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SoundGirls in Muscat – Workshop

April 21, 2017, marked the first-ever SoundGirls workshops in Muscat. Two workshops were held at the Classical Music and Arts Institute in Qurum, kindly supported by manager Thanae Pachiyannaki. The first workshop was for 10-15-year-olds and the second for 16+. Due to the interest booking had to be closed earlier than expected and a waiting list for places was created.

Claudia and Dianis, music teachers at the Classical Music and Arts Institute, helped set up for the event and managed the door. A very wide range of people from across the community attended. Teachers, students, and musicians. All had a keen interest in the audio profession and had plenty of questions to ask.

A basic sound system was set up for the event. Two UPJ’s on stands, an Allen and HeathZed-12FX, a wired SM58 and two Zaxcom transmitters and receivers.

After a short introduction and explanation of the aims of ‘SoundGirls,’ the equipment was used to explain basic signal flow, with plenty of hands-on time. As my background is mainly musical theatre-based, we then looked at radio mics; the basic theory of how they work and some of the uses. We watched a clip from ‘Matilda the Musical’ and talked about the challenges that are faced on large-scale musicals including working with remote bands and how communication is maintained between stage and pit. Given that the Royal Opera House is the only theatre in the region, most of the workshop attendees had seen at least one performance. This gave rise to some enthusiastic discussion about the type of performances that we have here and cultural sensitivities in the region.

We rounded out the hour with some short feedback forms, differentiated to the needs of each group. The overwhelming response was that attendees enjoyed the workshop and would like to be involved in future events. In the future, I hope to arrange themed workshops, based on more specific areas such as live music, theatre, archiving and creating sound effects.

‘Community’ is ever more important in a city such as Muscat with such a hugely transient population. Friends come and go, and it is easy to get caught up in a world of work and not much else. Giving back just a small amount of time is immensely rewarding.

A wise friend once taught me that to serve another person is the greatest gift that you can give. As much as I hope that the workshop attendees gained new knowledge and inspiration, my own wish to serve this community was also fulfilled.

Huge thanks must go to everyone who helped support this SoundGirls event: Thanae Pachiyannaki, Claudia Reynaldo Prado and Dianis Catas Salas at The Classical Music and Arts Institute and Max White and Mike Compton at the Royal Opera House Muscat.

It’s Time to Get that Job

Hiring and maintaining staff is an important part of running a venue.  Venues need their regular full-time employees as well as the staff they keep in their ‘back pocket‘ for larger events.  Working at the university, I often get to be the first person to introduce potential future staff of these venues to the wonderful world of sound.  (Stage and lighting too, but that’s for a different group of people). Throughout the hiring process, I have noticed a trend with job candidates, in particular with their applications. So I thought I would highlight a few tips for people about to hit the job market and get those coveted interviews.

First, take a look at what SoundGirls and their contributors have already provided you with information regarding your resume. This resource provides excellent knowledge and tips to build or update your resume as well as your cover letter and social media tips.

Second, a lot of organizations will ask you to fill out an application to submit with your resume. My advice, fill out the application completely and follow all of the directions provided. This may sound simple, but out of all the applications, I receive every year at least half have a question or two left blank, or they didn’t follow the directions. Sometimes they are simple things like filling in their contact information.  Other times it’s completely missing the skills/experience questions on the second page.  As for following directions, if it says something like please type your answers, don’t turn it in handwritten in pencil or if it says attach a resume, make sure you do that too. Incomplete applications won’t make it far, and you certainly won’t make it to the interview phase if people don’t know how to get in touch with you. Help yourself out and carefully read through and complete the application.  Also, make sure to turn your application in by the deadline, doing so will reflect that you are a person committed to getting things done on time.  Keep in mind that applications are often pre-scanned, either by recruiters, HR departments, or automated processes.  Attention to the details is critical.

Third, assuming you’ve made it onto the interview process (we all know you will because you have filled out the application completely and you have a great resume!) prepare for the interview. Research the organization you have applied to, better yet do that before you even apply. Make sure the culture of the organization will work for you just as much as you will work for them. Prepare questions to ask, as interviewers we know you have them, but if you don’t ask them it makes us nervous that perhaps you will never ask questions on the job, and we are aware you don’t know everything. Asking those questions now will also allow you to gain more clarity for the position you are going to spend hours of your life working in and believe it or not it also helps the interviewer get to know you better as well.  A well-asked question lets the employer gain insight into how you think and how you process information.

