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All I Ever Wanted

 When Your Passion Becomes Your Work

I was just 12 years old when the thunderbolt struck. Standing behind the FOH guy, watching him mix my favourite band, I suddenly knew what I wanted to do with my life. I didn’t know at that point what monitors were – that refinement would come later – but I was going to be a sound engineer, and that was all there was to it. I had no clue how to make this auspicious event actually come about, but the spark was lit – a sound engineer I would be, and no one and nothing was going to stop me. Stand back, world, here I come!

It helped that I was (ok, am) extremely stubborn when I know what I want.

It helped that I was (and still am) passionate about music, and was hugely inspired by the behind-the-scenes video footage of my beloved rockumentaries. (I still think speeded-up time-lapse photography of arena and stadium load-ins is one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen.)

It helped that I was being educated by teachers who told us that we could be whatever we wanted, as long as we played to our strengths and were prepared to put in the hard yards – although admittedly they were somewhat perplexed by my epiphany. (A lawyer, an astronaut, a pilot they could understand. A sound engineer, not so much. The moral of that story is be careful what you tell a stubborn young girl because she’ll very likely take it literally!)

It’s now almost 30 years since that thunderbolt struck, and for all my adult life I’ve been a professional sound engineer. I love my job, and whilst there are most certainly a few bands that I would still give my right arm to mix, I’m incredibly fortunate to have reached the upper echelons of the industry. I did what I set out to do. I made my passion, my work.

And therein lies a thorny little issue that never even occurred to 12-year-old me. When your passion becomes your work, you can never again experience it with the wonder and innocence of the outsider. It’s a lot like moving in with your dreamy partner; you still think they’re gorgeous, and your love deepens with time, but you become aware of all their little foibles and less-than-glamorous habits, and it inevitably changes the relationship. Very often for something wonderful, and often it makes you even prouder of them when you know what their private struggles are, but it’s a paradigm shift from which there is no return.

Consequently, it’s decades since I’ve been able to go a gig without privately critiquing the sound. It’s even worse if it’s a festival, where I can compare different bands and weigh up whether it’s the tone of the PA, the mix, or what’s going into the desk, that I’m picking apart! I’m not as hyper-critical as some engineers I know – I can usually just about get over it if the sound’s simply a bit average – but I’ve witnessed at least three very big rock bands who I was excited to see, sounding absolutely shocking. I’m afraid I spoilt it for myself so much that I had to leave! Seriously, this stuff can leave me feeling disgruntled for days – I really do hate it when bands who ought to sound awesome, don’t. Of course, everyone has off-days, but when it’s persistently bad… anyway, I won’t get into that particular rant right here. (You see what I mean?!) That said, it’s an unrivaled joy when a band I’ve been waiting years to see sounds stunning – Def Leppard has sounded fabulous on a number of occasions, and Don Henley at Hyde Park made my 2016 – hats off to the noise boys and girls on those gigs!

Over the years I’ve made two other passions – yoga and writing – into my work as well (I never learn!), and it’s the same with them. I’m enormously fussy about which yoga teachers I enjoy going to these days, and even when they’re great I’ll often be taking mental notes of excellent ideas which I might echo in my own teaching. Likewise, some writing styles can drive me to distraction, no matter how interesting the content. The next time I fall in love with something, I really must try to remain an enthusiastic amateur…

But for all that turning my passion into my work has made me Ms Fussy-Pants, I wouldn’t change it. Sure, my great expectations have made the probability of disappointment higher, and it takes something truly outstanding to lose me in the music these days. But that’s because I’ve trained myself to listen intently; to analyse; to discern what makes a sound more pleasing. In doing that, I’ve got under the skin of my passion, and become intimate with something that still has the power to excite and inspire me, albeit with a little more awareness of the magic. Because of that intimacy, I get to spend my life doing something that I love; something that very rarely feels like actual work.

Just like a good marriage, even though the exciting becomes the familiar and you know what goes on behind the scenes, the pay-off is that you share your life with someone you love deeply, someone you understand – and who still has the power to occasionally take your breath away. If that happens less frequently than in the early days of romance, it’s because your life has been so enriched by your love that your bar for ‘breathtaking’ is set very high.

So I’m glad that 12-year-old me was ambitious and stubborn, and that 20-something me worked so damn hard to get to where I now find myself. Now, my passion is my work, and my work is my passion – and truly, when you do what you love, you never work another day in your life. And that, ultimately, is all I ever wanted.

The Brazilian Way

Each culture has its own stereotype, and Latin Americans in general – specifically Brazilians – are expected to be happy-emotional-hot-friendly people. As it is with any stereotype, (although this is not a totally wrong assumption), it is a generalization, and it is not our deep dark selves – of course. From my “insider” point of view, I would say that our best, not stereotyped characteristic is resiliency and flexibility.

We are as Sound Engineers multitaskers.

