output.

The tricky part is patching. You’re going to want to patch from the converter’s output on the patch bay into the snake channels output for the room you put the amp in.

When re-amping you need a couple of different cables and boxes. You need a male-to-male XLR, a Re-Amp box (the Re-Amp box brings the line-level your sending the signal in back down to instrument level), a power supply for the re-amp box, and an instrument cable. Now let’s put all of those gadgets to use! Put the Re-Amp box, and its power supply in the iso room with your amp. Plug in the power supply. Take the male to male XLR cable, and plug it into the Re-Amp box, and then into the snake channel. Make sure the volume knob on the Re-Amp box is turned all the way down (you’ll use this sort of like a gain stage later on when you start to work on getting your tone). Now take the instrument cable out of the Re-Amp box and into the input of the amp. Hit play on Pro-Tools, and slowly turn up the volume knob on the box. You should start to hear signals. Now you can start working on getting your tone!

A couple of things to note:

Thanks for reading this month’s blog post! If you use this process for recording, let me know what your results are. I’m always interested in hearing other people’s processes, preamp/mic choices, etc. My email is virginia@backbeat365.com.

 

Shadowing Opportunity w/ FOH Engineer Kevin Madigan

SoundGirls Members who are actively pursuing a career in Live Sound or Concert Production are invited to shadow FOH Engineer Kevin Madigan.

The experience will focus on FOH Mixing. This is open to SoundGirls members ages 18 and over. There is one spot available for each show. Call times are TBD, and members will most likely be invited to stay for the show (TBD).

Kevin is currently on tour Santana.

Dates Available:

 

SoundGirls México en sound:check Xpo 2019

SoundGirls es una organización sin fines de lucro que busca generar una red profesional para apoyar principalmente a las mujeres, ya que estadísticamente representamos el 5 por ciento dentro de la industria de la música y producción.

Este año, SoundGirls en México rompió paradigmas y prejuicios, gracias a la unión de personas que eligieron romper fronteras mentales y apostaron por el camino del arte, la creación y la tecnología.

Como cada año desde 2015, soundgirls.org ha sido acreedor a un espacio dentro del evento más importante de la industria actualmente en Latinoamérica: sound:check Xpo. Gracias al acercamiento con su director general, Jorge Urbano, hemos sido anfitrionas y creadoras de experiencias diferentes para miembros de la organización y para el público en general, sin distinción de género.

Soundgirls.org sede México inició dentro de sound:check Xpo con un espacio muy pequeño, suficiente para comenzar la convocatoria en CDMX. Cada año nos hemos dado a la tarea de generar espacios innovadores y únicos, siendo pioneras en la implementación de la tecnología y el arte, proponiendo un tema diferente en cada una de nuestras participaciones.

Cuatro años, después con una estructura mucho más fuerte y gracias a un equipo de profesionales dentro de la industria, además del apoyo de grandes empresas como patrocinadores, logramos realizar una experiencia jamás vivida anteriormente con el tema “Sonido Inmersivo”.

Desde noviembre de 2018, dio inicio una idea poco convencional, que fue presentar nueva tecnología en el país, aunada a la implementación de protocolos poco utilizados y explorados actualmente en América Latina. Fue en enero de 2019, dentro de The NAMM Show 2019 (Anaheim, California, Estados Unidos), que se dio la  reunión con la co-fundadora de SoundGirls, Karrie Keyes, y fue entonces que comenzó el acercamiento con diferentes marcas, en busca de patrocinadores para llevar a cabo esta experiencia en México.

El primer reto fue contar con el apoyo de empresas que llevaran a cabo la importación del equipo necesario para tan ambicioso proyecto. Poco a poco se fue aterrizando la idea general, la cual fue mostrar algunos formatos de sonido inmersivo (360 grados, 3D y Atmos), aplicados en su mayoría para sonido en vivo. Gracias a mi trayectoria profesional, pude tener acercamiento con los especialistas dentro de cada área, quienes en su mayoría, al escuchar la idea, no dudaron en apoyar.

Ya que nos quisimos enfocar a sonido en vivo, el mundo inmersivo de monitores fue controlado por KLANG, para brindar monitoreo personalizado a los músicos en un formato binaural con sonido 3D. Cuando comencé a plantear cuál sería el formato de mezcla para FOH, me enfrenté con el mayor reto dentro de este proyecto, ya que desafortunadamente ninguna de las marcas reconocidas dentro del mercado del sonido inmersivo en vivo quiso participar, pero esto no fue obstáculo y seguí con la idea original sin desviar mi objetivo principal: hacer y mezclar por primera vez en México un show en vivo con sonido de estas características.

