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Consoles, Consoles, Consoles

Part of the fun of working in live music is the variety and unpredictability it inevitably brings. Great as that may be, my bosses recently set up a training day for my colleagues and myself,  using some of the consoles likely to be installed on future client contracts. We spent the day getting our geek on, and these were my top three.

# 3 Allen & Heath SQ5

The SQ5 is an attractive desk – the digital display looks slick and modern, while the touch screen features are precise and impressive. On first appearance, it feels sturdy, which I later find out is something the company prides itself on – they rigorously test the materials for resilience and longevity of moving parts. With 48 processing channels, 16 faders, and a 96kHz mix core, the desk can handle plenty before I need to worry.

I found the main setup to be a little time-consuming at first but well worth it in the end. Once the balance was struck (or learned) between using the touch screen and the controls, life was good! The copy and paste function is sure to be a timesaver, and the soft controls are presented in a logical way, also making life easier.

The detailed level of control and precision available (I stopped counting all the EQs on offer) plus the easy personalisation all seemed very intuitive. The final plus for me was the ability to save the settings onto USB, ensuring your setup stays just how you like it.


#2  Yamaha QL1

Nobody had a bad word to say about the QL1. It comes with 16 inputs, 8 outputs, and 16 faders, and has 33 mono and 8 stereo mix channels, and 16 mix and 8 matrix busses. Almost certainly the most foolproof of all the desks (if there is such a thing), there’s an effortless feel and ease of locating everything on it. The visuals and functions are all clear and easy to use, and GEQ, soft controls, and DCAs are all quick and obliging. The desk equivalent of a comfortable pair of shoes.


# 1 Midas Pro 2c

I was struck by how at home I felt with the 2c, owing to it perhaps to the feeling of 90s nostalgia from the screen and mouse functions. For me, it was the most visual of the desks, and at times felt more like using a DAW, which I rather liked. For a desk with 156 inputs, 166 outputs, and 64 simultaneous input processing channels, it’s very approachable, which is another plus.

Although some of the controls and buttons can look and feel quite old school, they are just a rouse to impress you all the more when you discover the touch response feature – a light tap to the faders will display your current level without moving, and when done to the knobs will select that setting control on-screen. I really liked this for being so clever, but mostly for being incredibly useful and practical.

The GEQ function works great overall, and as standard, the desk can save lots of scenes and shows as presets, with the necessary option of saving to USB for future work and clarity. The desk feels great to use, makes sense, and has plenty of great features that add a little extra.

Dealing with Burnout as a Musician

Burnout can come in many different forms for musicians. It might manifest as writer’s block, or the feeling of being overworked, or perhaps financial stress has taken its toll. For whatever reason, burnout can be difficult to manage however, you don’t have to go through it alone.

Here are some tips to help battle burnout:

For a lot of musicians, it’s hard to draw the line between creating music as part of your job and writing music for yourself or for fun.  Even if you do enjoy it, it’s important to have a life outside of music.

Financial stress is not something new to musicians. Almost every week in the U.K there seems to be a new report about funding cuts or lack of work for people within the arts sector. It’s a difficult situation to be in and there is no easy answer to secure a financially stable future however, planning your jobs out in advance can certainly help ease your mind about where the gaps are and perhaps spark a few ideas on how to fill them.

When you’re in the midst of burnout it’s often hard to see the positives. If you take five minutes out of your day, try to write down or at least think about why you decided to create a career in music. Hopefully, you’ll remember the positive reasons for wanting to be a musician.

Good luck and just remember you’re not alone: this too shall pass.

More Resources:

Tips for Staying Healthy on the Road

Health and wellness on the road. Why you owe it to yourself.