To begin with, we have a lot of difficulty in becoming sound engineers at all. The first bachelor’s degree in audio in Brazil was offered starting in 2001. Before that, we had to rely only on shorter courses (excellent ones), which began around 1994. But there were no specific degrees for audio. One could study for a bachelor’s in engineering (electrical, electronic or any other branch of engineering) and specialize a little in acoustical engineering. We all know that it is not exactly what you need to be a sound engineer. But it is an excellent degree to have. So most of us don’t have a degree, or we have degrees in “whatever”: I have known sound technicians with degrees varying from psychology to physics. Today we have more courses, more options for learning the craft of sound. The internet has helped access to fresh information. But still, formal education in Brazil is for the few.

Another characteristic is that things in Brazil change drastically. So you might suddenly have a lot of jobs in sound reinforcement, and five years later there could be a political or economic crisis that forces you to look for jobs in mastering. One year you have a lack of professionals for sound editing, and ten years later you must know how to record live for 5.1 music programs.

It is very rare to be responsible for sound reinforcement for one artist for more than five years. There is no such concept as building a team that will be working for years and years. Often you are responsible for FOH or monitor mixing for more than one artist. We get paid for each show we do, we don’t have an estimated monthly income, so you have to work for many places to have a nice amount of tour dates for the whole year.

One artist will want you to do their P.A. Mix; another prefers you to mix their monitors. You have to know how to work in the FOH and onstage doing monitors.

During the nineties there was a lack of professionals for sound editing, you could work the whole year only editing. Now, there is no need at all for that professional. The same professional who records or mixes is the one who will be editing everything.

On some occasions, you will be the one setting up the sound system and the system engineer. So you must know how to do both jobs. You have to study and learn this. It is very common to have only one engineer doing FOH and Monitors at the same time, no matter where the console will be placed and no matter the size of the gig. It’s the real “just do it” thing.

Even when there was not a crisis in the music industry (when there was a budget for making a record, and you would be inside a studio, which would be locked out only for you, for a whole year), even then, you could find yourself recording and mixing. Rarely would you make a career only recording, or only mixing? Well, today, with artists recording on their own in their home studios, that dream of being specialized in recording is further away.

Most Brazilian sound engineers who are known as good mixers will take on Mastering. Of course, why not?  It is another job when times get tough.

So the world has made us quick learners and quick executors. Never do we have time to do things as they should be. We’re always wrapping it up very fast. It is almost a rule here: you travel to the venue the same day you will be doing the show. There are some of us who are teachers in the audio schools.

 

One day we’re mixing a show, the next we’re mixing a TV program. The following week, we’ll be setting up a system, and so on.

 

 

Obviously, there is a lack of in-depth knowledge in one particular branch of audio engineering. But there is a deep knowledge of sound in its various forms. And, we’re never in a comfort zone. Never ever. Always on the move.

 

Would we like to have more comfort? Yes, who doesn’t? But this is what we have and what we are. Working and being the Brazilian way.

 

FSAprofilepic1Florencia Saravia-Akamine has over 20 years dedicated exclusively to audio, whether in the studio or live. Today, she centered her activities in the areas of “live sound” and recording, editing and mixing for broadcasting. (This has changed through the years and will probably keep on changing everyday. 🙂

More on Florencia Saravia-Akamine at Pro Audio Clube

 

 

 

 

Madame Gandhi – On Women in the Industry

As we enter 2017 women’s issues, seem to be at the forefront of the countries mind and I encourage everyone to stand up and support women-led organizations and stand in solidarity with women worldwide. I was lucky to have met Madame Gandhi at Girl Power! Women Working in the Music Industry Conference: Blending Careers in Entertainment and Technology in San Francisco last April. It was a great way to start off the year. She was so amazing to listen to because she has worked at all levels of the industry. Working for Interscope Records as a data analyst and MIA as their drummer in an all-female lineup. She has an MBA from Harvard University. Listening to her explain algorithms just amazed me and taught me so much about boosting yourself on social media.

Aside from being an accomplished musician and music industry thinker, Madame Gandhi is also a feminist activist. I thought about all of her experience, and it made sense to interview her to find out more about women in the industry from someone who has been on all ends of the music spectrum. I was very excited when she agreed to the interview. I think the most exciting thing for me was the way she answered my questions. I received audio answers. It made the experience so much more intimate. Here is what Madame Gandhi had to say.

What is your experience working with women on a sound crew? Has it been good? How does having women on your sound crew affect your show experience?

OMG, It’s like a game-changer. It’s totally night and day. It’s extremely important for me to work with an all-female team especially when it comes to sound. I think women are really talented at doing live sound and sound design on the actual records for two reasons; one is that women are more emotionally sensitive and aware of what’s going on, so they respect both the needs of the artist, but also the needs of the audience at the time. I think that when I have worked with men, they’re kinda more rudimentary about it, and also a lot of them are really burned out from being treated badly on the road. Because I as a drummer have experienced that sort of “subtle sexism,” I know how to work against it and prevent it, in the way I treat my fellow women. So, those are some of the reasons I think it’s really important and actually quite exceptional to have a female sound team.

