By: Nizarindani Sopeña and Andrea Arenas
Como ingenieros de audio, tenemos que tomar en cuenta diferentes factores para poder optimizar nuestro trabajo y así enfocarnos en la parte artística cuando hablamos de una mezcla. Si partimos de este principio, hay varios factores sumamente importantes que debemos tener en cuenta antes de un show para llegar a nuestro objetivo con mayor facilidad:
El rider, el cual se deberá realizar con mucho detalle, ya que dependemos de esta información para poder contar con el equipo, así como para cubrir todas nuestras necesidades técnicas específicas como las siguientes:
El input list y lista de Backline, esto nos ayudará a que el personal local (si se requiere), tenga el conocimiento de cuántos canales y cuáles instrumentos utilizaremos durante el show. Si esta lista no es correcta, perderemos tiempo y podemos correr el riesgo de no contar con los instrumentos y/o micrófonos que están previstos a utilizar. Adicionalmente, el input list nos permite configurar las sesiones de la consola de mezcla con anticipación y coherencia de acuerdo a los requerimientos del show.
El stage plot. Como sucede con el input list, contar con un stage plot facilitará a todo el personal conocer con exactitud la posición y distribución de todos los músicos e instrumentos en el escenario, permitiendo un flujo de trabajo eficaz durante los montajes y movimientos durante el show.
Tomar en cuenta los puntos anteriores nos asegurará contar con información puntual y concisa, lo que se verá reflejado en una optimización de tiempo, trabajo y fluidez a la hora del montaje.
Usualmente, la persona encargada de FOH (Front Of House) se hace cargo de posicionar los micrófonos correctamente en los instrumentos (previamente corroborado por la persona encargada de monitores).
El o la ingeniero de monitores, en caso de llevar sistemas de monitoreo personal y no contar con personal encargado para hacer una coordinación de radiofrecuencia, deberá hacer esta coordinación de manera precisa, ya que de eso dependerá la tranquilidad de los músicos durante el show y evitará problemas técnicos que generen pérdidas de la señal de audio. En caso de utilizar monitores de piso y/o side fill, la persona encargada de monitores deberá realizar una ecualización por cada zona para evitar posibles retroalimentaciones. A su vez, en el área de FOH también deberá hacerse una ecualización y revisión del sistema de PA completo. (main PA, subwoofers, front fill, out fill, delay, etcétera).
Al término de este trabajo que ambos ingenieros realizan paralelamente, deben coincidir en hacer un line check, en el cual, con ayuda de los técnicos de escenario, revisan cada uno de los inputs en donde se verifica que llegue la señal de audio sin inducción, con una polaridad correcta y de acuerdo al input list.
A continuación se realiza el soundcheck, mismo que tiene como objetivo hacer una prueba de sonido, en el que los músicos tocan algunas canciones, mismas que normalmente tienen dinámicas que ayudan a los ingenieros a escuchar cómo responde el sonido y el sistema de amplificación dentro del recinto. Otra forma de realizar la prueba de sonido es haciendo un soundcheck virtual, que consta en reproducir multitracks previamente grabados de algún otro show y/o ensayo; esto se utiliza normalmente cuando alguno o todos los músicos no puedan presentase físicamente a la prueba de sonido, tomando en cuenta que para llevarlo a cabo se deberá contar con el equipo apropiado.
Otro factor importante al sonorizar shows en vivo es que usualmente no mezclamos en los mismos lugares; esto hace que aunque se trate del mismo grupo musical y se cuente con el mismo el mismo equipo, el show suene diferente, bien sea debido a características acústicas del recinto o a las condiciones atmosféricas del lugar. La humedad, la temperatura, el público y el viento son factores sumamente importantes que afectan directamente al sonido, por lo que se deben contemplar antes de mezclar.
Por ejemplo:
La velocidad del aire cambia cuando hay alguna variación atmosférica de humedad, viento y temperatura, de manera que debemos de tomar en cuenta el clima, así como también la altitud de donde estemos trabajando. Un show que se realiza en un recinto al aire libre será muy diferente a cuando se mezcle el mismo grupo, pero en un lugar cerrado. Esto es por la acústica del teatro, pero por otro lado, en un sitio en exteriores, nos ocasionará muchos más cambios climáticos, aunque evitará posiblemente ondas estacionarias que provocan alteraciones en el sonido. Es por esto que debemos considerar primero varios factores técnicos al hacer nuestra mezcla antes de tomar en cuenta la parte artística.
Si tomamos en cuenta todo lo anterior, deberíamos haber llegado a un punto de seguridad, el cual nos permitirá enfocarnos con mayor claridad y tranquilidad en la parte artística, que es realizar una mezcla clara, precisa y balanceada, sin perder la atención en la parte técnica.
Just over six months ago, I became a Production Manager at a hotel in Bank, London. A lot of people have asked me how I ended up in this position, thinking I’m probably too young and too lucky to have ended up with such a title.