As an interviewer, I’m always impressed by someone who has done their homework and asks a question that isn’t found in a Google search of the top 20 questions to ask during an interview.  Outside of preparing questions to ask, be prepared to answer the questions that may come your way too.  There are three questions that you always want to be ready to answer; they have typically phrased something like the following:

Tell us about yourself –  When you are asked to share a bit about yourself, it is usually the first chance you have to speak for yourself outside of the application and resume you have submitted. Take advantage of that and make a lasting impact. Introduce yourself, say your full name, so the interviewer knows how it’s pronounced, provide them with your preferred name too. Share something that will make you stand out, but also remember to remain professional. Share a bit about your educational and work background too.  Think of it this way, if you had to tell someone the most relevant things about yourself in one minute, what would that be?

What interests you in this position –  In advance of the interview, review in detail the information provided in the job description and application process.  Find one or more areas that you can focus on when answering this question. The more specific your answers, the better.  Share your interests in the position; like what specifically in the job description made you think – I have to apply for this job! Share what you think you can contribute to the organization and share how you hope the organization will help you.

Be prepared to answer situational questions such as tell us about a time when you did “X,” how did it go, what was the outcome –  Interviewers often ask for examples of how you handled certain situations in the workplace.  While your resume may say that you have experience with certain tasks and responsibilities, interviewers like to see how you handle situations. It is important to give specific examples, don’t just tell the interviewer what you think they want to hear. You will impress them more by being yourself and specifically relating your experiences to the questions they are asking.  Tell them what you have learned through your experiences and how learning those things have shaped you to become the professional you are. To be prepared with answers to these kinds of questions it is important to think about examples before you’re in the hot seat. That way you can have many different examples to use which will also show the interviewer that you have had many relevant experiences and make you stand out amongst other applicants.

While these are all words to the wise, it can be hard to remember all of this advice during an interview.  Practice interviews can help you be on your game when it’s time for the real thing.   Practice with friends, mentors, or even employment services in your local community.  You can get feedback regarding your answers as well as your demeanor during these practice sessions. This can help you make sure you are representing yourself in the best way possible.  Practice could also help you be less nervous when you are in a real interview.

Radio Mics and Vocal Reinforcement, Part 2

Continuing from my last blog post, here is some more about the vocal reinforcement techniques I have learnt in relation to radio mics. Read Part 1 Here

Addams Family


This is a photo of a production of the Addams Family musical. This was the same setup, in principle, as Rent. The band is at the back of the stage – there is not much separation between the stage and the band. The mics are in the hairline; you can see the odd mic poking out but they are pretty well hidden. So, what is going on here? Why does this mic position work for The Addams Family musical and not for Rent?

It’s the score. The Addams Family is much more traditional in terms of musical theatre: the line-up of instruments is more traditional and there is room in the score for the vocals. The overall level of the show is quieter and that means we can get away the mics in a more discrete position.

Let’s look at the difference between the mic positions within the show, considering everything else is the same.

Ear hanger

In this photo, you can see Uncle Fester. Uncle Fester has no hair so the hairline isn’t an option at all. What can we do for uncle Fester? Uncle Fester needs an ear hanger.

You can’t see the ear hanger in this picture – I couldn’t find a shot of him from the correct angle. The ear hanger is quite long –  you would probably make it shorter and paint it to match the skin or hair tone.

Sometimes the hairline can’t be used because you have a hat situation that isn’t going to resolve itself in the way you’d hoped. So, what are the problems with this?

If you have to go for an ear hanger, it’s generally a step down in audio quality from the hairline position. Although they are omni-directional mics, there is a muddy quality to the audio when you put the mic over the ear. They are probably far more visible but they will keep a constant distance from the mouth. They can be liable to sweat-out, and if the actor is laying down, or head to head in profile with someone, then that can cause noise problems. But it can be a good solution if you can’t get the mic in the hairline.

It is common to use an HF boost cap on an ear hanger to try to help with the difference in EQ that it will need.


American Idiot



Boom mic

I did a production of American Idiot at the Bridewell Theatre. You can see they are all on boom mics here. American Idiot was a loud show and we had a great band who were up on a balcony at the back. Everyone in the cast was on a boom mic. It gave us the level we needed to get the vocals over the band and to have that great impact at the start of the show.

What are the downsides of boom mics? Well, they get in the way. Obviously, the actors lying on the floor is an even bigger problem here because there is more of the mic to crush. Any scenes where the actors have to kiss can be awkward. The mics move and, depending on where they are anchored, they may move relative to the mouth of the actor. They have to be anchored and fitted really well to not move about. Heavy breathing can be a problem and there is a very distinctive look to them. But they are worth it. So long as they are fitted properly, they will give you lots of level.

Chest mic

This is the least useful mic position for live sound. In theatre, it can bring all sorts of issues.

