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Their Rightful Place in History

As a woman in tech, it can sometimes feel like we are fighting for recognition and it is troubling when those who write history choose to ignore women and the tremendous achievements they made. Women were instrumental in both sound engineering and computing from the beginning. Here are just a few.

Ada Lovelace Computer Coder – 1815 – 1852

adaMost people who code have heard of Ada Lovelace. Ada was the daughter of Lord Byron. Lord Byron was considered mad, bad, and dangerous to know. Byron left England for good when Ada was four months old. Ada’s mother, Lady Wentworth wanted to ensure that Ada was nothing like her wayward father, so Ada received an education in Mathematics and Logic, very unusual for a woman at that time.

Ada was introduced to Charles Babbage by her tutor Mary Somerville. While Babbage may have built the first computer,  Ada wrote the programs for it. Ada and Babbage collaborated on the Analytical Engine. In 1843 Ada translated an article by Luigi Menabrea on the Analytical Engine and added her own extensive notes which included the first published description of a stepwise sequence of operations for solving certain mathematical problems. Ada is often referred to as ‘the first programmer.’

Ada speculated that the Engine ‘might act upon other things besides numbers, the Engine might compose elaborate and scientific pieces of music of any degree of complexity or extent’. The idea of a machine that could manipulate symbols by rules and that number could represent entities other than quantity mark the first transition from calculation to computation. Largely forgotten by the world until 1953 when her notes were published in Faster Than Thought: A Symposium on Digital Computing Machines. Ada has received many posthumous honors for her work. The US Department of Defense named a computer language after her in the 1980s.

Cordell Jackson Record Producer – 1923 – 2004

cordell-jacksonCordell started her own record label in 1956, Moon Records. It’s still trading today and is the oldest continually running label in Memphis. In 1956 she was a sound engineer recording her songs in her home studio. A real pioneer of sound engineering she found it hard to break into the male-dominated studio industry although she did record demos at Sun records.  Cordell bought a cutting lathe in 1947 and started recording demos with local bands.

“I have done everything I have ever thought of as long as it wasn’t immoral, fattening, or illegal,” Jackson says. “That expresses what my life’s been. It’s got to be right-can’t be anything wrong with it. That follows me all the way through. A long time ago, I was told little girls don’t play guitars. And yet I would steal the show wherever I played. In the Bible, God says to conform not, and he doesn’t want you to conform but to one thing, and that’s his love. That’s it. I don’t conform to the world about anything.”

 

 

 

“Steve Shirley” Software start-up entrepreneur – 1933 –

young-dame-stephanie-300-x-400In 1939 at the age of five, Stephanie was a lone child refugee to Britain from Germany. Part of the Kinder Transport Child Rescue Program.  Although she attended a girls’ school in England she received permission to study Mathematics at the local Boys School, as Mathematics was still not something routinely taught to girls.

After School, Shirley chose not to study the limited range of degrees available to women, instead deciding to study mathematics for six years at night school. In the ’50s Stephanie worked for the Post Office Research Station, where the world’s first programmable electronic computer was built, The Colossus Mark 1.

In 1962, Stephanie founded the software company Freelance Programmers. She was ridiculed, as no one bought software as it was given away with hardware. Stephanie structured her business around working wives and mothers and recruited professional women who had quit working to care for the needs of the home. These women worked from home, job shared and had flexible working hours. To understand just how pioneering this was you need to appreciate the restrictions put on women just 50 years ago. A woman did not return to the workplace after having children, she did not have access to equal opportunities and pay and couldn’t even have a bank account without the permission of her husband.

Stephanie, who addressed herself as Steve in business letters to get her foot in the door, owned the company that wrote the code for Concord’s black box flight recorder. Code is written, “by a bunch of women, working in their homes”. The company also developed software standards that were later adopted by NATO.

You can see Stephanie Shirley’s Ted Talk here and here the history of her company from its start to becoming a multi-billion dollar company.

 

If women have been around in tech from the start, why is it still a mainly male-dominated field? Are women’s achievements always diluted when seen through the lens of their gender? How do we address this imbalance and give the women who fought just to have careers outside the home, let alone made tremendous achievements claim their proper place in history?

Defence Against The Dark Arts – A Monitor Engineer’s Guide to RF

In my last couple of posts, I talked about the process of getting ready for a new monitor gig, from getting the call, right up to dialing the band’s mixes in. I touched briefly on RF, but it’s a big topic, and one that merits its own post, especially in a monitoring context. In this post, we’ll look at the basic principles which will give you a good foundation for a clean radio platform. As RF is a complex subject, it’s beyond the scope of this article to go into great detail, so I’ll also offer a few links that will give you more in-depth information about the science behind it all – and it is science, as much as you’ll hear it referred to as a dark art! I advise reading up on it as much as you can within an audio context, but there’s no need to get caught up in the math beyond a basic understanding unless it interests you and you plan to specialise. I also recommend attending the training days that are sometimes offered by major manufacturers like Sennheiser and Shure, as they give you a great chance to ask questions face to face. But for the basics that will serve you well, here we are – a monitor engineer’s guide to RF.

Firstly, make sure you have the right tools for the job.

Just because a transmitter and receiver from different manufacturers are in the same frequency range, it doesn’t mean they’re compatible. Compansion (compression > expansion) is the process by which a signal is compressed before transmission, and then re-expanded in the receiver. It’s important for the compansion circuitry in a system to be compatible with its ‘other half’, for optimum performance and signal-to-noise ratio, so make sure your transmitters and receivers are designed to be used together.

Choose the right antennae.

That usually means directional paddles over twigs for radio mics, and if they’re active, have them set on the lower gain. (Higher gain means they pick up over a greater area, but they pick everything up, not just the frequencies you want, and 3dB is ample for most stage applications.) A helical or ‘bubble’ antenna for IEMs offers superior reception to a paddle, but be aware of the polar coverage – typically a 40 degree cone-shape, so keep that in mind when you position it.

Minimise connections.

Every connector in the path of an antenna cable results in some RF signal loss, so avoid extending RF cables and using excessive adaptors and panels.

Maintain direct line-of-sight between transmitters and receivers.

An antenna that’s tucked around a corner and can’t ‘see’ the stage won’t do its job well, and keeping an artist’s IEM pack antenna on the outside of their clothing is good practice where possible. You may have to negotiate with the wardrobe department if you’re doing a costume-heavy show, but it’s very normal for wardrobe to make a little fabric pouch for the pack to sit in.

Use the right cables.

It’s easy to mistake a BNC cable that’s intended for the back of a desk (ie MADI) for an RF cable, as they have the same connectors – but they have different impedance and you need to keep them separate. RF uses a 50-ohm cable, digital data uses 75 ohms. It’s also worth using a specific low-loss cable such as RG-213 with N-type connectors for IEMs – they are thicker than standard cables and BNC connectors and lose a smaller amount of RF signal – especially useful in circumstances where you have no choice but to run longer cables.

