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The Perfect Bedtime Story

I like many of you, hit the “buy” button immediately once Women in Audio by Leslie Gaston-Bird was published.  A textbook about us, for us, and most importantly, by us!  Reading a textbook has never been this empowering. Well, given my other SoundGirls articles, it is in good company.  SoundGirls has an assortment of them in their lending library. However, I did not buy Women in Audio solely for myself, I also bought it for my daughter, Ripley.  Having an audio engineer as a mother should not be an anomaly. Audio engineering is akin to any other profession, dependent on skills, knowledge, and passion.  We are starting early! What better way to introduce her to the world of audio than with a bedtime story?

At eight months Ripley has a literal appetite for books, therefore we started by only reading the first chapter together.  We will get to the other chapters in time. In similar fashion to many textbooks, Gaston-Bird begins hers with the history of the subject at hand.  Naturally, Lady Ada is the first entry. Lady Ada is the matron saint of computer programming, but I was surprised to find out she suggested the congruence of music and technology.  No wonder she is also a staple when it comes to Women in STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Arts Mathematics) literature. It will not be Ripley’s last encounter with her.

Following chronologically is a variety of entries going beyond computers and music:  there are acousticians, entrepreneurs, engineers, and activists. By placing each side by side one can get an understanding of how society and technology pushed the industry forward.  Leslie Gaston-Bird is clear with the reader that Women in Audio only scratches the surface of women who influenced the audio industry.  In limiting how many to include, the reader wins by discovering audio pioneers from around the world.  What stood out to me was this invisible thread that seemed to connect some of the women together. Labels, bands, and engineers would move in and out of various circles and connect with one another.  Women supporting women.

In addition to the inspiring stories, the “Fun Facts” section added context and definitions to prepare me for future “why” tirades.  The eidophone caught my eye with its depictions of sound waves, and the Deliaphonica game sucked me in. “Not So Fun Facts” is just as important in bringing attention to the realities that many of us face.  Telling the whole story means having both sides. Reading those sections to Ripley was difficult, and though she will not understand for a while, I am not going to gloss over them. Gaston-Bird also highlighted the delicate balance of celebrating achievements without adding gender identity as a caveat to success.

Just after Ripley and I finished the section on motherhood (a topic that is currently resonating with me), I was surprised with a special treat.  I did not realize that in the UK Mother’s Day is in March! Leslie Gaston-Bird recorded a video of herself reading that section.

Currently, Ripley mainly enjoys the pictures, but that will change with time.  We are going to keep reading Women in Audio until the cover falls off.

 

Review of Pink Noises: Women on Electronic Music and Sound

Recently there has been some press about how articles about female scientists are frequently deleted from Wikipedia, especially when compared to their male counterparts.  As a casual Wikipedia editor, my initial reaction was anger and betrayal. There had to be something I could do about it. One of the underlying reasons behind articles disappearing resides in Wikipedia’s strict resource guidelines.  Personal websites and aggregate websites are not accepted, and print media is preferred. Setting aside the fact that the male-dominated editor community enforces these guidelines with bias (that solution involves more women editors, which I have addressed in previous articles), there are rippling consequences for lack of representation.  Then what is our solution? Write about women and gender-fluid folk. Interview them. Write reviews of their work You are seeing that solution in action, here, at SoundGirls.

Dr. Tara Rodgers is also part of that solution with both Pinknoises.com and Pink Noises: Women on Electronic Music and Sound.  I do not know exactly how this text came across my radar, possibly from stumping Amazon’s suggestion algorithm, but it called to me and my bottomless appetite for reading.  Pinknoises.com, when it was active in the early 2000’s, was a collection of interviews curated by Rodgers focusing on women in electronic music. The book is formatted similarly and is a highlight reel of the website.  It received the Pauline Alderman Book Award from the International Alliance for Women in Music in 2011.

“Pink noise” is a double entendre of sorts: referring to the association of pink and femininity paired with noise as a jarring a-musical sound, and pink noise as a broadband collection of frequencies with equal energy per octave.  Each artist Rodgers interviews is an iconoclast in her own right, noise to the established system, and each has their own musical philosophy. While Rodgers does devote at least one question per interview to address the lack of diversity in electronic music, not one interview is stuck on that issue. In fact, several of the artists bristle at the question, angered by its apparent necessity and inclusion.  The honesty is refreshing. These are artists who just happen to be women. Their work is what defines them, not their gender.