It is so difficult to make chest mics work as the actor can turn their head away from the mic – that will generate an inconsistent level. There can be loads of clothing noise and they really get in the way of costume changes.

Live effects on radio mics

Mic-ing every line of dialogue can you give you the opportunity to impose SFX on top of certain actors’ voices, so you’re not just restricted to amplification.

I was the sound designer for a production of Ghost.  One of the main characters in the show, Sam, is dead. He dies during the show and refuses to go away. He is not the only Ghost in the production.

The problem was one of how to make Sam otherworldly. There were some physical magic tricks to make that happen, but we wanted to give him that sudden transition into a ghost. We couldn’t do it visually – we couldn’t make him transparent, or black and white, or any of the other standard visual tricks used to represent a ghost – so I decided that whenever someone died they would have their own reverb. All their personal dialogue after they died would have its own reverb.

When they launched into song, the difference between the speaking effect reverb and the reverb needed for a number created a bit of a conflict, but subtle mixing fixed that.

I played with a similar thing on a version of the Nativity that I designed.

The play starts with the Book of Genesis, so before the world existed there was God and the angels and they all had a vocal reverb when they spoke as well.

The same actor that played God also played Death. I wanted to create something for Death that was different from the human characters in the play, but also something different than the reverb effect we had used for God and the angels. We used a pitch shift and, although you could still hear her acoustic voice, there was an undercurrent of something more menacing and subtle that gave enough of a difference to her voice to make an impact.

I’ve covered some of the things I have learned about radio mics here, but it’s a constant art of just doing what works and not being afraid to change the way things are done if they aren’t working the way you need them to for the job in hand.

Recap
In the last two posts I have covered five different types of mic-ing:

In the hairline: Looks good and sounds good, if you aren’t doing a very loud show. Minimal interference with the actor, unless they do a lot of forehead acting. Hair products and sweat can be a problem.

On the forehead: Still sounds great, but isn’t as discrete and is more prone to forehead acting.

Over the ear: Can sound muffled and needs some EQ work. It can get in the way if the actor is laying on their side. Sweat can be a problem. picks up costume noise, and doesn’t sound great.

Boom mic: Great for level, but can really get in the way physically.   Heavy breathing can be a problem. They are not at all discreet.

Chest mic: Can be very noisy, causes problems with costume changes.

Erika Earl – Always be yes-sing! (say it out loud)

Someone once said about Erika Earl, “the building could be on fire, and no one would know because all nine sessions would keep going.” She has made more than a few musicians, engineers, and producers feel good about broken gear or a tough situation.

Earl has been working in the professional audio industry for 15 years. She is currently the Director of Hardware Engineering at Slate Digital. She has worked in key positions in the audio industry, from being the Chief Tech at The Village Studios to running live sound at Coachella, to performing quality control and repair for leading audio manufacturers including Drawmer, Focusrite, Tube-Tech, and Daking. Her passion for audio was ignited at the age of 12 when she was introduced to the recording studio. Her mother booked time for her older sister to record a few American standards in Spanish and brought her along. Earl was captivated by the studio environment and the recording process: “Anyone who has ever walked into a professional recording session with talented artists knows she never wants to leave that room. It’s fucking cool to experience the moment of capture!” Earl knew she wanted to be a part of that process and her technical skills came from realizing she needed a reason to be in the control room beyond a simple desire to be there.

Earl’s education has been non-conventional. While she attended public school, her greatest influence came from observing her immigrant mother who in addition to having five kids, established, owned, and operated several sewing factories: “I think growing up in a factory environment informed my understanding of what ‘work’ is: long hours and sometimes under grueling conditions. I thought I better choose a job I like doing if it’s always going to be that hard.” Her audio engineering education has come from mentorships and a willingness to fail. “I have learned the most from just doing it. I have audited audio production and engineering classes at various institutions over the years. I studied math in college. I volunteer a lot, write and record as much as possible, make giant mistakes, and frequently spend late nights studying up and teaching myself. Many of my friends and mentors are serious musicians, engineers, and sound people. They encourage me to be still and listen, which I have discovered is the best way to learn more. I try and make it a point to be the dumbest and least talented person in my friend circle.”

Erika started as a studio intern working for free. Producer and engineer David Nichols gave her a key to his studio and allowed her to observe and participate as much as she was able during sessions. At night she produced live shows with friends. “My cousin and I had a club night series called Lipgloss and Cigarettes. I would book the bands and arrange the sound production while she was in charge of the venue and creative art direction.

