I wanted to thank Karla Barrera, production manager for The Viper Room for hosting SoundGirls.Org yesterday. We had a great turn out, and it was great to a glimpse into Karla’s world. Karla has worked hard to cultivate a list of dedicated and hard working engineers at The Viper Room, and the club and equipment are well maintained. It was nice to walk into a small club and not walk on sticky floors or be hit with the smell of stale beer.
Karla showed our members the climb she makes to FOH several times a day and our members got to try mixing on the floor with the aid of an i-pad. After the brief tour of the Viper Room, we headed up the street to Tenmasa Sushi, which had a reasonably priced menu and the best part a quiet room that could seat eight of us. We were able to have a nice conversation and get to know each other.
Everyone who attended were at different stages of their careers and some just starting out. It was just refreshing to sit and have dinner with some kick ass women. Getting to meet and know other women in audio always leaves me feeling empowered and energized. It is awesome to hear other’s stories, and successes and I hope it brings inspiration to women just starting out. We plan to have more meet ups in the Southern California area. I would love suggestions and ideas for other tours, seminars, and topics you that interest you. Things that matter to our members. So let me know.
I wanted to introduce you to the amazing women who attended.
Brandi Johnson – has attended the NPR West Tour, NAMM Dinner, and The Viper Room Tour. Brandi is enrolled in the film program with a minor in audio at Cal State Long Beach. Brandi is just awesome, has the right attitude, and takes advantage of every opportunity available to her. I am looking forward to seeing Brandi at the volunteer day for Girls Rock Camp.
Chez Stock has attended the NPR West Tour, NAMM Dinner, and The Viper Room Tour. We ran a profile on Chez in Feb, and she is a strong role model for women. She currently is working as TM/PM/FOH Engineer for LP. I am so glad to have her attending these meet ups – as she has tons of great advice and awesome road stories.
Karla Barrera: Was so happy to finally meet Karla. She is the awesome production and sound engineer at The Viper Room. She has a great attitude, lots of tips on mixing in a small club, and how to deal with various artists. I am looking forward to working on some programs with Karla in the future.
Gwynne Gregory: Gwynne has attended the NPR West Tour and The Viper Room Tour. Gwynne use to work as a producer for KLOS radio here in Los Angeles. She currently is working at The Honda Center and is looking to get back into the production side of the business. She is taking classes in audio and media.
April Tucker: We just met April this week, if you have not read her awesome article over at Designing Sound -which Chez found- I highly recommend it. Women in Audio: Yes, We Exist! April has worn a lot of hats over the years – engineer (Foley and ADR), sound editor (dialog, sound design, music), software tester, building microphones. She currently is working in Post. I am hoping that April will become a great resource for us at SoundGirls.Org.
Deanna Romo: Deanna is currently at the University of Southern California and is expecting to graduate May of 2016. Pursuing a degree in Classical Guitar with a minor in Music Recording. It was awesome to meet Deanna, and I am hoping to work with her networking with other women’s groups. Like Tom Tom Magazine that she told me about yesterday. Tom Tom is dedicated to women drummers.
Angel Kastanis: Angel went to school for Audio, Arts and Acoustics in 2007 and currently has a policy job that is far removed from audio. She is interested in meeting other women in audio and getting back to mixing (live and recording). It was great meeting Angel. She has toured with female bands and her perspective on the collective spirit of women that was inspiring.
Mel Samaniego: Audio Engineer and Musician based in LA County. It was awesome to meet Mel- she could not join us for dinner – but I have her resume and am looking over it for her.
Jessica Berg: Sound Engineer, Production Coordinator, overall bad ass and super sweet. She is currently touring with Dr. John, and I am so envious. Can’t wait to see Jessica again.
Rebekah Hosman: Rebekah is currently finishing up a certificate program in audio at Golden West. She mixes sound on the weekends in a small club. It was awesome to meet Rebekah. She has an awesome attitude.
I hope I did not leave anyone out. Hope to see everyone again at one of our upcoming events. We have created several groups for cities and regions; that will hopefully allow you our members to connect with other women in their area. I would love to organize meet ups for everyone – but I am going to have to leave that to you. Check out the European SoundGirls who are organizing some awesome events. I will be happy to assist your meet ups in any way I can.
I encourage our Southern California members to join the Southern California group.
I hope everyone had a great time,
Karrie
At one time, thought to be the stuff of myth or folklore, much like the Yeti or Bigfoot, stories and sightings of the elusive woman audio engineer are becoming more widespread. With the abundance of digital cameras and smartphones, there has actually been some credible evidence verifying that they do in fact exist. (more…)
Happy New Year to everyone, I hope that 2015 is filled with work and new adventures and experiences. As for myself, 2015 will be a slower year, as the band is taking most of the year off, and we all get some much-needed downtime. I will be able to focus my energy on SoundGirls and I hope to be able to develop a mobile production training camp for disadvantaged youth. (if you would like to be involved – please contact me) (more…)
Roadies are typically seasonal workers, our most active season for work is usually during the spring and summer, with the year winding down during the fall. As the holiday season approaches, our gigs for the year are close to wrapping up. It is an excellent time to return home for some downtime. The holidays are usually low key and allow us to catch up with friends and family. Some of us will find ourselves busy on New Year’s Eve. The fortunate will be touring Australia or South America during January and February. For most of us though, we will have sporadic work through the winter months as we wait for tours and festival season to start around March. (more…)
The week between ACL we traveled to Tulsa, OK, and Lincoln, NE. We had two days off in Tulsa, right in downtown – let’s say it leaves a bit to be desired and with temperatures hovering around 100 degrees walking around was out. I did make a trip to the Greenwood Historic District, which was once known as the Black Wall Street. (more…)
Last night we successfully completed our first weekend at Austin City Limits Festival. If it was a competition it would be safe to say we won or at least made it into the postseason. (review of show) It was a great show, the weather was not brutally hot or cold and it did not turn into a mud-fest. Both the audience and band brought it. This show at this festival should be put in memory books. Except we get to come back next weekend and do it all over again. Should be a piece of cake right? (more…)
The gigs that you remember usually have had a great impact on you. They can inspire & empower or devastate & destroy you. They can humble you. They can make you laugh or make you cry. They can provide a sense of accomplishment. Sometimes you witnessed a performance that becomes legendary or history being made. They can open your eyes to other viewpoints, cultures, musical genres, and artistic expression. The gigs you remember are the ones where you stood on your own when everything clicked when you overcame challenging situations. They are the ones where you thought “I Have the Best Job in the World”. The gigs we remember shape our lives in small ways that may be unnoticeable, but sometimes they alter our life path. The gigs that you remember provide us with experiences that make us stronger humans and engineers. (more…)
By: Michelle Sabolchick Pettinato
Tuning the system and ringing out wedges. There are many different techniques and everyone has their favorite- from simply speaking into the lead vocal microphone to utilizing tools like Smaart. SoundGirls.Org spoke to several engineers to find out what techniques they employ. (more…)