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Empowering the Next Generation of Women in Audio

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Ianina Canalis Specialist in Live Sound – Spatial Audio – Software Development – Education 

Ianina has been working for Meyer Sound for the last four years and has been working in audio for over 20 years.

Early Life

Did music and audio interest you while you were growing up? 

I started studying music when I was 10 and I finished with a Teaching degree in music when I was 18 years old.

Musical Background?

I used to play guitar and saxophone and sang when I was a teenager. I loved playing classical music in small groups, and I also participated in playing in orchestra and choirs for several years.

When did you discover audio as a career path? 

When I was a teenager.

How did you get interested in audio? 

I studied music and I frequently went to listen to play to my friends but the sound was not good at all and I felt bad because concerts with my friends and the sound didn’t like me at all. I had the feeling that all the effort they made during the rehearsals was not reflected in the live show because it was almost impossible to listen to all the instruments or melodies.

Educational Background

Did you attend a University/College/Trade School? 

I got a degree in teaching music at the College of Music Juan Pedro Esnaola in Buenos Aires, Argentina where I come from. Then I got a double degree in Sound and Recording and Audiovisual Technology at the Universidad Nacional de Lanus in Argentina. Some years later, I went to the UK and studied for an MSc in Audio Engineering at Leeds Beckett University. And finally, I got a PhD in Science and Technology at Universidad Nacional de Quilmes in Argentina

Career Start

How did you get your start?

When I started studying at the University, I felt that I needed another challenge, so I walked through the main avenue in Buenos Aires, where most of the theatres are and I knocked on all the doors saying “I want to participate as a Sound Engineer” but I didn’t have any technical skill at that time. In several places, they invited me to see some rehearsals and event setups.

In the Centro Cultural General San Martin, they told me that they needed people but there was no money. With great happiness, I began to participate in all the shows. I was so happy that I went six days a week because every day there was a different band and they had events of various musical styles; jazz, rock, folklore, music for kids, etc. After a few months, they hired me! I worked there for three years while I continued my studies and one day, they offered me a tour as a PA mixing engineer with Jairo (a well-known Argentine folklore singer). With a lot of enthusiasm, I quit and jumped into the touring lifestyle with different bands in Argentina and Latin America. Over 15 years on tour I worked with Jairo, Los Pericos, Virus, J. C. Baglietto, Jairo, Soledad Villamil, Lisandro Aristimuño, Duratierra, and more.

On the other hand, Gustavo Basso, an Acoustical Engineer, offered me to be his assistant at the Universidad Nacional de Lanús for the subject of Acoustics when I was 20 and that was the beginning of my path as a teacher-researcher. For some years, I assisted different Professors who taught audio subjects until I became the Live Sound teacher. In those years, with Jorge Petrosino, we created the Acoustics laboratory where research work is carried out. We published some investigations related to different topics like the Photoliptophone (Fotoliptófono), and human hearing perception over 20 kHz.

What did you learn interning or on your early gigs?

In every part of my career, I learned different things. Everything was equally important, the beginning, the university, the tours, the teaching, the research, all that experience contributed to who I am today.

Did you have a mentor or someone that helped you?

During all these years I developed my career working on tours as a monitor, PA, or System Engineer and at the university as a teacher and researcher. I didn’t have a mentor, however, over the years I met wonderful people who were passionate about audio from whom I learned a lot and with whom we shared talks, experiments, research, and a lot of music, so the list is huge!

Career Now

What is a typical day like?

There is no typical day. At Meyer Sound I am the product owner of some software so, basically, I coordinate the design and implementation of them. Then, I can use the software we create like Spacemap Go and Nebra in shows and demos, which is great! And finally, we meet with customers, and they share their experiences so we can collect feedback to improve our software.

How do you stay organized and focused?

I am very passionate about everything I do, so I work for goals, I focus my job on small things we need to solve every day and also think of the big picture and plans for future challenges.

What do you enjoy the most about your job?

There is a very creative part of my job that I enjoy. When we create software from the beginning there are no limits other than our imagination to produce a new concept, idea, workflow, etc. That creative freedom in a work team is very nice.

I also give some seminars or trainings, as I love teaching, I enjoy wonderfully these activities. And when I work on Spacemap Go demos I mix musical content keeping my passion for spatial audio and music.

I also have some side projects where I mix content for spatial configurations like Future Ruhr: A full dome film that won two Janus Awards at the Fulldome Festival in Jena, Germany in 2023. We won 2 categories: Best Spatial Audio Award & Best Full Dome Innovation & Creativity Film.

What do you like least?

I don’t like spending too many hours on the computer.

If you tour what do you like best?

I enjoy mixing music and spending time with people on the stage, at the hotel, on the bus, etc. In January 2024 I was in Argentina and worked on a short tour and I enjoyed every moment.

What is your favorite day off activity? 

I love to spend time in nature doing some sport. I love meeting friends and spending hours and hours talking and playing music. I also love dancing, so when I can, I go to dance salsa or tango.

What are your long-term goals?

I’d love to spend more time mixing.

What if any obstacles or barriers have you faced?