I am going, to be honest with you, I had no idea what was expected of me. However, I just knew at that point in my life that it was the right direction for my career. I always liked a good challenge; I think that is an important trait to have working within a live sound environment.
So what do I do on a daily basis? Here are a few of my many duties:
My team consists of the Head of Entertainment & Production, my freelancers, and me (Production manager). My main duty is to run the live sound on the main stage in the hotel lobby. Some production managers might not do live sound at all, but because we are such a small team, it is my main responsibility.
Our stage has a permanent setup that needs to be maintained, and I need to make sure that everything is working correctly. If anything would be faulty or damaged, it is my job to make sure the equipment either gets repaired or replaced. We have live music seven days a week, so things do tend to get run down pretty quickly.
I am the one who needs to deal with everything and everyone. This may be musicians, managers, management companies, restaurant managers, the events team, AV companies, and the list goes on. Head of Entertainment and I do work closely with each other when it comes to dealing with a lot of different people, and we make sure we’re both staying on top of everything.
As a Production Manager, you definitely need to be a ‘people person’ and to keep good relationships with everyone. A happy face goes a long way and having a ‘can do attitude is necessary, as there are often stressful situations that need to be dealt with efficiently and as quickly as possible. Being quick to come up with solutions to unexpected problems is an excellent trait to have.
In our venue, we do not have the luxury of having sound checks. Ever! It was tricky when I first started because when you are new to a system (or in this case, we have two different PA systems), it takes time to get to know the system with all its perks and flaws. It felt pretty stressful the first couple of weeks, but now after six months I have my QL1 template, and I’m confident whenever we have a new artist or band rocking up, that I can make them sound great even without a soundcheck.
Every day I have loads of fun. I absolutely love my job, even after sometimes working 13-14 hour shifts. Even when I have not had a day off, or a terrible day dealing with difficult people. Because we all do have those days, but those days are very few and far in between.
I had loads of doubt in myself when taking on this role. I thought that I did not have enough experience; I was worried I was not going to be able to do what they expected of me. This venue is also completely different to anywhere I have ever worked in before. However, I just went for it, I thought there is nothing that I am not able to solve; I had no other choice than to go for it! Therefore, if an opportunity ever presents itself to you, by all means, you will have doubts. But, take a chance and challenge yourself. I am so grateful I did not let fear stand in my way because otherwise, I would not be where I am today
Why you should avoid getting emotionally involved on tour. And how it’s impossible not to.
Whenever anyone asks me what the best piece of advice I can give them about surviving on the road, whether it is as a woman or a man, I immediately say don’t get too emotionally involved with the people you are working for…or, in most cases, with. It was the first and most important piece of advice my sound engineering mentor gave me before any technical teachings, and it has sat heavy at the heart of all I do for the past 20 years, albeit repeatedly without success. Let’s face it unless you are made of stone it’s virtually impossible advice to follow. However, it’s worth keeping in mind for the sake of your own wellness when embarking upon a life on the road.
I’m not really talking about getting romantically or physically involved. That of course happens, couples hook up all over the touring community with varying levels of good, bad or ugly outcomes but that’s a different blog in itself. Although I would say, it’s fundamentally a bad idea to hook up with your boss…
I’m also not necessarily talking about making friends on tour. We will all make friends for life doing this job, and we all need people who have so much in common; share the upside-down lifestyle; the cash flow or lack thereof; the in-jokes and jargon that no one else will ever understand. The thing is no one has the capacity to find or maintain that connection on every tour, and most people who are your best buddies for months on end on the road, often at best end up as acquaintances with whom you’re ‘friends with on Facebook, or it feels fantastic to share a quick hug within a random muddy field when you haven’t seen a familiar face in six weeks.
Unfortunately, friendships beyond the tour can be especially tricky for women when we are so in the minority. Reaching out to your male co-workers even in the most innocent capacity can raise eyebrows with their or our real-life partners who might not understand the close-knit family vibe of touring. This can make coming home off tour even harder on our mental health than it is for our male counterparts who can go and have a pint with each other no questions asked. It can be a delicate balancing act.
When you’re on tour, it’s hard not to get too close, be ‘family’ and care too much about the artist(s), the band members, the crew, hell even the management. It can confuse the lines between the job and your personal life. Getting too emotionally involved on tour can be really damaging for you and sometimes your career. But when you’ve been away from home for two months solid, and you’ve been through more ups and downs than with any of your ‘real’ friends or real family back home, how on earth is it possible not to feel like family? You’re thrown together 24/7 for weeks, months, or even years at a time, going through the extremes of emotion with the highs and lows of life on the road, the glamour and the not so glamorous, often while negotiating ‘real’ family crises back home. At the very root of it all, life on tour means missing out on a lot of your ‘real friends and family, so you are bound to compensate for this when thrown together in such close proximity to others. The ad-hoc nature of the work can change the way you behave around people, and you can’t help but put your livelihood at the expense of being yourself to fit in and keep the job. This can result in you giving far too much of yourself than is healthy. But the bottom line is that you would have to have a heart of stone to remain emotionally detached and business-like 24/7 in a touring situation and let’s face it, if you somehow managed to, you could get fired for not being enough of a team player.
