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The Future is Spatial

You read that title correctly, the future is spatial ( and binaural ) audio. Here’s why!

Back in 2012 everyone was awaiting our Pixar-Disney princess, and despite mixed reviews on how people perceived the movie Brave, one thing was undeniable; Atmos was here. Dolby Atmos had debuted, testing the limits of immersive audio in film. In 2022 you can find the technology displayed in home theatres, gaming consoles such as the Xbox One, certain smartphones, Airpods, and even your car.

Why? Is stereo not enough? What exactly is so enthralling about it?

It’s the feeling of being or doing something you wouldn’t normally be able to do, that magic of watching a film, closing your eyes when listening to a podcast like Ronstadt, and feeling like you are in that space – doing what they are and experiencing what they are. Spatial audio is the experience of space and movement of sound in 360 degrees, in normal demonstrations you might find domes or sphere-like-shaped demonstrations with speakers set up to surround the listener head to toe. Binaural audio is this same experience, only over headphones ( and no – 12D is NOT a thing ).

Abersonics, the DAD system, and Atmos are examples of established companies. Now unless you are Coca-Cola with the trade secret of its recipe, things normally bleed out to the public. This happened when the synthesizers and drum machines were more accessible to the general public – that same thing is happening to spatial audio programs, plugins, and equipment. Enter MaxMSP – why buy a spatializer when you can build one? Max is a programming language for the tech-savvy music makers – maybe in the future I can go more in-depth on building patches and programming on MaxMSP ( and a shout out to Pure Data ) but we can hold off on that. My point on bringing them up is that just with new technology comes new innovation – and it often comes from the small individual rather than the large corporation. What will spatial audio paired with projectionists do for the next generation of theatre makers? Live sound? I would argue that a lot can and will happen regarding this within this decade – I’d bet on it too. As people use this tech to build and create new jobs and avenues that have never existed before will emerge.

Something that has captivated me is the fast-paced progression of projection technology. Over the summer I was lucky to see Between the Lines, the show mainly took place with our protagonist, Delilah, looking and talking to her male counterpart, Prince Oliver. Prince Oliver lives in the world inside of a children’s book, and in order to illustrate that the crew used a combination of set design, lighting, and projection. The latter was unbelievably impressive to me, how the projections surrounded Oliver to make him look and feel 2-dimensional without taking away from the fact that you indeed are looking at an actual person move and act in a certain way. Broadway has been looking into projection design more and more, go to one of your favorite productions and prove me wrong. The current 2022 Les Miserables tour uses projection to create a sense of depth, it’s visual paired with the reverberant orchestra pulls you in. I focus on Broadway here because I think that we as audio engineers and enthusiasts can help to bring in more involved audiences. I’m talking about Immersive theatrical experiences with in-the-round and thrust configurations with full-range projection and spatial audio compositionists. If we look to more productions emulating Sleep No More’s theatrical sass of having audiences become part of the show we may cultivate a blurred line between performer and audience – but is that a bad thing? I say no, I say we welcome this inevitably with open and excited arms.

The future is in immersion, the future is spatial.

Stock and Purchased Plug-Ins

With many plugins come great opportunities. Plugins, for those unaware, are akin to cooking spices. Each one has a different flavor to add to your dish. Say you got this basic track going, drums – bass – vocal – maybe a keyboard – and guitar, cool? Adding a plugin depends on which one can change the track dramatically or subtly based on your choice.

“Stock” plugins are built-in with the price of admission to use your DAW.  Thinking back to my cooking example, these plugins are your basic salt and pepper.  Here is a really good article you can check out if you want to learn more about your DAW’s plugin format from Renegade Producer. The link will be at the bottom of this post.  Some of the best examples I can give for what a stock plugin looks like in Logic X Pro match Equalizers and Multiband, they are easy to use and effective.

Besides stock, you can always go out and purchase plugins.  Not all, but many of these are clones of outboard gear, tapes, preamps, or amps like the Suhr PT100 for example. They offer a way to work with iconic equipment in the box for a smaller price than the original hardware. These purchased plugins can bring even more flavors to the table – bring out that hot sauce baby!

