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Shadowing Opportunity – Greg Price – Ozzy

Shadowing Opportunity with FOH Engineer Greg Price.

SoundGirls Members who are actively pursuing a career in Live Sound or Concert Production are invited to shadow FOH Engineer Greg Price on Ozzy.

Please fill out this application and send a resume to soundgirls@soundgirls.org with Ozzy in the subject line. If you are selected to attend, information will be emailed to you. Please note Load In will be at 7 am, and you are required to bring safety gear (hard hat, closed toed shoes, etc.)

Cities Available

About FOH Engineer Greg Price: As a live-sound engineer, Greg Price has worked with some of the biggest rock bands around. In addition to Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath, Greg has mixed everyone from Kiss, Chicago, Aerosmith, and Van Halen right through to Rage Against The Machine, Limp Bizkit, Velvet Revolver and Foo Fighters. Price also spent a very memorable eight years with Glen Campbell in the 1980s and even earned a few pop stripes a decade ago when he engineered for Hannah Montana (aka Miley Cyrus), Christina Aguilera and the Cheetah Girls. Read More Here

 

Things we learn in a year

As December is approaching us, another year is gone. Time flew by, and I swear it was just January!

A year ago I could’ve never imagined that I would’ve learned the things that I’ve learned and worked with some amazingly talented artists, some whose music I have grown up with. I would’ve never thought I’d work on big events, having to plan and prepare for the Brits Awards after-party in February, our first birthday party in May with the amazing Gabrielle on stage, and last week we had Sophie Ellis Bextor doing a surprise performance. I mean, what a year!

With big events comes great responsibilities but also great learning opportunities. When you continuously challenge yourself and learn from your mistakes you are always improving!

Here are a few things that I’ve learnt this year that I thought I’d like to share:

Power – It started with the Brits Awards after-party. The production we had in was insane, with extra everything! Extra lighting, extra sound system, LED screens, etc. All these extra things needed extra power, which we at the time did not have. Luckily we have some great electricians on site that helped me with getting all the extra power installed, with very short notice! Spending time with electricians is always useful as you learn so much from them, and without their knowledge, we wouldn’t be able to have such an extravagant show!

Brit Awards After Show

Brit Awards After Show

Network – Audio via network and Dante is great when it’s working. Not so much when it’s not, it is tough to troubleshoot where the issue might be. Our whole audio system stopped communicating the night after the Brits Awards after-party. I was about to cry after having worked an insane amount of hours. It took over a week to fix, and the basic explanation of the issue was the power to the switch inside our stage was powered off, which meant that it lost all the IP addresses, so it did not know where to send the audio! I’d like for that to never happen again!

Knowledge – If you do not know how something is working, then learn it! Due to some changes in one of our weekly nights we needed to be able to control our lights more in-depth. The issue was that none of us actually knew how to use the lighting desk properly. So I reached out and arranged for a full day of training for my team and me in how to use the Zero 88 Jester 24 lighting desk! It was a lot of fun, and it’s great to be able to incorporate out lighting rig into our shows. There’s not much room for us being able to be creative, but hey some colour here and there makes a huge difference!

Being a manager – Make sure to triple-check that everyone is doing what they’re supposed to do. That is to check in on everyone you’re working with and getting regular updates on what they’re doing. Sometimes people just need a reminder, but this is so important to make sure everything is running on time. On the day of a big event, you do not want to find out that someone hasn’t dealt with a particular thing, which can cause a lot of stress and issues on the day. You do not need that in your life.

Inequality – It’s frustrating when people treat you differently because of your gender or other reasons, however, try and not let it affect you. Just do your job and do it great. This is forever a reminder to myself to just let it go and focus on what I’m supposed to do, my job.

Back up – Back everything up. Thrice. On different USBs and laptops.

Learn from your mistakes – Admit when you messed it up and deal with it. Don’t repeat your mistakes!

Looking back at this year it’s been insane and went way too quickly. However, having taken the time to reflect, I realise now how far I’ve come and how much I’ve learned. Now it’s all about the new year and to continue advancing within the audio industry. Who knows where we will be this time next year?

