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Bad to the Bone

When a system needs a complete overhaul, sometimes you just have to start fresh. Sometimes, you start a position or get contracted for a job and when you start digging into their audio systems, you find out just how badly they need you. I’ll share my experience with this and how I’m handling all of it.

I started a job at a small-ish church recently. They had never had anyone with real work experience or technical background running any of their equipment. The “tech” at the time was wanting to step down, and a colleague of mine asked me to take it on. When I first stepped into the booth, I darn-near fainted. It was a real horror story. Every piece of equipment running off a single circuit, daisy-chaining power strips and tri-taps off of other strips and tri-taps, wireless receivers thrown into cabinets, cables wrapped in figure-eights then tossed into a basket, stacks and stacks of CDs, wires twisted and tangled and mislabeled, weird routing, and a single Sub gently placed on a piece of plywood 20ft in the air in the back of the sanctuary with a + and – wire run in lieu of speakon (or even ¼” for goodness sake), oh and everything was covered in a pound of dust and cobwebs.

TL;DR: The tech booth was a switch-flip away from burning down the church and I’m not sure how they ever got any quality sound out of their system, if they ever did.

Clean Up

I actually really enjoy this part. As horrifying as walking into this particular tech booth was, part of me is so thrilled to dive in and start fixing it all. I feel like a kid in a candy store. So much to do! So much to touch! Every time I lift up one set of cables, 3 more unlabeled bundles surprise me! Oh! A wireless pack without a receiver! What fun!

After having toyed with the system for a few hours and learning the way that they’ve got it set up, I make a list of everything that needs to be done. Keep track of what you’ve done and what you haven’t. Take pictures of things as they were before you touched anything, that way if you need to troubleshoot because all of a sudden your new setup isn’t working, you can reference the photos to see where it might be wrong.

Grab a vacuum, some rubbing alcohol, some paper towels, a label-maker, a trash can,some zip ties, and a multi-tool.

Strategically begin taking all of the cabling out. Things that can be completely unplugged should be labeled (what they’re used for, not what the cable is), wrapped, and put off to the side for now. Don’t just haphazardly rip things out.

Wipe off flat surfaces, clean out cooling fans, wipe any goo you find off.

Sort all equipment into different sections. I did wireless units, misc. audio cables, video cabling, random stuff, and throw-away junk.

Reorganize

Draw out exactly what you want the final look to be. You need to have your goals set and clear. I knew I wanted to relocate the soundboard, move the graphics computer to the other side of the booth, re-patch the entire system, ring out the mains, equalize the room as best as possible, and come up with a whole new storage system. After cleaning off everything and getting everything organized into sections and piles, I began moving things. I moved the board, put the computer onto a different counter, placed the monitor wedges and mic stands in a temporary spot until I can get some cabinets built.

Then I plugged back in the things I knew didn’t need to be tested in order to actually function: computer, lighting board, power supplies galore.

Following that, I grabbed all of my wireless microphones and receivers and checked that all the RF was unhindered and the mics frequency matched the receiver, and was receiving signal.

I rerouted all of the power to everything so equipment I wanted to be power-independent could get power straight from the wall, and things I wanted to be power-dependent could be plugged into a power conditioner.

I also began making wraps of excess cable in the back of the equipment to keep things clean and easy to fix. I used some zip ties and coiled things up so there isn’t any rat nests.

Then I got out my label-maker and labeled all wireless packs, receivers, 1/8” adapters, and power conditioners. I went label crazy, I admit it. But I needed to make sure that volunteers and others can walk in and get a sense of what everything is.

Finally, all of the cables that were horrendously wrapped were treated to some massaging and reworking. I have to somewhat force them into over-under and then let them hang on a hook so that they can learn to lay flat once again. The cables are organized by size and hung for quick grabbing, the wedges are placed out of the way with easy access, mic stands get organized and put away, the mics are gently placed in an orderly fashion inside a drawer of their own.

Finishing Touches

Everything begins to come together: your trash piles are huge, the cables have found new homes, screens have been dusted off, you realize just how much junk a place can really collect. Now you may not need to do this next part, I most certainly did and still need to. I found and tested every installed line in the walls. It was a huge pain, but absolutely necessary.