The Tour Life is Hard — Homeopathy Can Help

Rock ‘n’ Roll Yogi

A Red and Sensitive Topic

Let’s Talk About Mental Health

Fit on Tour

 

 

BBC New Creatives

I have recently been accepted onto the BBC New Creatives scheme 2019. This is the first time the project has been run. It aims to give artists the opportunity to make fresh and innovative short films, audio, and interactive works. This new talent development scheme is being launched by BBC Arts and Arts Council England. There are various hubs across the UK, including Tyneside Cinema which is covering the North of England, which is where I applied as my family base is in Newcastle upon Tyne.

The programme has been designed for emerging creatives aged 16-30 years old to make new artistic works to potentially be published for BBC channels and platforms in the future.

There are three pathways to choose from:

As a SoundGirl, I chose to go down the audio route! But there are opportunities for the creativity of all genres, from poetry and art to dance and electronic music.

 

 

The process so far:

The workshop was held at ‘The Sharp Project’ in Manchester, and the group was informed that there were 142 applicants for the whole programme, but only 20 specifically for audio. They whittled the group down to eight by carrying out phone interviews.

We were each assigned a mentor, well established in the audio industry, throughout the weekend to help develop our ideas. I have since been in touch with my mentor via email. It has been great to have continued support throughout the project and not just be left to make something by myself.

The whole programme is a well-thought-out and structured collaboration between Naked Productions and BBC Arts and Arts Council England. The coordinators aim to help you improve your knowledge, skills, and abilities in designing, producing, and sharing creative work.

 

 

I have the next month to develop my project and create a 5-10 minute audio piece. I will have a mastering day at the end of the programme.

As I am relatively new to audio, with my only experience being in student radio and my own experimental podcast experience, I have already learnt lots of new vocabulary which may be obvious to some, but I have decided to note some words here in case anyone else is a novice when it comes to the technical language.

Audio vocab:

Foley: the reproduction of everyday sound effects that are added to film, video and other media in post-production to enhance audio quality

Diegetic: sound whose source is visible on the screen or whose source is implied to be present by the action of the film, e.g., voices of characters

Non-diegetic: sound whose source is neither visible on the screen nor has been implied to be present in the action, e.g., narrator’s commentary, sound effects which are added for the dramatic effect, mood music

Binaural audio: binaural recording is a method of recording sound that uses two microphones, arranged with the intent to create a 3-D stereo sound sensation for the listener of actually being in the room with the performers or instruments

ADR: Additional Dialogue Recording

Dialogue: that cannot be salvaged from production tracks must be re-recorded in a studio. An actor watches the image repeatedly while listening to the original production track on headphones as a guide. The actor then re-performs each line to match the wording and lip movements. Actors vary in their ability to achieve sync and to recapture the emotional tone of their performance.

Blanket agreement: in the music industry, a blanket license is used to give blanket permission to use any music from a specific catalogue.

PRS: PRS for Music Limited is the UK’s leading collection society, bringing together two collection societies: the Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society and the Performing Right Society. It undertakes collective rights management for musical works on behalf of its 140,000 members.

 

 

The programme focuses on many aspects of creative work, including:

There is funding and budgets available so that participants can produce high-quality audio content. There are also opportunities to learn more about the specific editing process at the BBC. We were given lots of information about mics including contact mics, lapel mics, M/S mics, and stereo mics.

I would highly encourage any young creative people to apply.

The next deadline for applications for Film and Audio work is midnight, Sunday 7 July 2019.

You never know what might come of it!

Good luck!

Find out more here:

New Creatives North and Tyneside Cinema

Twitter:

Instagram:

Tyneside Cinema:

BBC Arts:

Arts Council England

WHERE ELSE TO FIND ME:

 

 

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

How to Learn Any Digital Console Quickly

Invoicing 101

Choose a Different Route

Interview Tips for the Theatre Technician

Internet Round-Up


Storyophonic – LYNNE EARLS
A producer-engineer-mixer-composer and player: Irish-born, Liverpool-educated Los Angeles transplant Lynne Earls’ credits include recording K.D. Lang, Calexico, Rumer, Lizz Wright, Wayne Shorter and many others. In this conversation, she compares recording to photography, instinct and intuition guide her as she captures the authentic soul of a sound in the optimal instant.