At various times being a woman was a challenge. I had the strength to overcome many situations, comments, and attitudes that would not have happened to me if I had been a man. From harassment to questions like which member of the band I had sex with to be the sound engineer. Some guys, couldn’t believe I worked with famous bands because I am good at mixing.

How have you dealt with them?

In a job, after much persecution and psychological harassment, I quit, and I didn’t say anything about the real reason why I was leaving. I was very young. A few years later, I learned how to answer and face uncomfortable situations. As I strengthened my career and my personality, these situations faded away. I think that many of the women who started in this profession 20 or more years ago, suffered many uncomfortable moments. Some of them could not endure such a hostile environment. And that is one of the reasons why we are still a minority. However, I believe that we paved the way for younger generations, and today, at least in Argentina, many more women and minorities are Audio Engineers, Sound Technicians, Lighting Engineers, Stage, etc. than 20 or 15 years ago.

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

The first thing I can suggest is that they pursue their dreams. If complex, stressful, and distressing situations appear they do not isolate themselves. There are a lot of SoundGirls and we support each other so it is important to talk and learn from our experiences. We are building communities and that is what helps us strengthen ourselves and overcome unfair situations. So don’t stay alone, look for more SoundGirls!

Favorite gear?

I love mixing with DiGiCo and Meyer Sound!

You can check out some Ianina’s work here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZ0yzt_-gtM&ab_channel=IaninaCanalis
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzBkQWXif8w&ab_channel=IaninaCanalis

Prepping With Intention

Last month I took a brief look into some routines I’ve developed that help me feel centered to better reach my full potential as a mix engineer. In it, I mentioned the importance of solidifying your understanding of the music to achieve the most impactful, distraction-free mix. Here we highlight how I approach learning music before a show or tour to achieve this goal.

When I ask my mentors what I should do to improve my mixes, this is usually their number one comment: proactive, intentional listening. But how do you listen, and how do you commit that to memory? When it comes to tour prep, it helps me if I create playlists based on the setlist or discography of the artist, and refer to it several times a day. Outside of sitting down to actively listen, I also will let it run in the background while I’m doing other activities. I find ways to quiz myself on the arrangements, becoming aware of a few key elements throughout the song and other fundamental elements of the mix.

For me, being proactive has translated into a two-fold process. I have duality as a musician, growing up both in the bluegrass community and developing retention for pitches and rhythm from a young age and later learning how to correlate that to sheet music through classical studies. The second kind of musicianship taught me so much about how to notate musical information, long before ever becoming a tech. I’ve bridged my career as a musician and as a tech by learning how to transcribe what I hear to sheets of paper. If you have a musical background, visualization in this manner can be powerful. This can look like simply being able to learn how to notate the chord progressions, keys, and tempo, or just identifying what stands out throughout the listening process and subsequently writing it down. Even shorthand can be impactful. Make any and every attempt to understand the entirety of the arrangement and understand each tiny piece of it like the back of your hand.

I also find it helpful to find meaningful associations of the song. Other than the black-and-white analysis of the music, you must be able to bridge the gap between what you’re hearing to the pieces of the sound that resonate with your human experience. Research the music or artist to understand their intention and ask the musicians for information regarding the show. What is one player’s role? When are their solos, or when do they play something that they deem show critical? Maybe your steel guitar has a tiny little lick in the verse that parallels the emotions the singer is trying to convey. You should emphasize that. Show that you have a comprehension of what they’re creating. And if you have access to multitracks, you can use these to help you dissect each element and invite the players into the conversation as you prepare to help them deliver their show.

In conclusion, take time for yourself before having your hands on faders to learn the music. Doing research like this can help provide you with a toolset to make decisions quickly and with intention. After all, we have so many resources available at our fingertips and within our community that can help us achieve the goal of a distraction-free, artistic mix. Make sure you keep listening and find a method that works for you so that you can continue excelling and delivering top-tier mixes.

In the Zone

Mental health has become a significant topic of discussion among peers in the years following the pandemic. As we gear up for new shows and tours, we must continue these conversations. It matters for getting us through long tours, and for navigating our time off the road as well. Aside from these obvious benefits, taking care of myself and developing professional routines helps me with my creative endeavors as an engineer, and ensuring I’m in prime condition gives me notable advantages to help deliver a quality show every night. I’m going to take time in this next article to highlight some actionable steps I take to feel like I’m able to achieve focus and be in the zone during a show.

Just like an athlete has to visualize their success and optimize themselves for a big game, we should also take into consideration routines and activities that help us achieve peak performance. The goal is to not necessarily think about the music, but rather to feel it and jive with it, so what steps can we take to help us achieve this?

Routines

Developing personal practices to improve your physical and mental well-being can help maximize the outcome of the show.

You can start exploring what works for you by talking with your friends and family on the road and back home, and by visiting the plethora of wellness resources available to us in these communities.  It takes time to develop this skill, especially if you’re not already pre-dispositioned for the lifestyle or if you struggle with mental health.

Personal care is important. Figure out sleep routines, food, and proper care for your feet. You don’t want to feel physically or mentally unwell when they call “Go for show.” Take care of your coworkers, also. You all operate as a unit, after all.