 

Arica Rust: In Love with Live Sound Technology

Arica Rust works for Sound on Stage in San Francisco as a staff engineer. Sound on Stage is a sound system rental company based in the San Francisco Bay Area, providing systems for a wide range of events ranging from high-profile corporate entertainment to rock festivals like Outside Lands and Treasure Island Music Festival. Arica has been with SOS for the last six years, which means she wears many hats and works as an engineer for FOH and Monitors, stage patch, and whatever else they might throw at her. Her favorite position is as a FOH systems engineer. She enjoys being on the road and recently completed the North American leg of the Ben Howard Tour as the PA Systems Tech.

Arica has been working in live sound for the last nine years and came to it as many do, with a love of music. Her initial dream was to work in a recording studio. Her journey into live sound started when she went to City College of San Francisco to study studio recording and found herself in the live sound classes as well.

City College of San Francisco offers an excellent audio program, providing several different certificate programs and is headed up by SoundGirl Dana Labrecque. (Dana runs the Bay Area SoundGirls Chapter and is a Co-Director or SoundGirls). After attending the live sound classes and her first internship, that was it; Arica knew live sound was where she wanted to be. When she was a teenager, Arica says, “ I spent all my lunch money buying records and going to concerts with my friends. I originally went to college in upstate New York out of high school to study avant-garde Electronic Music and Creative Writing at Bard College”.

“I want to be able to make people experience music the way that I do with that same feeling where it lights your brain on fire. I figured the best way to shape people’s experience was to be on the technical side of the stage”.

Arica and her friend Tiffani used to throw underground electronic music events in the Bay Area and would use her friends’ rental company Word of Mouth Sound. When she was looking for her first internship while at City College of San Francisco, she contacted them and ended up working behind the scenes at the events she used to attend. She completed her trade certificates in Live Sound and Recording Arts at CCSF before transferring to San Francisco State University.

Realizing that she wanted to work in live sound on the technical side set Arica on her way. She went on to study at San Francisco State University and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcasting and Electronic Media Arts with a focus in Audio Production. Professor John Barsotti taught the audio program in the broadcasting department and introduced Arica to Sound on Stage.

Arica continues to immerse herself in ongoing education and training, receiving certification in Rational Acoustics’ SMAART, L-Acoustics Levels 1 and 2, and attends various AES related conventions and events. “I value the importance of education and feel that no matter how much one thinks they know, there is always something new to discover. I try to learn from a variety of sources whether it is from the war stories of other engineers or diversifying my training from different manufacturers”.

Arica’s long-term goals have changed since she started on her audio path: “It’s funny how your goals change over time as you learn more. I went to school imagining myself mixing albums for bands, but now I am way more interested in the science of sound and designing, deploying, and tuning systems for different clients”. She also loves teaching and getting people excited about science.

What if any obstacles or barriers have you faced?

The biggest obstacles I have had to face have always been the ones I create for myself. I think I will forever be plagued with Imposter Syndrome: the feeling that I am not good enough, smart enough, know enough, etc. to be where I am. No matter how much I try to prove myself there is always that feeling in the back of my head of self-doubt, but then I’ll have those magical moments where the show starts and maybe it’s music I’ve heard before or, even better, a band I’m unfamiliar with that just blows me away, and I feel like I’m right where I need to be doing what I love.

How have you dealt with them?

I just keep telling myself over and over that “I got this” when I start doubting myself. I stay focused on doing the best I possibly can. I try not to let my demons in my head get the best of me and put 110% in everything I do. It’s easy to get jaded, but even if this time you don’t get acknowledgment for your efforts, eventually hard work shows and people respect that. I do things to help me relax and get in a confident headspace. For example, I have a playlist that I sometimes listen to before going into work to get myself ready to go.

The advice you have for women and non-binary people who wish to enter the field?