Keep those cables short.

An RF signal would always rather travel through air than cable, so keep cable lengths to a functional minimum – never use a 10 metre cable if a 5 metre will reach. If you need more than 10 metres, reassess the positioning of your racks to see if you can get them closer.

Get high.

Height is your friend when it comes to antenna placement, so take stands up to their fullest extension. Diversity receiver paddles for radio mics can be close to each other – a minimum of 1/2 wavelength is good practice – the wavelength for a 700mHz signal is around 40cm, so a T-bar on a single stand is fine. Keep some distance between receiver paddles and your IEM transmitter antenna though – I usually put my IEM antenna nice and high near the downstage edge of my desk, and the receiver paddles at the upstage side.

Set your squelch.

Squelch is a muting mechanism that silences the audio output of your receiver should an erroneous signal cut across it. This is a good thing – that signal can be a lot louder than the desired one (ie your IEM mix) and can give the listener a nasty blast of noise. We want to set the squelch low enough to allow our desired signal through, but high enough to keep out the uninvited. Around 7-11 dB is a good all-rounder – if you set it too high, the desired signal will also be muted more easily when your artist moves further away (because of signal loss).

It’s not enough to simply have clear spectrum

(ie nothing else transmitting) around your frequencies. Not all frequencies play nicely together, and they can intermodulate – a phenomenon whereby they interfere with each other, even though they may not be close by in range. Most manufacturer’s equipment will therefore have preset ‘groups’ of frequencies that are compatible, and there are also charts available, as well as software that can calculate compatible frequencies for you. When everything is set up and tuned, you can check for intermodulation by switching every transmitter and receiver on, then switching one transmitter off at a time, checking to see that the associated receiver has lost all RF signal, and then switching it back on to repeat the process with each transmitter/receiver pair. A little tip here – make sure that your radio mics are not all sitting in a pile – the proximity will make them intermodulate no matter how compatible the frequencies, so spread them out on a work surface with their antenna ends pointing away from each other.

Be aware of the effect that LED screens have on RF

they transmit low-level interference, so you may need to play around with optimum antenna placement. If it’s just a single backdrop screen it shouldn’t be too bad, but if you have an entire stage made from an LED screen, as on one tour I did, you may need to enlist the help of an RF expert who can fix you up with a high-powered booster for your transmission.

Be aware that RF hates metal.

(Not the music, it’s quite a fan of many hard-rock bands I believe…) No, RF hates to touch metal hardware, so keep packs off metal belts or costume parts, and make sure antennas aren’t resting on metal walls or truss. It’s all to do with an interesting phenomenon called the Faraday effect.

Get the right tools 

I highly recommend investing in a hand-held scanner if you tour and use RF regularly. Some places you will switch your receivers on to see a hot mess of RF coming from who-knows-where (TV stations and cellphones have a lot to do with it!), and it saves you a whole heap of trouble to get a visual of what’s going on in the spectrum rather than flying blind. Then you can look for the ‘quiet’ gaps, and plan your frequencies accordingly.

Finally, use your ears!

RF is a science, but the end-user – your artist – is a piece of biology! Test out their experience before you hand them their RF equipment – walk the performance space with their pack (not a PFL pack on engineer mode – that won’t tell you if there’s anything wrong with their hardware) and talk to yourself in their mic the whole time – that way you’ll experience any problems for yourself and have time to fix them before they walk on stage, so they have a happy, peaceful RF time up there. And we know what happy artists make, right? Happy monitor engineers!

Rachael Sage – Singer-Songwriter – Producer – Label Owner

bernstein_0851_rs_webRachael Sage is a singer-songwriter and producer, visual artist, and founded her own record label.  She has shared stages with A Great Big World,Semi Precious Weapons,] Sarah McLachlan, Judy Collins, Marc Cohn, The Animals, Jamie Cullum, and Ani DiFranco. She has released eleven solo albums on her own label, MPress Records, and regularly tours both North America and Europe.

Rachael shared her experiences as an independent artist and producer with us. Rachael is an inspiration and shows that you can do it on your own.

 

How did you get involved in music?

I started playing piano by ear when I was 2 & 1/2 years old, after my mom sent me to a pre-ballet class. I came home and played all the melodies I’d heard on the piano, and they knew something was up! So really, I’ve been playing music since as long as I can remember; it’s been the primary way I’ve oriented to most things in my life – often more than reading, or talking!

How did you get started?

Although as mentioned above I became aware of my ear for music very early on, I didn’t become hyper-focused on it until I was about 5. I went away to sleep-away camp in Maine, and one day the musical accompanist was sick, so they needed someone to play piano at the weekly talent show. All of a sudden I realized I was “qualified” to do this. I knew all the songs already, and it was a very pivotal moment where I recognized that this skill I’d developed was something “mature” and “useful”, socially. The head of the camp had heard me play many times so he basically volunteered me to take the accompanists’ place, leading everyone in the camp song. I heard the power of everyone singing along to what I was doing with my fingers, no one laughed, everyone clapped, I knew I was onto something and later all the kids asked me if I could play songs from the radio and it was good to be able to say yes! I suppose that was the beginning of my identity as a professional musician.

Give us a little background on your career as a musician.

I started writing my own songs when I was 5, and recording them on a 4-track when I was 12. I won the ASCAP Pop Songwriting Contest in my teens, and Tony Visconti came to my house and offered to make demos with me but sadly, my parents were nervous about it all and told me a music career would have to wait until after college. Needless to say, college was pretty long for me! But every summer I’d continue writing, demo’ing new songs, refining my production skills and I basically completed my 1st album my senior year, so once I moved back to NYC, I was ready to put something out I felt confident about, and get some gigs.

My second album, I included a song I’d written for Ani DiFranco which lead to her inviting me to tour with her which was an incredible, trial-by-fire type of experience. I went from playing for 50 people at The Bitter End to 6000k+ die-hard folk fans, and I learned an enormous amount in a very short period of time. Gigs at Lilith Fair and supporting Eric Burdon followed in the US and Europe, and by a few albums in I had distribution for my record label, MPress, and a Label Manager named Walter Parks who really helped me organize my touring and promotional efforts. Eventually we began playing together, and then he went on to tour with the great Ritchie Havens for many years. Since I started the label I’ve released 12 albums and several EP’s, signed four other artists and released 5 volumes of our charity compilation series, “New Arrivals”. But really, my proudest achievement is simply that I haven’t stopped writing songs.

Have you toured and if so what do you like best about touring?

I’ve toured for many years, and I love it! My favorite thing about touring is that it’s a chance to basically fall in love everyday…Every venue, every town, every audience you meet new people, see new places and can recover very quickly from a prior misstep and grow from your mistakes in a way that’s essentially “on speed”. The pacing of artist development – and personal development in general – seems to be quicker, in my experience, than if you’re just staying home, in one place; it’s an intense, extremely dynamic and adventurous lifestyle that’s not for everyone, but I can’t imagine not touring. It’s the thing that permits me to feel most human, because of all the types of people we meet, and places we see. Universality becomes less abstract – you see with your own eyes and experience daily how very much people across the country and around the world want the same things.