Earl finally got a chance to mix live and get paid for it from Randy Lopez who would hire her to run FOH at a venue in Tucson, Arizona called Plush. Erika says, “I was a pest and just started showing up all the time until one day the sound guy didn’t show up, and there I was foaming at the mouth ready to go. I think Randy appreciated my enthusiasm and mentored me until I could fly on my own.” She also interned with Craig Schumacher at Wavelab, while attempting to fix guitar pedals and cables at Bevins Guitar shop.  At the same time, she worked at Epic Cafe serving coffee and vegan scones before sunrise. “Sometimes I would work at every place in town on the same day. A band would be touring and buy a cup of coffee from me in the morning, visit the studio in the afternoon, and then I would run their live sound at night. It was a trip.”

Earl says that at every trade show and conference she made a point of introducing herself to as many manufacturers as possible. “I met Jonathan Little of Little Labs at a TapeOp conference, and he hired me after a working interview. I worked there during the day and then recorded at The Distillery at night. If I wasn’t recording, I was running live sound, or stalking rehearsal spaces in LA looking for bands to work with me.”

After a few years working in LA, she got pregnant and quit everything to go home to Arizona and be closer to her family. She knew she wanted to go back to work, but studio hours and a baby seemed like a miserable combination. “I just didn’t think I was ready to commit to that lifestyle again, so I cold called Tony Marra at Thermal Relief Design on a recommendation from Jay Fitzgibbons (DSPdoctor, LLC) and asked Tony for a job. Thermal Relief was the only authorized service center for many brands I respected at the time. Tony did not have a position available, but I somehow managed to impress him into meeting with me. I moved to Las Vegas and started at Thermal Relief as a tech, receptionist, shipping & receiving person and was eventually promoted to Technical Service Manager.”

Village Techs and Ed Cherney

During her time at Thermal Relief, Earl was invited by Brad Lunde (Trans Audio Group) to work as a tech for his Audio Underground Roadshow which is a traveling high-end audio showcase. At one showcase hosted at The Village Studios Earl was introduced to Studio Manager, Tina Morris. One of Earl’s goals was to work in a large classic commercial studio, and The Village was a perfect opportunity to do just that. About a year after their first meeting, Morris was interviewing Earl for the Chief Tech position. Earl accepted the job and moved back to LA. Earl was in charge of the technical staff and all of the electronics in the building at The Village, including the phone system and internet. “The place is three stories and has four commercial recording studios, eight or nine private studios, two NEVE 88Rs, one NEVE 8048, a NEVE 8068, a Digidesign Icon which we upgraded to an AVID S6, an auditorium, a ballroom, and loads and loads of gear. At one point we had an all female tech staff which was pretty radical. Outside of servicing and maintaining the gear, I was responsible for assisting engineers with any technical support they required, training, and developing new processes and systems. I also helped create the forensic archiving department, design a cam lock and distro for live concerts, build two new rooms, and completely re-wire another”.

Erika is now at Slate Digital and is the Director of Hardware Engineering, where she directs teams and engineers in the technical development of hardware products from concept to launch. She also manages manufacturing and supervises logistics and hardware support. “I sort of perform double duty as Product Manager / Director of Hardware Engineering. Prototyping is one of my favorite things to do. I also really enjoy standards testing. I find radiated emissions fascinating. Working at Slate Companies and keeping up with Steven Slate, Fabrice Gabriel (Slate Digital), Alex Simicev, and Sergey Danilov (Slate Media Technology / Steven Slate Drums) is insanely rewarding. Their ideas and skills are what I imagine X-Men are made of. Our teams are working at the edge of technology using critical, complex, and creative strategies to come up with innovative solutions and tools for everyone. Every role at our company is held by a high-level high-output individual, and that makes it so thrilling to be a part of. I love being surrounded by so many gifted and talented people.”

Erika’s long term goals are:

What do you like best about your job?

You know what people say “behind every great man is a great woman?” For me, that woman is, Jesse Honig. He’s my right-hand man. In fact, he answered this question for me. After having kids, I have become very selective about work. Anyone who knows me understands how much I enjoy motherhood and contributing to my community. If I am going to spend any time away from my kids, then the work better be worth it. And if I am going to spend more time with any other people than my children, they better be worth it. I feel so lucky to be working with some of the most incredible and inspiring human beings on work I believe in. They are what I like best about my job.

What do you like least?

Working across three different time zones is my least favorite thing about work. I thought after my son turned two I would get to sleep through the night. NOPE. We have engineering teams and clients all over the world.

What if any obstacles or barriers have you faced?

You’ve seen American Ninja Warrior right? You know the moment in the show where they unveil an obstacle and once the athlete gets through it they are awarded a new obstacle…yeah, I think in many ways, and very much by my own design, I have chosen paths which have led to bigger and badder goals which are inescapably riddled with bigger and harder obstacles.