I often tour one on one with teenage female singer-songwriters. We spend literally hours together solely in each others’ company, driving or flying, eating and drinking every meal together. You’re not only there to get them from A-B and help them technically through the show, but inevitably to field questions, give advice ultimately often turning into a life coach. In fact, when all is said and done in these situations you often turn in to each others’ life coaches as it ends up working both ways. I worked for many years with an artist over a decade younger than me who I jokingly referred to as ‘the big sister I never had…’ because she was so wise and thoughtful about the various life crises I had from time to time. It’s such a lovely feeling at the time to have such closeness, and it can feel like being on a big adventure together, but alas, it is ultimately their adventure, and you’re just at work. It’s imperative to keep a healthy outlook and remind yourself that this is just another job otherwise when they turn around and decide they want to work with someone else one, two or ten years later it’s going to feel like getting dumped or divorced, and impossible not to take personally. Unfortunately, this is just another one of the layers of thick skin we need to develop, simultaneously without becoming cold and distant. Impossible? Probably.
So how do you keep a balance, how do you have your own adventure without being left bereft at the end? I have a few ground rules that have helped me over the years. Although I will admit, I have felt pretty lost from time to time when the tour has come to an end, and you wake up in the morning with that feeling of nothing and no one, with no day-sheet to keep you on track or remind you what day it is. I don’t know anyone who tours who hasn’t felt like this at some point, but I will say it gets easier with age. However, that sudden lack of schedule, or familiar faces, even if they annoyed the hell out of you on tour, can unhinge even the most experienced road dogs.
The most useful rule I have made is that major life events aside, you avoid socializing outside of the tour, i.e., once it’s finished and you are based back at home, you simply have to politely make your excuses. This puts a very clear line between the tour relationship, and the ‘real life’ one.
The second piece of advice which is probably the hardest to stick at is that you invest as much energy as possible in your friends and family back home ALL of the time. You might not be around very much; you might have missed every single birthday, wedding, anniversary that there is, but you can still make a maximum effort when you are home. With modern technology: Skype, FaceTime, etc. there is no excuse for not keeping up with everything in each others’ lives when you’re on the road. I also find that when your friends realise that there is this sometimes unhealthy dynamic happening in your work life they often find it easier to relate to you and your haphazardness because it kills that inevitable facade of rock n roll glamour that they once thought you were living in. I have very been bad at using touring as an excuse to avoid my real-life commitments as it can be like pure escapism, or you can certainly make it that way, but that’s not a route I would recommend. I often want to hide in my house as soon as I come home, but to be honest, socialising and re-rooting yourself into your homeworld once you’re back home is the best kind of decompression you can do.
Making sure everyone is aware of your hobbies and interests outside of touring, and remaining invested in them yourself is another way of keeping a slither of separation because if you have a genuine reason not always to be available to people in the downtime and on days off. It also means you have some consistency between home and tour life and something to throw yourself into when you have downtime back home.
Finally, sometimes, you may find that you have to resign yourself to giving a lot emotionally on a given tour because it’s the only way the dynamic in that particular case is going to work. Some artists are all about family to get themselves through a tour and won’t work with people who don’t fit in with that. The trick is to learn to gauge the situation on a case-by-case basis whilst always being mindful of protecting your own emotional health. It’s really not an easy balancing act. Not everyone can fit into every different touring mold, and it is, of course, a line of work that very much attracts square pegs.
I’ve often thought about this subject as something that might invariably affect women more than men. Clichés and stereotypes are ringing away here but we are ‘traditionally’ regarded as more in tune with our emotions, more empathic, and on a fundamental level, we care too much. Often these are the very traits that make us exactly the kind of people that are good and healthy to be around on tour, but it can also inflict a higher burden upon us and cause touring to be even a more unhealthy lifestyle. Each tour is obviously different and all these aspects have to be very much played by ear so its really one of those things you can only learn to manage through experience, and by taking responsibility for your own wellness, both physically and emotionally and remembering that tour life shouldn’t be your whole life-as hard/impossible as that can be.
Bryony October is UK based FOH sound engineer and tour production manager who also dabbles in radio sound production during downtime. She has been touring for over 20 years. Bryony is currently FOH engineer for multi-platinum selling singer Katie Melua and Ward-Thomas. These days she works almost exclusively with female-fronted acts, not at all by design but down to an increasing demand from such artists and their management for more women in the touring party. She feels strongly however that there is a glass ceiling hanging over FOH sound engineering as there are still so few women working in this role.
I pick up my phone and dial the west-coast number listed for Vanessa Mering. It rings a few times, and I am welcomed by a cheerful greeting. Vanessa and I share a few pleasantries as we talk a few details about everything we’ll get to discuss. I adjust my rudimentary phone-recorder that is carefully balancing on a large conference table. The small room I’m in has cables and papers thrown about with a small cleared area where my laptop cautiously sits. I set levels and begin recording our conversation.