The other thing too is when giving feedback when I’m like “ooh no this doesn’t feel good, or I want this louder, I want this softer” a lot of times men are condescending. They think you don’t know what it is that you need or want, which is really frustrating and women are like, dude my job is to make you feel good on the stage and feel what you feel. What you feel isn’t right or wrong it just is and so, therefore, how can I augment the sound or make subtle changes so that you feel really good doing your show and you’re not thinking about the sound. That’s how you build trust, and that’s how you build mutual respect. I really do prefer to work with women. If any men are reading this too, I would say that they should learn how to be more trustworthy and respectful of the artist on their stage and just give them what they want, so long as the artist is respectful and kind in return.

What is your advice for a woman who wants to pursue sound engineering as a profession?

Just keep doing it. No one is gonna sit there and teach you. It really is that you have to go and kinda just hang around at the clubs and the bars. Start watching someone else do it, usually a guy, and be like “oh, hey you need someone to plug that mic in, sure I got you”. You have to fill in where they wouldn’t even ask for help they just could use it. Most sound people are so frustrated that they don’t ask for help because they think that you’ll make a mistake so why would they want to do it twice like you’ll make a mistake and then they’ll have to undo your work. If you spend time watching, then you start assisting with the really basic tasks, then they’ll start mentoring you and giving you more stuff because you’ve made their life better.

MADAME GANDHI - MIAThe dream scenario is: you wanna get to be a person who’s super helpful in the beginning and like reading stuff on the side not asking the sound person too much but more just watching. You’ve become so helpful that if you left and you didn’t help them out at each of their shows, they would really miss you, you know, the person who is mentoring you. So, you wanna get to a place where you’re making their life less stressful and therefore, in turn, they’ll wanna show you more and then you get to learn. All the female sound engineers that I know learned from men and learned by being humble and helpful instead of being annoying and asking too many questions. I want to give some love right now; My FOH sound engineer right now is Jess Jacobs, and my sound designer who performs live on the stage with me is Alexia Ryner.

How do you see yourself assisting in the advancement of feminism in music this year?

It’s all about taking my ideas about the world that I wish we lived in and what the future is females means and what women’s contributions bring to the table and then expressing it through my voice, which could either be musically or through speaking and writing. That’s what I think about daily. Every time I have ideas, I write them down. Then if I’m asked to give a talk or a show, I try to take the recent learnings or ideas that I’ve had from that month from my notes and then put them into that show or talk so that everything that I do is fresh and inspired.

What obstacles do women in the music industry face today? Are there still obstacles? What work needs to be done to provide women in the industry more opportunities?

I think one of the biggest ones is people underestimating them. I think it’s really frustrating to walk into a situation where someone already thinks you’re gonna be bad at what you do. I think another obstacle is that some of the old-school constructs still exist. Where you bond over going to maybe a strip club or you bond over commenting on how hot one of the artists is, you sort of bond over misogyny. It’s not cool.

I think a lot of time women are the only ones in a situation with a bunch of men saying sexists things; it’s weird that we don’t live in a world where the fact that the woman is right there is not enough of a check to make you not want to say sexist things. A lot of us have been in situations where just because we want the job or we want to be able to hang with that crowd, we sort of bite the bullet and take in that sexism and allow it to slide. I think those are some of the biggest barriers on an emotional end on a very practical level.

I think another barrier is the fact that we haven’t seen many female CEOs of record labels and big companies. The best female-run companies I’ve seen are those who leave their old company and go and start their own thing. For example, my management team that I’m assigned to is called Friends at Work which was started by Ty Stiklorius, who’s a badass billboard 100 in music woman. She manages John Legend and Alicia Keys and now is the head of my management company. So that’s pretty extraordinary. I think a lot of times women have to just self-select out and just start their own thing, once they’ve reached a certain level of prestige because if we depend on men to give us the positions that we want, we may be waiting for a long time. Even at my booking agency, my booking agent is this badass woman, Amy Davidman. She’s one of the top people at Windish. She has a really incredible wife. They understand very much, my mission and so then both on an emotional and very practical level Amy is perfect for the job. So, I think those are some of the things. You have to kill it, and then you probably have to start your own thing and then set norms within your own company that actually make a difference in the world.

How did your experience drumming for MIA influence your ideas about women in music

MADAME GANDHI- DRUMMING MIAI mean, MIA used to only put women on her stage. It was so badass. I’ll never forget one day, I came across a tweet that I was tagged in that said “OMG, it is so incredible that MIA has only women on her stage right now. These girls are killing it”.