Para el mes de febrero, teníamos confirmadas la mayoría de las ponencias, pero aún no sabíamos si Karrie Keyes nos acompañaría y no teníamos forma de mezclar FOH en un formato inmersivo.

Poco después se lanzó, a través de la plataforma de SoundGirls, una petición para voluntarias dentro del booth, sin contar aún que es lo que se llevaría a cabo dentro de él. La respuesta fue maravillosa, muchas mujeres comenzaron a responder para apoyar auténticamente el evento y por primera vez, mujeres del interior de la República Mexicana y de otros países latinoamericanos viajaron a México para colaborar

Se comenzó a formar el equipo de profesionales, comenzamos juntas colaborativas y repartición de áreas de trabajo que funcionarían como guías con las voluntarias (un tipo de mentoras para los participantes). Por otro lado, aún no sabía cómo se mezclaría el FOH con sonido inmersivo.

A mediados de febrero, el equipo de Dolby.lab Brasil, encabezado por Daniel Martins, junto con Daniel Castillo, se unieron al proyecto, dando la opción de obtener un equipo muy especial y único, propiedad de Dolby, con el cual se realizan mezclas en tiempo real para broadcast, pero desafortunadamente, debido a la premura, no logramos realizar el tramite correspondiente. Fue entonces que un mes antes de dar inicio al evento, Marina Bello (ingeniera de sonido), confirmó su asistencia como guía y encargada de monitores, y al integrarse más al proyecto, me contactó con Ianina Canalis, ingeniera de sonido argentina que programó como tesis un software para mezclar FOH en formato inmersivo aplicado a sonido en vivo (ISSP).

Inmediatamente me puse en contacto con ella para saber su disposición y platicarle de SoundGirls y me sorprendió saber que ya era miembro de la organización desde hace varios años. Después de video-conferencias México-Londres, se decidió que Ianina viajara a México presentado su software (ISSP) y formara parte de un acontecimiento único: mezclar por primera vez en México y Latinoamérica sonido en vivo con un sistema inmersivo. Ianina se sumó al equipo y se incluyó dentro de las conferencias, mientras que por otro lado, Karrie Keyes confirmó su visita a México para representar a soundgirls.org.

Todo el mes de marzo estuvimos en el estudio de 3BH para realizar pruebas y pre-mezclas y platicar con los músicos intrépidos y aventureros a quienes les expliqué, en mi punto de vista, cuál es la mejor forma de presentar y mezclar en un sistema inmersivo, por lo que decidimos que para mantener un sweet spot o CLA, con mayor cobertura y mayor definición, todos los instrumentos deberían de ser digitales, exceptuando la voz y bombo para algunos músicos. Esta idea fue para evitar, el mayor sonido directo proveniente del escenario (contaminación acústica) y pudiéramos mezclar de una forma inmersiva la mayor cantidad de canales en un formato 360 grados.

Junto con este sistema de sonido, también se realizó un diseño especializado de lásers, así como luces para los shows y proyecciones, con el fin de generar dimensiones 3D para los diferentes sentidos.

El resultado que se obtuvo en todas las actividades dentro del booth de SoundGirls, fue gracias a la suma del conocimiento de todas y cada una de las personas que hicieron posible esta gran experiencia, lo que marcó un nuevo conocimiento, una nueva tecnología y una nueva forma de escuchar y mezclar el sonido.

Especialistas, ingenieros, estudiantes, técnicos, artistas y ponentes aportaron de gran forma para impulsar la industria, buscando nuevas formas de arte, nuevos retos y desafíos que compartimos todos los que hicimos esto posible.

¡A todos y cada una de las/los participantes, gracias!

Después de compartirles mi experiencia de cómo una idea se fue haciendo realidad, quiero compartirles una etapa fundamental que nos permitiría estar seguros de que realmente funcionará todo el sistema en conjunto; esto es, entender todo el flujo de señal que llevaremos a cabo. Yo sé que para muchos que me acompañan hasta aquí, sabrán que es sumamente importante. El principal desafío para todos, fue unificar lo más posible los diferentes sistemas de reproducción de sonido inmersivo.

Comenzamos con el diseño de altavoces y normas para los diferentes sistemas:

Las normas que se utilizan en formatos ATMOS (broadcast y cine),  son específicas y detalladas. Debemos seguir una ecualización especial (dependiendo del volumen de cuarto), así como dependiendo del formato (5.1,7.1 & Atmos), debemos respetar una presión sonora por formato.