I found dead lines, and lines to nowhere. I used an XLR SoundTools sniffer for some of the lines, and I had a colleague grab an SM58, plugged it into the snake and I grabbed the tail end near the board and checked every single line. None of the numbers matched on the ends of the snakes, let alone into the D-snake. It took a good chunk of time, and I still need to find where those lines to nowhere lead. I re-labeled the board and made everything nice and tidy and clean.

Final Thoughts

I still have things I need to do. I need to fix the choir mics they’ve got set up, I need to make an NL4 to ¼” so that I can physically relocate the sub with a more reliable signal path, I need to build some cabinets and shelving units, I need to ring out the lavs, and about a hundred other things. The list is never really done, and that’s fine! When you come into a new system and you’ve got the resources, sometimes just starting fresh is the best way. You can only fix so many issues with a system before the system needs to be replaced. 

Try to get some enjoyment out of this because sometimes all we focus on is the fun of actually mixing a show. As many of you know, 90% of the job is this kind of stuff: getting things ready and keeping things maintained. I get a lot of pleasure out of using a system just after cleaning the entire thing. I had a hand in making it better. I made the experience for everyone else better. It’s an art form just like mixing is. Take pride in it.

Omani Women’s Day

Every year in October, Oman celebrates Women’s Day. It is a day to celebrate all that women do. From working to support their families, to caring for their children. It has a strong emphasis on the achievements of the women of Oman and the positions they hold in the private and public sectors. Oman is very proud that they are one of the most progressive countries in the region in terms of encouraging women in the workplace. It is common to see women in Oman holding high positions and this includes in government.

The programme at the Royal Opera House aims to showcase some of the diverse musical talents of Omani women and those from further afield. In line with Omani Women’s Day, a group of sound girls took the opportunity to attend the first SoundGirls.org meet-up in the Middle East. We are a hugely diverse group (already) with attendees from as far afield as Cuba and Australia. All members are currently residing within the GCC and working in live music, performing arts, and theatre.

Currently, we are acting as a support group in a pretty hidden industry in this part of the world. Interestingly, female sound engineers are in demand here. During weddings, men and women celebrate separately so women sound engineers are required to mix bands for the women’s party! We are very keen to expand and hope to offer workshops for aspiring engineers in the future.

This year I was lucky enough to be rostered to work front of house on the live mix for our Omani Women’s Day concert. Of course, we still need to archive the performance so this also included a broadcast mix that was used in-house for our camera feed as well as the audio feed for Oman TV who often come to record performances here.

The interesting part of this concert for our department was the mixture of amplified and non-amplified sections. As the performance was in ‘concert mode’ rather than ‘theatre mode’ this creates some interesting issues. Arabic music has a very distinctive sound that relies upon amplification. The best way to describe this to an ear accustomed to ‘western music’ is to ride the vocals as hot as possible. At the same time, it is very important that every syllable of every word is heard. The band are generally held back somewhat with the exception of crucial melodic instruments such as the oud and qanoon.

The lineup this year included a female string quintet of members of the Royal Omani Symphony Orchestra. They played three moving pieces which we recorded via our UM69 stereo microphone. A Palestinian dance troupe then performed two pieces via playback on Q lab. This was followed by an absolutely incredible Irani folk group called the ‘Kaliveh Ensemble’. They played traditional Arabic instruments which included drums such as the ‘duf’, tars- which resemble small-bodied guitars, a santur- a stringed instrument which is laid out on the player’s lap or stand and hit with small mallets, the oud, which looks a bit like a lute and the distinctive sounding kamancheh. Two singers provided vocals with backing vocals produced by other musicians when required. The result was a hypnotic and exhilarating sound that was just brilliant fun to mix. An experience that will stay with me for a lifetime. Our headliner was a singer called Mohammad Assaf. A winner of ‘The Voice’ he was a big hit with the audience. His performance for Omani Women’s Day was followed the day after by his own concert. It was such a joy to be mixing for such an appreciated star.

In all a busy but rewarding month in Muscat. This week we are back into theatre mode for ‘Lohengrin’ the Wagnerian opera… nothing like diversity to awaken the soul!