What do you like least?

I dislike the long drives. I have bad knees from years of ballet, and it can be a drag sitting in a car for many hours, and feeling creaky and stuff when you emerge. Stretching becomes crucial!

rsage_photo_gal_58942_photo_1190523360_lrWhat is your favorite day off activity?

Going to the movies! I saw Brooklyn in Dublin last summer. I went by myself. It was so damn good I sat through it twice, by myself, weeping (of course).

What is your educational or training background

I attended The School Of American Ballet in High School, and graduated from Stanford University with a degree in Drama. I also trained at The Shakespeare Lab at The New York Public Theater and The Actors Studio MFA Program, in NYC.

What are your long term goals

To become a great songwriter with as much command over my craft as possible; to become a more dynamic performer and to merge more multi-media elements i.e. Dance and Visual Art and more ambitious musical/sonic technology into my show; to resume a career in Acting and work in TV, Film and Theater. Basically I want to tell stories through art, in whatever medium, and just get better and better at it.

What if any obstacles or barriers have you faced?

I think playing the piano and a singer-songwriter in general is an obstacle, for a physical person such as myself. An audience comes to expect you to play your own instrument which of course is a passion, but likewise it becomes constraining. I saw PJ Harvey tonight and it reminded me how early on when I could not play guitar, I hired a guitarist to accompany me. I danced around, I was free with my body and the mic in a totally different way; sometimes it’s a mixed-blessing being self-contained. I’d like to get back to orchestrating more of my music so I’m not tethered to my instrument. I think I have a lot more to give and project with my full range as a physical being, but it will take the right musical “casting” to let go of always playing everything myself…

I also think it’s been an obstacle to feel so reliant on other people for the technological aspects of creating music. In my teens I was a midi-whiz, I ran my own home studio, recorded to analog and didn’t really need anyone to get my ideas down. Then the programs changed, everything shifted to Protools and I was in college, sort of out of that loop so lost the thread a bit. I began hiring engineers and recording in proper studios as a once-a-year rarified endeavor rather than having an ongoing, consistent process of writing and recording like I had prior. My orientation to “the studio” shifted, for better and worse.

How have you dealt with them?

I don’t think I’ve really “dealt” with these issues head-on yet. I’ve been too busy putting out records and touring – but I am aware of the challenges and ways in which I’d like to shift these paradigms to feel more empowered as an artist, so I’m gearing up to refine my home studio so it’s more efficient and easier for me to use on my own without an engineer, and I have lots of new musical ideas brewing already for my next project, that hopefully this winter I’ll have the opportunity to develop. I think I’m at the point where my next album needs to be radically different than anything I’ve ever done before. It’s an exciting prospect!! Perhaps no piano, and something more edgy/rock than people expect from me…we’ll see.

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

I always suggest to young musicians that they get a regular, steady local gig where they can shed, make mistakes, not have a lot of pressure on them and just figure out who they are as an artist. I did that in college at my coffeehouse, and later in NYC at The Bitter End. I think it’s as important to learn how to play a room as to play an instrument…even if that means you barely say anything as your “persona”; but it should be intentional, and committed. It’s hard to refine all that in the privacy of one’s bedroom!

Must have skills?

Politeness (yes this is a skill!), a serious work ethic, organization, an ability to lead and inspire other musicians, writing thoughtful emails that show consideration for (and where applicable, research on) the party on the other end!

You started your own record label – please explain and walk us thru running a label?

Yes I founded MPress Records in 1996, to release my first album “Morbid Romantic”. I was just out of college and it was basically a collection of my best demos, so far. My first album I distributed nationally was “Smashing The Serene”. Basically, I always pretended to have a staff, even when I didn’t. I got a fax machine, signed fancy press kits and packages with a fake manager’s name when I sent them to radio, and was somehow able to chart very quickly alongside artists like Jewel, Ani DiFranco and Sarah McLachlan on the College Radio Charts which launched my label in earnest. I learned the ropes of every facet of running a label by being very hands-on in those early years, from overseeing an intern, to applying to festivals, to sending promos to indie record stores, to working with a publicist. I did all my own album art and somehow had the energy to do all of this by day and play shows by night, without much help, until eventually MPress grew into a small staff and signed other artists. That was a big shift, but by the time it happened, I was “ready” and had a pretty clear vision of what types of artists I wanted to release.

Artists you represent?

rachael2We represent Seth Glier, A Fragile Tomorrow, K’s Choice and also have several Melissa Ferrick releases in our catalog. You can learn more about my label at MPress records, and about my upcoming shows and news at RachaelSage.com.

 

SoundGirls.Org Supports City of Terrace Girls Empowerment Initiative with Live Sound Workshop

SoundGirls.Org is honored to support the City of Terrace Library’s Girl Empowerment initiative to inspire girls and young women and ensure that all young people reach their full potential.

SoundGirls.org presents a concert production workshop for teens. Attendants will participate in a variety of roles in concert preparation and even mix music for a live band. CALICO the band has volunteered their time to come help us.

The workshop will take place on

SoundGirls members that would like to volunteer to work the event – please contact us at soundgirls@soundgirls.org

unspecifiedCALICO the band is Kirsten Proffit and Manda Mosher. Kirsten & Manda came from individual singer/songwriter careers until Calico brought them together. As powerful as each is individually, an undeniable magic occurs when their writing and voices come together. It’s at the heart of their debut album, Rancho California, which is replete with singularly strong songwriting chops, rich harmonies, and a pervasive Americana passion. Like the expansive spirit of Laurel Canyon that spawned so many famous bands and artists, now comes this new spirit, rooted in the vast valleys and canyons of L.A.

Calico stands for California country, and also for the cat that appeared at Manda’s door one dark night, and a ghost town about halfway between L.A. and Vegas. It’s in the gentle mystery of that cat, and in that dusty stretch of desert that their music starts, haunted by Western ghosts of the past, but gentle with modern spirits, too, all blown together like tumbleweeds towards the big city. Calico is about that eternal place where the big city meets that lonely desert, where the freeways converge at the ocean. It’s about timeless roots music; it’s about voices singing in harmony.

 

Beckie Campbell – Versatility and Passion

beckie-1Beckie Campbell is the owner of B4MediaProduction, a growing production company, supplying anything from small corporate set-ups and medium to large concert system set-ups. Being versatile, Beckie also works as an independent contractor to several companies around the US. Beckie’s experience  in the audio field is comprehensive, having the ability to work as Production Management, FoH/Monitors, and as a PA/System or monitor tech.

B4MediaProduction works with an impressive list of regular clients including the City of Orlando, PennellChing Development (Corporate events), Hibiscus Festival/New Year’s Eve Bash/Freedom Fest(Florida Festivals) and Next Level Productions and Promotions (Concerts and Festivals).