Before opening Pink Noises, I had not heard of any of the artists interviewed, but I recognized some of their male contemporaries.  Their accomplishments are too numerous, too awe-inspiring to be kept a secret. This book needed to be published.  From their hand’s synths were invented, software developed, movements revolutionized. And the interviews focus on the why and how.  “What drew you to music?” “How does a piece get realized?”

Rodgers guides the interviews with an anthropological lens. Although this book was published in 2010, the answers are timeless and not based on one software or operating system.  A reader from 2020 or even 2050 has something to gain here. What also gives Pink Noises depth is the diversity of artists picked for the collection.  From Pauline Oliveros to Riz Maslen (aka Neotropic), they traverse the history of electronic music as well as the breadth of its expressions.  They are from all over the world, there are both artists and engineers, and the work ranges from museum installations to nightclub sets. Rodgers bucks elitism and gatekeeping to archive what should never have been ignored in the first place.

Let this book inspire you to create your own masterpiece, but not just that.  Let it inspire you to collaborate, to write, to share. Be inspired to update “normal” to include the diversity we know is there.  Help others to make their works heard and seen, help them get recognition. We can and will cross the threshold of notability. This starts with us

 

Dear Ripley

Dear Ripley,

You were not born into an ideal world.  This one is full of bias and hate, and I would give almost anything to shield you from it.  What I must do instead is create small pockets influenced by tolerance and respect. And I will start by improving myself.  My little SoundGirl, this will not be an easy task, and I hope you will forgive my little mistakes, and correct my larger ones.

I do not look like you: my eyes are light, while yours are dark, my hair blonde, and yours black.  It was my history recorded in textbooks, not all of yours. You are lucky to have your father and grandparents here as connections to the past.  From them, I can evaluate and minimize my own biases. By listening to them I can better support you as you grow. When they share their culture I will learn with you.  When it is my chance to share, it is to teach you two languages, so that a third, your endangered mother tongue, might have a chance. By sharing, I will empower you. When you speak, my job is to hand you the megaphone, not be the translator.  I will not quiet your voice, but let you learn when and how to express it.

Audio engineering is the confluence of science and art, of precision and nebulousness.  The world is much the same. What I have learned in studying sound has morphed my worldview.  You will hear its echoes in what I share with you. From my own experience, I do not know what it is like to be of mixed race, but I know how to work as a woman when men are the majority.  My lessons will be on how to build confidence in the face of doubt. These tools are not perfect, but I will hone them with your guidance.

Your role models will not come from a cookie-cutter, as many were in my childhood. You will learn of trailblazers who look like you, and iconoclasts that do not. I will do my research to teach you what they persevered through and know that they were only human.

Though your dreams may surpass the stars, you will know that it is possible for you to break barriers and glass ceilings. And even if you fall short, you will learn to dust yourself off and try again.  It is in the pursuit of goals that we thrive. Your curiosity is your strength, and together we will leave no stone unturned. If you find that music is not your passion, its elements crossover into other mediums.  What you want out of life does not have to mirror me. I give you music so that you learn to flavor your environment.

Carve your own space, Ripley.  Use your whole past to support your dreams.  I will do my best to lay a solid foundation and reinforce it when cracks threaten to form.  It is my job to make a better world for you than the one I inherited, and that is my goal. And every day I see you grow into the person you will become.  I am and will always be proud of you.

Nicole

 

Sound Design in Another Medium

Sound Design is creating a world or character purely out of auditory vibrations.  We morph mood and meaning through music and sound effects. As showcased through pieces like Peter and the Wolf by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, the aural medium can tell the story on its own.  More often than not, however, sound design is not a monolith and must integrate with visual mediums.  This opens the door for visual style elements to influence sound design.

When I took Sound Design as a course in college our main textbook was Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art by Scott McCloud.  McCloud boils comics down to its essence, choosing to focus on the assembly of narrative and representation rather than technique.  The philosophy behind choosing what to include and not is similar between the visual and the aural. Elements of design (rhythm, focus, contrast, form, movement) are also shared.  Using McCloud as a guide, take a look in the graphic novel section of the library as research for your next project. But why stop at visual, where else can we find inspiration?

The human body was gifted with several senses, and all of them can be used to evoke emotional responses.  Taste is an experience that occurs over time but is remembered as a static moment, much like a song. That particular meal has a temperature, different flavors competing and complimenting, and overall texture.  A song has dynamics, different instruments with melodies and harmonies, and an overall mood. Maybe the character in that particular film has a favorite meal that defines them. How should the accompanying theme add to the character development?  Think of Pippin singing to Denethor in Return of the King from the Lord of the Rings trilogy, a greasy meal, tomatoes popping and gristle squishing contrasted with Pippen’s haunting ode to his comrades in arms.