To introduce her, Vanessa Mering is a marketing strategist with 15 years of experience at leading audio technology companies. Over the course of her career, she has played a key role in launching a variety of industry-shaping innovations—from democratizing music creation at M-Audio/Avid, to defining the future of live sound with HARMAN. In her current position as Marketing Manager at HARMAN Professional, Vanessa spends her days introducing new products and planning campaigns for ten world-class brands including JBL, AKG, and Soundcraft. Passionate about seeing other women succeed in the industry, Vanessa is also the leader of the HARMAN Women’s Network chapter in Northridge, California. In this role, she’s dedicated to supporting the professional and personal growth of women at HARMAN, as well as attracting new talent to the company. In her free time, she’s active in other groups dedicated to building community and expanding professional opportunities for women.
HPro Installs: JBL and other HARMAN brands installed in houses of worship, sports stadiums, and other prominent venues
“I know I sent you about 900 questions…” we both chuckled. “…but we’ll play it by ear.”
What was your first job in the audio industry?
“So, funnily enough, my first job in audio was a random temp job at Alesis while I was studying at UCLA. I was helping support administration within HR during a summer break. I do, however, remember distinctly sitting across the wall from the marketing department and hearing how much fun they were having. I got to witness them being creative and collaborative, and that was my first time thinking that marketing seemed like an awesome profession.”
I respond, “It’s actually kind of hilarious how you end up in these random positions that can change your life. You have an entire career in audio technology because of a fun group of individuals on another side of a wall at some temp job one time.”
“It is so interesting,” Vanessa says. As we both get further into the conversation, you can begin to hear the relaxation in our voices. “I admire people who have a specific vision for their career from an early age, but that just wasn’t me. All I knew was that I loved writing and being around creative people, so I let my curiosity and interests guide me. It was a total coincidence that I came right back to the audio industry by landing my first full-time job at M-Audio a couple of years later! But I quickly fell in love with the creativity of my coworkers and our customers. I’m so grateful to that team for supporting me as I discovered my passion and started building my career.”
I’ve read about some of your work with the HARMAN Women’s Network Northridge Chapter. Can you tell me more about the organization and your lead in it?
Absolutely! HARMAN has campuses all around the world, and each campus has its own Women’s Network leader. So there’s a lot of autonomy in the role. I can drive initiatives that are exciting for this campus, and at the same time learn from what other women are doing on other campuses. I’ve brought in a couple of guest speakers to help with personal and professional development. I’ve focused on a lot of soft skills, like having a mindfulness meditation instructor come in.
“Ooohh!” I interject.
“She talked about the brain science behind mindfulness and how it can reduce stress and increase cognitive function, and all kinds of other health benefits. One of my favorite things I learned is that practicing mindfulness enables you to appreciate music even more. I’ve gotten to grow so much from this initiative, and have really enjoyed the opportunity to connect with women across different divisions, departments, and campuses. And men too! It’s awesome to bring everyone together to drive change.”
Tell me about your early days at M-Audio when recording really started to change.
I came into M-Audio at a really exciting time when high-quality recording gear could finally be produced at an affordable price point, and that was changing how music was being made. It was all about mobility. You could be on the road, be on the tour bus, be in a hotel room, be in your bedroom studio, and make really good quality music. So, it democratized the whole process. You didn’t have to have this massive budget to be heard. It was a really fun, exciting time to start in the industry and that’s a lot of what I fell in love with. We were enabling people to express themselves without a huge budget.
I was curious, other than democratizing music-making, were there any other projects that were super memorable for you? Projects that really stick out in your mind.
Vanessa chuckles a bit before listing off a myriad of amazing projects she’s been a part of, but one in particular stuck out…
There was a time when I transitioned from running the M-Audio content marketing team to acting as marketing program manager for several different brands at Avid. The Eleven Rack guitar recording and signal-processing system was the first launch that I did in my new role. This is where I was looking at the entire marketing plan and program and putting it together from top to bottom, overseeing a whole launch. The experience was really gratifying for me on a lot of levels. Professionally, I got to stretch into a more significant leadership position than ever before, and collaborate with a ton of different teammates to make everything happen. And personally, I’ve always loved guitar-driven music, so getting to reach guitarists was really fun for me.
Are you a musician? Do you play any instruments or anything?
“A few years after that project, during my time working at Line 6, I finally picked up a guitar. It was really cool, they had free guitar lessons on campus, so I would get to jam with my coworkers once a week. It gave me a much deeper appreciation for my customers’ and colleagues’ dedication and skill… it wasn’t easy for me! But I’m so glad I got a chance to learn.”
If you had a few pieces of advice for your younger self or young women in the field, what would they be?
“I often see women, myself sometimes included, hesitating or apologizing for asking questions. It’s important to put yourself out there, ask questions without apology, and get the information that is going to help you grow. Earlier in my career, I felt a lot of pressure to know all the answers or figure everything out on my own. Having the freedom and confidence to reach out is important. It builds community and team. And connecting with others is what makes life a lot more fun, so go for it!”