Raised in McMillan, Michigan, Beckie’s interest in music started when she was a kid. She remembers locking herself in her uncle’s jeep and listening to Three Dog Night on an 8 track as loud as she could. She would close her eyes and visualize being on stage with them. She was just five years old! She would also sit in the living room with her ear up to her dad’s stereo listening to old Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings records until she could pick out every instrument and sound. Her aunt and uncles would go to concerts all the time and bring her back heaps of concert swag. Beckie remembers the feeling of wearing a new REO Speedwagon shirt, and jamming out to Tina Turner on her Walkman, all the while dreaming of being backstage with them.

When Beckie turned 18, she started working at a radio station doing on-air concert announcements and interviews with artists at festivals. This experience showed her another side to the business, and all she could think of was that she couldn’t wait to run sound. Beckie attended every concert event she could between the ages of 18-25. After several years of this, Beckie returned to school with the aim of getting a degree in live sound engineering. Beckie attended Full Sail University graduating in 2001 with a degree in Show Production. After graduation, she interned as a tech in a Mega Church in Orlando, and six months later they asked her if she would be interested in becoming their Technical Director. Beckie took that role on full-time and continued to freelance around Orlando. Eventually, Beckie moved beachside to Florida to run FOH for another church.

Since starting B4MediaProduction, she has worked all over the United States as a Monitor Engineer, FOH Engineer, Stage Manager, and Production Manager. She is in a position now where she is called weekly asking if she can fill in for others on their tours, as well as for festival work and corporate gigs. B4MediaProduction have a mix of systems available from small QSC K systems and JBL Eon systems for the corporate gigs and a D.A.S. Aero 8 line array for middle-of-the-road stuff. The business is continuously building its inventory and has its sights set on either L-Acoustics or a d&b rig for the next purchase. Beckie says these are her favorite PA’s to mix on.

When touring, she loves the fact that she gets to play with many different pieces of gear. She has many favorites depending on the gig and budget. For a console it would have to be Midas Pro series, Microphones: Shure ULXD series for vocals with Neumann KMS105 capsules or SM68, saying her new favorite all-around application mic is Heil Pr 30, & PR 31BW. d&b, L-Acoustics, or Meyer rigs are the favorites for cabs. Beckie still has an old-school Lexicon PCM90 verb and says she loves it so much – it will be with her till she dies!

Beckie is known for her experience and her ability to step into many roles. She has been in the live sound arena for the past 16 years and has an impressive resume that showcases her versatility within the industry. In addition to providing systems and working as both FOH and Monitor Engineer, Beckie works as a production and stage manager. Her list of clients is extensive; from Amy Grant, Nicole Nordeman, Ellie Holcomb, The City of Orlando Parks and Recreation, Blue Mountain Brandon Heath Tour, and numerous local events and festivals.

Her advice if you are looking at becoming a FOH or Monitor Engineer is that it helps to know your microphones, DI’s, and mic techniques. If becoming a Production Manager is your thing, then communication skills go a long, long way in this job. Learning proper ways to communicate with different personalities and learning to actively listen and ask questions is essential.

beckie-3She loves seeing new places and meeting new people, but she says “my favorite thing is about 1 minute before the show when the house lights are going dark and you can feel the anticipation in the air from the crowd and then when the first sound hits and everyone goes nuts. “Nothing in the world like that feeling”!  Her least favorite things are cold showers at festivals and people with bad attitudes saying “Everyone has a bad day now and again, but if this is not in your blood or your passion and it’s just a job to you it will quickly weigh on you and everyone you’re around”.  

When on tour her favorite day off activity is going anywhere there is water (swimming, kayaking, hiking, sitting by a river or ocean, etc.) She likes to visit places she has never been to and have little adventures and try new foods. She also enjoys the occasional peace and quiet once in a place she has never been to before. If a day off is near family one of her favorite things is to visit nieces and nephews.  Or just a day with Netflix, a bag of chips, and an ice-cold beer.

During her career, she has faced her share of obstacles – while just doing her job. She tells me she has run into a few guys (mostly old school ones) that refuse to let her do things based on the fact that she is a woman. Beckie hears the little comments here and there and finds that at times, they have treated her like a clueless child. For example: being on the ramp hearing comments like “hey this is super heavy and you shouldn’t be here”, or, “do you even know how to run sound?” “Is there a manager or someone who knows what they’re doing here?” Over the years Beckie has learned to deal with these issues as they arise with pure grit and determination and when they see that she doesn’t just give up and walk away, they realize that she CAN handle anything just like a guy and accept her into the pack with open arms.

Beckie shares some good advice about gaining respect from your peers saying “I tend to show what I can do and not run my mouth about it. I have run into the occasional jerk that is just old school in the way they think, and there is nothing I can do to change that. I have found more often than not that even the guys who don’t think I can do it to start with, watch and see and notice that I can and then they too come around. Even the guy who asked me “Is there a manager or someone who knows what they’re doing here?” came back to me after the show and apologized profusely for thinking I wasn’t aware of what I was doing and said “I am sorry for not giving you the chance you deserve, you work harder than most guys I have worked with and you really know your stuff”

Being professional and friendly goes a long way. Beckie says that as a female in this industry it can be hard to break into work but by keeping your head in the game, networking and making contacts, and generally being a nice person that you will never lack for work. Being pleasant and communicating properly without being a jerk, or having her defenses up, helps toward being treated as an equal member of the team. There are always exceptions to this rule, but by following her own advice, Beckie is still working and making it in this industry saying your character will take you much further than your mouth.

The majority of the people Beckie has dealt with are at first a little hesitant about a female in charge of their event, but they quickly realize Beckie knows her stuff and does the job with excellence. She then becomes their go-to person for events and has a steadily growing list of returning clients.  

beckie-4Beckie has great advice for other women and young women wishing to enter the field. She says “Stick to your guns, remind yourself that there are others like you who have been doing this a long time and that you too can accomplish anything you set your mind to. Be responsible, if you mess up – you mess up, no one is perfect all the time. Stay humble, not one of us knows it all, and it’s ok to ask someone. Stay close to some seasoned professionals and ask lots of questions and take their advice. Above all never think you have arrived. You’ll always have something to learn. Our business is growing and advancing all the time with new gear and new ways to do things – continue to learn!”

Up until July this year, Beckie also taught part-time at Full Sail University. She remembers having a class of 12 students (both guys and girls) and asked them if they were hoping to tour and be on the road. Beckie says she was excited when 8 of the class raised their hands and 6 of those were women. She left Full Sail on a friendly note and has a great relationship with them which means she can reach out to the teachers to help fill in some intern needs. Beckie hires some of the students for events she does locally so that they can gain more exposure. Beckie is currently training a young woman, taking her on a job to Ohio. Beckie says “We are making a difference in the industry and I am grateful for those who have paved the way in our industry. We SoundGirls ROCK!”

beckie-2Her long-term goals are to continue growing her production company and staff to give the next generation more opportunities to tour and do gigs. She would like to develop successful, affordable training camps/sessions for church production technicians to teach them the proper way to do things. One day Beckie will purchase a beach home, find a hot single sugar daddy and (gasp) retire with a beachside bar/live music venue and bartend in her old age.