I wish we lived in a world where people do not change the way they interact with you based on what they perceive to be your gender, but sadly that is not the reality yet. Things are getting better slowly but surely, but my best advice is to have a tough skin and be the bigger person. People should not be allowed to get away with unprofessional behavior, but you have to counter these situations with professionalism. If you work hard and show everyone your value, then it should not matter who you are. I want to be seen for my skills as an engineer not what people perceive to be my gender.

Must have skills?

I joke that this industry is 20% technical knowledge and 80% customer service skills. You can teach anyone how to operate a board, but not everyone can learn the people skills to interact with artists and clients. A good attitude and a willingness to work will get you farther at first than knowing how to mix. Also always be open to exploring new things and learning from others. I am continually learning and re-evaluating my current knowledge because technology is ever changing and I respect the wisdom of people who share their experience with me.

Favorite gear?

My favorite rig is L-Acoustics K2 with KS28 subs, Kara Outfill, and Arc Wide front fill. I don’t think I could leave home without my laptop running SMAART v8 and the modeling software of the manufacturer whose PA I am working with, my ISEMCON EMX-7150 measurement mic, my multimeter, and my disto. I have Roland Octa-capture and Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 USB interfaces in my A and B rigs as well as a soldering iron to fix problems on the job.

What is your favorite day off activity?

I enjoy spending time and catching up with my friends when I am not working. The industry demands you to sacrifice a lot of your social life, but it is essential to make an effort to keep in touch with your loved ones when you can. Your real friends understand when you are busy because they want to see you doing what you love to do. I also am passionate about my dance practice and reading anything from comic books to technical white papers.

Anything else you would like to leave us with?

I would like to stress the importance of self-care. I think there is a lot of taboo around taking care of your self because everyone works hard and plays hard. I’ve failed, many times, to eat enough, sleep enough, drink enough water while working long hours and paid the consequences on my body and mind sooner or later. It’s important to take time to decompress and reset your brain, even just for a minute that you get to step away. This is a stressful job, but it is also a labor of love. Please feel free to reach out to me! I enjoy geeking out. You can contact Arica at aricarust@gmail.com

Learn more about Arica:

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Profiles of Women in Audio

When it stops running like clockwork – troubleshooting the basics

Live Digital Audio Part 4

What can you do when it goes wrong? Each live set up will vary, but there are a few fundamentals you can check before having to call tech support.

Snap, crackle, and pop – how to recognise digital issues

What does a sampling or word clock issue even sound like? Unfortunately, they can sound like all sorts of weird noises. As mentioned in previous posts, if your word clock starts to slip out of sync it will just sound a bit off. You may notice the stereo image doesn’t feel as big, or it sounds a little dull, or phasey. More disconcerting problems manifest themselves as strange periodical pops or clicks, or even like someone twanging a rubber band. Think of the 1s and 0s – if the information isn’t transmitted correctly there isn’t any intermediate value, there is no 0.5 in binary. The bit is either there, or it isn’t. Devices then try to read the empty (or partially empty, in the case of slight mistiming) slot and it may result in random noise. If we go back to our video analogy if you’re watching an analogue transmission and the reception goes bad, it will go fuzzy around the edges, but it’ll still be watchable. If a digital transmission does the same, the entire image tends to freeze, become pixelated, or fill with weird patterns and colours.

Don’t overcomplicate it

So what can you do about it? The number one step should be to make sure it is actually a digital issue. Don’t hear hooves and presume zebras. If something is crackling, make sure it isn’t a bad stage cable or piece of backline, etc. If there’s a weird noise, is it over the entire system or is it just on one or two channels? If it isn’t global, it’s more likely to be something like a broken input or analogue transmission line. If it’s over several channels, it could be crosstalk in a multipin cable or something in one area of the room that several mics are picking up.