Technical Considerations

Prep and rehearsal time should be used wisely to help you optimize your day. I work closely with the audio provider and audio team to make sure we have all the necessary tools to have the rig well-suited to what I need, accommodating for potential lack of space in some venues and maximizing efficiency. I find it best to prep my control package myself so I know each detail is at its full potential and I can roll into show day and set up with little hesitation. My workbox is sorted and my cases are well labeled. My world is also set up comfortably in a way that allows me to have access to necessary personnel during the show.

I’ve spent considerable time making sure I take time to elevate my system tuning skills and understand the jargon fluently. I include as many tools in my FOH package as possible so I can quickly tune a system; wireless units such as Lectrosonics have been immensely beneficial in letting me tune quickly in theaters and arenas alike. I’ve developed a target curve that’s appropriate for the show I mix and for my ear, and have an expectation for an SPL target every day. We’ll explore this in depth later in a future article.

Mixing can be similar to a performance. If you’re a musician, you understand how critical it is to internalize the details. If you’re in the creative hot seat, you need to know the music inside and out so you can relax and enjoy yourself, and start thinking about the music rather than the sound. We have a unique role and it’s vital for us to help deliver a seamless, distraction-free show. Learning how to master the catalog is different for everyone; I’ll also dive into this in greater detail later.

The Bigger Picture

Making sure you’ve taken steps to minimize errors is crucial. Personally, my least favorite shows are usually subjective and stem from a lack of comfort. The show always goes on, but the nightly responsibility is to always try and exceed my expectations and help deliver a stellar show as often as possible. Being timid or apprehensive during the show reflects in the mix when you miss solos or fader pushes, or are slow to resolve issues. Proper personal and technical preparation before the show can address many of these challenges.

Luana Moreno – Live Sound and Recording Engineer

Luana works as a freelance engineer working with venues, rental companies, musicians, and event organizers. She currently is in the process of setting up a small commercial studio. She has been working in audio for over 15 years. Luana is originally from Brazil and now resides in Adelaide, Australia.

Luana fell in love with music when MTV came to Brazil. “I still remember watching Slayer’s “Seasons in the Abyss” and my mind was completely blown away. I bought my first CDs, Smashing Pumpkins, The Cure, Sepultura, and Hole, and became a total aficionado. I bought an electric guitar with the first payment from my first job. I have her to this day.”

Luana was introduced to audio after a recording session with her band and became interested in the recording process. She began to research courses and programs for audio engineering and also met a producer and engineer Paul Anhaia who worked at Midas Studio. She would take a short course on Audio Fundamentals where she learned the basics and then learned on the job from there. All the while Luana attended workshops and training opportunities. In 2013 Luana enrolled at Melbourne Polytechnic and received an Advanced Diploma in Sound Production in 2019.  Luana says this “doesn’t mean that I have stopped learning though, as I am always looking to learn and keep up with the industry innovations”.

Career Start

How did you get your start?

My first job was at a studio/mobile recording facility called Audiomobile. They had two mobile recording units at the time, a bus and a truck. They did a lot of recordings for music DVDs. I would rarely be on-site recording, but in the studio helping them organize the hard drives and doing general maintenance. I would often sit through mixing sessions with the other techs too.

From there I started mixing live sound at nightclubs and other venues and working for rental companies and artists in Brazil. There I also had the opportunity to do location recording and post for film for a considerable time at MeuSucesso.com and to do mixing and mastering for a few bands.  Moving to Australia I was able to get into the Live entertainment quite quickly and have only run out of work during the first six months of Covid.

How did your early internships or jobs help build a foundation for where you are now?

I think Audiomobile had the most impact because that’s where I learned how the industry worked and was able to sit in on sessions with talented and skilled technicians who didn’t mind sharing their process. Mixing in pubs and nightclubs was a great school as well because we would often be quite limited in terms of what the equipment was capable of, and that’s where I learned to work with whatever I had available.

What did you learn interning or on your early gigs?

Shadowing the other techs at Audiomobile was a great opportunity to train my ear and get up to speed with the basics, and at the pubs and rental companies I’ve learned how to set up a system, troubleshoot it, and make things work. It was also where I learned how to mix.

Did you have a mentor or someone that helped you?

Paulo Anhaia, whom I dated at the start of my career, was more of a supporter and role model than a mentor. The techs at Audiomobile who taught me in my early days: Egidio Conde, Fernando Ferrari, Luiz Leme, Eduardo Garcia.

The group of people who helped me for the longest time in my professional life were my colleagues from Mulheres do Audio( Audio Women), a group that started when I created a Facebook group after working at an AES conference as a Product Specialist and being confused for a “booth model” by the male attendees, who’d ask me, surprised: “You’re a Sound Tech? How many more women in sound are out there?”

That question got me thinking and one night I created a Facebook group and invited some of my mates: Adriana Viana, Lilla Stipp, among others. That group started regular gatherings, where I met many other incredible women who have supported me in my journey, such as Florencia Saravia-Akamin, who played that mentorship role being the most experienced of us; Roberta Siviero, who if I recall correctly introduced us to SoundGirls and organized our meeting with Karrie Keyes when she toured Brazil with Pearl Jam; Regiane Alves, Allyne Cassini, among others.  All of these women became a network, exchanging information at the meetings, organizing workshops, and referring each other for jobs.