 

Looking to move from music into post-production? Here’s some things to consider.

Post-production (working in film, television, or web/new media) can be a good option for someone looking to expand work opportunities. However, it can take just as much time/investment as music and may not be the right move for everyone considering it. It’s interesting how the music community recognizes the differences between a studio engineer and a front-of-house engineer – credits in one don’t guarantee a job (or even an interview) in the other. The skills of a re-recording mixer are equally different from a studio-based music mixer yet there are misconceptions like:

“If you have music experience, you can cross into post.”

“It’s easier to break into post than music.”

“It’s easier to find jobs in post-production than music.”

The reality of working in post-production today:

A less-experienced applicant who has some post-production experience may land a gig over a more experienced music professional. For example, when hiring for an ADR engineering job, a machine room operator or assistant may be promoted and trained versus hiring a Grammy-winning engineer little picture experience and no relationship with the studio. Someone in an entry-level job will gain experience through watching material for quality control or observing sessions. While sound quality is important, it’s equally crucial for an ADR or Foley engineer to quickly identify problems and make on-the-fly decisions about performance and sync. We’re talking about .03 second time differences working with picture – it’s a skill that takes time to hear and see that level of detail.

Some tips for getting into post-production:

Most importantly, if you’re looking to work in post as a way of supplementing income, ask yourself if you’re really interested (and driven) to learn post and put in the effort. You’re in the running against people with skills, credits, and passion for the job. Hiring managers (and those hiring for indie projects) can tell the difference between applicants who are truly passionate about post and looking for a long-term relationship/career versus someone in it for money or who just needs a gig.

Post-production can be a great fit and career move for someone with music skills and experience. While the skills are similar, there can be an expression of creativity and collaboration that is different from any experience in music. The hours are generally more favorable than music studio life and there’s a lot of opportunities to try new things (like ADR, Foley, dialog editing, sound design, mixing). Technology is always improving and creating more opportunities to learn (such as the current trend: immersive sound). After getting into post, you can earn a really good salary if you’re willing to put in the time/work. There can be a lot of variety and opportunities whether it’s working in film, episodic television, documentary or reality, promo/advertising, new media content (web videos) and for some, it can lead to opportunities in video games and other visual media

NAMM 2017 Badges for SoundGirls.Org Members

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SoundGirls.Org has a limited number of NAMM Badges for Members. Passes are on a first come – first served basis. Please do not ask for a badge unless you 100% sure you will be attending.

The NAMM Show is a TRADE-ONLY event and not open to the general public.  SoundGirls.Org has been generously granted several badges from our friends and supporters in the industry.  If you attend you will be attending as an invited guest of one of these companies and representing SoundGirls.Org. Please review the SHOW POLICIES and make sure you agree to the terms before accepting the badge.

In addition – SoundGirls.Org will be hosting events throughout the week and hope our members can join us for some or all of the events. Stay Tuned.

Badges will be given on a first come first served basis.  If you would like one please email soundgirls@soundgirls.org and enter NAMM in the subject heading.  Include your full name as it is on your photo ID and your email address. You must be a member of SoundGirls.Org.  SoundGirls.Org is not responsible for any travel, lodging, or other expenses.  All expenses related to attendance of the NAMM show are the individual’s.

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Dealing with the Unexpected – A Cancelled Show.

As production people, we spend a lot of time planning how the show is going to run, sound, and look, as well as creating an environment that is safe so the audience will enjoy themselves. Just last month I was working on one of our largest shows of the year. 2,500 tickets sold. We would be converting our recreational space into a concert hall.  A month of planning, contracting and getting excited to do what we do best, and the day of the show finally arrives.

Surprisingly, everything is going according to plan. It’s not raining yet, contractors are arriving on time, the volunteers are showing up to do their part, and we are getting ready for a show. Even the artist’s advance team has arrived and they are doing their thing. We are a couple of hours from doors, heading into the calm before the storm. Dinner is being served to the production team and entry team, then a call comes over the radio. A quick unplanned meeting, nothing new, this happens all the time as logistics change, it’s part of the job.

