Working Coachella and Surviving Festival Season
How Two Monitor Engineers Approach Festival Season
WORK WORK WORK
For someone who only began working in live sound 2 1/2 years ago, Kerrie Mondy is a very busy woman. Along with being a FOH Engineer, Kerrie is currently the Resident Engineer/Sound Designer for New Line Theater, a little theater company in St. Louis, MO. She also works as a stagehand, freelance audio tech, part-time at several performing arts centers, and runs sound at St. Louis’ Jazz at the Bistro, which she says “is a blast! I get to see a lot of great music and meet a lot of nice people. I have, at last count, 10 regular jobs.
Kerrie started out as an on-air radio personality but quickly became interested in live sound. Making commercials and putting together shows for the station were part of her job but she wanted to learn more about audio engineering. Kerrie taught herself enough Pro Tools to get by, however became discouraged when she couldn’t get any time on the station’s engineering equipment. Soon after, she started working as a stagehand and quickly realized that she loved the theater world and doing live events. As a stagehand, Kerrie enjoyed working in many of the departments, but her boss advised her to pick one specialty and pursue it. Kerrie chose live sound. Recognizing her desire to learn, a colleague/friend from one of the venues she was working in, gave her the opportunity to work with him running sound at the church he attended. After a while, she started working her own shifts there. “In the meantime, I looked around for the smallest-fry audio work that I could find. If it was boring, small, paid poorly, etc, I raised my hand for it! 🙂 Worked my way up little by little, learning as I went.”
Things came a bit full circle as she recounts- “as an on-air personality, I remember coming to one of the venues I work at now to announce an artist on stage. I remember looking around, watching the crew, and thinking that it would probably be a neat job to work in a place like that. A few years later, I was working shows on that very stage!”
Kerrie has learned that a good attitude, a willingness to learn, and being accountable for your mistakes are essential, as well as knowing the basics- signal flow, proper gain staging, and knowing your frequencies. From her experience, these skills will get you through almost any basic audio job and help you move up. “Don’t let ‘fake it to make it’ become your mantra” she says, “You WILL get called out eventually.”
Although she is working on a BA in Digital Video/Film making and has studied marketing and technical theater, Kerrie has no formal audio training and has found so far that the best education she’s received has been on the job. “I’ve been really lucky to be surrounded by wonderful coworkers who became great mentors and friends. So many people have shared their hard-earned knowledge and experience with me – I never could have done this without them.”
The biggest obstacles Kerrie has faced have been: “money and time mostly, and my own doubts. Five years ago, I was in a completely different situation, personally and professionally, but I saw what I wanted and what I needed to do to get there.” “Staying on track has been tough,” she says, but she handles it by being relentlessly focused on controlling what she can and being ready to adapt to things she can’t control. “You have to really, REALLY believe you can have the life you want. You have to see it in your mind and know deep down it’s achievable.” “I see so many people quit before they get to the finish line- giving up, losing patience, because they just can’t see their dream life coming to fruition.” “I’ve encountered a lot of not only financial and logistical challenges, but psychological ones as well. It’s hard being in your 30s and being a newbie, not having a professional identity – being able to tell people, “I am (this)”, or “I do (this)”. You really have to develop a sense of worth and purpose apart from that.”
Advice to women wishing to enter the world of live sound:
One – Attitude is, indeed, everything. Your approach to your work, and to the people around you, will define you. Don’t feel like it’s a right of passage to become jaded.
Two – be versatile. Not just in the realm of audio, either. I’m not an expert in lighting, projection, or set building, but I can work as an electrics, video, or carpentry hand competently. I can also crew a show and manage that crew. Not only does an array of skills help you find more work and meet new people, it helps you understand how your job in audio fits into the bigger picture. And it keeps things fresh!
Her favorite gear includes Allen & Heath’s iLive T112 console. She loves the simplicity of it and the ease of accessing everything she needs quickly. “ I use it at two of my venues. Getting things up and running in a hurry is a breeze and making changes on the fly couldn’t be easier. Bossy technology bugs me. I love gear that gives the user control and flexibility without making them dig for it. I also really like Shure’s MX153 ear-worn mic. Sounds good, cheaper than the competition, and it’s rugged and resistant to sweaty actors. 🙂
For her future goals, Kerrie says she’d really love to manage a theater or music/arts venue someday.
Kerrie has been with New Line Theater for about a year and just started with the Bistro in December. She is currently featured as a Guest Blogger on SoundGirls.Org where you can read about her trials and tribulations as the sound designer and mixer for the theater’s production of Rent.