Moving to Australia I had to start from scratch, so Toni Venditti’s help was instrumental as she offered me insights and contacts. Other people worth mentioning would be my teachers at Melbourne Poly, Shane Simmonds, Tamara Weaver, and David Rodger, and my mates Erica D’Angelo and Candace Parham. All of these people were in one way or another instrumental in opening a door, answering a question, or giving me advice when I needed it. It might sound like an Oscar acceptance speech, but it truly takes a village!

Career Now

What is a typical day like?

I have no such thing. Working for three different companies as an employee and several other clients, some days I’ll start at 5 am and some I’ll finish at 2 am. So I try to organize my calendar in advance.

On days I’m not working out of the home, I will normally take the morning off and get things done in the afternoon or early evening. I also make sure to schedule days off, where I’ll do only leisure things or nothing at all, depending on how I feel.

How do you stay organized and focused?

I do my best! Sometimes I can’t be as organised as I’d like, but I have learned to not beat myself up about it. After all, managing your schedule as a freelancer is a challenge.

Some items that help me be as organized and focused as I can be are:

Besides these, plenty of water, coffee, chewing gum, regularly exercising/ stretching, and taking breaks when I can afford to, are the main strategies that I use. Taking time to plan for the gig whenever possible. But I think the most important thing is to manage your workload the best you can because, without enough rest, all of that is irrelevant.

What do you enjoy the most about your job?

The variety. Being a casual/freelancer allows me to work in different places with different people doing varied things. I enjoy wearing several hats, even if it’s challenging at times.

What do you like least?

Heavy lifting, defective gear, and difficult clients.

If you tour what do you like best?

I did tour a bit but it wasn’t for me, so I never really pursued it. I found that it’s quite stressful and you go to great places but don’t get time off to enjoy yourself.

What is your favorite day off activity? 

If I’m tired, reading in bed, playing casual games, and watching sci-fi and horror series. If I’m not too tired playing music, gardening, or going out with my partner, be it a museum, concert, movie, or dinner.

What are your long-term goals?

Grow and diversify my business, by opening my mixing studio to offer music production, mixing, mastering, and sound for film more consistently, and do more event production management. Help musicians and other creatives achieve their vision and release my projects as an artist. Continue to support the next generation of sound engineers and musicians with education and mentoring, through workshops, courses, and being involved in initiatives like Girls Rock Camp and The Tech Sisters.

What if any obstacles or barriers have you faced?

I have faced sexism for sure, especially when I was starting out. Bands would arrive at the venue and ask “Are YOU mixing?” and I’d be like “ Well if you don’t want me to you can do it yourself!” and that has always been my stance. Of course, in many situations, nobody says those things to your face, so all you can do is do your best and not worry about it. I think it acts as a filter, a place that won’t hire me because I’m a queer migrant woman is not a place where I want to be.

The other big one is toxic work environments, of which I have tasted many flavors: the ‘we are family”, the abusive manager, and the threatened colleague. It can be hard to spot at first, but once you start seeing the red flags, you can’t unsee them.

How have you dealt with them?

I have learned early on to stand up for myself and to find out whether a gig is worth the trouble or not. But the thing that has made the biggest difference for me was seeking community. Having the support of other women/GNC people who understand your struggles and where you’re coming from. Who can relate and offer advice based on their lived experience. Not to downplay the support of some awesome guys I’ve met, but groups like Mulheres do Audio, and SoundGirls have been instrumental in helping me overcome these issues.

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

Do it! There are more of us than ever and we are stronger together! Connecting with other women and gender-diverse people, SoundGirls is a great place to start. Find your local community and chances are they’ll have your back.

Must have skills?

Broad musical taste, decent hearing, curiosity, interest in lifelong learning, and the ability to learn by yourself, because changes in the industry are constant and often you need the knowledge before you can consult with someone else. I believe that basic musical knowledge is a great advantage for audio technicians. No need to study Schoenberg but knowing rhythmic figures, harmony, and scales can help you a lot, both live and in the studio.

Favorite gear?

For live, any modern digital console with enough graphic eqs is fine. I’m partial to dB Technologies systems as they normally sound quite good just out of the box, and Allen & Heath consoles. The most useful items in my toolkit, besides tape and Sharpie, is undoubtedly my iPad and a router. That was the best investment I made because it helps immensely with line checks, tuning, and naming channels.

In the studio, I love Genelecs, Tannoy, Reaper, and plugins from FabFilter, Plugin Alliance, UAD, and iZotope.

Anything else you want to add?