How have you dealt with them?

Practice, patience, and a relentless desire to succeed. A good sense of humor has saved me on more than one occasion. I think it’s extremely important to acknowledge my feelings and then do my best to let anything that doesn’t serve me or the project go. I try and focus on the next logical move and take small steps until I have overcome or maneuvered past the barrier. I rely heavily on my support team of friends and colleagues. Therapy helps a lot. Meditation helps a lot. Exercise and diet help a lot. At the end of each day, my kids remind me of what really matters.

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

Oh dear, this will be cheesy and probably echo every inspirational calendar you have ever read, but I mean it: take care of yourself. Don’t believe everything you think. Especially when that inner voice is telling you “you suck!”. Define your boundaries. Stand up for yourself even if that means you might lose the job. There will be others. Be honest. Listen more than you speak. Be thoughtful in everything you do, no matter how big or small the job or task is treat it with the same care. Look to your right, look to your left, and make friends. These are your peers and your future community. I am a big believer in you get what you give, and a goal without a plan is just a dream. Never make excuses.

What side of the glass do you prefer? The creative side or the recording side or tech side?

I feel like this is somewhat of a trick question because that’s assuming that being an artist is non-technical and being an engineer is non-artistic which is not often the case. I am a results oriented person by nature. If that means making everyone in the room feel okay about broken gear to continue the creative process, I am happy to bring relief. If that means staying up all night to fix said broken gear, I will do it. Setting up and getting tones are just as thrilling to me. Want to write a song? Come over! I also think creating intuitive interfaces which expose engaging parameters of more complex systems remains one of the most interesting types of work as far as bridging STEM to humanities and the arts. I believe artists and engineers are more alike than different.

Must have skills?

Attention to detail. A “can do” attitude. Must be kind and willing to listen. Admit your mistakes promptly and without emotion (cry later, problem solve first!)

Favorite gear? APx515, Coles 4038, Hakko 888, Flickinger console, ATR 102, Slate MTi2, VMS One, Snap-on anything, Ampex MM1200, Scully 280, RCA BA-6A, M49, Slate Control, I could go on forever!

How do you juggle being such a bad ass in the industry and being a mom?

Wow, thank you! First thing is maintaining that illusion; kids are a lot of work! I have also worked for some incredibly understanding and flexible employers. I sort of feel like kids are on a suicide mission until they are like ten. They see an outlet as a perfect target for a fork! Being a mother is my favorite job. I don’t know, we all have our lives and responsibilities. I just find ways to do the things I want to do, and I start by believing I am capable of it.

 

Conversations About In-Ears

One of my favorite things is seeing musicians embracing, understanding and using technology to further their artistic goals. I regularly do monitors, and I get so excited seeing when singers have successful soundchecks and go on to just nail the performance. I notice that time and time again singers struggle a little harder with wearing in-ears than most musicians do. I decided to use the resources I have close to me and talk to vocalists I know in the area. These are women I believe excel at what they do and also wear in-ears properly.

First I talked to Nikia Hammonds-Blakely. She is a local singer that I have the pleasure of working with regularly. She started performing in a choir at age ten which progressed to her performing as a solo artist in her teens. Her early influences were obviously gospel. As she got older singers such as Whitney Houston, Toni Braxton, and Celine Dion have become an influence. Her favorite style of song is a mellow love song.

When I started asking her about her experiences with in-ears, I noticed a how she hesitated. She has been using IEMS for three years and is still hesitant to say she is comfortable. Nikia uses Shure SE425 a dual driver generic in-ear. I asked her what her biggest struggle with in-ears was. To which she replied, “I’m a people person, I like to connect with people. I want to feel the room. I want to feel a vibe off the atmosphere.” She felt that she initially didn’t want to hear just the music, it made her feel as if she was in a recording studio and in her own world.  She said she struggled at first to be able to describe what would help her still feel connected.

“I am a work in progress. I’m an artist. By no means do I have any tech-savvy-ness. . . I want to grow to the point where I know the science behind sound. So I can ask for what I need.”

The most exciting thing, as a monitor person, was to hear repeatedly her desire to know more about the technical aspects. The more she knows, the easier and faster she can achieve her perfect in-ear mix.

“I used to hate them because I felt contained. I’m much more comfortable with it now because it allows me to hear my voice better and perfect my voice. When you can hear yourself better you can adjust yourself without going sharp or flat.”

Another interesting point she brought up was performance. She said her performance changed using in-ears. Before she relied on a lot of auditory cues for how engaged the audience was, now she is forced to open her eyes and make a connection. Her stage presence has changed. Her actions now are more deliberate. When she inserts her in-ears, it is as if she is now entering performance mode and is now there to bring her A game. The world of in-ear monitoring can get complex. Now there are cues, countdowns, and people calling songs or note changes all of which a singer could hear.