I think that when you get to be as big as she is you have the ability to put women on and really paint the picture that you wanna see in the world. And I think just by doing that and showing how sick the show can be with only women changes a lot of people’s perspectives and stereotypes about what’s possible and about the capabilities of women in music. So, I think that was one of the biggest things.

I also learned about some of the stresses through her. I think she definitely keeps space from a lot of people. I think she continually changes her line up and the people who are working for her and in her show because with women, people tend to push women around more. They tend to expect more; they tend to give their input when they weren’t asked, and so, I think she rotates her line up a lot so that she can keep performing freely without the pressures of others. I think people give men the space they need to create and the respect they need as an artist, but I think with women people think that their opinions are open and welcome even though they’re really not.

You are booked to play GIRLSCHOOL in January. How did you get involved with their festival? Do you think we need more festivals that have women-fronted artists?

Obviously, I do. I think it’s a kind of push and pull. It’s like you wanna have a lot of female-focused and fronted festivals so that we as women can kind of bond with each other and show that there’s power in solidarity and not in competition. And also just to be with those that have a really similar walk of life as you and who can teach you something and who can uplift you so that when you do go into the more co-ed environment, you are equipped with the tools and some of the emotional strength to deal with it.

Anything else you would like to share?

Yeah, I love that you’re doing this blog. I think that being able to share the experiences of other women is really empowering. I think that each of us as women who are doing well owes it to each other to give each other the tools we’ve learned along the way. I think that successful people are not threatened by the success of others, which is the notion of the Future is Female and the notion that Gloria Steinem talks about all the time called “we are linked and not ranked”. You know, the male energy in the capitalist system is that it’s a zero-sum game. For one person to win someone has to lose. But in a Future that is Female, the idea is instead that each of us has something very unique and special to contribute. So by giving each other the space and the respect to be our best selves then we actually live in a far better world than one where we’re trying to dominate and control each other.

Madame Gandhi - FUTURE IS FEMALE

I completely agree with Madame Gandhi about the need for less competition and more solidarity among women in the industry. Interviewing Madame Gandhi was so enlightening, and I thank you so much for your voice and support for women in the industry. I look forward to her playing the California Women’s Music Festival.

You can read more about Madame Gandhi and check out her page to learn more about her activism, show dates, and more.

Navigating the Build – Moving Day and More

I can’t believe it’s time. Five years ago I sat in a room with my coworkers and an architect and had a discussion about dreaming big; designing and planning a new student center that would have everything we wanted – everything we could dream of.  Of course shortly after that reality hit. The new student center is a state project with red tape and a limited budget. There’s always a limited budget.  Time to get realistic and decide what we need and list our wants in hopes there will be money left over for them.  Fast forward to the week before Christmas. The building is up, the meeting room programming is almost complete, and it’s time to get ready to move. Sounds pretty simple, however mobilizing such a big operation has been quite the ordeal.

As I am writing this blog, the equipment has been packed for two weeks but has not been picked up or delivered. The moving project turned out to be significantly more of an undertaking than anyone could have expected.

Preparation for the move meant a lot of packing.  Overall, it went pretty smoothly, which is why my stuff has been ready to go for the past two weeks.  Road cases are a marvelous invention! They are unique to our business and gave me an advantage over some of the other areas which also had to prepare for their move.  My department alone has 30 road cases, 55 pieces of equipment of various sizes, and 60 boxes of stuff to move.  

What slowed the process down were the memories; the historical representation of items found in the far back of closets; things that haven’t seen the light of day in years. For instance, as we were cleaning we found a projector from the ’80s and flyers from concerts held in the early ’90s.  With each item came conversation about “the old days.” Then there is the equipment we are retiring old and outdated equipment, including; a full lighting rig that hasn’t been updated since 1984, PAs that have been parted and pieced apart for years, and many other items that should have been retired years ago.  I finally get to move on from a light board that used a floppy disk for storage!  

light-board-floppy-disksThere are two parts of the move that have been hard.  One has been having the patience to wait for someone to move our stuff.  My team and I transport this equipment all the time for events.  But the labor has been contracted, and we have to wait and watch as others complete the task. The second is that some of the required equipment and other logistical necessities were not finished as we took occupancy. Some of these things are quick fixes like changing out light connections; others are going to take weeks and months to get finished.

The most frustrating part for me is that so many of these items are out of my hands, as they are considered part of the construction and punch-list items that other people are responsible for. I can’t change the situation so I will make the best of what I have and the resources given to me to create workarounds. For example, I will do what I can with my QSC’s on sticks and lights on stands. I’ll work toward solving some of the problems and must let others work on the problems I can’t fix. It is hard not to be able to get things done, but my job at this point it to find temporary fixes for my customers until the permanent fixes are in place.

new-multipurpose-roomIt’s exciting to think about working in a brand new facility.  Our soft opening was on January 3rd, and I am grateful that there is some time before the larger events. Perhaps by then the equipment we are missing will be available.  If not, I will be renting from some local companies until we can get our purchases figured out and installed.