Last words from Beckie are that she loves SoundGirls.Org and the opportunity it’s providing for young women to feel accepted and encouraged in this business as well as intern and learn. When Beckie started out, she was not aware of other women working in the industry. She knew there must be other women somewhere, but she never saw any or worked with any.  The first woman she ever met was in the ’80s, and she was the drummer’s girlfriend who happened to tech with the band. When Beckie attended Full Sail, she was the only girl in the class.
Beckie is passionate about encouraging others and helping to be part of a growing community that strives to educate and help each other become better at what we do and says she will see you on the road!

2019 Update from Beckie:

“I am currently out on the road as the FOH engineer for the Indigo Girls, I have been incredibly blessed to be able to tour with such an accomplished team of people and to be welcomed into their camp. They are absolutely amazing and so talented. I love that after all these years they are still so down to earth, but professionals. It’s a great team of people and I am honored to work alongside of them all. I am running a Digico SD10 and Waves server (both new toys for me) so it has been challenging and rewarding at the same time.

I am about to step into a full season of corporate gigs with my company, B4Media Production. We will be all over from Dallas to Manhattan to Naples and Orlando, FL. in September. I am advancing these shows and building them now while out on the road with IG. So it has been a fun summer so far, and busy season is about to start. I am looking forward to what the road holds when busy season in Florida is over and I am currently looking for the next tour I can join when that time comes. I love to tour and be out there, but also love to train and build our business at home, so being able to do both this year successfully has been a super huge deal and very rewarding. I am still training church tech teams and doing SoundGirls expos and meet-ups when I am home. All things I love to do! I even got some beach time with the nieces and nephews this summer, and I am currently sitting by the pool with an ice-cold beverage while writing this, so all in all, life ain’t bad.”

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Profile by: Toni Venditti

Toni Venditti is the director of G.V. Productions that provides PA and Lighting equipment and is based in Sydney, Australia. She also is a senior industry writer for the CX Network and a contributor to SoundGirls.Org. Toni has worked in audio and lighting for over 25 years.

Hello, My Name is Samantha, and I’m Addicted to Work.

addicted-to-work-v2I’m not sure if this is a topic that gets discussed too much, but that doesn’t make it any less important. This is about burning yourself out, stretching yourself too thin, and burning the candle at both ends. If other women in this field are anything like me, you really put forth a lot of effort. I mean a lot of effort. Likely more so than your colleagues to compensate for the fact that “you’re just a woman”. I take great pride in my work ethic, it defines me. I love what I do, so it’s easy for me to accidentally overdo it. I think that some of us should take a deep breath, and ponder if we’re on a path to getting burned out completely.

This has been on my mind for the last week or so, and I can’t let go of it. So here I am, writing it down to see if I can figure it out and possibly help some along the way. Let me paint you a picture of what my typical week looks like:

On Mondays I work for 9 hours, on Tuesdays and Wednesdays I work for 14 hours. On Thursdays I work about 9 and a half hours. That’s 46 hours in 4 days. On Fridays and Saturdays, I have misc. gigs with my band that can range anywhere from 3 hours in the afternoon to a 14 hour blazing double-gig, and sometimes actually having one or both days off. And on Sundays I work church services and freelance consultations for houses of worship. So I’ll be a little shy on the average, but let’s say that’s 15 hours. So now we’re up to 61 hours. On top of that, I have several interns, I’m developing curriculum for graduate students on event technology, and I write here for SoundGirls every month, and I’ve got another writing project in the works. So I’ve got to be somewhere in the neighborhood of 60-70 hours a week. Every week.
Just writing all of this out, honestly, gives me palpitations.

So, in short, I’m busy.
I’m really busy.
Not to mention planning a wedding, and whatever resemblance of a social life I’ve got. Oh, and I’m trying to go back to school in January.

Tired yet?

When I’m in an interview, I often get asked what my greatest weakness is. I hate answering that question, I don’t understand the point of it, and I have to answer it like a jerk. My greatest weakness is that I work too much. From the employer’s point of view, that isn’t really a problem. But for me, it is. I have been known to work when I really should not. Last year I got very sick for an entire month. I almost popped my ear drum because I refused to go to the doctor. I didn’t miss a single day of work, though.
The good news is I’m young. I can get away with working this much because my body and mind can keep up. But for how long?

I recently accepted another job. A colleague needed some help, and it included some fun projects that I’m really looking forward to working on. And in the wake of my formal acceptance of the position, I began feeling something I hadn’t felt in a long time: stretched. At some point, something will have to give. I know that I need to force some time for more relaxation in, we all should.

I think that we are such a work-centric society, that relaxation and family time doesn’t mean much. In fact, I’m sure a lot of people would be impressed that I can juggle so much. But should we have to juggle so much? Why must we work so much harder than our colleagues? Draw a line in the sand, and promise yourself that you won’t work past it. Schedule in relaxation. It’s so important for our mental health, which gets ignored a lot. I’m tired while writing this. Today is my one day off for a while. Don’t work yourself to death if you don’t need to. Enjoy every single day. Our field can be really really fun and it’s easy to let things slip away from us. When you’re just starting out, you’re taught to take every gig and work your tail off to climb the ladder. Don’t get burned out. Don’t become addicted to work. I’m lucky enough to love every single day of work, but I have to start shaving off some of it or I may end up hating it.

So, what do I do?
Well, it may mean giving and taking from some places. I always have my list of most important things in my life. My significant other is at the top, followed closely by my work at the school, and my work at the church, then freelancing. That may mean working faster when possible so that I may get work finished and move on to the next project. It may also mean turning down some projects to keep my availability open. If my S.O. needs something, that absolutely comes first. You have to be able to say “no.” I have a system of support so that when something does happen, I’ve got all my projects covered. I wouldn’t be able to do all this by myself. It actually took a good amount of time to get this system set up, and I’m still building it. There are so many moving parts to each event and every project that you simply just cannot put it all on yourself. I don’t like missing work, but if I need to I know I’ve got 2 or 3 very reliable, trustworthy people to take my place. Your replacements are a part of your reputation. It’s your name on the line, not theirs. My very specific line in the sand is any event on a Sunday. I try my absolute hardest to not do anything on Sunday, as does my S.O., so that we may spend this time together. Sometimes things pop up, and on occasion I will do them, but only after I’ve spoken with my better half. Know that relationships with other people are important. Family means different things to different people, just make sure that you nurture those relationships. They’ll help you up when you’re down.

Be careful. Your life outside of work is just as important as the work itself.