“In-ears is not just me listening to myself, or the band. It’s someone talking to me while I’m singing, distorted sounds, some sounds too fat; some are too soft. So you have to listen to those things and drown it out. You hear many more things than you did while just listening to wedges.”

As she grew more comfortable wearing in-ears she realized there was more than just going out there and singing.

“All that said, it is growing me. It is making me more aware of all the elements that have to come together to achieve a good sound. As a professional singer, you need to have an awareness of how one thing plays into another and the balance that is required to create this beauty that is music. ”

I always find it interesting what different singers want in their in-ear mixes. I feel like I’ve encountered a lot of singers who are timid with their requests. There is no wrong way to build a mix that helps you, the singer, give an incredible performance. When I asked Nikia what she liked in her mix she said herself, keys, whoever is carrying the melody, kick, click, audience mics. And what she calls the cherry on the top, reverb. She said, “reverb is like a filter on a camera or lip gloss on ashy lips. It just comes out a little prettier.”

When I asked her if she had advice for techs, new singers, and fellow musicians, she warned that as professionals we forget how foreign and overwhelming it can be for someone who hasn’t worked in this professional world. Her specific advice for monitor engineers was,

“Teach. Teach, the more you take a second to teach the more you will get out of them. In gospel music you have to be able to feel it, you have to be able to unplug from the technicalities and feel the audience and the message. It takes a certain level of confidence and being equipped on the front end to be able to do that.”

When I asked her if she had advice for new singers who are just starting out wearing in-ears she said,

“Talk to your engineers. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. I wish now I had asked more questions. I’m just now feeling more comfortable asking for what I need. Don’t feel intimidated by the engineers and people who know what you don’t know. You’ve got to learn from them and not be afraid to ask.”

That is the key for anyone coming up in the music business. Don’t be afraid to ask.

You can learn more about Nikia at:

nikiahammondsblakely.com

championpromise.org

Aubrey Caudill: Aubrey lives in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and works as a freelance audio engineer. She currently works for several area wedding bands and runs monitors at The Potter’s House North Dallas. She is also a mother of two sons under ten.

Running Your Own Race

Over the past five years, I’ve been interviewed a couple of times for a “day in the life”-type feature for a magazine or blog. One of the more common questions, aside from “describe a typical workday for you” is “what has been the best day of your life so far?”

The answer is always the same: one of the best days of my life to date was the day I ran the London Marathon in 2009. I finished in a pretty good time (3:38), but it wasn’t my race time alone that made it a memorable day.

The 2017 London Marathon was last weekend and watching coverage of the race; I was reminded of why running the same race eight years ago was such an important day for me.

Every day I feel surrounded by reminders of competition and comparison, and I’m sure it’s the same for many of you. You can’t be an active social media user without seeing daily updates from friends and colleagues about great gigs they’ve just worked, accolades they’ve attained and life goals they’ve achieved. It’s often hard not to feel like you’re in constant competition with your peers.

I know that what we see on social media isn’t often an accurate reflection of a person’s life, thanks to algorithms and personal curation. I also know it’s very easy to feel envious when we see people moving ahead in their careers when we feel we’re treading water with our own.

At these times, several mantras spring to mind, like “trust the process” and “you are where you are meant to be.”  I’m not much of a mantra person, though I did use a slightly hyperbolic “pain is temporary, glory is forever” during marathon training, because it fitted my running rhythm, and it seemed to motivate me to keep running. Despite this, I’ve found a mantra that works for me at the moment: “you are running your own race.”

This phrase, to me, has two meanings. One, your journey is unique. Two, you should appreciate the mileage you have already done, as well as look forward to the challenges and milestones yet to come.

Comparing yourself with your colleagues won’t give you any magic answers about why they are where they are, and you are where you are because they’re not you. Maybe the friend who posted proudly about getting an enviable gig has carved out a niche in that particular area of sound, whereas you’ve worked across several sectors. Maybe the gig is the result of years of networking to get noticed. Or maybe they were just in the right place at the right time. Whatever the reason, all it means is that you won’t be working that gig this time around. It doesn’t mean that opportunity will never come your way. And by the time it does, maybe you’ll already be doing something better.

Focussing on one specific end goal, or career level, as being the be-all and end-all also ignores how much you’ve achieved so far. Making a career in sound, or in any creative field, takes sacrifice and determination. Appreciate how far you’ve come and the successes you’ve had. You don’t get to mile 26 without passing miles 1 to 25 first.