The names that often get thrown around are Fabfilter, Soundtoys, Waves, and UAD,  I would advise that the larger the price tag is doesn’t necessarily mean the best quality is guaranteed.  If you are just starting out or are a student producer and have some spare cash I’d recommend the following.

CLA-2A Compressor/Limiter from Waves 

Antares Auto-Tune Realtime from UAD 

C-Suite Reduction from UAD 

Little Plate from Soundtoys 

Now unless you got the cash or catch a really good sale you’re looking at spending a lot. While I would highly recommend learning the basics on when to best implement reverb on those pipes of yours ( or friends ) on stock, I can’t say to go on a shopping spree and end up not understanding how they work and burning that hole in your wallet at the same time.  As best as I could explain or a youtube guide could show its best with trial and error, cultivating your preferences and that unique flow that only you can.

*End note* if you really want to shell out for premium plugins I’ll let you on a secret… If you got that student ID on you can save massive amounts!! Acustica, Avid, Native, Soundtoys, Waves, FL, Fabfilter, and Ableton all have student discounts. Remember that Antares Auto-Tune I mentioned? You can get it close to 50% off with this academic link- https://identit-e.com/antaresaudiotech

 

Tips for Your First Live Sound Gig

So you did it!!

Congratulations, I am so SO so proud of you. You managed to reach out of your bubble and made connections that are all leading up to today, hopefully, it will mark the start of your new career in live sound. You could be working the church PA system for the first time, at a venue or festival, or maybe a wedding. It really doesn’t matter where you are – just that you are putting yourself out there. If no one has given you kudos for that, I am there bud!

My first gig in live sound was the most trial-by-fire you can possibly get. Despite being fresh out of my college Live Sound I class, I decided to help at a music festival. Little did I know I would be the FOH for my own stage…oh boy. I can vividly remember the thought of going there with the thought I would be a stagehand or a runner for the engineers, and the shock I felt as soon as I realized that wasn’t the case.

It felt invigorating and anxiety-inducing all at once, me? Run a stage? Set up the PA? Run the console the whole show? What? At that moment I knew I would either fall into the building panic or rise to the challenge of a lifetime.… Spoiler! I SLAYED!!

Definitely not without some hiccups, so if you find yourself in a trial-by-fire predicament as I did, or it is a little laxer, here are some tips that can help.

Scope Out The Scene

My first experience was at a large music festival, before I went I used Google Maps to see if I could sit at any public parks or coffee shops. If you have some downtime (by this I mean an hour or greater) until the event explore the area you are in. Please always prioritize safety above anything else, if you don’t feel comfortable or safe, taking care of yourself is more important than anything else. Trust your instincts, if something is telling you to leave – do so and find someplace (maybe that’s a deli or pharmacy) where you can go in and cool off.

Pro Tip Value public libraries! They are heated in the winter and cool come summer, open all year round, and are great places to kill time and get work done. I was able to work on a session on my laptop before the gig, essentially freeing two birds with one key.

Scope Out The Venue

Once you have settled into the role you’ve been given, It is time to familiarize yourself with the equipment, stage area, and most importantly – your inputs and stage plots….ugh speaking of
which…

Stage Plots May Vary

You may hit the holy grail of stage plots. The picture is clear and legible – you know where they want to be positioned and how to set up the stage in correspondence with that particular act. Not every stage plot is like that. I’ve had to work with very different bands and artists – Rock alternatives, R&B, Gospel groups, Metal, and one Noah Cyrus/ Alicia Keys cover band. The stage plots were wildly diverse – some were completely non-legible, while others did not bother to submit anything other than their band name and email information. Inputs and stage plots are important for whoever is doing sound – they need to make sure that they have the equipment to accommodate the artist’s set,
and also that they follow guidelines set by the venue. My advice if you get a plot or input list that doesn’t resemble either of the two is to talk to the client(s) – What are they bringing? Is the guitar going directly to the console, or are they going to bring an amp? Do they want to use their own mic, is it dynamic? If you have no way to contact them, talk to your stage manager – their job is to make sure the show goes smoothly, and if you can’t do your job, things are certainly not going smoothly.