We thank each other for the time and conversation, some 40 minutes deep into discussions. We share a few more laughs, thank each other again, and hang up. I take a few minutes to simply digest everything we’ve gotten to chat about. I walk away realizing just how far-reaching audio technology goes. Before this interview, I never considered a marketing management position, but now it seems so obvious. There are a lot of ways to take part in music and audio. Never think you’re stuck in a certain position. There are women out there blazing trails and helping make monumental differences in this industry. And, It’s so great to hear that HARMAN and Line 6 are trying to not only be inclusive for women and personal and professional growth, but they also offer ways to connect to customers even more.
A few years ago Anna Bullbrook, (Airborne Toxic Event and The Bulls) volunteered at the Los Angeles Girls Rock Camp and had a “ mind-bending experience of seeing women use rock’n’roll to encourage young girls to take risks, grow, and be more themselves in a really utopic, positive, and very thoughtful all-female environment. The experience changed my brain. The relief of connecting to a community of positive and pro-active musical women hit me like a wave”. Once Anna got a taste of what she calls “Utopia” she knew she had to do something to keep that feeling of community alive and continue to grow it, and so she started GIRLSCHOOL (This is why SoundGirls was founded).
GIRLSCHOOL is a music festival that celebrates women-identified-fronted bands and women artists. After spending a decade as a “sideman” in the alternative rock world, where you don’t see a lot of other women around—onstage or on your crew—I started to miss and crave the camaraderie of women. I mean, growing up in classical land, I saw women players everywhere and had a million girlfriends who also played instruments. It wasn’t this segregated thing.
With a production crew of all-women sound engineers, production designers, and lighting designers GIRLSCHOOL 2017 Festival featured; Chelsea Wolfe, The Bird and the Bee, Francisca Valenzuela (acoustic), Deap Vally, The Regrettes, Rituals of Mine, Summer Twins, Vox, Luna Shadows, KONA, Boyfriend, Pearl Charles, The Wild Reeds, Winter, Liphemra, Trace, Caroline Smith, Kid Wave, Starcrawler, Soto Voce, and DJ sets from Tamaryn, Mereki’s Club House, Bleached, Honey Power, Val Fleury, Linafornia, and Play Like A Girl.
The festival also included afternoon panels discussions and workshops with; Ruidosa, SoundGirls, Music for Pictures (Alicen Schneider, NBCUniversal), Own Your Own Voice (Kiran Gandhi), Women in Media (Andrea Domanick, Noisey), Women in Music (Jasmine Lywen-Dill, GIRLSCHOOL Co-Founder/WBR), Queer & Trans* Women Discussion on Sexualization and Media (Dannielle Owens-Reid), Radical Aliveness (Jennifer Huang), Ableton Controllerism (Laura “Alluxe” Escudé), Intersectional Feminism in Music (Mukta Mohan, MTV/KXLU), and Rock’n’Roll Camp for Girls LA.
Anna has big plans for GIRLSCHOOL in 2018 with plans to bring the festival to other cities (stay tuned) and providing year-round programming. SoundGirls had such a great time being involved with GIRLSCHOOL last year, and we are eagerly looking forward to 2018. Check out last year’s scene report.
photo credit: Artemis Evlogimenou
Grace Banks is an independent studio engineer based in London, UK. She has worn many hats in the field including recording engineer, mix engineer, musician, producer, and composer. She is a multi-instrumentalist and has toured as a session musician in many bands. She plays keys, guitar, electric bass, percussion, and sings. She has also worked for the music label, Nonclassical, and Help Musicians UK, a charity that researches musicians’ needs, gives grants, and organizes competitions.
Banks grew up with a musical ear. She started studying classical piano at the age of four, classical violin at the age of ten, and taught herself guitar. She studied music theory through grade 8, too.
When I was a kid, I would make my dad play the piano so that I could record it on my tape machine, or I would get my toddler brother to perform into the mic. I was fascinated by music and by capturing performance.
As she grew older, Grace would record guitar and vocal harmonies on a four-track tape recorder. She began to perform at seventeen and was offered a place to study music production at eighteen. Although she had the passion to succeed and her mentors recognized her gift, the adults in her life steered her away from pursuing a career in music. And like many aspiring musicians, Grace was encouraged to try a different field. Grace began to work at an engineering firm having won a place to study Civil Engineering at university.
So, a month before Grace was supposed to begin university, she persuaded the music department to offer her a place. She concentrated on composition, orchestration, and theory and graduated with first-class honours.
She wanted to pursue studio work or a Masters’s in Composition after graduation but was unable to afford the education. So she moved to London where she thought there might be more opportunities.
I wrote to recording studios but got zero responses. I played gigs but, while the gigs I had done outside of London paid half a week’s rent, the ones in London wouldn’t give a free drink, let alone a fee. I busked on the underground until, one day, a man stole my money. I did a plethora of bitty jobs, before finding an office-based nine-to-five.
While working in an office by day, Grace was seeking out and studying with mentors in the evenings.