The entertainment industry is a hard one and many toxic narratives in it need to go! Being proud of doing 80-hour weeks, the boys club, abusive behavior, and the glamorization of booze and drugs as things that are tolerable and even desirable in workplaces are unfortunately still quite common and anyone within it will likely have to deal with these issues from time to time. Still, there is a pushback against these things, especially by younger people, and I’m fully in support. Particularly in regards to long hours, yes sometimes they are inevitable due to specific circumstances, but if they are always the rule, that’s a management issue. Don’t let anyone tell you that you need to subject yourself to these things if you want to succeed in this business. There are alternatives and many opportunities to do what you love without sacrificing your mental and physical health. Boundaries are good in any relationship, professional or personal, and those who don’t respect them don’t deserve you!

Yi Hsuan Lee – Independent Live Sound Tech

Yi Hsuan Lee aka Kate Lee has been working in audio for the last 12 years, getting her start in 2012. Kate growing up was a music fan, saving her money to see as many concerts and festivals as possible. Kate was also a drummer and discovered early on, she did not like being onstage. Then she met the singer from her drum teacher’s band who was a production manager for a local venue. This is when Kate discovered a behind-the-scenes career path. She interned at the venue working in both lighting and audio, and fell in love. Eight months later Kate would take the plunge, moving to Los Angeles to attend the Musician’s Institute for Audio Engineering. Kate has recently toured with LCD Soundsystem and Pearl Jam as part of the monitor team.

Career Start

How did you get your start?

Right before I graduated from MI, my instructor invited us to shadow him when he did gigs at night or on the weekend.  I tried to go to every gig to help out, ask questions, and maybe get to mix a couple of songs. Eventually, he started to pass me some small gigs, and, then after six months, he asked if I was interested in a part-time job at MI as a production team member which was sound, lights, and camera for classes, concerts, and workshops. Eventually, it turned into a full-time job shortly after that.

How did your early internships or jobs help build a foundation for where you are now?

There is meaning for every gig, job, and opportunity. When I worked at MI, I got to experience many different sounds, different vocals,  guitars, and tones every day.  I was able to play with and try different equipment and FX, just to see how it sounded and learn from it. You don’t need fancy gear to learn, use what you have and be creative. Because it’s a school, I was able to sit in some classes and clinics that I was interested in. I would stay late at work just to get some studio time or get my hands on a console. I was really lucky to start in MI where mistakes are ok and there were plenty of resources for me to continue to learn and grow.

What did you learn interning or on your early gigs?

I learned to listen more and speak less. Especially when you are just starting out. Absorb everything, good or bad. Be teachable, be humble.

Did you have a mentor or someone that helped you?

Joe Fiorillo who was the instructor that took me under his wing when I first started. He took a chance on me. He loves to teach, share knowledge, and of course great stories. More importantly, he is always willing to help students and the next generation to succeed. He passed many gigs and opportunities to many of us. He helps me build my confidence and lets me grow in a safe place. I can say that without him I wouldn’t be where I am today.

Another person will be Ivan Ortis from Rat Sound System. After working at MI for six years, I was desperately looking for change. I knew a bigger world existed for me to learn and explore. Then Ivan hired me at Rat Shop. I was able to learn in a big production setting and develop all my stage tech skills while working in the shop.


Career Now

What is a typical day like?

As a stage tech/monitor tech, before unloading the truck, I’ll meet with the house stage manager, if I’m going in with the band, I’ll check with house audio people as well. I‘ll ask several questions, where is my monitor world going to be? How much space do I need and what I can have? Where can I store my dead case? Where to tie in my power? How many stagehands do I have? What’s the path for my snake? I prefer to have a big picture of how I want things to lay out before I start pushing cases so I’m not doing things twice. After talking to the stage manager and house audio, I should have a pretty good idea of how my stuff is going to lay out. I’ll direct stagehands to unload the truck, help the monitor engineer, then tie in the power, run the snake, and start the patch stage. Once the stage is patched, we will do a line check, fix any issues, and get ready for soundcheck and show.

How do you stay organized and focused?

As a tech, staying organized is everything. Keep documenting everything. The way I stay focused is I’m always thinking about what I can do better. What can we do differently to make our life easier? When I work I always think ahead and adjust my workflow accordingly.

What do you enjoy the most about your job?

When the show starts, the audience is having a good time. I enjoyed every show I worked on, no matter how exhausted I am. It is always touching to see the show come together and knowing that I’m a little part of it, we are creating memorable experiences for people.

What do you like least?

Long hours and pulling feeder.

If you tour, what do you like best?

Travel between different cities, trying good restaurants and local coffee shops.

What do you like least?

Sleeping on a tour bus. jet lag, canceled flights, and missing bags.

What is your favorite day off activity? 

Catch up with friends and family. Relaxing. Have a walk in nature.

What are your long-term goals?

Keep doing what I love and keep learning new things.

What if any obstacles or barriers have you faced?

The language barrier and being a 5-foot-tall Asian woman in this male-dominated field.

How have you dealt with them?

I’m just focusing on my job and making sure I do a good job on every gig. I believe people recognize good work. I’ll let my work speak for me. A lot of time I’ll be in charge of leading stagehands and I need to give them clear instructions and direction. I’ve learned to be confident with what I do and own it.

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

You have to love what you do because this job is not easy.  If you want it, you have to work hard and ignore any negative comments. It’s never too late to start.

Must have skills?

Signal flow and troubleshooting.