This episode features “Is Cuma” produced by Lynne, featuring legendary Celtic recording artist – Moya Brennan with Cormac DeBarra from the album “Timeless” on Beo Records.
http://storyophonic.libsyn.com/lynne-earls

For more info about Lynne Earls, visit:
www.lynneearls.com


SoundGirls News


The Ethel Gabriel Scholarship

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


SoundGirls Events

 

Ableton Live for Anybody

https://soundgirls.org/event/nashville-fireside-chat-w-systems-tech-rachael-moser/?instance_id=1557

Analog/Tape Recording Workshop w/Lenise Bent Part 2


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

Choose a Different Route

 

The other day I was on my way to work, and I always take the same route unless there are some disruptions on my tube line. There were, in fact, some disruptions this particular day so I had to take different trains, but luckily that route takes about the same amount of time for me to take me from my home to work.

I thought that I almost prefer this other route, it is mostly overground and you know, it is nice to change up your habits a bit. We tend to get stuck in the same routines. Mix a show in the same way you’ve always done, mic up a drum kit the same way as you always do, EQ monitors precisely the way you did yesterday. Sure it is tried and tested, but it gets a bit repetitive after a while.

Playing it safe:

In the live industry, you sort of have to play it safe most of the time, simply because there is no time to be adventurous. You got to make it sound good, and you have to do it fast.

However, if you are a venue engineer, you can easily get set in the same ways. But if you don’t challenge yourself, you’re not going to improve nor learn something new. It is like working out in the gym, if you work out a muscle the same way and not adding weight or variety to it you will not become stronger. You will simply just plateau.

The upside of being a venue engineer is that it is a safe environment. If you have been in a place for a little while, you probably feel relatively comfortable and will hopefully have a small bit of extra time to play around with things. This is a perfect environment to try and do things differently if you’ve got something that is tried and tested, you’ve always got that to fall back onto.

The ‘One-way’ route:

I work in a venue where the speakers are all hidden away and scattered around the building, surrounded by loads of marble. Not ideal for creating ‘the perfect sound.’ You just have to make it sound good with what you’ve got, and honestly, it is not that bad. However, anytime there is a visiting engineer they get entirely thrown off; because they are so set in the way they usually do things they can’t figure out a different route to get where they want to go..

The live sound industry is not a ‘one-way’ route. There are tons of roundabouts, disruptions, left turns, stops, and traffic lights. Some people work at 100mph and others are lingering around about 30mph. You have to adapt and treat every situation differently.

Very often you just have to work around it. With amazing gear nowadays, it is easy to forget the room and how critical it is for the overall sound of the show. Halls, venues, arenas, stadiums all sound different, there is not a ‘one-way route’ to mix a performance.

Challenge yourself:

We need to be thrown off in able to learn new things. Adapt the way you set up and tune to each venue, each artist. Work off the basics but work with space you are in vs. fighting it.  Ask engineers that work in that venue regularly, how they go about tuning the room. Always be willing to adapt, change, and learn new things.

So whenever you have any disruptions on your line, embrace it. Approach it with the right attitude, and you will see that it will not set you back as much as you might have thought it would. See it as a new learning experience, and hey, you might even find yourself enjoying the alternative route!

 

 

Interview Tips for the Theatre Technician

 

Interviewing for a new job has always been a source of anxiety for me.  I did not choose a behind-the-scenes career just so I could talk to strangers about myself, but it seems that the job interview is a necessary evil.  Over the years, I’ve learned that interviewing doesn’t have to be scary. You can prepare for an interview without feeling like you’re cramming for a final, and there is a bit of a formula that can be applied so that it doesn’t feel like you’re shooting in the dark or starting from scratch with each interview.