At gigs, I would head to the sound desk and ask to shadow the engineer. A couple of them agreed, and I am indebted to them for their patience and encouragement. At this stage, I was too terrified to touch the desk – so I would just watch and offer endless bar runs in the hope that they would invite me back. A year or so later, I got hired to tour as an instrumentalist. I would hover behind the sound engineer and pester him with questions. On my return, I set up a residency, booking singer-songwriters for a small basement bar – partly because I wanted a ‘safe’ place to get my hands on a PA and try mixing.
Then, one day in a rehearsal studio, a member of staff saw that Grace knew how to setup and troubleshoot audio gear and offered her a job. After a few months at the studio, Grace moved house and heard rumors about a recording studio on the same street. She sent a curriculum vitae (C.V), otherwise known as a resume, and coincidentally, the studio was looking to hire staff. The recording studio was interested in her background in classical music mainly, her ability to read scores and experience as a multi-instrumentalist – had stood out and impressed them. However, her primary asset was proximity to the studio, which meant she could (and did) come in at five minutes’ notice and lock up at any hour of the night.
Having begun applying for studio runner positions at 21, Grace finally got her foot in the door at 28.
People starting out in studios are often expected to work for free
One of the studios I first applied to wanted someone who could be available, unpaid, seven days a week – in London, especially, that is not an option for some. This kind of expectation precludes many from entry into this career
While dealing with these financial challenges, Grace often forfeited stability, relationships, comfort, and safety and she learnt to live on a shoestring budget.
I was homeless for a while – mostly couch-surfing with friends; government benefits tided me over. There can be a lot of shame attached to benefits, but they are essential for social mobility and are the unofficial arts grants.
When I eventually got work at a recording studio, the pay was about half of the living wage; also, the work was piecemeal, and there were no contracts. I found part-time, flexible jobs that I could fit around the studio. Needless to say, I had almost no social life for a couple of years.
Grace took responsibility for her education, writing regular ‘study’ periods into her diary, using books, YouTube tutorials, online articles, and real-life mentors. She made a list of skills she wanted to prioritize, such as drum-teching, guitar-teching, and mixing, with a sub-list of people who could help her improve each of them. Once she figured out her game plan, she would introduce herself to those on the list and ask if she could shadow them.
Grace has experienced both the touring artist and the studio engineering lifestyle and said that she loves both. With touring, she enjoys the sense of camaraderie, the excitement of seeing new places and not knowing what’s going to happen from day to day. On the technical side, she enjoys logical thinking and the goal-based nature of the work. Unpredictability can be exciting, too; she could be called to Manchester one week, Portugal the week after. She also loves how she is continuously learning.
Every session I do and everyone I work with teaches me something.
Best of all, she loves working with amazing artists and having the opportunity to capture their performances so that the magic can be witnessed by others.
It feels like finding a beautiful gem and holding it up to the light.
I have just acquired a MoogerFooger 12-stage phaser which I am really excited about. The UA 6176 is my home workhorse. I have been doing a series of vocal mic shoot-outs with a friend who is also an engineer, which has been fun. Also, the Roland RE-501 Chorus Echo: it’s another world, and you can get lost in it.
In order to survive as a freelancer, Grace attends networking, technological, and industry events. She has also built good relationships with studios that give her regular work. Additionally, Grace pursues engineering along with other jobs. She still works as a session guitarist, which helps her recording work in many ways:
such as meeting musicians who might want a studio or engineer down the line, and improving my understanding of what musicians go through under pressure, how they communicate, and so on.
We asked Grace for tips for those SoundGirls and SoundWomen who wish to enter the field:
Grace’s long-term goals include more writing for and with other artists.
More on Grace – SoundGirls Spotlight Series
Profile By: Michelle Naziri (“Miche”) is a Liberal Arts-Engineering Studies student at California Polytechnic State University, concentrating in Electrical Engineering and Sound Design. Over the summer Michelle worked as an intern for VUE Audiotechnik under VP Operations and SoundGirl, Sara Elliott. As an intern, she got to help with prototype experiments, reverse engineer speakers, fix amplifiers, and help assemble and test loudspeakers and subs for the Kendrick Lamar, DAMN tour. Most recently, Michelle received an internship with RagHouse Radio as an audio technician for SoundGirl April Duran for her show on Authentic Culture Network in Sunset Gower Studios. RagHouse Radio, empowering women in music, sports, and entertainment.
In the future, Michelle hopes to continue working in radio, speaker production, and live mix for bands at concerts and festivals.
It’s easy to miss the SoundGirls news and blogs, so we have put together a round-up of the blogs, articles, and news from the past week. You can keep up to date and read more at SoundGirls.org
https://soundgirls.org/namm-internship-stealth-sonics/
https://soundgirls.org/holiday/
Sennheiser & Neumann are seeking two members of SoundGirls to intern with the company during the 2018 NAMM show. Interns will need to be available from January 25 – January 28, 2018.
Dates and Times
Responsibilities
Anaheim Convention Center North
Booth # – 14110
Payment will be a pair of Sennheiser headphones and microphone:HD280Pro and e835. You will also receive a letter of recommendation upon successful close of the show.