Another sense, smell, also shares similarities to sound.  While perfume is just as manufactured as a pop tune, it has the opportunity to provide insight into character design.  Imagine a femme fatale adorned with a power suit, her chosen scent is bound to be as bold as she is. Like sound, it also transforms through time.  When she first enters the scene, her interactions with those around her, and what happens in the wake of her absence correspond to the “top,” “middle,” and “base” portions of the bouquet.  Film cannot capture scent, yet, but the sound design can pick up on the “notes” of her cologne.

I recently have had the opportunity to try my hand at mixing mediums.  In August, I gave birth to a new little SoundGirl, and I wanted to share with her one of my favorite stories:  Roverandom by J.R.R. Tolkein.  I want her to follow along with me but also was have the story available if she was babysat by grandparents.  In my copy, the publishers thoughtfully included prints of Tolkein’s illustrations, and I used those as a guide for a fabric book and a radio play.  The mood and style permeate through the scene designs done in felt, while the narrative and characterizations are explored through sound effects, voice, and music.  Together the confluence is grander than the sum of its parts and makes me a better sound designer.

 

Radioactivity and Sound

With Halloween just around the corner, I wanted to explore the spooky ambience of radioactivity.  Nuclear radiation is a common mysterious force in science fiction and horror films. Its manifestations are generally physical sensations, like heat, or mutations rather than sonic phenomena.  However, there are fascinating sounds and ambiences that are connected with nuclear radiation.

Nuclear reactors are inherently spacious concrete buildings.  It takes concrete walls several feet thick to block the most penetrable of nuclear radiation from escaping to the outside world.  These make for excellent reverberation chambers. At the decommissioned B-Reactor in Hanford, Washington, a local vocal group, has taken advantage of that.  They have created a concert showcase about the Hanford Site and the Manhattan Project (of which the B-Reactor was initially built for), and are performing inside the building.  Nuclear Dreams is composed by Reginald Unterseher, performed by Mid-Columbia Mastersingers, and was commissioned for the 75th anniversary of the B-Reactor.

Isolation and silence also surround nuclear sites.  They are built away from busy urban centers, and often the wildlife reclaim the nearby land.  Irradiated animals inside nuclear tanks do not decay, and their sunken remains haunt silently.  Above ground, the radiation does little to change their regular habits. Humans interacting with the radiation often are enveloped in silence, either by their limited viewing capabilities via closed-circuit monitors or even by way of the radiation itself.  Journalist Igor Kostin of Novosti Agency, who was first on the scene at Chernobyl, recounted that when he opened the helicopter window to get a better camera shot, he heard nothing. Not helicopter rotors, not wind, just nothing. In his words, “deafening silence.”  It is possible that what happened was a physiological response, similar to what brain cancer patients experience during chemotherapy.

Then there is an eerie sense one feels at not being able to perceive the danger that they know exists at the nuclear sites.  The Chernobyl television series encapsulates this with its score.  Quiet drones pulse in time to sirens and are accented with distorted static.  Hildur Guðnadóttir’s compositions accent the tension and the panic of the unfolding disaster and subsequent cover-up.  The muted dynamics of the score allows the magnitude of the visuals to hit with more power. It is only disaster itself that causes the noise.  Wailing sirens and alarms, and the static of Geiger counters create a constant cacophony that follows explosions. Beeps from monitoring machines and sparse clicking of dosimeters are the soundtrack to a normal functioning reactor, not of a meltdown.

When building up the sound design of your nuclear-centric haunted house (or is that just me) remember the reverb, silence, and eeriness of the real thing.  The trick-or-treaters will feel isolated and on-edge. Have a Happy Halloween.

 

Switched-On Friendship – Wendy Carlos & Rachel Elkind-Tourre.

 

Where would electronic music be without Wendy Carlos?  Carlos’ 1968 album Switched-On Bach brought the Moog synthesizer (and electronic music) to the public eye.  It was popular enough to win three Grammys and become the first classical record to go platinum.  With her influence, the 1970s became saturated with synthesizers from disco to advertisement jingles to Progressive Rock.  The influential soundtracks of A Clockwork Orange (1971), The Shining (1980), and Tron (1982) also came from her hand.

Carlos was a pioneer in other ways too.  In 1972 she became one of the first public figures to undergo gender reassignment surgery and speak openly of it.  Gender dysphoria was something that Carlos was aware of at an early age, but it was not until 1968 that she started her transition.  The success of Switched-On Bach was both a blessing and a curse, as it made surgery available, but Carlos performed publicly as a man throughout most of the ’70s.  It was in an interview with Playboy magazine published in 1979 that Wendy Carlos finally disclosed her true self.  There was no public backlash, and Carlos’ main regret was that she had not come out earlier.