You can read more on Heather’s Adventures in the Design and Build of the new Student Center.

Navigating a New Building – Planning the Build.

Navigating the Build – 100 Days to Show Time.

 

 

On Diversity in the Industry

These are a few of the questions I am asked on a regular basis.

Have things improved since you started in the industry?

The climate has changed since I first got into the audio industry as a student (in 1999). Back then, you’d go to an audio trade show (like AES or NAMM) and the women who generally got attention were “booth babes” (women dressed in skimpy clothes and taking photos with guys visiting their booth). Today, women working the floor and attending conventions are generally knowledgeable of the products they are selling or buying. You’ll meet interesting women who are engineers, mixers, product designers, product managers, software developers.

How often did you meet other women in the field back then?

It used to be rare to see female engineers or mixers in audio magazines or speaking publicly.

I didn’t meet or interact with a professional female engineer until my last year of college. I remember spending a lot of time observing my professor, Martha DeFrancesco, a classical music producer. I was intrigued about how she communicated and interacted during sessions because I really didn’t know how I should act or carry myself. It’s a balance for any producer to offer input and lead a session without being too aggressive or authoritarian – especially a female producer. Martha was a great role model for how to do that effectively.

Do you believe the film industry is sexist?

I think there’s a big difference between lack of diversity and sexism. I view sexism as saying a woman doesn’t deserve a job or opportunity as much as a man. In the US, that would be called “sex-based discrimination.” While this may be happening in some roles in the film industry, I generally don’t see it on the audio side. The audio industry (for film/tv) isn’t necessarily sexist; there’s just a lot of guys!

That’s not to say I haven’t experienced sex-based discrimination. I was asked at an interview once if I was married or planning on having kids soon (illegal!). A studio owner once told me he’d never hire a female assistant again because he had to fire the last one (illegal!) In instances like that, I could have easily reported it and got them in trouble, but it’s a catch-22 when you want (or need) a job. That’s the real battle that women and marginalized people face in the industry: when to speak up. Sometimes the higher road is to move on. You have to pick your battles and some aren’t worth fighting – not because you won’t win but because some opportunities (or difficult people) aren’t worth the effort.

Why are there not more women in top jobs? Is there a glass ceiling?

Most people who are getting into our field today have an equal opportunity if they are willing to put in the time/effort plus have the temperament and necessary skills (such as technical, business and social) to be employable. It could look biased if you compare across all levels of experience but someone entering the field today can’t compare themselves to someone who’s been in the field 30 years. Being realistic about it: If you’re looking for someone with 25 years of experience in the audio industry (in roles like engineer or mixer), there’s a 99% chance it’s going to be a guy. But, if you’re looking for someone with 10-15 years of experience, there’s maybe 90-95% chance of being a guy. That may not seem like a big difference, but as our big-name industry veterans start to retire (say, in the next ten years), there’s going to be qualified women moving into some of those top-tier jobs. In time, that circle will continue to grow. In 15 years, the look of the industry (and the dynamic) could be very different – and that’s when someone getting in the field today will be qualified for those top-tier opportunities.

What are your thoughts on helping/recommending other women who need work?

Some would argue that we (as women in the field) need to help other women get jobs but isn’t that a form of bias, too? I don’t recommend friends or family unless I’m positive they are the best person for the job, so why would I prioritize someone just because of their gender or race? When I meet a woman who needs help finding work, I treat her exactly the same as a man; I ask, what is her experience level? How is her attitude? How open is she to learning? Does she seem like a good match for any professionals/facilities I have a relationship with already? I’m happy to recommend someone for a job or internship when I think the relationship will benefit both parties.

With that said, I think there’s a huge benefit to being visible and accessible to other women (when it seems appropriate) and that can lead to opportunities. Maybe it’s as simple as an email exchange, meeting for coffee, introduction, or letting someone sit in with you on the job for a day. In some cases, that support may be assistance with job placement or an internship/mentorship.

The more women share stories and knowledge it’ll allow other women who are interested in the field or who need assistance to come forward for that support. That’s the great thing about organizations like Soundgirls.org or Women’s Audio Mission that bring us together. They’re openly saying, “yeah, there are women working in the field and they do the job just as well as anyone else.” Not only can we find each other, but we are becoming a support network to each other in ways other than just “help me find a job.” In the end, that kind of support makes us unique – and that could attract more women to the field, too.

What are you going to stand up for this year?