If you’re certain it’s a sampling or word clock problem, think through the signal path methodically, like you would with any other fault. Make sure everything is still set to the correct sample rate, master clock, and IP address. Check your cables are seated correctly – this is especially important for BNC connectors. Due to the central pin being so small, if they aren’t in the socket completely straight, or are taking a lot of strain, they can lose too much of their connecting surface area and stop passing signal. Optimally (I always try to secure cables in such a way that the weight is taken off the connections for this reason. It also keeps the cable in good condition for longer). Double-check that you haven’t connected cables of differing impedance. Work from one end of the signal path to the other, swapping out cables or bypassing devices one at a time. Take it down to the simplest setup you can, removing things like effects units or even the desk. If your amps have the capability, playing music or pink noise directly into them can take a big chunk of your setup out of the equation. If you are still experiencing problems, check that everything’s firmware is up to date, or at least the same version as other devices of the same type (e.g., all the amps, or desk stage boxes).

Have you tried turning it off and on again?

If this is all in order, it’s time to turn things off and on again! I know it sounds like a cop-out, but power cycling devices (using that term in front of clients makes you sound more professional than saying you’re turning it off and on again) can force them to reset to the right settings, or do their boot-up checklist, where they do a sweep of the network and see other devices that they might have lost contact with for whatever reason. It might not be enough to just switch it off; completely unplugging the device from its power source and leaving it for half a minute can sometimes make it forget any bad information it had stored and start again. Of course, be sure to save anything you need, like your show file, before trying this step!

Make the call

If none of this helps, I’m sorry to say it’s time to call tech support. But here’s the secret to most tech’s tech support: it’s other techs. Nearly everyone in this industry has friends who know more than them about certain topics, which they can phone when they’re stuck.  If nothing else, they might know the solution just because they’ve had the same thing happen to them before. Yet another reason to be (genuinely) nice to everyone; we’re all part of a hive mind of knowledge, and nearly all of us are more than happy to help a colleague out of a bind. On top of this, audio equipment manufacturers are invested in making sure you don’t have bad experiences with their gear, and their support people are often ex-techs themselves, so they will definitely want to sort you out! There’s no shame in tapping into that knowledge if it gets the gig back up and running, and soon enough you’ll be the one who receives the panicked phone call half an hour before doors. Just remember that the more problems you experience, the more you can help others in the future.

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

I think we all reach a point in our lives where we might feel a little lost on our path. All of us who are in the entertainment industry, know how lucky we are to have the opportunity to work in a creative field. The few of us who actually followed our dreams or perhaps just happened to stumble upon them.

However, like anyone else we can also feel a bit lost and unmotivated, feeling like there is no purpose in what we do. I recently felt like this, craving something new and learning new things.  I felt like I wanted to move on from where I am currently at.

Writing this I felt a struggle, as I felt like I’ve been on autopilot the last two months, and therefore have nothing to say or write about, feeling generally unmotivated. Not because I had little to do, but because the festive season is approaching and having learned from last year, I wanted to get a head start on all the craziness that is waiting around the corner.

Looking back at these past two months, contrary to my feeling of lack of motivation, I have been very productive and done plenty! Is that perhaps why I felt like I wanted to move on as I know what to expect and the excitement (and stress) is not what it used to be? The adrenaline you get from the excitement of not knowing what is ahead of you? Maybe.

I guess that though we might feel stuck, unmotivated or lost, it does not mean that we actually are. Perhaps there are small changes we can do to change our circumstances, make things more exciting or possibly it is time to go, to move on in life and seek a new adventure?

Step back and evaluate

Look at where you are, what is going on around you? Are there things that could run better, smoother & more efficient? Is your workplace in order, do you have everything you need to do your job properly?

Sometimes you need to take a step back to take two steps forward. Identify what is causing you to feel unmotivated. Will moving on solve your problems or will it actually just make you feel more lost? Are you prepared to move on?

Can you change your situation?   

Are you able to change things at work to make things more/less challenging? It is important to feel challenged and to learn new things, but if it is too challenging it can result in stress.

Challenge yourself, set goals in your work- and personal life. There is always room for improvement even if you are already doing a great job.

If things are too challenging and stressful, ask for help and maybe take a step back. Troubleshoot and take one thing at the time.

What is your purpose?

We all need a purpose to feel fulfilled in life. What are you working towards, do you have a plan?

Sometimes you need to walk away from situations that are not fulfilling. Sometimes it is about saying no and establishing boundaries. Sometimes it is not your job that is unfulfilling, but your personal life and that affects your work life. Sometimes you need to stay to grow.