Seizing the Opportunity By Becoming A Constant Learner

 

My first show as a touring engineer, I was thrown into an audience of 15,000+ people; vastly different from the whatever-cap rooms of lower Broadway and other small Nashville venues, churches, and rehearsals I had come up in. I had never touched a DiGiCo outside of the one time at the Clair shop, thanks to some dear friends of mine. I had also never mixed on a large format line array.

Amid the chaos of being in an intimidating environment, I had to choose to lean into the discomfort of these new challenges. It’s daunting, but it may be the only way to effectively achieve success in this career. When the opportunity presents itself, have some grace for yourself and others, but focus on being a constant student. Nothing I mention here is rocket science, and everyone will develop their own variation – mostly this is a reflection on some of the foundations that have helped me feel grounded, stay inspired, and most importantly have fun at the beginning of my career.

The night before that first gigantic show, I stayed up studying console manuals and whatever articles on gear I could find and listened to every single song of the artist I was being hired to mix. I learned the arrangement and intention of the setlist, simultaneously referencing the multitrack I was provided to learn how the band and artist had developed the thrill of the live show. Weekend warrior-style touring allowed me to diligently study board tapes upon returning home and it equally provided time to intently review and research the notes I had gathered from the weekend.

Developing a routine came down to a few key actions. As I mentioned previously, I committed to a physical notebook. For me, every mistake and any thoughts from the day made it onto these pages, as did more technical questions regarding my mix or gear. I was also able to gather information and opinions from peers and the headliner crews, who took the time to share their mixing or system engineering techniques. Tour managers and production managers also encouraged dialogue between myself and members of the crew/band. These conversations all turned into actionable data to later provide an educational framework.

Reading was also an important part of this journey. Before touring, I consumed articles and videos regarding studio and live mixing, and Bob McCarthy’s System Design and Optimization book was visited frequently, as well as various other audio fundamental books and manufacturer’s websites. Today there are so many resources for discovering new technical blogs, videos, and plenty of resources have emerged even in the last two years to support this kind of study. You could probably ask your nearest friendly audio nerd to share their favorite with you.

Today my structure is more detailed and systematic than it initially was on that first show, although much of the routine looks the same. It has been important to take risks and push technical and creative boundaries. I am reiterating classic advice, but I challenged myself by making mistakes and asking questions (yes, even those trivial, “wrong” ones). Reading and writing have been huge for my comprehension, and I’m sure many others can emphasize this.

Being studious in these ways helps me to push my limits. I eventually leaped outside of country music to pursue another genre, for the sake of curiosity and an eagerness to learn. The fun part of our industry is that these shows can always be pushed farther; the creative and technical journey certainly never ends, and what I shared here is a small part of what has helped me achieve everything so far. I encourage you to take a moment to discover what works for you, and enjoy the process as you do!

Live Sound Engineer Sana Romanos

 

Sana grew up in Lebanon, Beirut, a region that is hostile to women and their advancement, yet Sana prevailed as a native Arab woman, running mixing consoles and leading teams. Something that had never been seen before. Sana says  “I come from a third-world country that most people have never heard of unless it made the news for wars and bombings but I am now working for one of the top international companies in our industry. All of this to say – there was a lot of betting against me going into the live sound field, but none of that mattered in the long run- so the lesson to learn: aim, focus, work and you will find a place for yourself in this industry.”Sana currently works as a specialist for Meyer Sound and is a freelance live sound engineer.

Early Life

When did you discover audio as a career path?

My parents took me to my first large-scale concert when I was 15 here in Beirut. I was fascinated that sound can be “spread” into such a big space, beyond just headphones or car radio systems. During that same concert, I saw a person behind a big board full of knobs and thought well this must be a cool job to have! That concert I believe was the trigger of my interest in audio and in a career in this field.

Did music and audio interest you while you were growing up?

I always loved listening to music and had a very varied taste while growing up but I never was able to learn to play any instruments. I was more into the sciences – math and physics. – and I entered this field not from the musician’s side like most but more from the scientific side.

Educational Background

Did you attend a University/College/Trade School?

Yes, I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Physics from the American University of Beirut (2012) and a Master of Science in Audio Engineering from Université Blaise-Pascal in France (2014)

 

Career Start

How did you get your start? 

I did an internship in the summer of my first year of master’s back home in Beirut in one of the largest rental companies there. I then went back to France finished my masters and then returned home to Beirut to be hired by that same rental company. I worked there for the next 3 years (2014- 2017)

How did your early internships or jobs help build a foundation for where you are now? 

That internship led to my first job offer. I consider the 3 years spent at that rental company as the years that really formed and shaped my career. I was doing all sorts of work with them from managing teams to running set-ups and beginning to mix at large-scale events and festivals in the region.

What did you learn interning or on your early gigs? 

Speed in troubleshooting and working under pressure. Mainly the internship and then first job exposed me to a variety of sub-fields so that later on I was able to choose and be more selective in the jobs that I wanted to take on as a freelancer.

Did you have a mentor or someone that really helped you?  