Take a Breath

There is a lot more that can be said on the topic, like wearing comfortable plain clothing or the best ways to position monitors – but really you need to learn what to do by doing it. I can solidly say that if someone asked to do that whole experience again, I could with little hesitation. Your head can often get in the way of your capabilities, trust that you can do this. Breath in…. And let
it out.

Sexual Harrassment Awareness Month – Music Industry Edition

Warning: This article may be unsettling for some, topics such as abuse, harassment, sexual solicitation, and rape may be discussed.

Although I am just a sprout in the music world, with a lot of Soundgirls here being overwhelmingly more developed in comparison to me, there is one thing that I think everyone can agree with – None of us got here alone.

It might have been a college professor or a middle school band teacher.  It could have been someone you shadowed on a tour or possibly a parent, whatever the case, someone helped guide you or opened the right doors. A majority of people you work with within the music world will be honest-to-god genuine, but we shouldn’t ignore the loud minority of those less than genuine.

April is Sexual Harassment Awareness Month, which is honestly the worst. The fact that there even NEEDS to be an awareness month for this should be enough of a wake-up call. Still, I think if events so horrid are happening, the least we can do is to understand how prevalent it is and to help to amplify those that have been affected by sexual assault/harassment.

So how prevalent is it? In a statement given to the BBC, Music Manager Yasmin Lajoie has gone on record to say that “You’d be hard-pressed to find a woman working in the industry today who’s never been a victim of sexual harassment or abuse,” continuing with “I expected stories of sexual harassment… but what I’ve actually received are stories of rape happening on company property, men insisting on oral sex from young women, men seriously assaulting women, raping them in apartments owned by major music companies.”

I’ve linked the BBC article below, but in summary, it is filled to the brim with stories of individuals being subjected to unwarranted actions against them.  The industry is getting better by being more inclusive and aware of issues such as this, however, there are still people at the top working today that still have the money and connections and will likely continue with the lifestyle they see fit – which may not be beneficial to those “under”. NDA’s, threats of losing their job or status in the music world – can shame those “under” into silence.

So…. Is there a light at the end of the tunnel here? YES! 

On a person-to-person level, the best help if someone has been sexually attacked in any form is to ask them three questions…

Just having someone acknowledge them and being there counts.

On a larger scale, however, SoundGirls has put out a number of ways to get involved in change. You can check them out here –

Sexual Harassment Reforms | SoundGirls.org

Additionally, if you are someone that has dealt with this… I understand. Trust me on the deepest level imaginable that I understand, it is something that sticks on you in the most awful ways possible.  You are not alone here, even if you feel like you are. You are loved and deserve love in its most authentic form.

This link can take you to some self-care tips :

Self Care for Trauma | SoundGirls.org

Even with the end of April approaching, I’d like to end with one statement, a month’s label shouldn’t be the only time for awareness and reflection. Any month can be an awareness month – and with a topic this heavy and demanding we should raise our voices in awareness any and every month, at least in my opinion anyway.

BBC article: Rape and abuse: The music industry’s dark side exposed – BBC News

Calling All Crows – Here for The Music Campaign

#HereForTheMusic campaign works to build true safety with all parties who come together to create a show or festival: artists, promoters, fans, venue staff, touring professionals, media professionals, and more.

 

Superbia_ Will it Happen?

Superbia – set in a world where people are devoid of emotions and glued to their TV screens, one man “defected” as having emotions finds a music box that may have the power to bring change.

Seeing as you clicked your way onto this article let me give you the short answer: it is definitely possible, but as of this minute I don’t see it being produced. So the straight answer, for now, is, well, no.

Now if you want to stick around for the long answer, get comfy! Maybe see about a cup of coffee or some herbal teas – comfortable? Great!

Jonathan Larson is one of the most influential individuals in my music journey. I can vividly remember a younger Kim watching RENT on DVD every weekend, by six I had practically had Maureen’s lines verbatim. He drew from the raw realities of the human condition and our lives and yet shared such a positive message, yet his time was so short, He would die just as RENT was opening in 1996 due to an aortic aneurysm at the age of 35.