Admittedly, it’s been a while since I’ve had an interview.  That’s the good part of being in a residency for many years.  I am, however, in the position of interviewing several people every year, and I have definitely learned what makes me happy and what turns me off after an interview.  Even if an applicant has a good resume, it’s hard to justify moving them forward if they don’t interview well. It’s true what they say about first impressions, and the bigger the applicant pool, the more memorable an applicant needs to be.  No pressure.

Step one:  Do your research.

A very typical interview question is, “Why this company.”  You need to be able to answer that, and my pro tip here is, make the answer be about the company.  If you tell your interviewer that you’re just trying to find a job or that you apply to every job you see posted, that can be a mark against you.  They also do not want to hear that their company is a great stepping stone along the path to the job you really want. The theatre world is a very small one, and if you put some feelers out, you might find that you know someone, or have a friend of a friend who has worked with this company.  Pick their brain, and find out how their experience was. What aspects resonate with you? Also, the internet is your friend. Use it to learn everything you can about the company. They will likely have their mission statement posted and probably an “about us” section on their website. Do you have like views?  How so? These will be great talking points. If you don’t agree with their mission or don’t like how the company operates, stop right there and reconsider applying for this job.

Step two:  Know your resume.

Your interviewer will most definitely have your resume in front of them, so that is going to be a source of questions from them.  I know I have several different resumes I use depending on the job I’m applying for, and they don’t all contain all of the same information.  I don’t know how many times I have referenced something from an applicant’s resume, and they didn’t know what I was talking about, because they couldn’t remember the specific resume they sent me.  If I’m applying to several companies at once, I will immediately print out the resume I submitted and staple it to a sheet of paper with the company’s name on it. Looking at the same thing the interviewer is looking at will help keep your head clear when you’re searching for just the right answer to their questions.  Btw, that blank sheet of paper is also the thing you should use to write notes on.

Step three:  Be yourself.

Something about your application materials drew this company to you, so don’t mess it up by trying to sound more important, or professional, or what have you.  These people are very likely just looking for a human that is good at their craft. That’s you. Be a human. It’s ok to laugh or crack a joke here and there, that stuff lets the interviewer know that you can be relaxed in high-stress situations.  Be careful, though; you don’t want to push this point. Don’t go out of your way to sound extra funny, or extra cool, or just plain extra. It’s awkward and uncomfortable to listen to, and it’s also not an accurate representation of who you are. So again, just be yourself.

Step four:  Create a stress-free environment.  

Many of my interviews are conducted over the phone, and I have heard it all, so let me start by saying that a busy loading dock, the subway, your car in rush hour traffic, the airport, the bar (yes, I have called someone for an interview while they were at the bar) are not considered a stress free environment.  If it’s hard to hear you because of background noise, or if you’re driving in and out of cell service, or I guess if you’re wasted at the bar, it is going to be very frustrating for your interviewer, and they are likely going to skip some questions just to be finished with that phone call sooner, and you’re going to miss out an opportunity to show this company how awesome you are.  Also, make sure you have plenty of time available before and after the interview. Your interview could be 20 minutes, or it could be 2 hours. It’s also possible that you might get a call a little early, so be prepared, and just block out a good chunk of time. Choose a quiet, good phone service area. If you’re doing a video interview, look at the world around you. Are your interviewers looking at your dirty laundry or watching cartoons in the background of your camera?  “No” should be the answer here.

Step five:  Take notes.

Before your interview, write down some questions you have about the company or the job.  Even the question, “Do you have any questions for us” is a test. They want to know that you have standards, and you’ve done your homework.  Indifference is not a good quality to have in an interview, or in life, really, so having some opinions about how you would like to potentially be fit into this new company is a good thing.  Also, write down the questions you are asked. If you get a little rambly or need a second to think about the questions, having them written down in front of you will help you keep your thoughts collected.

Step six:  Be polite and gracious.  