Editors Note: Check out April Tucker’s Blog on avoiding Burn Out. Part Time Mixer – Part Time What?  SoundGirls remember to take care of yourself.

 

img_4983Samantha Potter: Samantha is an IT Media Supervisor and Audio Engineer for the largest Methodist Church in the US and a Production Manager for Funk Syndicate located in Kansas City. Working closely with IT, Producers, Coordinators, and Musicians, Samantha oversees audio and other media technology while mentoring and training women in STEM fields. Additionally, Samantha is the Chapter Head of the SoundGirls KC Chapter.

About Samantha: A lover of coffee and R&B music, Samantha is a classically trained musician with a particular interest in technology. While getting her professional career started in studio work, the calling of Live Sound and Event Production was too great to ignore. She can be found with a mug of coffee, a pair of converse, and listening to Jazmine Sullivan during load-in.

Erin Barra – Educator, Songwriter, Producer, Music Technology Consultant

erinErin Barra has a wide-ranging skill set educator, songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist, and music technology consultant. Erin specializes in music technology integration; she works with artists/bands looking to integrate laptops and digital technologies into their writing, production and stage setups. She has developed, taught and executed several music technology curriculums at the open source Coursera, and ROLI, K-12 Beats By Girlz, and collegiate levels Berklee College of Music, Berklee Online.

Erin is an Associate Professor in the Songwriting Department at Boston’s Berklee College of Music and is one of the leading product specialists for Berlin-based music software company, Ableton.  She has worked with an array of artists, from Grammy-winning artists engineers and producers; John Oates, George Massenburg, Kathy Mattea, Elliot Scheiner to those at the front lines of the independent movement Res, Miles Robertson, Ari Raskin.

SoundGirls caught up with Erin for an interview.

What is your specialty in music production?

I specialize in helping people reach their goals, whether it’s through collaboration, education or consultation. I communicate with people really well and have the creative and technical skill set to make most things in the music and technology realms happen.

Are you independent or do you work for a company?

Berklee College of Music is my home base, but I have my own consulting company MAMMA BARRA LLC that I freelance under, and work for private clients and for different brands such as Ableton, ROLI and Beats By Girlz

How long have you worked there?

This is the beginning of my 3rd year at Berklee, and I’ve been working for myself for about ten years

What is your current position?

Associate Professor

Give us a little background on what led you to work in music production?

I was pursuing a career as a singer/songwriter and felt completely out of control of my own content so one day I decided I was going to figure out how to produce myself.

How long have you been working in music production?

I’ve been producing for about ten years

How did you get your start?

In my bedroom studio haha.  No, but seriously, it was the work that I did at home on my own time that led to most of the opportunities I’ve had. I don’t think there’s any one thing that was a beginning for me; it’s just been this one very long and nonlinear journey.

How did you get interested in music production?

My father is an audiophile and places speakers for a living, so I was always interested in how things sounded.

What is your educational or training background?

I was classically trained as a pianist from ages 4-18, got a piano performance and songwriting degree from Berklee right out of high school and then learned all the music tech stuff the hard-knock way by teaching myself and asking a lot of questions.

What are your long-term goals?

Hold on to my sanity – I used to worry more about my career, but now that things in that arena seem to be less of a concern, it’s really more about maintaining my happiness in the midst of all the work. My other main goal is to have children, which affects both my work and happiness. It should be a huge adventure.

What are your current projects?

I always have about five irons in the fire at any given time, but right now I’m focusing the majority of my efforts on developing new curriculum for Berklee and building the Beats By Girlz initiative.

What is the Beats By Girlz Initiative?

Beats By Girlz is a curriculum and initiative designed to empower females to engage with music technology and build communities. We provide young women with the guidance, access, tools, and role-support to develop their interest (and ultimately their ability to pursue career opportunities) in music production, composition, engineering, etc. We are working towards gender equity in a field where women are highly underrepresented and strive help other groups mobilize and create similar change in their own communitie

What if any obstacles or barriers have you faced?

I try to view obstacles as opportunities, so I’ve had many many opportunities. Working in the music industry is full of barriers, but I think the biggest one for me was coming up with my definition of ‘success.’

How have you dealt with them?

Work harder than everyone else – keep learning – be open to change

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

Find a good support system and communities to be a part of. It has so much to do with who you surround yourself with.

Must have skills?

Communication skills

Favorite gear?

I’m a laptop musician, so I’m more of a software gal – I’d have to say Ableton

You learn more about Erin thru her website – 

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Trevor Waite – On Monitor Teching and Mixing Monitors for The Who

20160919_211500Trevor Waite has been part of the monitor team for The Who since 2007. He has worked along side The Who’s two monitor engineers Simon Higgs and Bob Pridden. Trevor has recently taken over for Bob Pridden, who has recently retired from the road and has mixed monitors for The Who and Pete Townshend for 50 years.  Trevor has some big shoes to fill but with his experience working with The Who and his positive attitude he will step up to the occasion. Trevor was kind enough to share his experiences, advice and tips on teching with us.

What is your background and how did you get your start?

My career started out as a part time job in college.  Prior to college, I was an electronics technician in the US Navy, serving aboard USS John F Kennedy (CV-67).  After my 4 years (during Desert Storm), I left the Navy to pursue a degree in Electrical Engineering at Rochester Institute of Technology, which proved to difficult for my simple mind, and ended up dropping to Electrical Engineering Technology (essentially, an over-trained technician).  

The college had a small production company on campus that took care of stage, lights and sound for the smaller gigs, and provided labour for the larger acts that came through. Tech Crew, as it was called, was set up such that the boss taught the first batch of student employees, and they continued.  It was brilliant.  In order to advance, one had to get signed off on even the most basic of skills…cable coiling.  Probably the best way to learn. As I got better, I managed to start teching at a local club.  This helped hone my troubleshooting skills, as some of the gear needed attention.  

After college, I managed to get a couple of jobs in my field of study, but quickly got bored with it.  My final day of working a 9 to 5 happened after getting to run monitors for Ted Nugent at that same club.  I quit working in my field, and followed my passion.  I continued with a regional company, but still wanted more.  I sent out resumes to multiple sound companies, and only got one response.  But that response launched an amazing career.  Eighth Day Sound gave me a chance, sent me out on Prince with two really good engineers and another great technician, all of whom taught me the ropes of touring.  14 years later, here I am, loving every minute of my career and meeting some incredible people and the bands they work for.

Questions from SG Members:

When people ask what I do, I never know what to say because there are so many terms that can describe what abilities and knowledge I have. I didn’t even realize there were system techs. for Monitors and FOH until I read a blog on SoundGirls.org. I know that everything I have learned about sound and signal processing/electronics etc. would easily make me by definition a “system tech” already, but does that mean I should consider myself a sound engineer and technician?