There is a story in We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, from her childhood in Nigeria. Her teacher told her class that the student with the highest score on a particular test would become the class monitor. But when Adichie got the highest score, her teacher said the class monitor had to be a boy. So the job was given to a male student. At the end of the story, she says this:

“If we do something over and over again, it becomes normal. If we see the same thing over and over again, it becomes normal. If only boys are made class monitor, then at some point we will all think, even if unconsciously, that the class monitor has to be a boy. If we keep seeing only men as heads of corporations, it starts to seem “natural” that only men should be heads of corporations.”

Adichie’s words resonated with me, as I’m sure they resonate with many women working in sound. How many times have you experienced an automatic assumption that sound engineers are male? From the upfront “Oh, I thought you’d be a guy” when you arrive at a gig, to articles in industry publications that consistently use male pronouns when referring to sound engineers, to the lack of women on industry panels.

Last year I was invited to speak on the panel of an audio event. One of the questions put to me was why I thought there were so few women working in professional sound. I asked the audience to consider how visible women are in the industry. Open any industry magazine and count the number of women featured in it – that is to say, women interviewed or profiled, not just included in photographs (although that’s worth noting as well). Unless it’s a publication specifically aimed or about women working in music and sound, I can guarantee that there are significantly fewer women featured than men.

What message does that send to girls and young women wanting to explore a career in sound? Just as Adichie says, if we see something over and over again, it becomes normal. At the moment the industry reinforces the message that it doesn’t look “natural” for a woman to become a sound engineer. As I told the audience at this event, if a young person looks at a career path and they don’t see someone with whom they can identify, then they will be far less inclined to go after that career path.

After the panel, I chatted with organisers of the event, and we discussed the lack of women in the magazine published by their company. One of the organisers suggested that this was because their publication reflected the current makeup of the industry (mainly men) and that they’d include more women if there were more working in the industry. My response back to her was: it may be how the industry looks at the moment, but do you want it to look this way, always?

The turbulent political and social events that shaped last year served as a clear reminder to me that if I want more women to feel they have a place, in general, and in our industry specifically, I have to fight for it. I want to see more women in the sound industry, more active supporters of women working in sound, and more girls and young women actively pursuing careers in audio.

There are many forms of active support. You can speak up when you hear or read bigoted or divisive rhetoric. You can write to industry publications and conferences and ask them about their commitment to diversity. You can volunteer your services to your local SoundGirls chapter for community outreach programmes and be part of encouraging and educating the next generation of sound engineers. Show them that there is a place for them.

Whatever you choose to do, it’s important you act on it. Aim to be heard. The challenges that you see won’t change on their own. This year, what are you going to do about them? How are you going to stand up?

Drama School, Darling

Knock, knock.

(Who’s there?)

The sound designer because the practical doorbell doesn’t work.

(and that is the most wholesome joke that I could come up with – don’t let anyone tell you that people who work in Sound aren’t funny)

So anyway…

My name is Candice Weaver and I am student at RADA studying towards a postgraduate degree in Sound Design for Theatre.

Prior to my current degree, I also completed an Undergraduate Bachelors in Commercial Music at the University of Westminster, where I really discovered sound design and started working in theatre. Since then I have been fortunate enough to work with the English National Opera, Secret Cinema, and casual at the Royal Opera House among others (Sleep? Never heard of it).

Having realised that I definitely didn’t possess the skills to really get into theatre yet, naturally I thought ‘Well hey! Drama school sounds good!’, but little did I know that it was this exhausting, this time-consuming, and often just a little bit ridiculous.

It is also, however, ridiculously rewarding and without a doubt the best thing I have ever done.

At RADA (or, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art as we are sometimes known), we really run as a mini-rep production house and we have three theatres:

– the Jerwood Vanbrugh Theatre

– the George Bernard Shaw Theatre (The GBS for short)

– and, the John Gielgud Theatre

They each vary in size and can have stagings in any variation. For instance the Vanbrugh Theatre is traditionally a proscenium arch, however we have a musical opening this February which will be staged in-the-round.

Every six weeks we turn around three new shows in each of our theatres (excepting twice a year when we do a Film/Radio production block), and we can easily get through hundreds of shows/productions and events/film screenings/galas throughout the academic year. Every student coming into RADA has the opportunity to work on these shows, which are all staffed by students in every role – from third year actors to sound/LX designers, scenic artists, construction, flymen/women, technical management and stage management). They’re also directed by external directors, and for the majority are Designed (costume/set) by external professionals, too. What’s better is that the public can actively come and see our productions (which each run for a couple of weeks after opening, after which we tear them down and start all over again).

 

I’ve now worked in all three of our theatres as both Production Sound Engineer and Sound Designer, and the next project is the musical A Little Night Music staged in-the-round, in our Vanbrugh Theatre. I will be the Associate Sound Designer for this production – for a musical, which we only stage once a year, we tend to get in industry Sound/Lighting Designers simply because the musical is usually quite a momentous task; this naturally still means that I’ll be dealing with the rig plans, budget, organising system diagrams, attending rehearsals, and passing on any relevant information to my PSE’s and Sound No. 1/Sound No. 2’s/Operators.