Manners go a long way.  This company has gone into a lot of trouble to work you into their busy schedule, so thank them for their time at the end of the interview.  I think a follow-up email within the hour thanking them again is a really nice touch, and I definitely always take note when I get that email.  Also, remember that your interviewer works for the company for which you are applying, so it stands to reason that they probably like the company.  Don’t bash it during your interview. I know this seems like strange advice, but I wrote it because I’ve encountered it. Also, this person is also probably a department head or production manager, so keep that in mind, and don’t tell this person everything you hate about production managers.  Trust me; it won’t go over well.

Step seven:  Stay engaged, not pushy.  

You have no idea what your interviewer’s schedule is like, so don’t expect to hear from them the next day.  It’s fair to ask during your interview when they expect to get back to you and if you’ll hear back whether or not you get the job.  If the date that you were expecting a call has gone by, feel free to follow up with a friendly email, but I would suggest stopping at one email.  Not everyone gets back to applicants if they didn’t get the job, so if you haven’t heard anything even after you sent a follow-up email, you probably have your answer.

All in all, confidence, genuine personality, and organization are going to be your best lines of defense during your interview.  If you feel good about how your interview went, then remember what you did, and make it your base formula that adjusts based on the company.  If you didn’t get the job, but you truly thought your interview went well, don’t blame the interview. There are a myriad of reasons why you might not have been chosen, and you don’t want to psych yourself out before the next interview, so just know that you have done your best work, and you can do it again.


How to Learn Any Digital Console Quickly

Many times I have accepted an event, asked about the equipment, and received a super vague response. Or, even better, requested a specific console and then received something completely different! Cool, I guess we’ll figure it out as we go?

Locate your most important things:

Interface – how do you navigate? Is there a computer/mouse situation, or is it a touch screen? If you’re on a console, some are touch screens, and some aren’t. Do you need to make your faders, is there a blank session you can load for the venue that gives you a starting point? Figure it out.

Console layout – Take a minute or two to see how the console is set up. Where is the EQ/effects section, does it have its own section or is it variable on the scribble strip? How many layers, and can you change the layers with a flip to faders function (those can screw you up if you don’t realize it’s turned on!) Locate the headphone port and how to adjust your own monitors. This sounds silly, but I had a conversation last week with Beckie Campbell where she just couldn’t find it on a Midas console, and she’s a damn legend.

Patching – Usually when I start to get annoyed or confused on a new console, it’s because of the patching. Patching can be super simple (like on the Avid consoles) which is a click-and-drag situation. Calrec Summa is a multi-step process where you click back and forth between Source and Destination points. It’s a good system (in my opinion) but takes extra consideration.

Bus assignments – How do you assign your channels? Are there buttons, can you select them all and do it all in one go? I teach audio students, and this is one of the biggest things that gets overlooked. It’s one of the very first things that I do, but students seem to forget until they don’t get audio as expected.

Now figure out what you will need for the show

Aux Sends & Effects – Are there dedicated effect returns, or do you need to make some from stereo channels? In some interfaces, it might be easier to add the effect first and then route it. Other consoles will demand you have the aux and returns and then add the effect to the channel.

Compression/EQ onboard vs. plugins – All digital consoles will have some onboard effects. Calrec Summa – a broadcast console – has two dynamic effects per channel. It does not have any time-based (other than time delay) effects onboard whatsoever. FOH digital will have a large selection of brand-based or fancier licensed plugins, with the option to load more from your personal key (such as Waves). This can be frustrating and may require phone calls to get your license functioning on a new console. It’s up to you and your client, but for any smaller shows or corporate events, I just keep it simple.

Snapshots – You can select which parameters will save in your snapshots, so I suggest you take a few minutes to set this up. It has screwed me up when I changed snapshots and then my patch changed, for example.

Other Notes

Download the manual (not a link!) and read it if you can on your commute.

Download software if available and start building your show file.

Try to give yourself time for a break so you can walk away. It’s fun to learn new things, but it can be frustrating when it isn’t working the way you expect.