Wendy Carlos, a pioneer as she is, still relied on her friends to help her achieve greatness.  In 1966 Carlos met aspiring jazz singer Rachel Elkind-Tourre.  When she heard Carlos’ synthesized experiments of various Bach pieces, she brought forward the idea of a full album.  At the time Elkind-Tourre was working as an assistant to the President of CBS and used her influence to help pitch Switched-On Bach to the company, and later used her connections to provide studio space for Carlos.  With this first collaboration, Elkind-Tourre became a frequent contributor and producer of Carlos’ albums.

Not much of Rachel Elkind-Tourre’s private life is known.  Around the time she met Carlos, she had recently moved from San Francisco to New York City to pursue a career as a jazz vocalist.  It is this jazz background, and vocal training gave Elkind-Tourre the perspective and tools to be Carlos’ trusted co-creator.  Together they created Trans-Electronic Music Productions, Inc. (TEMPI) with Benjamin Folkman, another of Carlos’ collaborators.  In 1980 Elkind-Tourre married and moved to France, and ended the official partnership between the two.

The legacy of this friendship can be heard in the majority of Wendy Carlos’ albums.  Elkind-Tourre’s voice (through a vocoder) adds texture in Sonic Seasonings (1972), and her compositional influence is integral in The Shining.  Carlos does note that Rachel Elkind-Tourre is one to avoid fame and credit, which is a shame.  This is a story of women empowering women.  Their friendship should be celebrated, not just for the works they created together, but the barriers they overcame.

Find More Profiles on The Five Percent

Profiles of Women in Audio

Interview with Rosa Lin, Acoustician

 

Listen to the room you currently reside. What do you hear? Is it traffic, an airplane, or is it a nearby playground? Can you hear your co-workers or just the hum of the air conditioner unit? These are questions Rosa Lin faces every day as an Acoustician in her quest to reduce unwanted noise.

Nicole Kirch (NK): Name/Occupation:
Rosa Lin (RL): Rosa Lin, Acoustician

NK: What is an Acoustician?

RL: Acousticians are professionals with scientific and engineering training and experience specializing in the optimization of sound environments in buildings and in the larger environment. We understand how sound energies behave and how they interact with different materials, shapes, machine systems, and the physical environment. We design different types of spaces with various functions, which drives the acoustic requirements. Good acoustics for a space means they are healthier, more productive, more comfortable, or most enjoyable, at least in terms of the sound environment. Many times this looks like making spaces quieter, minimizing noise problems from various sources, or optimize the performance of a critical-listening space. Sometimes, acousticians have specialization in vibration control in addition to noise control.

NK: What does a typical day look like?:

RL: Typically, we provide acoustic design targets for building projects. We take all types of noise and acoustic measurements using scientific instrumentation and standardized test procedures to collect data, then we analyse various engineering questions at hand and provide solutions. We then provide practical, effective design solutions to the architecture/design/construction teams and convey them in a clear manner. We also review architectural and engineering documents, building design details, and construction site conditions to ensure that the acoustic design is implemented properly for the project.

Our working document types include analysis spreadsheets, reports and presentations, analysis software files, and architectural documents (3D models, 2D design and construction drawing sets).

These are example snippets of engineering questions we help solve in our everyday work.

NK: How is noise involved in our daily environments?:

RL: Sound transmission between adjacent spaces, Sound quality within a space, Traffic/environmental/party noise ingress to residential recreation or workspaces, Equipment, building systems, industrial and machine noise impacting residential recreation and workspaces.

NK: What are some ways to control noise?:

RL: Control the source – noise limits by regulatory prescription, Improve the sound blocking properties of building structures, such as walls, floors, roofs, etc., depending on what kind of sound we are dealing with. Improve the sound-absorbing properties of building surfaces.

NK: How did you get interested in Acoustics?

RL: My master’s degree program studies focused on small housing and noise conditions. Through this, I came to realize there is a whole world of people dealing with sound and noise issues, specifically sound in buildings and the built environment.

NK: How did you get into the field of Architectural Acoustics?:

RL: I have an architecture and science/engineering background and was exploring possible alternatives for a career. My master’s degree program encouraged me to explore this field and provided many work and advancement opportunities that kept me on track.