Sonido en vivo de sistema inmersivo

Para tener mayor cobertura, se colocan arreglos de bocinas a la misma altura y distancia, preferentemente de 5 a 7 sistemas al frente (número impar), con un refuerzo sonoro en los costados y en la parte trasera del recinto, cubriendo un área de 360 grados. Tomando esto en cuenta, lo primero con lo que nos enfrentamos es hacer un diseño para el refuerzo sonoro inmersivo con Dolby y para hacer una mezcla de sonido en vivo.

El diseño sonoro del recinto se realizó con el software especializado DARDT ( Dolby Audio Room Design Tool) de Dolby.Lab, en donde se hizo el arreglo de altavoces en 7.1.4. Se utilizó un total de doce altavoces con salidas discretas (señal independiente), mientras que para el diseño de sonido en vivo se utilizó el software MAPP de Meyer Sound. Básicamente, la diferencia entre uno y otro fue cambiar el altavoz central, que para Dolby debe estar a la altura de escucha (1.20 metros). Para sonido en vivo se utilizó un sistema suspendido en el soporte frente al escenario, junto con los demás puntos de PA.

Para el procesamiento de la señal, usamos dos Galileos (Meyer Sound), en los cuales se programaron snapshots para llamar memorias con los diferentes formatos que se calibraron, siguiendo las normas correspondientes (antes mencionadas), en este caso, 7.1, ATMOS y sonido inmersivo 360 grados para la mezcla en vivo.

Otro gran reto fue no utilizar snake analógico y sustituirlo por cableado ethernet CAT6, usando como preamplificadores interfaces REDNET Focusrite con splitter digital, de forma que nuestro principal protocolo de transmisión fue DANTE – Audinate, evitando así múltiples conversiones AD/DA.

Todos los sistemas fueron interconectados por medio de un switch CISCO, creando una red donde usamos todos los recursos; esto es, 64 canales de entrada con 54 canales de salida digitales , para sincronizar todos los sistemas, se utilizó el reloj de la consola de FOH (Clock Master) vía DANTE.

Por otro lado, se reprodujeron sesiones en Pro Tools en formatos 7.1 y con el software para sonido inmersivo de Dolby Atmos Renderer, para mostrar el área de entretenimiento en casa, se utilizó un AV Integra para reproducir contenido ATMOS de un bluray, USB y Apple TV.

En el mundo de los monitores, se hicieron ocho mezclas estéreo con IEM Shure PSM900, utilizando audífonos Ultimate Ears y como hardware sonido 3D binaural, se utilizó el sistema KLANG. Cabe mencionar como dato importante, que no se utilizaron monitores de piso y la audiencia tenia acceso a una mezcla inmersiva utilizando interfaces AM2 de Focusrite.

Por último, se realizó una grabación multi-track de todos los canales de entrada, junto con un micrófono Ambisonics Rode NT- SF1 por medio de UBMADI, utilizando consolas Digico SD12 con tarjeta DMI DANTE y un Rack D2. El sistema de microfonía inalámbrica fue SHURE AXIEN DIGITAL.

Diagrama del flujo de señal.

 

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

June Feature Profile

https://soundgirls.org/petra-randewijk-live-sound-recording-engineer/


The Blogs

Consoles, Consoles, Consoles

Troubleshooting (and Avoiding!) Common Problems in ProTools

Dealing with Burnout as a Musician

BBC New Creatives

SoundGirls Wikipedia Edit-A-Thon

Internet Round-Up


Spotify’s Sound Up program is looking for the next generation of women of color podcasters. Apply by June 21 at 11:59PM EST for a chance to spend one week in NYC learning every aspect of podcast creation.

 

 

Jessica Paz’s Unlikely Journey From Scuba Store Employee To Landmark Tony Nominee and Winner!

HADESTOWN’s Nevin Steinberg and Jessica Paz Win 2019 Tony Award for Best Sound Design of a Musical


SoundGirls News


The Ethel Gabriel Scholarship

https://soundgirls.org/scholarships-19/


SoundGirls Events

 

Ableton Live for Anybody

Analog/Tape Recording Workshop w/Lenise Bent Part 2

SoundGirls Orlando Expo 2019


SoundGirls Opportunities


Apply to Work The Ladybug Music Festival

SoundGirls and SoundGym


Shadowing/Mentoring/Internship Opportunities


Shadow Gil Eva Craig – NZ & Australia


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

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