I had a friend and training partner who ran the London Marathon the year I ran it. He was a more experienced long-distance runner who expected to finish in a time under 3:30. We had both trained hard and were as prepared as humanly possible. On the day, less than halfway through, he tripped over a discarded water bottle, twisted his ankle and had to walk part of the way. He limped over the line after well over 4 hours. I had a dream run, did the first 9 miles faster than I ever expected and finished 7 minutes faster than my best-predicted time. The following year he ran again and smashed his best predicted time, and I decided not to compete altogether because I had already achieved what I wanted.

To my mind, both of us are winners of our own races. I had a great run in 2009 because I was well-prepared and nothing unexpected happened. The following year my training partner had a great race for much the same reasons. We both finished the race we wanted in the end, and it doesn’t matter much when it happened.

When I feel a tug of jealousy about someone else’s career or disappointment about my own, I remember why I trained for and ran the London Marathon and how I felt that day. I did it not to be faster than anyone else in particular, but because I had set myself a goal of running a marathon. I was ecstatic that I finished faster than my best-predicted time, but what made the day memorable was the proof that I made it happen myself.

You don’t have to compete to achieve your goals. Celebrate how far you’ve come. Run your own race.

Tour NPR West & Lunch

SoundGirl Angie Hamilton Manager of NPR West has invited SoundGirls to take a tour of their facilitates and studio. Space is limited to ten members. You must register here.

Please be aware that NPR West does not have parking to accommodate us. Do not park in their lot. You will need to park on the street. There is metered parking on Jefferson.

After the tour, we will have lunch at Tender Greens. So if you can’t make the tour, you can still join us for lunch.

 

Tour Tribe

‘Human beings are social animals. Biological evolution equipped men and women for a communal existence, hunting and foraging in tribes of between twenty and forty people. We could never have survived this ecological niche by ourselves. We don’t have the strength, speed or agility of other animals. But we do have language. We can communicate with others, and we are bright enough to collaborate for purposes of hunting, collecting food, defense, and building shelters. A tribal group would work as a team, assigning to each member a role according to their character and skills.’

This an extract from a book called ‘Sick and Tired – Healing The Illnesses Doctors Cannot Cure’ by Nick Read. It’s a fascinating investigation of ‘functional illnesses’ which doctors are unable to pin down with a cure, such as IBS, chronic fatigue, depression, fibromyalgia, eating disorders and so on. Dr. Read explores the idea that, despite the fact that as a society we’ve ‘never had it so good,’ we’re sicker and unhappier than we’ve ever been, and the stressful pace of modern life and disconnection from our simple humanity is to blame.

His description of how we lived back in our caveman days struck a very loud chord with me. Twenty to forty people, living a nomadic existence and working as a team within roles according to their character and skills. Remind you of anything? No wonder we like touring – we’re basically channeling our inner caveman! I’m making light of it, but life on the road really does offer a sense of community that’s increasingly rare in modern life. We each have our roles to fulfill, which offers the opportunity for creative expression, problem-solving, and collaboration with others, and we have to do it within a timeframe, which means tangible satisfaction rather than never-ending procrastination. And our work may involve mind-boggling amounts of technology, but it also involves a lot of physical activity – pushing, pulling, climbing, lifting, standing up and walking around for most of the day – all of which means we use our bodies as evolution intended. Being away from home also provides a chance for genuine rest and downtime on days off, rather than racing around. I certainly find being on tour more relaxing than juggling different tasks back home, and suddenly I understand why that is, despite long hours and the potentially pressured environment.

This is not to say that roadies never suffer any kind of functional illness; of course, we do. There are ample temptations and opportunities to break yourself on tour as well as all this good stuff. But I think it’s interesting that studies increasingly suggest that it’s living out of sync with our caveman roots which has made us so sickly as a society. The rate of lifestyle change has dramatically accelerated since the industrial revolution, and the incidence of illnesses which have no obvious cure – despite immense, marvelous leaps in treating pathology – has accelerated alongside it.

When you think about it, it’s the least surprising thing. Take a being who has evolved for a nomadic, active, communal existence roaming in nature; who thrives on practical problem-solving, eating food hunted and gathered from the land; who derives satisfaction from doing the skills they’re suited for and not comparing themselves with others; whose body responds to threat by fighting or running for their life, and who rises with the sun and sleeps for as long as they need. Now, airdrop them into a situation where they spend most of their time static, unable to roam freely because of overcrowding; where their practical abilities and simple satisfactions have been outsourced to machines; where they eat processed chemical foodstuffs with precious little connection to the land; where they are encouraged to constantly compare themselves with others and measure their self-worth by their appearances and possessions; where they are vulnerable to artificial alerts and stimulation 24 hours a day and where, because of all of this, they’re in a constant state of stress from which they cannot run. Would we really be shocked if this being got sick? Of COURSE not!