What do you need to reach your goal? Are you in the right place, right scene, right city or even in the right country?

Deal with it

It took me a good couple of months to shake away the lack of motivation and decided to make a few changes in my personal life rather than in my work life.  I felt like I wanted to leave and to move on just because I did not want to deal with things in my personal life. I took a step back, evaluated and changed my situation, and this is something we need to do regularly in life.

So the not so simple question is; will you stay or will you go?

 

 

Berenice Hardiman FOH Engineer/ Tour Manager

Berenice Hardiman is a veteran of the industry having first been inspired after seeing Pink Floyd at the Liverpool Empire, which was her very first concert.  “I immediately knew that I wanted to be part of whatever that “thing” was that I had just witnessed, but of course I had no idea how to even start. I ended up doing computing at University in the late 70s, which of course, ironically, has actually ended up being very useful. I’d always gone to loads of gigs all over the world, and as I reached my late 20’s, I decided that if I was ever going to make the leap into the music industry, time was ticking away.”  So taking a huge risk, Berenice decided to sell her house and buy a PA system with her partner Dave Claxton. From there they proceeded to mostly teach themselves. “We got books from the library and talked to anyone who would spare us 10 minutes. I’d been hanging around the periphery of the music industry for years so I had some useful contacts to press into service. Luckily, it transpired that I was able to achieve a good FOH sound and Dave took to doing monitors. We worked out very quickly that buying a monitor desk would give us the edge over other local PA companies.”

“We built up the company over the next ten years or so covering tens of thousands of miles, first in a Ford Transit and then building up to a 7.5 tonner (truck), doing the sort of gigs where you learn your trade and people generally seemed to like what we did. By the early 2000’s it had become obvious that in order to continue expanding would involve massive capital commitment, and by that point work with our main client, Midge Ure, had reached the point where really we didn’t have time for any other shows, so we took the decision to sell off most of the gear while it was still worth something, and put on our white gloves.”

Currently, along with being FOH Engineer and Tour Manager for Midge Ure, Berenice also handles most of Midge’s bookings, does contracts, invoices, designs his merchandise, runs Midge Ure’s webshop and website and whatever else needs to be done.  “We started off providing the system; then he asked me to do FOH and TM as he liked what he’d heard me do for the support act on the previous tour. We carried on like that for a while until 1998 when I told him that he really should have his own website and online store as I felt that was the way to go. Somehow it ended up falling on my desk! Merch design followed on from that in an obvious sort of way. Then he left his manager of 25 years, and I decided it was time to stop being a hire company as it would have needed massive financial investment to continue, so it made sense for me to take over booking the shows. After all, we had been doing his shows for over ten years by that point so knew all the venues

The Show Must Go On!

As anyone who has been on tour knows, things are not always what they should be, and some gigs and productions leave a lot to be desired.  The lack of attention to detail by some service providers/promoters is one of the things Berenice hates about touring. “We had a fairly prestigious festival show recently that descended into a total nightmare for me. The in-ears hadn’t been set up prior to our arrival, one of the keyboards didn’t have a power supply, the drum riser was the wrong size, half the rider was missing, and if that wasn’t enough I discovered the mix position was on a gantry in the roof of a round metal building. I literally couldn’t hear a THING I was doing. I also couldn’t get down to hear what it sounded like where the audience was.”

Clearly, Berenice has a history of doing whatever it takes and keeping a positive attitude, which are key to being successful. “Obviously we have done loads of gigs where it’s gone horribly wrong for whatever reason, but we’ve always managed to scrape by somehow! That’s what it’s all about though, making the best of things and getting the show done. Once, there was the time when the truck windshield wiper motor went on our way to a show in mid-Wales, some 4-hour drive away, and the only solution was to rig up some bits of wire and pliers so we could move them manually every now and again… we made the gig though!”