The show roles are generally given out based on what our next step of learning might be, as well as what our personal goals are – for instance in my first year of RADA, I only did a couple of sound designs because I needed to focus on my Production Sound and practical skills.

 

I’ve also just finished a Film block where I was the Sound Assistant/Boom Operator – we filmed three films across a few weeks, all on locations found by my fellow students. In my first year I completed a Radio block which also involved studio recordings of three plays in RADA’s main studio in the Sound Department, editing them together, adding sound design, and eventually taking them to be mastered in a professional studio.

I’ve certainly had plenty to keep me busy since starting RADA in September 2015, from production roles to projects, and I really am looking forward to getting our next shows up and running. It’s incredibly rewarding to be able to have something for audiences to come and see, and be able to understand where sound design sits in the larger scale of productions.

I’ll also look forward to sharing some of the things that I’ve been up to with you, and my experiences as I complete my final year of drama school (darling).

(I’ll definitely be bringing more jokes with me)

*Photo credits for 1/2/3/4/5/6/7 belong to Linda Carter for RADA

 

SoundGirls Presents – Sennheiser Wireless Workshop

Join us for a two day Wireless Workshop with Gussie Miller and Brian Walker of Sennheiser.  Gussie and Brian will lead a two day workshop on wireless and will cover topics from RF Best Practices, to the shrinking of the RF spectrum. Get hands on experience with the newest Sennheiser wireless technology, and gain an understanding of the differences between Sennheiser wireless systems.

This two day workshop will be held at Schubert Systems in North Hollywood.

Jan. 24 – 9:00 am to 5:00 pm – with an hour lunch break

This day will include Lectures and Power Points on Understanding RF and RF Coordination. There will be hands on training with the equipment.

Jan. 25 – 9:00 am to 5:00 pm – with an hour lunch break

This day will focus on lecture in the morning, after lunch we will set up and work with a live band.

This is an all-star band featuring

Herman Matthews: Tower of Power, Kenny Loggins, Tom Jones and more

Jay Gore: Lauryn Hill, The Pointer Sisters, Keb’ Mo and more

Ewin Livingston: Justin Timberlake, Will.I.Am, Aretha Franklin and more

Noriko Olling: Chaka Khan, P!nk, Gladys Knight and more

This promises to be a amazing Hands on Learning Experience. Please RSVP to soundgirls@soundgirls.org to secure your spot. This event is free for members of SoundGirls. A big thanks to Sennheiser and Schubert Systems for their support of SoundGirls.Org.

Brian Walker is a Sennheiser RF expert and has many years of RF experience as a broadcast engineer. He has an extensive background in wireless system, RF troublshooting and frequency coordination.

Gussie Miller is a Sennheiser Customer Development and Applications Engineer. Gussie Miller has run the gamut of audio experiences,having engineered worldwide broadcasts for NASA TV, and having been the technical supervisor for ABC TV’s “The Glass House”. Mr. Miller was also one of the music mix engineers for KCET’s “Artbound” and UFC broadcasts. Miller has also been on the rental staff of Location Sound and ATK/Audiotek and has years of experience as a Camera Technician and Indie Film Producer.

sennheiser-title-cover-logo-gamoha-1

 

 

Riding the Roller Coaster of Live Sound – Rena Kozak

Rena Kozak is a FOH engineer and tour manager based out of Calgary, Canada. She has always had an interest in arts and has played in numerous Calgary bands as well as studied painting and drawing at University before becoming a sound engineer.  

A talented dancer, Rena was studying ballet at the University of Calgary in 2002 when she injured her foot. Unsure if she would be able to dance again, she considered alternate career paths. A friend of hers, Josh Gwilliam (current chief engineer at OCL Studios in Alberta) suggested she look into the audio recording course at the Academy of Production and Recording Arts in Calgary. By a stroke of luck, Rena’s father had just given her $5,000, a bonus from his job as assistant coach of the Canadian women’s hockey team after they won the 2002 Olympic gold. The audio engineering program cost exactly that amount, and Rena enrolled. After graduating, she began working at a recording studio but found the work of recording commercials to be monotonous.

Instead of pursuing more studio work, Rena interned with an electrical engineer and learned to fix analog equipment.  In 2005, this electrical engineer recommended her as FOH for the musical Guys and Dolls. She recounts: “it was an insane opportunity in retrospect, a 24 person cast with a full orchestra… people work for decades to break into that kind of work. It was a crazy stroke of luck. I never thought I would like live sound, it seemed so intimidating, but it was exhilarating to take my knowledge and apply it in the moment to tell a story to an audience.”