Kerrie can be reached at: kmondy@hotmail.com
By: Malle Kaas
Last week Mina Göl Berthelsen and I attend a “drum mic event” in Copenhagen, Denmark where we both live.
There were 12 sound engineers gathered together with a drummer, a drum kit and “tons” of mic’s. The idea of the event was to put two or three different mics on each drum part, and then record them on to individual tracks to compare them with each other.
We had the drummer playing different rhythm, (Rock, Latin etc.), and then played back in a loop where we were comparing the different e.g. kick mic’s up against each other by listening to one at a time. Kind of an A-B test.
We probably had five rounds with traditional and not so traditional drum mics. Some mics were used again, but on different drum parts. Totally, we were checking out approximately 30 – 35 microphones. (more…)
Rent closed at the end of March. It was a successful show by any measure. It was a labor of love. It was also a minefield, a mountain, and in the end, a “changing” experience in a lot of ways. My last week of shows there, was also my first week of tech for my next show, Cabaret, at another small-but-mighty theater company- Stray Dog Theatre. (more…)
I’m currently mixing FOH on the Goo Goo Dolls “The Otis Midnight Sessions” acoustic tour.
When most people hear “Acoustic Tour” they expect a couple of musicians walking in with acoustic guitars on their backs, playing campfire songs. I have yet to do an acoustic tour like that. When I toured with Indigo Girls years ago, I cannot tell you how many times we showed up with our truck full of gear to the local crew shaking their heads asking “ I thought this was two girls and two guitars?” In fact it was 20+ various stringed (more…)
Coachella
SoundGirls.Org members submitted their sound related questions about Coachella. Rat Sound’s Daniella Peters and SG member, Jon Monson Head of Touring, and Dave Rat took time from their busy schedules to answer them. A big thanks to Rat Sound. (more…)
Barbara Adams has a full plate. Not only is she the Full-time House Engineer at Tin Angel- a listening room in Philadelphia, part-time engineer at World Cafe Live, also in Phili, she occasionally works as a freelance Engineer/System Tech for two production companies and does freelance work mixing FOH for regional bands touring the North East and Mid Atlantic states. Barbara is also the owner and business manager of Burn Down Studios in Germantown PA, Adjunct Professor of Sound Reinforcement at Drexel University AND as if that’s not enough she is a mother to a five-year-old son.
Even though she wasn’t a musician, growing up, Barbara Adams was all about music. At around 14 years old, while flipping through a copy of Rolling Stone magazine, she came across an ad for Full Sail which sparked her interest in music production. As graduation grew closer, it wasn’t easy convincing her mother that audio engineering was what she wanted to do, but she was hooked on the idea of working in music production, and enrolling in Full Sail seemed to be the best route. “ Being fairly shy at that time in my life, I wasn’t comfortable going to a studio and trying to learn that way. I was more apt to learn in school.” “When I was 20, I finally had the opportunity to go to Full Sail, and let’s just say, I learned not to be so shy anymore. I took every opportunity I could while I was there to get out and learn. When I graduated, I came home and started as an intern at a studio.”
Following her graduation from Full Sail in 1995, Barbara started as an assistant engineer at Sonic Recording Studios in Philadelphia. Three years later, she found herself feeling stuck and very unhappy. While attending Full Sail, she had found her passion was in Live Sound, and the studio life just wasn’t cutting it. “ I was thrilled when I started working with local bands at various clubs in the Philadelphia area. Around 1998 I got a job as monitor engineer at the Trocadero and moved to doing live sound full time.” “I love the challenges I face every show. It is what drives me to be better. This industry is constantly changing, and to move forward, you have to adapt. Although it is not given every time, one of the best things is to hear an audience member tell me how great the show I just mixed sounded. And band members who smile when they see me because they know it’s going to be a great night.”
Several years later, Barbara expanded on her education by receiving a Bachelor of Business Administration, Legal Studies & Entrepreneurship; Management from Temple University. “I had been working in the music industry for about five years, and I was seeing a lot of the businesses I worked for being run very poorly. I decided to get a degree in business because of that. I think it helped me to understand entrepreneurship better.”
During this time she was also working as a Monitor Engineer for Electric Factory Concerts. “In 2005 I left Electric Factory for a production manager and front of house position at a smaller club called Grape Street, while still freelancing with bands and various production companies. When Grape Street closed in 2008, I started at the Tin Angel. “ At the Tin Angel, I work every show we have which can vary week to week, but averages about 4 shows a week.” At World Cafe Live, where she’s worked since 2010, “I do mostly morning shows which can be private events, Live Connections sessions, or their weekly kid’s show. The kid’s show is one of my favorites because my son gets to come to work with me and helps me set up.” For the past ten years, Barbara has also been working freelance with DBS Audio and FSP Productions, doing monitor mixing and system tech for festivals such as DC’s Jazzfest, Boston’s Summer Arts Festival, Appel Farm Festival, Bethlehem, PA’s Musikfest, and many other events.