You’re also welcome to join Sennheiser for dinner each evening.
Please send a cover letter of why you would like to intern and a resume to soundgirls@soundgirls.org
SoundGirls Presents NAMM Mentoring Session
Join us for a Mentoring Session with Women Leaders in Professional Audio
You must be a member of SoundGirls, and you must register for the event. Space is Extremely Limited. You will receive venue address (venue is in Anaheim) with your confirmation.
This event will be a casual mentoring session – where you can get advice and answers to your questions. Groups will rotate between leaders specializing in Live Sound, Recording and Mastering, Broadcast Engineering and Professional Audio Sales.
Jeri Palumbo, a broadcast engineer, audio mixer and RF (radio frequency) tech
Jeri is a broadcast engineer, audio mixer and RF (radio frequency) tech who, for the past 25 years, has specialized in working on high-profile sports shows. Jeri is a technical whiz and a regular on the frontlines of events like the Super Bowl, NBA, NHL playoffs and most recently the World Series. Jeri is part of the RF Coordination Team each year for the Rose Bowl. She has also worked entertainment broadcasts including The Oscars, The Tonight Show, American Idol and others.
Karrie Keyes – Monitor Engineer for Pearl Jam and Eddie Vedder – Executive Director and Co-Founder of SoundGirls.Org
Karrie has spent the last 25 plus years as the monitor engineer for Pearl Jam. Karrie started out doing sound for punk bands in Los Angeles in 1986 under the tutelage of Dave Rat of Rat Sound, where she spent twenty years helping to establish the company. She was able to gain an immense amount of hands-on experience and technical knowledge at Rat, which eventually led to her becoming the monitor engineer for The Red Hot Chili Peppers from 1990-2000. She first met and started working with Pearl Jam who opened for RHCP on their 1991-1992 Blood Sugar Sex Magic Tour. She has worked with Sonic Youth, Fugazi, and Neil Young.
Erika Earl – Director of Hardware Engineering for Slate Digital and Slate Media Technology
From pulling out the soldering iron to setting up microphones around a drum kit, Erika Earl brings experience from all sides of the professional audio business. Her understanding of audio electronics was earned through more than a decade of experience repairing, servicing, and performing quality control for a wide range of top manufacturers, including Tube-Tech, Drawmer, Focusrite, Daking, Bock Audio, Avid, Little Labs, and many others.
She has also engineered for studios and run FOH throughout Arizona and California. Erika served as Head of Technology and Chief Technician for LA’s landmark studio The Village. When she’s not thinking through a schematic or evaluating the subtleties of a tube compressor, you’re likely to find her sifting through her collection of vintage records and rare books.
Leslie Gaston-Bird Vice President for the Audio Engineering Society’s Western Region & Associate Professor of Recording Arts at the University of Colorado Denver
Leslie Gaston-Bird Vice President for the Audio Engineering Society’s Western Region & Associate Professor of Recording Arts at the University of Colorado Denver. Leslie is also proud to chair the AES’ Diversity and Inclusion Committee. She has almost 30 years of experience in audio for film and video, music recording, and radio. She graduated from the Audio Technology program at Indiana University in 1989. She also holds a BA in telecommunications and an MS in recording arts. She has worked for National Public Radio in Washington, D.C., Colorado Public Radio in Denver, as recording engineer for the Colorado Symphony and as a sound editor for Post Modern Company in Denver. She has performed soundtrack restoration on films from the Sony/Columbia Pictures archives and is one of the pioneers of a music video production style she calls “Music Video Vérité”. She runs her own freelance audio post-production company, Mix Messiah Productions, LLC. She is also a Fulbright Scholar.
Katy Templeman-Holmes is the Director of Marketing for Professional, at HARMAN
At Harman, she has held several roles including; as a Product Manager based in Switzerland, running US Sales for Recording & Broadcast, training FOH & monitor engineers taking consoles on tour, running product development for a handful of different industries, and Director of Solutions and Marketing for Hospitality and Broadcast.
Grace Royse – Live Sound Engineer and Production Manager
Grace Royse is a Live Sound Engineer and Production Manager with 11 years of experience in world touring.Clients include Sublime with Rome, Fitz and the Tantrums, Maintaining a background in studio productions, business management, and artist development, she has mentored several young men and women over the years, all successfully working within the industry today.”
Vanessa Silberman is a National DIY Touring Singer (playing over 330 shows in 2015-2017), Guitarist, Songwriter, Record Producer-Engineer-Mixer, Independent A&R and has an Artist Development Label called A Diamond Heart Production (Down & Outlaws, The Punch) from Los Angeles. She was also the founding member of the LA band Diamonds Under Fire (2002-2013).
Jett Galindo Audio and Vinyl Mastering Engineer at The Bakery
Jett Galindo is an audio & vinyl mastering engineer from The Bakery, located on the Sony Pictures Lot in Culver City. With credits spanning different genres and legendary artists (Bette Midler, Nile Rodgers, Colbie Caillat, to name a few), Jett carries on the legacy left behind by her late mentor, mastering legend Doug Sax of The Mastering Lab.