To get Superbia released you would need to get permissions from various sources, but most importantly the Larson family, and say you got the permissions much of the script would need to be reworked, So while it is possible it isn’t happening right now as of the publishing of this article.

If you ask my opinion, anything John Larson will be a success. Take the relatively-recent Netflix movie musical Tick Tick Boom. Directed by Lin Manuel Miranda and written by Larson it follows John’s journey and eventual rejection of Superbia, along the journey we meet friend Michael and John’s girlfriend, Susan. The movie is based on the reworked version of the original 1991 performance performed by none other than Johnathan Larson himself. The 2021 movie is generating traffic, people are curious about Superbia, and despite a couple of songs you can find on Youtube not much is out there. You could request access to the workshop recording in the Library of Congress, but not everyone can just go and do that for various reasons. So what’s the option here?

It has been over 25 years since the death of Larson. He has impacted hundreds, possibly thousands of lives. I don’t want to live with regret by not saying what I think needs to be said, all of Larson’s work should be released in some format. RENT and Tick Tick Boom had their chance in the sunlight, and while I’m not naive to the fact that Superbia may need work – I think it is worth it… if we give it the chance it deserves.

If you agree with me, tell people Johnathan Larson’s story. Have them watch RENT and Tick Tick Boom, tell them about Superbia. The more people know that Superbia is real and are interested to see and hear more the better.

With Change

I hear the jingling from my coat pocket. It hits my plastic credit card and lining the soft interior of the coat, the coins bounce about unaware that they are the last of my savings.  These spare coins survived the move from New York to Philadelphia, renting out a new apartment, groceries, and frankly a giant array of activities that I can only describe as a blur.

Yet here I am, still able to write from you from my new corner of the world. I was always told growing up that with change comes responsibility – a responsibility I did not understand until I left home.

I’d like to take some time to recognize this new start, I have a strong feeling I’m not the only one to jump headfirst into adulting and not know what the h-double-hockey-sticks I’m doing.

What Exactly is “Adulting”

Does anyone really know? Is it the responsibility of caring for a child or the responsibility of paying your bills or having credit or knowing what the hell are mortgages? Does it mean to be legally entitled to your shortcomings or your crimes? Doesn’t it mean you are exempt from certain privileges that children may have or teenagers for that matter? Or maybe adulting is just a word we give to describe our age.

If you are waiting for an answer or my thoughts I don’t have any. Maybe that is the answer, I’m still growing and I’m of the belief that so is everyone. There are people that have their life together same as the people that aren’t, people who are still figuring it out, and people that are somewhere in the middle.

Maybe adulting means growing

If that’s even a fraction of what adulting means, I think I’m doing a good job of it. This year even if it’s small come up with something you look to aspire to.

I know Covid still hanging out sucks, but life needs to continue- even if it means we have to dust off work boots and rusty people skills- next month we’ll get to the meat and potatoes of some tech, and a brief history that is sure to put a smile on any musical theatre techies out there.

Until then I guess we’ll all have to keep adulting, with or without change.

Health and Holidays

I don’t exactly know when I realized it, The moment I knew music was what I wanted to pursue for the rest of my life. When was it? I know that I’ve always had a different ear from most people in my social circle.

In grade school, the second to be exact, I was ecstatic about being able to hit this large snare. I wanted to know why that noise it made was different from the tapping of my foot or banging my desk. Sure drumming was fun, but after it was over I would spend some of my free time during the snack break to sit with the snare. I would tap it, then hit it, and then I’d do it in a repeating motion. Maybe that was the moment I got hungry to ask questions. In the third grade, I started to pluck the high E string on my dad’s guitar, writing music that didn’t involve me holding down any strings that would cut through my tiny hands.

I kept asking, and some teachers found it annoying. I constantly, regardless if it was or wasn’t music-oriented, raised my hand and asked. It became so much that the teachers over the years all repeated the same phrase “Anyone other than Kimmy?” as if to discourage me to stop being so inquisitive.