Use your network – Do you have any friends you can call or text to get a tip? We have dozens of digital consoles where I work, so I am lucky enough to be able to access almost anything to build a show file or learn the layout ahead of time. Most people aren’t privileged in this way, try to see if a friend of a friend has the console you need or will be using one locally! SoundGirls on Facebook is also an excellent resource; there are literally hundreds (thousands?) Of people online who are willing to help. We’ve had FaceTime sessions, chats, phone calls, text marathons, etc. to help when needed! Once I phoned a friend just to see if I could plug my phone USB into the console to charge it (I couldn’t), so don’t be afraid to ask the dumb or seemingly obvious questions.

 

Petra Randewijk – Live Sound & Recording Engineer

Petra Randewijk is an independent sound engineer based in The Netherlands. Petra has been working in audio for 21 years, and she is currently on tour with Imogen Heap as the FOH Engineer. The world tour is heading to the U.S. & Canada in May and June.

Petra originally got interested in studio sound, while recording a demo with a band she played in when she was fifteen. “I wasn’t the best musician and didn’t enjoy a lot of what being a musician is about, like standing on a stage with people staring at me, but being in the studio sparked something. 
I wanted to study music technology to get a job in a studio, but didn’t get in at first try, so to gain some experience I decided to try and do some live work, or at least try and have people explain to me how all the sound equipment works.”

She would go on to study music technology and graduated as a composer for theatre and dance. She would learn live sound by just doing it, and while she wanted to go into the recording side, she would find the excitement of live sound addictive.

“I got my start at with a local PA company who provided sound for the local venues where I went to see bands and also played as a musician. They had an anarchistic way to organise themselves and a focus on equipment, to build it, repair it and take it apart in general for educational purposes or just the fun of it. What I learned there was that there is not one way of doing things, and whatever you do, it’s never good enough.”

Petra has in the past worked with international touring band Jungle by Night, a nine-piece Dutch instrumental band.
 She also works with other Dutch groups and occasionally will take on the role of TM/FOH.  When she is not on the road, she works at Doornroosje in Nijmegen and with local sound companies, where she will take on the roles of FOH, Monitors, Patch whatever needs to be done.

She also owns a small studio “where I record a mixture of bands in different styles. Doing this also helps me for live shows because, in the studio, there is way more time to talk with and understand musicians and how they feel about their sound. In live sound, it’s tough to do that, as musicians can never hear the end result of what you are doing during a show. So the conversation is always about hearsay or at the best you discuss in vague terms what we are doing. And I do believe this can help to better amplify and put across artist creativity and emotion, which is in the end what I think doing sound is all about.”

On the current Imogen Heap Tour, which is a mix of live shows, talks, workshops, and exhibition for Creative Passport, this is a different way to tour and Petra shares with us what life is like.

Yes, it’s indeed a bit of a weird one, compared to what people might be used to for touring. But for me, it keeps it interesting, and it is never dull. A week (sometimes shorter) differs in every city. It is done this way, because the tour is also set up to showcase the Creative Passport, and on the road talk to music makers all over the world on their point of view and needs on this. Creative Passport is the digital container to hold verified profile information, IDs, acknowledgments, works, business partners and payment mechanisms, to help get music makers and their works, linked and open (data) for business.

We also have Mi.Mu glove presentations, tech talk ones. For this, we use part of the same setup as in the shows. These talks are informative because Imogen explains how the things she does with the gloves actually work. This is a good talk which was recorded, and it also discusses Creative Passport.

My main focus as a sound engineer are the live shows, which are with Imogen, Guy Sigsworth, and four other excellent musicians on stage playing guitar, drums, cello, and keytar. The setlist contains Imogen Heap songs and Frou Frou songs.

The basis of the setup for the live shows is an A&H Dlive mix rack, which has a Madi card to communicate with Imogen’s computer through optical Madi and an RME madiface. It sends audio to Imogen which she can process, such as vocal, but also other instruments. It receives 20 input channels, as well. The full input list is 32 channels, and ambient mics, and all channels are split into FOH and Monitor channels. All musicians are on in-ears, and they take care of their own monitor setup with the help of an iPad app. This took a bit of getting used too, but we used the setup at all the pre-production rehearsals.