There is a major difference between a sound technician and an engineer.  I consider myself a very good technician, but an average engineer.  I am fine with that, because a good engineer has a very unique gift…that of above average hearing. While I can hear well enough to EQ a monitor to get very loud without feeding back, a true engineer will make it sing. Sometimes a great engineer has no idea how the electronics work to create an amazing mix, and that is where a great technician is needed.  I am proud to have teched for some brilliant engineers, and have no regrets being “just” a tech.

What type of equipment do you use for room measurement? Mics, computer programs, audio interfaces, things of that nature.  

When I am teching FOH, room measurements are essential to put the PA in correctly. Half the battle is getting the PA hung right.  To do this, a Leica Disto capable of both distance and angle is essential for indoor venues, while an Opti-Logic range finder does very well in outdoor or amphitheater venues.  Once the measurements are taken, the manufacturer of the particular PA will have a program to design the building and PA to cover it.  

Once the PA is hung, I use Smaart, with a Focusrite Scarlett, to time align and get a general EQ going while running pink noise.  Once the curve is relatively flat (don’t over EQ using pink noise), listen to it with your favourite song.  It may irritate the lighting guys after the 20th show, but there is a point…consistency.  We need to hand our engineer a PA that sounds as close to yesterday as possible.  The engineer needs consistency, and that is the tech’s primary goal.  

What have you worked with in the past and how does it compare to what you use now and how you are able to do your job now? 

I got into the industry when there were no computer programs to design PAs.  We would stack and adjust chains on a trial by fire basis until the PA looked like it should cover the room.  Experience helped make fewer trips up and down as the PA was adjusted.  These days, you can accurately design a PA without stepping foot in the venue.  CAD drawings are available for most venues, and the prediction software for most major PAs can either directly import these drawings, or can easily be deciphered.  Then the PA can be simulated until the system tech is happy with the virtual coverage.

Then there’s the consoles.  The industry has come a long way in the time I’ve been in it.  If we knew we were going to work with a band again, we would have to manually chart every knob and fader position, which was painstakingly slow.  Now with digital consoles, simply throw your USB key in from the last show, and off you go.

What sort of ear training should be done to help in tuning monitors? 

The only way to learn your frequencies is to make a system feed back and listen.  I learned by rote.  After hearing a frequency enough times, you will know it the next time you hear it feeding back.  Once the feedback is done, learn the sound of your voice.  This may sound strange, but try this.  Record your voice, then play it back.  It is different than you perceive it to be.  Therefore, know what you should sound like, then make the monitor sound like you.  There you have it…safe then sound.

Have there been any helpful books or training courses that you would recommend? 

I got very lucky that my college had a production company that handled the smaller shows, and provided labor for the big acts that came through.  Essentially, The boss taught the first batch of students, then had them teach the new hires every year.  You start of with the very basics of coiling cables, taping cables down, proper lifting, etc. before moving on to bigger and better things.  To this day, he was the best boss I ever had.  Always there but never micromanaged.  He is still there today.  

The Yamaha Sound Reinforcement Handbook was also a very good reference.

SoundGirls.Org Questions 

What are the job duties of a stage tech vs. a monitor tech? 

Stage tech and monitor tech can be one and the same in some instances.  When I tech for The Who, I was both, but as it was far too much for one person, I had to rely on the SL PA guy to cable up stage.  In that case, the PA tech became the stage tech.  This is what I believe to be the difference:

A stage tech patches the stage, gets power out to backline, and cables up the monitors. Once everything is verified to be correct, the stage tech is done until load out.

The monitor tech’s job starts long before the tour does.  Once an engineer informs the company what is required, the monitor tech designs the racks, amps, stage patching and cabling to be as efficient as possible.  Once on tour, the monitor tech works closely with the engineer to ensure they have what they need to keep the band happy.  A good tech will go the extra mile and stand by the engineer to offer a second set of eyes to make sure all members of the band can communicate their needs to the engineer.  The monitor tech is also responsible for repairs or replacements if gear goes down.

You currently tour with The Who, and have recently taken over mixing monitors for Pete Townshend, do you carry production? If so what company are you using? Do you have a dedicated tech?

Eighth Day Sound has provided control gear (monitor system and FOH console and racks) for almost all The Who shows since 2007.  I have been their monitor tech since then, helping monitor engineers Simon Higgs and Bob Pridden.  It has been a fantastic ride so far, and it is an amazing honour to be able to continue Bob Pridden’s work as Pete Townshend’s monitor engineer.   As such, a tech has been added to take my place. Unfortunately, because of flight costs, it will not be the same tech I just trained back in the UK.  And with no production day to start our next leg, I have my work cut out for me.

Before Bob left the tour the three of you had a unique system of working together, can you explain how job duties were divided up before Bob left? And how you are working now with the loss of Bob?

Bob traveled with the band.  After being with them for over 50 years, I would say he earned that.  Because of this, setting up and EQ’ing fell to Simon Higgs, who also had to frequency coordinate all of the rest of the bands’ in ears.  Once monitor world was built, and stage was patched, I would put on ears and help Simon verify ear mixes, then watch Bob’s console during line check.  

Once the band and Bob arrived, I would wear one ear to help Simon with the rest of the band, and listen to Bob’s cue wedges with the other ear to help Bob with Pete’s wedges. Doing this, I managed to learn key parts of songs that Pete needed adjustments during the show. I was able to help Bob keep up with Pete’s needs.  Also, my eyesight was better, so I could see Pete’s requests for changes when it was almost completely dark.  At the same time, while Simon was concentrating on Roger Daltrey, so I would also keep an eye out for the rest of the band and let Simon know if one of them needed something.  

What equipment are using?

Currently, Simon Higgs is mixing Roger Daltrey and the rest of the band on a Digico SD7. I have inherited Bob Pridden’s Midas XL3.  I have been given permission to change to a digital console, and will go with another SD7 to keep the integration simple.  We will wait to make the change until after the Desert Trip shows, as there is no production day to get it right.  

How do you prioritize your job duties and tech duties?

I still show up on an early call.  Although I have a dedicated tech, I have always known this to be a two man job, so in the morning and at load out, I am the monitor tech, which eases the burden on the stage tech.  Monitor world is huge, and therefore built on a rolling riser in the middle of the arena.  I set up both consoles, and get Simon Higgs temporary power so he can start frequency coordinating when he comes in.  Until monitor world is rolled into position, getting Simon started is the first priority.  Once in place, I change hats and become Pete’s monitor engineer.  At this point, the stage tech becomes the monitor tech, and helps Simon with verifying in ears and stands by on stage during line check to fix any mis-patches.  I start EQing Pete’s wedges (something Simon used to have to do on top of everything else), and line check what is now my own console.  

Teching for a FOH or Monitor Engineer requires a certain set of skills. What do you feel are important skills a monitor tech should possess?

Monitor techs should have a basic understanding of troubleshooting skills. Unfortunately, this is not taught in most sound company shops.  A tech needs to know how to meter power and why, how to half split a fault (make a logical starting point to find a problem), and to know the job is not done until the truck doors close at the end of the night.  