“Once, I nearly got stabbed when somebody pulled a knife on me at a show a long time ago when the only way to avoid our desk being stolen by a rioting crowd was to lie across it! We were doing a Soca band in a drinking club in Southall called the Tudor Rose. What we didn’t know was that there was a big boxing match being shown in the venue after the band and I suddenly became aware we were somewhat outnumbered! Not only outnumbered, but by people who REALLY wanted a load of audio gear!! They didn’t get it though.”

When asked what Berenice likes most about her job,  “Nothing beats standing behind the desk with a great PA and making it sound fantastic!”

Michelle Sabolchick Pettinato and Berenice Hardiman at Rock Of Ages Festival in Rottenburg, Germany

What advice would you give young women wanting to enter the field of live sound or professional audio?

“Be very sure it’s what you want! Home life is bound to suffer. I’m lucky that I work with my other half because otherwise, we would never see each other. We worked every New Year’s Eve for about 15 years! The downside is that we never really switch off from “work” which is ok for us because we love what we do.”

As it is with most veteran live sound engineers, when Berenice started her mixing career, consoles were of the analogue format.   If you understood signal flow, you could walk up to any analog desk and familiarize yourself with it rather quickly- a luxury that no longer exists in the current digital age. Coming from a computer background, Berenice made the transition from analogue to digital consoles fairly easily.  “ My only issue still is that at the back of my mind I know that if an analogue board goes down, you can generally row to shore somehow, but the same is simply just not the case when you go digital. Having said that, there are so few old boards out there that work flawlessly now that it’s a small price to pay for being able to just simply load your show, and off you go with a few tweaks!”

The vast array of digital platforms and the complete lack of uniformity among them can be intimidating if not overwhelming to a less experienced engineer.  Berenice’s suggestion for learning different consoles- “RTFM!!! and then install the offline editor and play with it… YouTube is a very useful resource.”

What is your favorite gear?

“I’m a big L’Acoustics fan! And I don’t like to go anywhere without a trusty TC Electronics D2 with a footswitch. I’m not really into carrying racks of valve compressors etc.”

What’s in your tool bag?

“Now? A bag full of XLR/jack converters, my headphones, a footswitch, and some lucky Chinese money a fan gave me in 2009!”

What do you feel is the biggest mistake you made throughout your career? What did it teach you?

“I once tried to fix a power amp during soundcheck and forgot to unplug it first! It taught me not to panic because things get forgotten!”

What would you say are some ‘must have’ skills?

“Calm, methodical thinking in a crisis, and keep your eyes and ears open all the time.”

“Being able to cope with very little sleep and crap food also helps!”

“As far as audio engineering goes, a very wise man once described a very well respected engineer to me… he’s a really great engineer, there’s nothing between his ears and his fingertips, and I think that’s still a very sage opinion. In my opinion, there are far too many engineers out there who overanalyze stuff rather than just feeling the sound.”

Find More Profiles on The Five Percent

Profiles of Women in Audio

Shadowing Opportunity – Brad Madix and Annette Guilfoyle

Shadowing Opportunity with Brad Madix and Annette Guilfoyle

SoundGirls Members who are actively pursuing a career in Live Sound or Concert Production are invited to shadow FOH Engineer Brad Madix and Monitor Engineer Annette Guilfoyle on Florence and the Machine.

Brad and Annette will be offering more opportunities in 2019. Stay Tuned

Please fill out this application and send a resume to soundgirls@soundgirls.org with Florence in the subject line. If you are selected to attend, information will be emailed to you.

About FOH Engineer Brad Madix: Award-winning, Grammy-nominated live, broadcast and recording engineer since 1984. Clients include: Florence + The Machine, Linkin Park, Rush, Jack White, Beck, Van Halen, Shakira, Alanis Morissette, Jane’s Addiction, Jessica Simpson, Rage Against the Machine, Shania Twain, Def Leppard, Bruce Hornsby, Queensryche, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Journey, Marilyn Manson, Mr. Big, Jerry Cantrell, Smashing Pumpkins, Veruca Salt, Suicidal Tendencies, Slayer, and Psychedelic Furs. FOH Interview with Brad Madix

Monitor Engineer Annette Guilfoyle:  Annette has been working in professional audio for over 20 years and is currently the monitor engineer for Florence and the Machine. Annette has worked as a FOH and Monitor Engineer, as well as system teching. She has mixed monitors for Paul Weller, Goldfrapp, Ocean Colour Scene, Editors, Elvis Live in Concert with Orchestra and more.