A few worth mentioning along the way. The owner of the rental company I worked for, Fida Zalloum, was the one who gave me my first shot at mixing and managing projects. Then along the way very few local engineers were helpful except for one, Wissam Jarrah, who I still consider as my mentor and who I go back to for questions and support when needed. Then after I joined Meyer Sound I can honestly say that the entire technical team at Meyer has been beyond supportive and helpful, it has been great being part of this team.

Career Now

What is a typical day like?

I am mostly traveling for my work with Meyer Sound – which I love because not a week is like the other. If I am not on the road then I am working remotely from my apartment in Beirut doing system design, technical support, and education work for the company. I am also still taking on selective projects as a MON or FOH engineer and technical concert/festival management locally.

How do you stay organized and focused?

I am not great at working ahead of time I am more of a work-under-pressure type of person but what helps me stay on time is being organized and sorted in my to-do list and priorities.

What do you enjoy the most about your job?

That there is no overwhelming routine. It is always varied- always on the move in different settings especially when traveling and being in different countries, witnessing and working with different cultures and people.

What do you like least?

Sometimes the extensive traveling takes a toll on me physically but I am learning to take breaks when that happens – still a work in progress!

What is your favorite day off activity? 

Relaxing, reading books, catching up with my loved ones.

What are your long-term goals?

To keep doing what I love and keep learning and exploring new things in this field,

What if any obstacles or barriers have you faced?

The obvious thing about being a woman in this male-dominated field especially in the Middle-East where I come from.

How have you dealt with them?

I just focused on what I wanted – it was clear to me from the beginning that this is what I wanted to be this is what I wanted to work in – and that is the only thing that at the core mattered as long as I was convicted and motivated all the obstacles were obsolete.

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

Be sure this is what you want because it is not easy – but if it is truly what you want then the difficulties won’t matter in the big picture.

Must have skills?

Emotional intelligence – especially when doing monitors. It is important to know how to read people and how to react and support them in the high-pressure environment that is the stage and performance time.

 

Thank You R

As almost everyone in this industry knows, and as I have said multiple times, this work is a thankless job. You do ridiculous hours, sometimes no guarantee of pay because companies are trying to take advantage of everything they can including free labour, hardly any time to rest/prep/have personal time, and the list goes on. But occasionally, you get something that makes it worth it. Occasionally you get a reaction from a young audience member and you know that is the moment they fall in love with the arts. Or a chance encounter with someone you have idolised. Or just after a really long strenuous and stressful week, you get the rare occurrence of a thank you.

A recent day while on tour, there was a particularly bad day. It had been a rough few days leading up to this day for various reasons. Mostly admin paperwork and things that were generally out of my control and out of my pay grade. But of course, these things were still factors in making a show happen so as the day approached for the show, and things still weren’t complete, the stress levels rose and a question began to be prevalent on everyone’s mind. Can we even put the show on without this paperwork done? For those who don’t understand why I was stressing about something that was out of my control, it’s simply because I was worried for two main reasons. The first being that the blame would be put on us technicians for the show not being able to be put on (even though the admin paperwork needed was not our responsibility). The second being that at the time it was unclear to me if a show was cancelled whether or not we would still be paid. So, hopefully, this lets you see why I was a bit stressed. Us techies were not the only ones stressed about this either. The performers were dying to know whether they were going to get to perform or not, and if not would it mean we would premiere the show later or would they also not get paid for months of hard work? Obviously, on the day the performance was supposed to be opening, tensions were more than a little high.

 

 

We get into the venue and it takes us a while to get the rig working. Once that was finally done, the lighting plan was still not given to us so we had very little information to go off of but we tried to make it work. The paperwork still hasn’t been finished and signed off on. We have less than 8 hours before the curtain goes up by the time we have finished with the lighting. We skip ahead to rehearsals where the performers are practically ignoring us techies and we’re trying not to yell at them to pay attention to where their damn spots are marked. The sound keeps cutting in and out during rehearsals, so we do a hard reset of the system. That seems to fix the problem and we have less than 6 hours before the curtain goes up. After rehearsals, we’re frantically trying to see what anyone can do about the paperwork and the legalities of what might happen if it doesn’t get finished in time. The head honcho finally comes up to the Technical Director, less than 3 hours before the curtain goes up, and he gives us the news that would determine the rest of our weekend, potentially the rest of the tour. The paperwork has just been signed off and given approval. There’s almost a collective breath of relief. Now we just face one other problem… The performers don’t feel ready for the show because they have been practising for other shows for the tour in case the paperwork didn’t pan out. So now we’ve finally been given the green light, with an unprepared cast.

 

 

Amazingly, they pull it together and make the show happen anyway. As the saying always says “The show must go on.” It was after the show and once the audience left that one performer, in particular, made a point to come up to the tech booth as we were finishing shutting everything down and prepping for the show the next day. This performer, I’ll call him R, is the senior performer on tour. He’s been with the company for a while and is the one who tries to get the other performers comfortable with us techies. What he said to us that day I will never forget. He said,

“I know today was rough. Rougher than most of us would have liked it to be. I know a lot of the others didn’t notice how stressed you guys were, but I did, and some of the others who have been with us a while noticed as I’m sure you noticed we’ve been stressed too and some of them took it out on you guys which wasn’t cool. So I’m sorry for them. I always wanted to say thank you because you guys did amazing with all that was going on.”