FOH and Monitor techs are often required to help the engineer achieve their vision and goals. How can tech help the engineer see their vision come to fruition?

Providing consistency under all but the most extreme conditions can go a long way to helping an engineer create their magic.  If the engineer walks up to a console and everything feels the same way it did the show before (assuming that was good), then the tech has done the job properly.

What can a tech do to become irreplaceable?

I always provided the candy in monitor world.  That went a long way.  Otherwise, I suppose going the extra mile, as in any job, to show you are there for more than just a paycheck.  I find that is easy when you like the crew and band, but it is also true if you don’t.  Give each client 100%.  It makes you invaluable to your company, so you will get more calls, and you can always say no once you’ve established yourself (don’t do that too often, though).

How  important is it for FOH and Stage to be working together?  

There’s a reason we keep them 100 feet away.  They are a strange lot, those FOH people, but  a necessary evil.  Kidding aside, it is essential FOH and Stage work together, because the sound from either one greatly affects the sound of the other.  

Some performers get distracted when there is too much low end coming from the PA, so the monitor engineer and the FOH engineer must work together to find a compromise that reduces the low end felt on stage while still giving the audience a good mix with a bit of punch.  The same is true if sidefills or drum fills get too loud, or are out of time with the FOH mix.  Sometimes playing with phase on certain channels can make it so the stage sound adds to the FOH sound, instead of detracting from it.  FOH and Stage are intertwined, and it is very important for them to work together.

As systems become more technically advanced, how necessary is it to have training or  to be certified on the different systems? 

It is essential to fully understand how and why you are putting up x amount of boxes to cover a certain area.  It is just as important to get the angles between the boxes set correctly, or the system as a whole reacts very differently than anticipated.  

Prediction software is necessary to get the most out of whatever PA you are using, and the software requires training to understand how to use it.  Manufacturers have been very good at providing training programs around the world to ensure any system tech that is flying their PA is doing it in a way consistent with the way the manufacturer intended their product to be used.  This is extremely helpful when a band uses different companies on different continents.  If everyone is being trained the same way, an engineer can expect a lot of consistency wherever he/she goes.

If so what training would you recommend on a large scale touring production? And for medium and small sized productions?

On all productions, training is the same.  If the company one works for doesn’t offer the training, go to the manufacturer.  The size of the PA doesn’t matter, as it is essential to set up a small PA properly as well as large PA.  To get to the point of becoming the system tech, start at the bottom and learn cable management, PA flying in general, amp patching and how to get along with the other departments that make up a production.   The best way to learn the basics is to do it (preferably with a seasoned crew to help you along).

Working in a festival situation what do you feel is important?

Speed and a proper prep.  If the monitor tech has laid out everything he/she needs on stage in a logical way, setting up and striking should be fairly quick.  Keep mindful of the other acts, even if they are on before you.  Give everyone as much space as you can so that all get a chance to do their gig to the best of their ability as well.

What equipment and tools do you feel that every monitor tech needs to know how to use? 

A multimeter.  Sometimes a cable checker is very handy, especially if it’s one that has a transmitter end and a receiver end for when the cable to be tested is stretched out. Whirlwind makes a Q Box that can serve as either a tone generator or a headphone amp. A pair of headphones.  And basic tools in case you need to pull gear out of a rack to troubleshoot.  It would be very useful if the tech could solder, but without real training in that, I’ve seen some very poor solder skills, so I don’t recommend it for everyone.

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There’s More Than One Way to Peel an Orange

A week of experiences

At the end of July, the sound and broadcast department welcomed Omani staff from other technical departments for a week of experiencing some of our specific skills and processes.

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Table shows examples of a small portion of our regularly used microphone selection.

Led by Bruno Silva for sound and Maxwell White for broadcast the aim of the week was to give an exciting overview of some of the varied techniques that we are required to use throughout the season. Hands-on training combined with foundation-level theory will be recognised at the end of the month with a certificate of achievement.

Day 1 kicked off with an introduction to the infrastructure of the building. From the comms room to the amp room, back down to the control room, front of house mix position, and speaker positions.

As a department, we then took it in turns to give a brief overview of our microphone collection, including radio mics and the Digico SD9 when used as a monitor desk. We agreed that it was important to include as much information about equipment that we regularly use and is often seen by other department members. For example, the stage department often comes into contact with our Crown PCC 160 microphones downstage for many of the operas that we record.

After a tea break, the project for the day was introduced. The visiting staff was able help set and record a piano concert. The following areas would be reproduced as per a regular performance at ROHM:

  1. Audio recording in the control room via the Pro 2
  2. Front of house mix via the SC48
  3. 2 x camera recording
  4. Monitor mix for the performer

The recordings would then be edited in subsequent days in the manner that would normally be required for the archive of a performance.

Feedback from the event was very positive and really helped cement the environment of enthusiasm and passion for the job between departments.

Although a huge array of skills were covered throughout the week, it was impossible to cover all areas that the department deals with. One constant throughout the season is recording performances in order to archive. This is a brief description of how we select microphones for recording via the Midas Pro 2 onto the DN9696 hard disk recorder.

Recording performances at ROHM

We make an archive recording of every performance. This could be a ballet, Arabic music concert, an outdoor event as well as Opera. Over the five seasons that the Opera house has been open a number of techniques have been tried and tested. The joy of working with an international team is that everyone brings their own experiences and ideas to the table. As a department, we are keen on a minimal number of microphones onstage during nonamplified performances. It would be easy for an audience member (or sometimes a performer) to mistake a microphone used solely for recording purposes as extra amplification. In a concert hall that is as audibly refined as ours, that would be a great travesty.

With this in mind, we have developed a system of mic’ing an orchestra in the pit for Operas and ballets that can be quickly and easily rigged and then added to when necessary. The patch sheet below shows examples of mics that we used for the opera ‘Lucia di Lammermoor’ last season.

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As well as mic’ing the orchestra, you will also see we have a small and select number of microphones onstage. In this case, the staging was very much downstage and our trusty Crown PCC 160’s covered most of the vocals. Two Schoeps MK4’s, rigged from the tormentors covered any mid-stage action.

img_2807As I mentioned before, in concert mode the placement of microphones away from the view of the audience is just as crucial. When we have a singer performing alongside an orchestra we often use our Schoeps on table stands downstage. We vary the capsules we use (either MK4’s or MK21’s) depending on the style of the performer. In addition, we also own a Neumann USM 69i. We rig this from bridge two which is front of house, above the first few rows of seating, depending on the format of the staging of that particular performance. By using fishing wire, we can get the perfect placement. Although fiddly when we started using this method, the team is now super-efficient at getting it spot on!

By the time of my next blog, the long-awaited season 6 will have commenced. Of course, our previous experiences will inform the way in which we approach new productions but it is important to bear in mind that there is always more than one way of mic’ing an orchestra, or a singer, or a drum kit! May we continue to be open to ideas and new ways of thinking.

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