 

Making Hard Decisions – Career Choices

Have you ever had a time where you made an employment commitment and then had to go back on that commitment? If you have, I bet you struggled with the decision just as much as I did.

I recently had two amazing job opportunities.  I had applied for a job, accepted an offer and was awaiting my start date, when another offer came my way.   All of a sudden, I had two great opportunities in front of me which, turned into having to make one very hard decision. Do I stay with the first job, take the new opportunity or pass on it because I had already accepted the first offer?

As I faced trying to make my decision, I struggled with some moral thoughts about commitment such as; how I would feel if a prospective employee chose to “quit” before they started, and the situation that I might be leaving the company in if I didn’t follow through with the job I had accepted.  I weighed the pros and cons of each job and considered the goals of my career. I sought advice from others. Some advice was great and some just seemed to make it harder to choose. In some moments I knew exactly what to do, only to question my thinking a few moments later. As I processed what was before me, I wished I had a source that might have helped me think it through, so I write this blog to help others consider what they might do if they ever have to make a decision like this.

I came to my decision by taking a sense of self approach, instead of thinking about what others might want or need. For instance, it is you who will be spending the time there, and you are the one doing the work. We work a lot; it’s the nature of the job. Think about you and which option will help you and your goals, your happiness, and what you want from it all. There will be signs that help you decide for yourself, but those signs might get lost in having to make such a tough choice, usually in a short time frame as well.

When it comes down to it, you will likely disappoint someone no matter what, but you can’t take that in as a factor. Sometimes the truck pack doesn’t fit perfectly, but if you move just one piece of gear, you have a perfect Tetris game. It’s ok to pick you! It’s your happiness, your career goals, and your time because the period you spend working is a majority of your life and is a part of who you are, so it’s absolutely ok to put yourself first. The person or organization you end up leaving will be able to move forward and find someone else for the position. You might burn a bridge, but that is part of picking you in this situation. People come and go, usually at the least opportune time, but in the end, they will work through it just as you have when a coworker leaves or a position remains open too long.

When you do finally decide which option will be best for you, no matter commitments made or not, make sure to communicate those as quickly as possible. This may be the best courtesy you have to offer. Whichever you decide, it will leave someone with the task of going back to the hiring board.  Give them as much time as you can for them to do that. Then look forward to your new opportunity and make the best of it, because you chose it for you and it is an exciting next step!

 

Cristina Allen Live Sound Engineer and Mother!

Cristina Allen is a Live Sound Engineer working at the Knitting Factory in Boise, Idaho. She has been working in live sound for over 15 years. She does both FOH and Monitors but prefers mixing monitors.

Cristina grew up in Guadalajara, Mexico and always loved Rock n Roll. For her 15th birthday party, her parents threw her a rock concert, hiring in sound, lights, and staging. She says “it was love at first sight. I can’t explain what came to me but that night I figured out that that’s what I wanted to do, I talked to the sound guy, and he explained a few things to me.”

Shortly after she graduated from high school, she was hanging out with some friends who worked in the industry, and they let her set up microphones and wrap cables. From there she decided to attend a recording school in Barcelona and eventually made her way to Musicians Institute in Los Angeles. She took full advantage of the studio space while in school; booking the recording studio for sessions, finding bands to record, setting up the sessions, micing and mixing, and taking control of the board and pro-tools without an assistant. This taught Cristina to be self sufficient and gave her confidence, and she loved it.

Cristina got a break when she was mixing a friends band at the Avalon, and she was offered a job. She says she worked a few shows for free and got to experience pushing cases and loading trucks. She says it was so hard and she remembers thinking “how come no one is saying that I shouldn’t be doing that cause those cases were too heavy for a girl?”  But, I think they were testing me to see how serious I was about working production, and I passed the test. Unfortunately, my work visa was not ready for me to stay, otherwise, I know I would’ve worked there for years, it was perfect for me! I’m so thankful to Don Tartaro, he was great and really wanted to help.