After the musical had ended, Rena got a job with a local production company Sound Art, working on shows and maintaining gear in their shop. In 2007, she did a national tour as a monitor engineer for a dance show that featured a live band. Rena felt the road wasn’t for her and found that touring took away her ability to create music or art. She took a house gig in 2008, as house engineer for Mac Ewan Hall.  child_actress

In 2012, her boyfriend passed away suddenly. After grieving, Rena found that she was in a different place mentally: “I wanted fewer physical attachments. I didn’t know where I wanted to live, I didn’t want possessions, I didn’t want to attempt to have a lifestyle that resembled anything permanent for a while so I approached the boys in Preoccupations  – who were called Viet Cong at the time and are long time friends – about using me as their touring FOH.”

Preoccupations agreed to hire her, and Rena found herself thriving as a touring FOH. She has worked as FOH for Operators (Montreal), did a run of festival dates with Holy Ghost! (Brooklyn) and even had the chance to fill in on monitors for Beirut for a couple of shows, which she describes as a career highlight.

Operators

Operators

Although she enjoys being on stage, she has realized she likes touring as an engineer more than as a musician. She thrives on mixing the same show every day and enjoys the challenge of having to work in different rooms.  Rena notes that touring can be a psychological roller coaster: it is hard to get to know new people and sharing tight spaces like a van or bus can be taxing. To offset the stress, she tries to eat well and do as much hotel room yoga as possible.

Her favourite piece of gear is her old TAC Scorpion recording console, which she is slowly re-soldering and fixing. In a live setting, Rena likes using guitar pedals as live mix effects – on the fall Preoccupations tour, she was running a couple of FX chains for vocals and drums, in the hopes of recreating the album’s sound. She hopes to get other gigs that allow her to be as creative with equipment.

Regarding must-have skills, Rena believes a willingness to do whatever it takes to get the show done is crucial.  “This job is mostly problem-solving – whether it’s solving the actual technical problems with the sounds themselves or repairing broken equipment or figuring out how to safely get the gear through a mud puddle into the venue. There is no problem that cannot be solved; you just haven’t found the solution yet.”

It’s also important to have a solid technical understanding. Knowing how the physics of sound works, knowing how your gear functions and why, understanding the equipment and systems in detail – these things are so important to achieving a good product. The more you know about your tools the better you will be at manipulating them. It can be easy to get by without knowing details – a lot of people work for a long time with very little knowledge, but reading up and building a foundation of knowledge is what will set you apart.”

rena_bass-with-shematomas

Rena’s long-term goals are to keep touring as a FOH, and to work on her own artistic projects. She has recently finished recording and mixing her first solo record (under the name Child Actress) and is looking forward to writing more music.  You can find her on the road with Preoccupations in 2017.

Rena shares some words of advice on the barriers she has faced as a woman in the audio industry, and how to overcome them.

“I’ve been tremendously lucky to have had an exceptional amount of support from so many people I’ve worked with. Of course I’ve faced the obvious challenge of being a girl. While it’s never prevented me from landing good jobs or enjoying my work, more often than not it has absolutely been a factor.

Fortunately, I had a lot of very real support. A lot of dudes who were well respected in the business saw my passion for it and believed I knew what I was doing gave me work and helped me learn and progress. I don’t think most people are as lucky to have as much support as I received.

That being said, it’s been a constant issue. It feels funny answering this question right now because of how I’ve continued to struggle with being female at work even in these last two months. From the guy who wants to carry my case for me (fine, you want to help but it’s my case, it isn’t even heavy, I don’t need you to look after me we are peers here) to the old house sound guy who tries to tell me how to EQ my wedges until I demonstrate to him how my EQ curve was actually cleaner than his, to the TM who makes side comments about not liking “having to listen to a woman”. It isn’t gone. I’ve been at this for nearly 15 years and it’s still there. But, it’s better. There are more of us, and things are changing.

I have always been great at handling the old-school sound guy personality type. I’m great with a quick joke and talking to them like I am their equal. I’m rarely intimidated, and I’m quick to win most of them over with my personality.

I’ve also recently found I’ve needed to deal with my own internalization of systemic sexism. Trying to remain calm and remind myself why I love this work and that I deserve to be here doing it, and trying my best not to react with anger as much as possible. I am very actively working on this right now, trying to be Zen and maintain confidence at all times. I find the best way of thinking about it is to remind myself that I have to COMMAND respect and not DEMAND respect. Don’t get angry, just be confident and execute your work as perfectly as you know-how and this will generate respect from your peers.

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

“Do not be intimidated by anyone. You have as much or more right to be there as anyone else.

And for those who are just beginning and feeling intimidated by the equipment or the technical side of it, shake that off and remember that you are capable of comprehending anything technical – and remind yourself of some of the sound guys you’ve met along the way.They aren’t all geniuses, are they? If they can do it even just a little, you can do it epically well. 

And call me up! I love to teach; I’m happy to take on any ladies who want to apprentice or just ask questions.”

You can contact Rena and find out more about her upcoming projects through her website

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