We may not have been airdropped, but the few thousand years in which we have made these changes, in evolutionary terms, is the blink of an eye. Our physiology and psychology haven’t been able to keep up, and we’re now very bewildered space-age cavemen. So it feels good to have a taste of that more natural way of life, as we roam the world with our tour tribe. Touring doesn’t make modern life go away – heck, touring as we know it couldn’t have happened 100 years ago. But we do have some precious, crucial elements in there which I believe are a large part of the pleasure – even the romance – of touring.

Choosing Software

There are many ways to control show cues on various programmes, and exactly which programmes used are entirely dependent on what the show’s needs are.

My upcoming show in RADA is proving to be a show that has much more than just a standard Qlab and a few microphones; I’ll also be composing for the show, but the composition is very much in fitting with the almost experimental and ‘found sound’ element of said show. It’s set simultaneously in 1882 and 2011, and there should be a ‘Stomp’-esque soundtrack that is driven by the sound, music, and choreography. This presents various challenges, and one of them initially has been deciding what to run the show on. Naturally, I’ll be using Qlab as the main brains of the show. However, Ableton Live will be utilized as well as live mixing.

Qlab is incredibly versatile, and as I’ve mentioned in previous posts, it can deal with OSC and MIDI incredibly well. In terms of advanced programming, you can get super specific and create your own set of commands and macros that will do whatever you need it to do, and quickly. Rich Walsh has a fantastic set of downloadable scripts and macros to use with Qlab that can all be found on a Qlab Google Group . Mic Pool has the most definitive Qlab Cookbook that can also be found here  (as with OSC and MIDI, you will need a Qlab Pro Audio license to access these features which can be purchased daily, monthly, or annually on the Figure 53 website).

To get Qlab to talk to Ableton is relatively straightforward – again, it’s all MIDI and specifically Control Change. MIDI is incredibly useful in that per channel, we can achieve 128 commands, and each channel (which is up to 8 output devices in Qlab V3) can be partitioned off for separate cues (i.e. Channel 1 might go to Ableton, Channel 2 might go to Lighting, 3 might be Video, and so on). Couple the Control Change with both Ableton’s MIDI Input Ports and its MIDI Map Mode, and you’re on your way to starting to control Ableton via Qlab. Things can get as specific as fade up/down over certain times, fade back up over certain times, stop cues, start loops, and generally control Ableton as if you were live mixing it yourself. The only thing to be wary of at this stage is to ensure that all levels in Ableton are set back to 0db with a separate MIDI cue once desired fades, etc. are completed – Ableton will only be as intelligent as it needs to be!

Using both macros/scripts and sending MIDI cues to Ableton are all features that I will cover in a separate post, only because they deserve their own post to understand all of the features.

So Ableton can do a lot, regarding controlling a show, and it does give us the flexibility to work, but artistically it also opens up a whole new world of opportunity. In RADA we are fortunate enough to own several Ableton Push 2’s, and they’ve very quickly become my new favourite toy! Push is useful as a sampler at its core, but there is so much flexibility that will be incredibly helpful during this next show. I can create loops, edit times, effects, sample rates, and can load any plugins simply; for me, it’s completely changed the live theatre game. I can react in real-time in the rehearsal room based on the choreography and can load new sounds from a whole suite of instruments and drum packs.

 

I’ll let Ableton themselves tell you more about the Push and what it can do – I’ve only recently started to use Ableton, so it’s as much as voyage of discovery for me, as I’m sure it is for you! More can be read on their website.

I primarily also use Pro Tools for editing any SFX and dialogue; this is because it’s a programme I’ve come to know very well and find that it is dynamic enough for what I need to do. I can again, load plugins quickly, it’s versatile and can load hundreds of tracks, and can talk to external hardware simply (such as the Avid Artist Control which we have in RADA’s main recording studio).

I also sometimes use Logic Pro as well, although I would only use this for music editing. This is because I prefer its ability to quickly load time signatures and is elastic enough that whenever a new track is loaded, it quickly adapts to the time signature on imported audio, and often comes pre-loaded with a vast amount of samples and plugins as standard.

With Ableton edging its way in, however, I might just have to choose a favourite soon because for me Ableton can often provide more realistic sounds, greater flexibility in drag-and-drop (wildly editable) plugins, auto-looping, and can be easily controlled in a live setting.

Often with software though, as with hardware, it’s more about what the sound designer or musician is comfortable with using and what the desired outcome is for the show.

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