We techies just kind of looked at each other. R was always nice but this was something entirely unexpected. We congratulated him on making the show happen and for a great performance. The relief came over his face as he was clearly happy to hear that the audience couldn’t see the nerves bundling underneath. We as technicians often forget the performers are just as stressed about a show as we are. Just like performers often don’t understand why we’re stressed about a show. It was nearly an industry miracle getting an apology as well as a thank you. So I just wanted to remind everyone that it does happen, even if as rarely as spotting a unicorn.

 

Work Life + Personal Life = Balanced Life?

A balanced life is defined as achieving optimal health in every aspect of your life including work and personal life. Unfortunately while working in this industry the personal life often comes to a grinding halt.  It’s no secret that I have always chosen my work life above almost all else. This is a personal choice, obviously not one everyone makes. So what does that “balanced life” look like to someone who chooses work life first and how do the other aspects fall into order behind the priority? While this particular article is an inside look at how I rank them, that clearly won’t be how everyone else puts them in order and no one can make that decision for you. Hopefully, this will give you some insight into how each aspect of life is affected by this industry.

Work Life

Starting with the obvious one: your work life. To get anywhere in this industry it is widely accepted that you have to put work first. There have been several things that I have missed out on due to putting my work first, and I accept that. There are also people that I don’t get to talk to nearly as often as I would like because I travel so often for work and don’t have the same time off as most others in my friends and family circle. To compensate for this, most of the people I work with become close friends while on the road, and for the most part we get along. The long extended hours that we all pull together help keep that bond, and the after-work drinks help as well. Keeping in touch with family and friends who aren’t part of the industry continues to be a challenge though, but most of them are understanding of the fact that I love what I do for a living and how long I have strived to be where I’m at in my career.

Family Life

On the road, the crew you work with practically becomes a second family. This by no means replaces your blood relatives and some people place more emphasis on needing this aspect. I still talk to my family as well, but in all reality, they don’t have a clue as to what goes on out here and it’s nice having a close bond with people who do understand. That’s why I would put family life as fairly important and higher ranking. Family can be chosen as well and I get family time with my work family. At the most recent festival I worked at, we were all so close that one of the technicians noticed all of us having a rough week of tech rehearsals and made waffles the next morning. That’s pretty akin to having breakfast on the porch of your parent’s house in this industry. Just like family, you also get dragged into family drama. We know each other’s ups and downs, what everyone is going through, and struggling with, why this person isn’t talking to this person at the minute, etc. It can be just as exhausting as any blood-related family.

Personal Life

I personally keep my personal life separate from family life and work life. My boss at work doesn’t need to know what I get up to while I’m not on the clock and my family doesn’t get to see certain sides of me (would you really want to run into your parents while heavily drunk on the road?). This is why I don’t consider family life part of my personal life. What you do in your downtime is entirely your business, except when you’re in this industry. Being on the road with a crew means you get pretty close. So close, that you practically know each other’s habits and time clocks by heart. I know my boss will always be ten minutes late to get in at a venue because he can’t function around people who aren’t part of the crew without coffee, and I know one of the dancers is consistently half an hour early to the venue so she can have the dressing room to herself to meditate. You learn each other, and pretty quickly. That means all your habits that you like to do to relax before/after work, they’re going to know about those too. It’s not because of other people learning it that I tend to put my personal life as one of the last priorities, but instead, I see it as I know how much alone time and social time I need and want. I regulate both sides of it at my own pace.

Romantic Life

Any person who has been working in this industry for any point in time, you know the struggle of attempting to date while working. Let’s be honest, your regular date nights are obliterated. The weekends are when you work and asking someone to go to dinner on a Tuesday is underwhelming. So I put my romantic life last once I got into this industry. I sacrificed dates for more work time and personal time, and that is a decision I can both live with and stand by. When I have gone on dates and I try to tell people about my job, I get some expected questions like So you’re a singer/dancer/performer (No)? Can you get me backstage (No)? Can you introduce me to the casting director (I’ve never even met them)? Do you get autographs all the time (No, only sometimes)? Who’s the most famous person you’ve ever met (Probably someone who isn’t famous to you because you like the actors/actresses, not the behind-the-scenes people)? And many more… Dating is hard. To begin with, now it’s expected that I either meet someone in some random town that I’m not going to visit again anytime soon while on the road or I meet someone at work and have rumours spread like wildfire about how I actually got my job. No thanks.

 

Everyone in this industry balances the aspects of their lives differently. Some families back home understand that the touring life takes them far away, and some have companies that will bring their families out on the road with them. They spend time splitting it between life on the road and time off at home. Some people tour with their romantic partners and do what is called a “couples contract”. Some people just go with the flow and make the best of their experiences and time on the road while getting lots of personal time. The balance that you currently have can change during the course of your career. Figuring out what is best for yourself is part of being in this industry, and your priorities can change during that time. All options are valid because we all need different things for ourselves.

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