However, the message I received during this meeting was not expected at all. I was met with somber faces and one simple sentence. “They’re not coming.” Thirty minutes before 2,500 guests are about to come through the doors and the headliner never got on the plane, there will be no show…I’m sure you can imagine the curse words that came out of my mouth at that time.

Taking a minute to back-track and fill in a bit more of the story. I’m now in my 6th year of being a production professional, but I have never had a show canceled. I’m a planner – a checklist kind of person and a problem solver –really that should be my entire job description – but surprisingly I didn’t have anything in place for this kind of situation. I’ve heard of shows being canceled before, seen it happen around town; just never expected it to happen to me. The campus hasn’t experienced such a last-minute cancellation with so many people involved either, so we were starting from scratch on what to do.

Back to the situation at hand; at this point, my mind is racing, developing the checklist of how to solve this problem, each step to move forward for our best possible outcome for this situation. Our first step becomes identifying and telling our key players about the situation we are in. So our small team splits to gather the bigger team; our campus police chief, head of security, the facilities manager, and our ticket manager to break the news. They also had their own choice words. Then the questions started coming.

What are we going to do? How did this happen? Are we going to open the doors? Is it even possible to refund tickets? When are we going to reschedule? How are we going to tell everybody else? Where did the artist’s advance team go? and so many more. To answer one question easily – the advance team left, and then called to let us know it was canceled once they were off the property.

At this time everyone has their individual goals in mind, their own concerns to address. Everyone is emotional and everyone is reacting differently. Once the shock of the cancellation begins to fade we started to put together action plans.

First, draft an email to send to students (A majority of the ticket holders), the radio station, and to post on social media providing notice of the cancellation, the reason, and to hold on to tickets. Getting this information out was critical considering the event was scheduled to begin in just minutes. Once the communication was out, we could determine if we would reschedule or refund tickets.

Second, tell the rest of our teams about the cancellation, and ask them to patiently wait for further direction. Additionally, request their professionalism with regard to posting messages on social media or texting friends. We need to ensure a clear and complete message had a chance to circulate before the rumors flew.

Third, we determined that we would not open the venue for the evening, but would post people at the entrance doors to communicate the cancellation. This was a prevention step to ensure that a potentially angry crowd, would disperse without incident. It also allowed for us to move onto our Fourth step, taking the setup down.

Our team that held it together until the end

Our team that held it together until the end

I learned a lot from this entire experience. The students and the rest of the team working on this event learned a lot as well. We learned that an angry crowd will take their frustrations out quickly. Crowds get rowdy, and social media blasts go out everywhere. There is anger, disappointment, and confusion. We have to take this into consideration when making the announcement and dispelling the crowd gathered at the entrances. It doesn’t change the work we have to do, but it does make you readjust your concern for safety and crowd control.

We finished our jobs for the night and took the rest of the weekend off. Nothing more could be figured out until Monday morning. After all of that surprise, emotion, and expenses we decided to see if we could re-negotiate with the artist. As a result, we will be holding the same show next month, this time with a cancellation plan in mind.

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Audio on the 50 Yard Line

The Super Bowl is no doubt one of the biggest watched events across the nation. I’m not a fan of the sport but you betcha I’m there watching at someone’s Super Bowl party for three reasons. The food, spending time with friends and family and the halftime show. No matter who is playing and performing that night, I’ll be there to watch. As a child, I thought it would be the coolest thing ever to be a part of a major production like the Super Bowl. Doing audio, doing some cool stage designing, or calling the shots that go live to all the viewers out there watching.

Now I am working within a venue that gives me the opportunity to be a part of large productions (not as big as the Super Bowl) but each day is something new. One aspect of my job that was very new when I began working within this venue was heading audio in a stadium setting. High school football is a big deal to everyone here in Texas and at one of the biggest stadiums in the state, we like to do things big. College and professional leagues aren’t the only ones putting together big games and housing big crowds.

At Cy-Fair FCU stadium we can house 11,000 people at a time. All the district games and homecomings are showcased here along with the battle of the marching bands and activities like such. Being in the profession of audio can lead you many different ways. I want to share my experience heading audio on the field. There are a lot of challenges that are faced.