As I got older the rift between me and my peers widened. I would spend most of my time home with my diamond dove Olivia and my guitar. I felt as though I was on another planet those days with my bird and instrument, untouchable even. I would later get Garageband on my iPhone, and as if I was in the second grade all over again I would spend my time on Garageband fooling around with loops I thought sounded cool all while trying to mentally dissect what was happening.

This passion for knowledge and melody also was an outlet. When my dad was in the hospital, or when my grandmother passed – I was consumed by my music. The grief and anguish were all obsolete in my cocoon. Nothing was in or out of that hole I was deep inside of, It felt safe and warm from everything outside of it. Maybe it was in these moments I knew I could never have a life outside of this rhythmic cocoon I’d created.

It is important that I became so developed in one expertise, but I didn’t develop the skills necessary to talk casually with others. I was career-minded and focused so much on earning my keep in an industry that was never made to accommodate me – that I didn’t take a single moment to step back and breathe a little. I think that’s the parting message I want to share before we close out the year.

At the start of 2021, I wrote about New York City, my home. And how in a city known for never sleeping it did, in fact, sleep. It was starting to come back to life little by little. Now that Broadway is starting back up and live entertainment ( though limited ) is coming through town, this city is back to being the city without any winks.

So what does the city coming back have to do with the backstory? Well, I wanted to give you some context, and honestly, when I request this of you. I want you to take care of yourself.

Take some time to give yourself warm words and self-recognition. What did you accomplish? It doesn’t need to be going on that dream vacation or scoring a promotion, it can be but it doesn’t have to be! Maybe you took a bike ride and found a new route that was better than the older one, or maybe you found a new favorite food. Whatever it was, congratulations. As we get back to our pre-pandemic lives and things go back to the same-old-same-old I don’t want people who might have been or are like me to fall behind.

It is so easy to get consumed with the day-to-day; to lose yourself to routine. This holiday season give back to yourself and treat yourself right. I was a person that was at one point that only ever made room for one thing – it was when I opened myself up to others that I really did grow as a musician.

Sure, I had plenty of fake friends along the way, but I also met some real gems. These people are still in my life and I am forever grateful for them. So consider talking or reconnecting with old friends or acquaintances. Maybe meet some new friends at a karaoke bar? You never know what might happen.

Just remember to take care of yourself, you are important and valued and no one can say different.

Next year I am looking forward to being back with the laundry list of things to talk about. Maybe some gear talk, and more resources as I come across them. Whatever comes next year we will grow as people together.

Thank you to SoundGirls for the amazing year despite the ups and downs, I’ll see you all next year!

( side note: If you are feeling anxious or depressed I’d encourage you to call or text these numbers. If you are feeling suicidal please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline! They are available 24/7 free and confidential! )

Resources for Mental Health

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255

Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741

Friends for Survival: 916-392-0664 OR 800 646-7322

The Trevor Project ( LGBTQIA ): Text START to 678-678 OR Call 1-866-488-7386

Reaching Out 

This year I’ve written about a number of topics ranging from Fabfilter plugins to cover letters. While I wanted one of the last articles of the year to be a roundabout to my first on New York and its restoration from Covid-19, I realized it’s October.

For some of you that might be a “Why is the obvious being stated here?” But for high school seniors or college students, it’s more like “Wait it’s October?!”

Yes, it is that time of the year that you will rush to fill out your FAFSA, you might be already applying to colleges If you’re in high school, and now if all so suddenly you are becoming an adult and are expected in some way to know what you are supposed to be doing.

If you are reading this on SoundGirls then you might have a clue that you want to have something within the music industry, and that’s awesome! Now the question on how you get to where you want to go, If you haven’t yet feel free to read my last blog on college ( and if mine isn’t enough some other amazing people have also touched on the subject ) it might help give you some idea of how to get to the place you need to be.

Now that’s that said and done, and I’m going to assume here that you are going through with whatever you settled on – the next step is reaching out.

 

Now you gotta send it out.

(The following steps are not in any particular order and can be read individually.)