Barbara has had some hurdles to overcome. “Attitudes… sometimes it is my own. It took me a long time to realize you can’t please everyone all the time.” Also, “Being a girl in the music business is an obstacle itself. I have been overlooked for positions I was well qualified for because I am female, and I have been through many instances of sexual harassment.” Barbara has dealt with these situations by enduring and learning from every obstacle, forging on to better herself and her craft. “I get schooled every day I work. I am constantly learning, even after doing this for nearly 20 years.” She also says, “keeping her head up and growing a tough skin” have helped her survive in the business. Working in sound reinforcement doesn’t leave much time for her to spend evenings with her family or social outings with friends. “ My schedule is the opposite of most people I interact with now, especially being a mom.”
If you want to enter the field of professional audio, Barbara recommends figuring out how you like to learn. “For me it was school, but if that isn’t your thing, then go out and meet some people. Be outgoing, but not arrogant. Be open to learning, be open to trying things. When things get tough…don’t give up. Keep learning and keep doing it. Listen to the good advice and throw away the negativity. Learn from your mistakes, and you will become better than you ever imagined. “
People skills are first and most important. This is a business of who you know and building a network is critical.
Listening skills, use your ears! Listen to the band and the audience and make adjustments where you can.
Know signal flow and gain structure. It will make your job so much easier.
“ While I was at Full Sail, I was able to attend my first AES conference as a representative from the school. The school took promotional photos of all of us who attended. The picture they took of me was used a year later in that very same ad that got me interested in production to begin with. It was my face that graced the Full Sail ad in the back of Mix Magazine in 1996.”
When asked about her long-term goals, Barbara replied “ At many points in my life, I have wanted to have my own venue. But knowing the amount of money and work that takes, I don’t know if I have that same strong desire anymore. Lately, education has been a focus of mine. I enjoy passing on the knowledge I have gained to the next generation. I am an adjunct professor at Drexel University and am currently looking for other opportunities to teach live sound.” Barbara is doing just that by creating SoundGirls.Org’s ‘Lessons in Live Sound.’
Barbara Adams can be reached at soundarella@verizon.ne
Barbara Adams is an audio engineer and educator with twenty-five years of experience in the music industry. She specializes in live sound and production management. Her strong and varied experience also includes recording engineer, stage management, and artist management.
Barbara is an Assistant Professor at Rowan University teaching Sound Reinforcement and Audio Recording in their Music Industry Program. She also is the booking manager for Rowan Music Group, the program’s record label, and artist management services. By night she is busy as engineer and production manager at The Locks at Sona, Philadelphia’s premier listening room. She occasionally works as a freelance Engineer/System Tech for several production companies and does freelance work mixing FOH for regional bands touring the North East and Mid-Atlantic states.
As the SoundGirls Philadelphia chapter president, she is always looking for ways to help mentor and guide new engineers in the field of live sound and bring together the Philadelphia community of SoundGirls. And as if this wasn’t enough, she is the mom to a very busy pre-teen son who enjoys helping mom at gigs if he isn’t playing hockey, playing music, or in school.
Day 5: Show 3- Dimapur, India
Here we are again, another perilous cab ride winding through a spider web of unmarked city streets to the venue- a stadium.
I had an anxiety attack on the way to the gig, worried that with all the chaos following the last two gigs if I managed to get left behind after the show I’d be so SOL. This isn’t my first third-world country. I’ve been to some dicey places, in some precarious situations, but I am honestly starting to feel like I am never going to see civilization again, like I’m stuck here and there’s no way out. I’d have no chance of finding a U.S. embassy. The closest one is probably five hours away by plane, and I wouldn’t even have a clue how to get to the airport and where the one flight/day could take me. We have no information. Our tour manager has been fighting to get anything out of the promoter since day one. We don’t get our flight info until the last minute, we have no idea where our hotels are and there are no contact numbers. It’s like a bad made for TV movie, “ Lost abroad” , or “Lost, a broad”, it could go either way.
I got word this week that I’ll be working at a corporate conference in Novi, Michigan March 20th-22nd. It’s a two-day conference for a prominent beauty line. I will be working the gig with my fellow co-worker and long-time veteran of live sound, Rod Price. He’ll be showing me the ropes and teaching me to fly my first V-dosc rig. (more…)