One being distance away from the source. We typically run everything audio-related from the 50th-yard line which is center field. In my case that leaves me even further away from the source which causes a very long delay. Our speakers are housed about 80 feet in the air, and about 240 feet away from the 50-yard line. So not only are you experiencing a long delay but depending on where a spectator is setting they can be experiencing an even longer delay.  

When mixing a choir down on the field for a national anthem or a production for homecoming, my best friends are my cans (headphones). This way I get a solid mix out to my house, I then set a proper mix for my choir monitor that lives right in front of them during the performance. This helps keep the focus off the delay that is accruing. Another thing that makes it extremely challenging is wind. If it’s a windy day I have sound flying every which way. Not only is sound being bounced around. I have wind hitting my microphones pretty hard which causes dropouts from time to time. On days like these, I use a gate to try and control when my mic’s open and close to catch the performance only with minimum dropouts and the loud howl of high winds.

Another major part of audio during the games is the Referee microphone. The red is equipped with a headset- countryman-styled mic with a bodypack each game. Connected to his headpiece and the bodypack is an in-line mute switch that allows the Ref to open and close his mic as needed, this takes some of the stress of your back by not having to mute the mic during actual playtime. You still have to pay attention and listen because sometimes a Ref will forget to cut their mic after a call and it’s on you to cut any unwanted chatter into the stadium.

Lastly, running audio from the press box is the most difficult for me. One, I can turn my monitoring system up in the booth, but I don’t know what it sounds like in the stands. Sometimes I have to rely on my camera ops to communicate with me and let me know if we need more or less volume in the house. The other option I have is to use an app to control my audio surface, which is most efficient when time allows.

I know Soundgirls are working in all areas involving audio. But if any of you specifically want to get into sporting events, or have experience within the sporting side of things. I would love to hear how you specifically deal with challenges. I’ve headed audio for the final four basketball events, slam dunk contest, and nothing has challenged me more than audio out on the field. Your challenges might be different than mine, maybe you’ve done gigs outside that weren’t sporting events. I would still love to hear how you deal with different weather conditions. The thing that drew me to this platform is the same thing that keeps me here. Being able to share experiences, learn and grow together. I can’t wait to hear from you all.

 

Brace Yourself

Starting out in the audio industry, whether in live or studio, is a wee bit tough. Even when I was in school during finals week, when I had three papers due, juries and ensemble shows to perform, and recordings to finish while also working a day job, I don’t think I was this stressed and worn out.

I wake up in the mornings with my teeth sore from clenching, my brain slipping though my ears from what feels like overuse. I pay my bills with a day job that is far removed from what I want to be doing, and on the few days and evenings I have off, I’m at the job that I do want to be doing.

It’s physically grueling. Many of you youngins may also be feeling the same way. But it’s all worth it, because the pride I feel when a session is going well, or when I successfully help rotate one live band’s setup to the next band’s setup in less than fifteen minutes is immeasurable.

Throughout all this stress, it’s important to remember to carve out even just a few little minutes a day for yourself. It can be anything; reading a favorite book in the break room, taking a few centering breaths before bed, stepping outside to stretch… Anything. Beyond that, make sure you’re surrounding yourself with a strong support network of people who “get it,” those that understand that you’re working towards something great.
Steeling yourself away is a tough thing to do, especially if you’re on a gig that’s lasted over nine hours, and you haven’t showered in two days. But it’s as necessary as a decent night’s sleep, and it’s what will keep you moving forward. After all, you can’t give from an empty basket.

SoundGirls.Org  Note – Keeping yourself sane and avoiding burnout is important. Some of our contributors have written about avoiding burnout and stress.  Here are a few

Finding Balance

The Grind

Hi! My Name is Samantha and I am Addicted to Work

Part Time Mixer —– and Part Time What?

A Perspective on Success

Taking Care of You on a Gig

Happy New Year! Goals Anyone

Soundgirls Europe Chapter Tour of The Church Studios

Back in August this year, members of our Europe Chapter were offered a unique opportunity to get an inside look at one of London’s most iconic recording studios, The Church Studios.

As the name suggests, the studios are located in half of a historic 19th-century church building in Crouch End, north London. The other half of the building is still a place of worship, as it has been for over one hundred years.