A GRAMMY Voting Member (P&E Wing) & Latin GRAMMY nominee, Jett is also an accomplished soprano who specializes in choral ensemble music. Jett also devotes part of her time writing for SoundGirls and volunteering for Berklee College of Music as an Alumni Ambassador.
Ali “A MAC” McGuire has worked worldwide on albums, International/ US Tours, and charity projects alongside internationally recognized artists. Ali required recording, mixing, production, and live sound skills through a combination of experience and certification. Ali has worked with such artist as Fetty Wap, Post Malone, Hed PE, Big Daddy Kane, Dick Van Dyke, Whitney Peyton and more. Ali recently moved from Philadelphia to LA to take her business, Amaculent Entertainment LLC, to the next level. Ali is currently working out of a few great studio’s and venues in LA; recording, mixing and producing for the next generation of artists and more.
Sara Elliot VP of Operations and CoFounder of VUE Audiotechnik
With more than 20 years of experience in professional audio, Sara has held strategic marketing and operational positions with numerous sound production companies including Burns Audio, A-1 Audio, and PRG. Sara also served as Director of Marketing and Sales for Live Sound International Magazine and ProSoundweb.com, two of the industry’s most respected news and technical information sources. Sara brings to VUE Audiotechnik a wealth of industry relationships and a deep understanding of business operations.
Fela Davis Sound Engineer and Owner of 23db Productions
Fela Davis is a co-owner at 23db Productions based out of New York City. She’s a graduate of Full Sail University and has over a decade of experience in audio engineering. Her past experiences include working with industry powerhouses Clair Broadcast and House of Blues. When she’s not mixing or mastering songs for 23db Productions, she’s mixing front of house engineer for the 5-time Grammy award winning jazz artist Christian McBride, and Grammy-nominated Ottmar Liebert.
Claire holds a Bachelors degree in Music Technology from Hertfordshire University in the UK. She has 8 years of professional touring experience as both guitar/backline tech and as Tour Manager. She now lives in Los Angeles, having relocated from London and tours exclusively as a guitar tech. She has a business in the UK providing storage for bands and local companies in London, and previously provided rental sprinter vans.
Catharine Wood Recording – Mix Engineer – Owner Planetwood Studios – Catharine is a Los Angeles-based composer/producer/engineer with a recording studio in Los Angeles. With a background in audio post-production for commercials, Catharine engineered on the first iPhone commercial among hundreds of national and international campaigns – including the Geico Caveman and Priceline Negotiator spots. As a mix and mastering engineer, she has engineered on over 300 commercially released songs – including her own custom compositions which have aired on NBC, ABC, BBC, ESPN and more – both nationally and abroad. She is a GRAMMY® Voting Member and Producers & Engineers Wing member. Catharine currently holds a position on the LA Recording School’s Recording Arts Program Advisory Committee and is the former Director of Southern California for the West Coast Songwriters organization. She is a voting member of the Society of Composers and Lyricists, a Board Member of the California Copyright Conference and longtime professional member of NARIP and AIMP. Her company, Planetwood Studios, LLC (parent company of Planetwood Productions, established 2002) specializes in producing singer-songwriters and providing engineering, production and composition services to the TV, Film and Recording industries.
Tiffany Hendren Live Sound FOH and Monitor Engineer
Tiffany Hendren is a monitor engineer at The Pageant in St. Louis and the House Engineer for the Del Mar. She tours as the FOH Engineer for “A Silent Film.” She has been involved in sound professionally for around seven years, full-time about five. Tiffany is the Co-Director of SoundGirls.Org.
Jessica Berg – Tour Manager and Live Sound Engineer
Jessica is a freelance TM/FOH/MON engineer and is currently touring as the TM for Phoebe Ryan. Jessica is SoundGirls.Org’s Director of Development. She is honored and excited to be volunteering with a growing organization and community that is achieving its mission – to help empower the next generation of women in audio, expanding opportunities for girls and women in the audio and music production fields, and sharing resources and knowledge through cooperation, collaboration, and diversity.
Daniella Peters – Head of Sales and Management Team at Rat Sound Systems
Daniella has been with Rat Sound for over 15 years building their sales dept from a concept to a multi-million dollar part of their business. She started off her career working for an international cosmetics company doing their live event production. She then transitioned to HHB Audio and Ashdown Music, Emap Performance (Kerrang and Q magazines) in London and now with Rat Sound.
She is passionate about women’s issues and spends a good portion of her spare time using her production skills to produce and host music and fashion fundraising events for various women’s non-profits.
Mary Broadbent is a Tour Manager and Backline Tech. Mary is the Tour Manager and Backline/Guitar Tech for The Mowgli’s and The Staves. She’s also worked with Chris Isaak, Fitz and the Tantrums, and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. Most recently she jumped behind the soundboard for the first time on tour with Wrabel as TM/FOH.