Whenever possible, we are sponsored by d&b to use Soundscape. For this, I added a Dante card in the Mixrack to send all channels. Soundscape is d&b’n new immersive sound system and amazing to work with. It can make everything sound very natural like its directly coming from where the musicians are standing. But there is also a whole new world to be discovered, the possibilities to use it for effects and electronic sounds. That makes it so much fun. And because it receives OSC to control the sound objects, Imogen can directly move sounds in the room with her Mi.Mu gloves.

There are intimate evenings with Imogen Heap, which are only for the people who helped start up this tour from day one as an enabler. There she talks about her songs and then plays using just a grand piano and vocal. The audience can ask for their favorite songs to be played, which makes the shows different every time.

Heap’s live shows feature both solo performances by the artist, as well as an electronic duo with Frou Frou collaborator Guy Sigsworth. The tour is also the first to showcase Heap’s innovative Mi.Mu gloves.

Can you explain the Gloves?

The Mi.Mu gloves are controllers. They come with excellent software that registers hand postures, movement, and relative location. With them, and the software, you can control everything you could want. It can output MIDI and OSC, and you can connect it to anything compatible. Imogen controls all the music that comes from her computer, running Ableton. They can do starts and stops, make drum loops, scroll through samples, as well as control effects as loops, harmonizers, delays, and reverb. Anything, is possible, although, it is the same as with other instruments, it does get complicated to keep track of all the movements you need to do. It’s always awe-inspiring to watch Imogen do all that.

You are touring with d-Live and Soundscape.  Are you touring with other production?

We are traveling with a Dlive rack, but still, need to get the surface locally supplied. We get great touring support on this from A&H and d&b is sponsoring Soundscape, whenever possible. Other than that, I am carrying a set of mixed microphones and DI’s. Nothing big, just my personal favorites.

Working with an artist like Imogen, who is at the forefront of new technology for music and musicians, both in helping to develop it and/or using it, makes it possible and maybe even needed to keep looking for new ways to make things easier and/or better. So I am now working to check if we can integrate KLANG’s 3D monitoring system in the setup, and using it to follow the glove movements.

This keeps me challenged to keep learning and trying out new things all the time, which for me makes this tour amazing.

How large is the crew for the show?

As for the crew, we are traveling with Imogen’s PA, a Nanny, the Mycelia head of operations, who also helps with the show setup, me, and a backline tech/general tech/driver. We all have a bit of a mixed-function description, as Imogen’s PA and the Mycelia head of operation also shares TM duties. My function besides sound is also PM. And one of the musicians also helps out with production and does the stage design. In general, we all make sure that everything that needs to be done gets done.

What do you like best about touring?

I love seeing new places and meeting wonderful people everywhere. And that every day is different. I feel I am at my best when everything has to be done on the spot, and maybe even is a bit chaotic. I sometimes even find myself thriving in chaos. (And smiling in the middle of it)

What do you like least?

Hanging around at airports.

What is your favorite day off activity?

Doing some touristy stuff, seeing the surroundings. Trying local food, when there is a vegetarian option available.

What if any obstacles or barriers have you faced?

The sound world is tough in general, and you do need to have a thick skin. I started at the end of the nineties when everything seemed even a bit rougher. More yelling, more making fun of people mistakes and all was never good enough. Being slightly insecure already, this didn’t help me. 
I can’t tell for sure if it was especially harder because I was a woman, I did get all the ‘you aren’t rock n’ roll enough’ ‘are you the sound guy’s girlfriend’ ‘this sounds rather good, did your boyfriend mix it’ and more of that stuff. 
It’s all small stuff, but together, it’s a constant reminder that I am less trusted by sight as my male colleagues. But to be honest, I had the same lack of trust in myself, so I may have been my biggest obstacle.