In the early 1980s, half of the building was purchased and converted into a film studio by animators Bob Bura and John Hardwick, best known as the creators of classic British children’s programmes Camberwick Green and Captain Pugwash. After a couple of years, the duo rented the huge upstairs room, which formed half of the original main church space, to another soon-to-be-famous duo: Dave Stewart and Annie Lennox of Eurythmics.kirsty-gillmore-oct2016-pic1 Eurythmics recorded their debut album Sweet Dreams in the studios in 1984, with the title track apparently recorded in an office room. Following the success of the album, Stewart and Lennox bought the entire studio facility and spent the next twenty years recording material, as well as opening the studio for artists such as Bob Dylan, Radiohead, and Depeche Mode.

In 2004 the studio was sold to David Gray, who owned it until 2013 when it was bought by Paul Epworth. The award-winning producer of Adele and Florence and the Machine, among many others, rescued the studio from the threat of becoming luxury flats.

2013 saw the start of a major refurbishment for the studios, a move that would take it from an iconic studio to a world-class recording and production facility. As well as transforming the beautiful main church space into a unique tracking studio (Studio 1), the refurbishment included a total redesign of the SSL studio (Studio 2) into a state-of-the-art space and the creation of a separate writing room.

kirsty-gillmore-oct2016-pic2Walking into Studio 1, I was first struck by the space. Even knowing the building was a former church, the sheer size, and height of the room was still a surprise. The acoustic treatment is effective but not intrusive:  an acoustic ceiling suspended about the Neve desk and a few curtains, carpets, and baffles. House engineer Riley MacIntyre was kind enough to let us experiment with a binaural microphone so we could explore recording in the space.

The second thing I noticed was the gear. So much amazing, vintage gear. From analogue synths to outboards, it’s pretty clear that Paul Epworth is something of a collector. For a dose of serious gear-envy, there’s a full list of the gear available here. I was struck by a few notable examples.kirsty-gillmore-oct2016-pic4

The 72-channel vintage EMI Neve console is pretty unique. The only one in London, it is, in fact, two desks put together – one-half originated from Abbey Road and the other half from the Pathe Marconi studio in Paris. And it’s huge – you need a studio the size of The Church just to house, plus an extensive patch-bay.

Riley told me his personal favourite piece of kit was the1960s EMI RS168 dual limiter. I’ll have to take his word that it makes everything sound amazing, this processor is so rare I think the closest I’ll get to another one will be a virtual model.kirsty-gillmore-oct2016-pic5

We ended the tour with a quick look in the machine room to admire the Studer A80 and Otari MTR 12 1/4” tape machines and the EMT 140 Plate Reverb and to take in the unique décor (baroque-styled wallpaper and iron curlicues) leftover from Dave Stewart’s tenancy.

The infamous tartan carpet is long gone, but The Church continues to welcome famous faces – U2, Kanye, and Thurston Moore were all mentioned as being recent clients during our tour. Long live the regeneration.

With thanks to Riley MacIntyre and The Church Studios for being so welcoming.

 

 

SoundGirls.Org European Chapter to Tour The Lowry – Manchester

lyric_754Soundgirls.org are pleased to offer members a look behind the scenes at unique performing arts venue The Lowry, located in the heart of the redeveloped Salford Quays in Greater Manchester. Members will get an in-depth look at the sound system for a large, multi-space and multi-purpose venue. The event will include a tour of both main theatre spaces covering the house PA, monitor rig, comms system, install lines and patching.

We’ll also be able to see the setup for the current show in the largest venue, the Lyric Theatre, and so some listening in the mid-size venue, Quays Theatre.

Following the event we’ll go for lunch in a local cafe – details TBC

If you’ve considering a move into theatre or venue sound work or if you’ve just always wanted to know what it was like to run sound in a large multi-purpose venue, this event is for you! We would love to meet members based in the north of England so if you can’t come to the tour, please feel free to join us for lunch afterwards.

This event is free for members of Soundgirls.org and is limited to 15 spaces. Please confirm your attendance by emailing soundgirls@soundgirls.org

More information about The Lowry

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