Step One: Utilizing Social Media

KEEP IN MIND

Some have Instagram or Facebook for personal reasons only, they may not want to have work and family mix on these platforms. Be mindful of the pages that are private, check to see if the person you want to connect with has a LinkedIn account or business email before trying to contact a personal account. These guys and gals are just as human as the rest of us! So let them have privacy if it is clear it isn’t for public access.

Step Two: Email

While I would never recommend sending a cold turkey email to someone before being invited to do so, some may have emails set up for just that reason. If a label you want to reach out to for example has a new artist email or outreach for talent hires it could be a good move for you.  Make sure to attach the resume, cover letter, and reference sheet. Structure the email on Google Docs or Microsoft Word to avoid accidentally sending an unfinished email. Keep the email short but informative, mention something unique about yourself or the position.

Example Email

Dear New York City Recording,

I am interested in the available position of summer intern posted on LinkedIn. I have experience running an SSL 4048 and have a vast understanding of Universal Audio outboard equipment and in-the-box plugins. Within this email, I have included my cover letter, resume, references, and samples of work I’ve mixed during the last two years studying under John Smith at Iris Studio, located within the University of Sunderdale. If possible I would enjoy the pleasure of arranging an interview at your studio, famous for recording XX’s classic hit Cakewalk.

Sincerely,

Kimberlynn Ahlers

Step Three: Calling or Going Directly

It could be a long shot – you might definitely come across a lot of people saying no, but if you live in a city like ( but not limited to) Los Angeles, London, Berlin, Kyoto, Tokyo, New York, Miami, or Nashville you might have a shot. If people see you show up enough or call in enough on a certain position they might see it go two ways, You are either annoying or persistent. The next time someone moves jobs or gets fired – the persistent one often comes to mind as a quick fix to patch a gap. You might not get anywhere doing this, but you just might – if you really really want it.

So… congratulations! I hope that this helped you think of ways to reach out to those you are looking forward to meeting. I have nothing but a foam finger on my end – cheering you on!

More Tips and Resources

Tips for resumes and social media

Industry Directories – Get Yourself Listed

Choosing the Right University 

By the time I was in the twelfth grade I had some idea of what I wanted to do… but no idea how I wanted to get there.

If I was aiming for a doctor, an office job, or a lawyer it would have been a no-brainer that I would go to university. However here I am on SoundGirls, so as you can imagine I was aiming for a path a little unconventional.

Now, not to say that those jobs are bad careers, by no means. However, when it comes to wanting to have your profession in the arts? Getting a degree from an educational institution may or may not be the way to go.

If you are aiming to become the next Beyonce for instance. You could go to NYU and major in vocal arts, network, and meet some people that can help you record an EP, and BOOM! Instant success! Unfortunately, however, while this scenario is possible it isn’t always subject to replication. Not everyone that majors in NYU’s vocal arts program are going to be the next world sensation, some might not get the opportunities or work with others that would elevate them to that megastar status.

The entertainment business is surely creative, but it is also still a business. It needs a lot of people to keep the machine well oiled. So the people factor is extremely important, who you impress and who you don’t can change where you might be months or years into the future.

So the question I posed is, choosing the right university? Well, I’m pretty sure you can predict what I’m going to say. What are you roughly aiming for? Want to be an engineer?  Want to be an entertainment lawyer? Or maybe a music journalist? Which path to follow, university, tech school, or a hands-on mentorship? University is an option but not the only one. So this September when you are pouring over state and private universities, think about where you roughly want to go and then what options you can look into.

One last quick tip. If you are not sure where you want to go but know you want a career in the music business, you can always take quick courses online. Coursera and Berklee Online have free and paid-for options on a number of different classes that you could take. While you could go to university undeclared, it still will charge you tuition which could be pricey depending on where you are and if you are receiving scholarships or some kind of financial aid. With online classes, you can get a taste of what you might be in for in your profession and for way less than college tuition.

Find more educational programs from online to four-year universities

Do I Really Need to Go to School

But, Do I Really Need to Go to School

Should You Go to School for Audio Engineering?

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