NK: What advice do you have for those looking to get into Acoustics?:

RL: Perseverance – it might take a few years for you to gain a wide range of topical proficiencies required of an architectural acoustics consultant. There is a lot of variety of work in our field, so keep up your curiosity and fighting spirit to conquer new subjects and new problems and develop the flexibility to understand new subject matters. Develop your expertise and be sensitive to the needs of your team outside of acoustics – there are many other key players you need to work with: the architects, the project owners, the regulatory bodies (this includes government and non-government bodies), mechanical engineers, structural engineers, interior designers, and the construction teams.

SoundGirls Wikipedia Edit-A-Thon

On May 26th, 2019, a group of SoundGirls met online to discuss the ins and outs of Wikipedia.  Myself and April Tucker led the talk, and while initial attendance was small, I could see a growing interest among the SoundGirls community.  Much of what was covered was an expansion of the previous articles I had written. I began with the ethos of the online encyclopedia, and quickly progressed to a step-by-step instruction of how to edit Wikipedia pages.  April focused on tips and tricks that make Wikipedia even easier to navigate. I admit, I learned many new techniques from this talk.

If you missed the Wikipedia Edit-A-Thon event, we have you covered, starting at the 2-hour mark.

 

 

Furthermore, the best way to start editing Wikipedia is to create an account there. Wikipedia was made for everyone, and there are tasks for every editing level. I have a page available specifically for those SoundGirls starting their editing journey with guides and links.  My Talk Page is also available for specific questions, and I check it regularly.

SoundGirls have an opportunity to spread awareness through Wikipedia, but it takes all of us.  Every little edit, no matter how small, adds up. Similar to Geena Davis’ crusade of “If She Can See It She Can Be It,” let us build towards gender parity.

User Page

Talk Page

Editing Sound Girls into Wikipedia

Editing SoundGirls into Wikipedia

 

 

 

 

 

Zora Neale Hurston

There are a variety of ways to approach the study of music.  I often tackle it from a technical point of view, but one can look at the historical and cultural context of music to decipher the larger picture.  Ethnomusicology is the study of the social and societal sources of music and is heavily tied with anthropology and the study of folklore. Through this human-centric approach, researchers learn about the ‘why’ of music and how emotions are expressed in different communities.  As a field of study, ethnomusicology developed in the mid-1800s, supported by the nationalist sentiments in classical music of the time. In the 1930s with the increasing portability of recording machines, there was a push to document folk music from around the world, especially in the United States.  In the Caribbean and the American South, Zora Neale Hurston was the champion of the African cultural diaspora.

While many ethnomusicologists start out as composers or musicians, Hurston was an anthropologist who studied folklore.  Where folklore and music overlapped, she did not hesitate to explore and document. Her best-known works are Their Eyes Were Watching God (later made into a film starring Halle Berry) and Dust Tracks on a Road (an autobiography).  Hurston’s relationship with human culture followed many avenues, as her name is most notably associated with the Harlem Renaissance literary movement.

Hurston was born in 1891 in Alabama and grew up in Eatonville, Florida where many of her books are set.  She dropped out of high school after her father and step-mother stopped paying for her tuition and eventually became a maid to a touring theatre company.  From there she found her way back to high-school and graduated at age 27. After receiving her associate degree from Howard University, Hurston pursued a B.A. in Anthropology from Barnard College of Columbia University.  She followed this with masters from the same institution and began research of African American culture in the American South from 1927 to 1932 under the patronage of Charlotte Osgood Mason.

It was from this research that Zora Neale Hurston took inspiration for her many novels. The lumber camps in Florida became Mules and Men, and spiritual and vodoun culture in Jamaica and Haiti became Tell My Horse.  Hurston’s dedication to anthropological research did get her into controversy.  Her adherence to dialect was not always appreciated in the literary world, as it was seen as degrading by her peers.  It took until 2018 for her nonfiction account of the last slave brought to the United States, Barracoon, to be published.  Literature was not the only way to share her research, therefore Hurston staged several revues of folk music and dance from the Caribbean and American South.  The Great Day was her first revue, staged at New York’s John Golden Theatre in 1932.  Later revues included From Sun to Sun and Singing Steel.  In 1935 Hurston collaborated with Alan Lomax and Mary Elizabeth Barnicle to record songs and interviews from former American slaves.  There are other instances where Hurston herself would perform the songs she gathered in her travels. These recordings are still available in the Library of Congress.

Zora Neale Hurston’s influence extends to this day with the ZORA! Festival of the Arts and Humanities in her hometown of Eatonville, Florida among other institutions created and barriers crossed along the way.  Hurston’s documentation and preservation of the voices of the American South and especially those of African American women help keep their stories alive. Our connection with our musical past is important for our musical future, and it takes many different disciplines collaborating to keep the connection alive.

 

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