When Cristina graduated from Musicians Institute, she was nominated as the most improved and outstanding student.  “It was a big surprise to hear my name and to be recognized at graduation. The graduating class was made up 95% male students; I was excited to know that it didn’t matter if I was a woman, as long as you work hard you have a place in this business. I was also the only one in my class that had a job in audio while going to school.  I think part of my success has been because I’m not afraid to take on something new and go for it. Also, asking questions when you don’t know how to do something is critical, you learn as you go if you pay attention and make sure you master that situation.  You have to learn to be outspoken and hang with the guys if you’re a woman in this business, you can’t be shy.”

After she graduated and got her work visa in order Cristina mixed bands all over Los Angeles; The Roxy, Troubadour, Whiskey a Go Go, and more. Jason Dacosta, the former production manager at the Roxy and Bobby Crown head of audio at the Troubadour both, believed in her and gave her jobs. Cristina also toured with Klymaxx for three years as FOH and Monitor Engineer. But after five years of incredible experiences and lots of fun, she and her husband moved to Boise, Idaho.

In Idaho, she went to the Knitting Factory and asked for a job. “They gave me a three-day tryout, and I got hired.  I’ve been working here at The Knit for eight years. My first show was Fear Factory; Dino Cazares was pleased to see a Mexican Girl running monitors for them. Working here has been great, I’ve made lifelong friends with the other two engineers Cedric Booker and Kris Crowley, great guys that also gave me a chance and taught me so much”.

Cristina loves working in a venue and getting to meet so many different engineers and artists.

“You always have to be on your game, making sure the crew gets what they need and contribute to the show with your mix when they are in need of an engineer, FOH or monitors.  I’ve lost count how many bands I’ve had the privilege to work with. Some of them can be very demanding and others intimidating, but we always end the show very happy. I’ve had the pleasure of mixing for Gin Blossoms, Volbeat, Highly suspect, The Breeders, Violent Femmes, Brandi Carlile, Peter Murphy, In this moment, Fear Factory, Lacuna Coil, and hundreds more.”

Cristina toured for a few years and found that she liked working with different people and building a show in a new venue, but she prefers working in town, finishing a show and getting to go home. Now that she is a mother this a bonus. Cristina has a four-year-old son and one year daughter. She says that you can do both and not to be discouraged “you’ll need time off when after your baby is born; but you can always resume your job when it feels right. I’ve never felt like that was the end for me, it’s also thanks to a very supportive husband, who happens to be a musician and studio engineer as well.

What is your educational or training background?

CRASH Instituto Audiovisual in Manresa Barcelona 2001

Musicians Institute; RIT 2004

What are your long-term goals?

To never quit this career! I love it!  I want to continue to get better and better; there’s always room for improvement.

What if any obstacles or barriers have you faced?

My teacher in Spain that said I had two significant disadvantages; one is that I’m Mexican and number two is that I’m a woman. But I think I’ve been fortunate to work with great people. I get a large number of rotating engineers that I have to assist, set up the whole stage for them, or mix the show; we always communicate without any problems.

Maybe one or two men have been a little sexist, but I try to forget them. Even when I worked at eight months pregnant (twice), I try to not make this job any different than anything else I could be doing. In fact, I don’t even see myself doing anything else but being an audio engineer. I feel fortunate that I did not have to choose between my dream job and having a family.

How have you dealt with them?

When I run into someone rude, I just do my job.  I’m not intimidated by them. It’s usually their issues, as long as I know what I’m doing, nothing should make me feel less or not worthy of being part of this business.

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

Love what you do, work hard, be professional, take notes, pay attention to details; people love to see a well organized and meticulous process before, during and after the show.

Must have skills?

Excellent listening skills, a thick skin, and don’t be afraid to ask questions.

Favorite gear?

I’m loving our MIDAS pro2, & the D6 on floor toms

 

 

 

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