I didn’t meet a lot of women doing sound in the first ten years, so everything seemed personal instead of about gender, which maybe made it harder to get around it.

But I know I’ve seen a lot of guys leave as well.

How have you dealt with them?

I made it through the first part by being stubborn. Taking all the crap and just kept on going. Also, I didn’t know that there was any other option. After a while, people gave me more responsibility and opportunities to do things on my own, and in my own way, which worked better for me.

One day I decided I wasn’t going to take being yelled at from anyone anymore. So I started talking back, asking why people thought it is okay to do that, or stopped working with people and at places that got me down. I just found the best space for me. 
It took a lot of years to get to this point. Realising at least some of it wasn’t personal really helped me, and a place like SoundGirls is amazing to discover that. 
The SoundGirls community also told me to stop complaining about needing to know twice as much as my average male colleagues to be taken equally seriously. But just go for it.

In the end, gaining knowledge is never a waste. So I am still trying to learn as much as possible. Taking courses, asking questions, learning every day.

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

Don’t forget things are rarely personal. Things people say are more about themselves as they are about you. Having said that doing sound is also never about you, but about the music being made on stage. And how to bring that to the audience as much as it is intended to be.

And if you lose a gig, don’t dwell on it, there are always more gigs, and sometimes it’s just someone else’s time. The best way to deal with this is to keep going and get other gigs, preferably things that fit especially for you. But to establish that you mustn’t be afraid to take an honest look at yourself too. 
And never forget to stay your own person in the whirlwind off the rock and roll, it’s the best person you can be.

Never forget to broaden your musical horizon, because if you work in sound, this can never be wide enough. Every kind of music has his own sound ideas and sometimes even rules. And every new thing you discover can give you new information you might be able to use in the next show. So don’t be afraid to listen to music outside of your comfort zone.

Must have skills?

Stubbornness, patience, always staying relaxed, and a lot of curiosity.

Favorite gear?

For live, I am at the moment pleased with my d-live rack and the Allen and Heath d-live series in general. If I could bring one thing, this would be it. It has amazing possibilities with getting audio in lots of directions. Great sounding internal fx and compressors, and very easily flyable. And also very useful to do recording sessions on location. 
For in the studio, my favourite piece of gear is a Schoeps MK4 microphone, which makes everything it records sounds amazing.

 

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

May Feature Profile

https://soundgirls.org/from-making-tea-to-top-gear/


The Blogs

Her story – Interview with Dr Helen Reddington

A Simple Method for Recording Drums

Creative Self-Marketing Ideas for the Audio Professional

 

Internet Round-Up


Spotify Launches Second Year of EQL Residency – Apply Now! Deadline is June 7th!
Are you a female-identifying audio professional? Apply for this paid, six-month residency in either London, Los Angeles, or Nashville.

Last November we announced The EQL Directory—a database of women and gender non-conforming audio professionals, powered by SoundGirls, made possible by Spotify. The idea behind it is simple: here’s a resource designed to make putting together an inclusive team that much easier.

Hand in hand with this is Spotify’s annual EQL Residency, a program that provides hands-on experience for rising studio engineers. From today until June 7th at 5pm PST, you can submit your application for positions in our Secret Genius studios in London, Los Angeles and Nashville. In partnership with Berklee College of Music, the EQL Residency is a paid, six-month residency for female-identifying producers and engineers.


 

Catherine Vericolli: A Sense of Wonder

 


SoundGirls News


The Ethel Gabriel Scholarship

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


SoundGirls Events

 

https://soundgirls.org/event/los-angeles-soundgirls-june-social/?instance_id=1555

SoundGirls Intro to Soldering – Colorado

https://soundgirls.org/event/bay-area-chapter-1st-mondays-meetings/?instance_id=1562

Ableton Live for Anybody

https://soundgirls.org/event/nashville-fireside-chat-w-systems-tech-rachael-moser/?instance_id=1557


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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