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The Modern Church Sound

I’ve been to my fair share of church services, and more than my fair share of contemporary/modern church services. Some of the mixes I hear are fantastic! Some of them, however, are less than stellar. Many times, churches don’t have a dedicated audio person and rely on volunteer help to run the service.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when putting a mix together either as a volunteer, or as someone who wants some tips on how to clean up their own mix.

Vocals

Vocals are the number one priority, and it’s a disaster if they get buried. If no one can understand the vocals, then nobody is receiving the message. Cutting out most of the low end is always a great start. Don’t be afraid to really get in there. Perhaps cut a lot more than you might normally, but it’s necessary to make plenty of space for instruments whose fundamental frequencies reside below 500. So I place a HPF at about 150 and a low-end cut at about 500 to get rid of any boxiness. I’ve also noticed that vocalists and speakers can be a little bit throaty, so doing a notch cut around 1k really helps clear the air. Business first, though, as any problem frequencies should get ousted and the octaves just below and just above it. Parametric EQs are great for this sort of thing.

The vocals should most definitely fit right on top, right in between any melody carrying instruments.

Guitars

I love a robust and prominent guitar sound, but there’s a time and a place (read: solo) for strong loud guitars. I wouldn’t consider contemporary Christian services as that place. I can already hear the crowds boo. I regret nothing. In general, though, I whole-heartedly believe that guitars can’t always be the main instrument. They have their spot and I love really ethereal licks, but this isn’t a metal show and there are often many more instruments on stage that could use some love.

Now, if it’s a nice acoustic guitar, let it ring out and carry a larger part of the mix. So let the acoustic take center stage (aside from vocals. Never, ever push the vocals away). I like my guitars with just a little meat at around 250-300, and plenty of sparkly high end without getting too much fret noise. When I notice the fret noise is really prevalent, I can’t un-hear it. The biggest difference between acoustic and electric guitars are that electric guitars can be really sharp and intrusive if you let them get away. Acoustic guitars have a tendency to be softer and percussive. If you have an acoustic guitar and an electric guitar coming in at the same level, you’d hear the electric guitar more because it is so “in your face”. The low end of guitars can tend to be a little tedious when you begin balancing it with the rest of the low end. Try cutting at 400 or 500 while still trying to keep that previously mentioned beef at 250. This is all a balancing act most of you are familiar with.

Drums

Drums can be considered the 2nd most important piece of the band behind vocals. Sometimes, congregants in churches have issues keeping on beat, so we need to make sure that a nice crisp clear drum set can be heard. Kick and snare, like most of the time, are vital. I like a very fat low end with a cracked snare. I boost my kick around 60 or 80 hz depending on what the feel of the song is, and boost just a tad at about 1k to keep some of that pedal in. When I’m able to have the top and bottom of the snare mic’d, I try boosting the top at about 250 or so with a deep cut at 500 so I can have that warmth. Then the bottom of the snare has a sharp boost at 1k to really give it that snappy cracked sound. I typically blend the two with slightly more top than bottom. I would recommend experimenting with the blends of the top and bottom, and even try flipping the EQ to see what that sounds like. Never be afraid to do something really strange. If it works and it sounds good, don’t question it.

I like my toms present, but not overwhelming. I enjoy my cymbals bright, but not harsh. If you aren’t slapping HPFs on things, you’re asking for some trouble.

I find a lot of churches use drum enclosures which adds a certain level of complexity to the mix. I love the isolation, but I really hate how boxed in it can sound. You’ll have to fight that in almost every mix on your kit. Start at 500 and sweep the low-mids until you find that ‘sweet’ spot. As far as miking goes, you shouldn’t put the overhead/cymbal mics too far away from the source. The further away you get, the more room you’re getting, which in this case is not a good sound. You should always do some pretty close miking to drums in live situations (at least more so than you would in the studio) but you just need to be very cautious when your drums are in a tiny Plexiglas case. Look anywhere from 250-1k on all your drum mics, a lot of grossness will be hiding there. If you have any say in it, I would recommend not completely enclosing the drum kit. Leaving the back unenclosed can give you so much more space while still directing a bulk of the sound away from the audience. With the back open, you’ll get less muffled bleed, and you can get nice deep meaty sounding low-end without having to erase the entire low-mids. With some of the smaller rooms, that may be difficult, but it makes a significant enough difference to maybe rearrange the stage plot.

Bass

I love a smooth bass line. I am a bassist, and I really enjoy when I can’t pick out weird sounding (or overpowering) bass in mixes. And by that I mean a nice round low end (I don’t always like the sound of frets on a bass) with a HPF on 60 with just enough finger noise around 2k or so to distinguish accented notes without overpowering the kick, or worse, the vocals. The kick and bass should be working harmoniously, not stomping all over each other. Don’t be afraid to use ducking to get them to behave. Multi-band compression, if you haven’t gotten to play with it yet, is a fantastic tool. Use it to punch through some of the lows while leaving the higher octaves a little more airy.

Keys

Pianos have been in churches for as long as they have been in existence. Nothing can replace a really incredible pianist. I envy those of you who can tickle the ivory fingers. Pianos are so naturally beautiful that there often isn’t much needed. That’s not to say I don’t slap on a HPF every now and again, but you should try to stay true to the piano and let it do it’s thing. The only thing I can say is make sure everyone can hear it in the mix.

Everyone mixes differently, and every congregation likes their music a little bit different. Because of the generation I grew up in, my mixes tend to sound a lot funkier and modern than some generations before me. As you should, I try to keep that in mind when I’m mixing.

You won’t always be mixing for a “funky” crowd. Sometimes you may need to mix a little bit outside your favorite or most comfortable style to suit the room. You should also try to be very careful about taking care of your ears. Sometimes, churches like their music really loud, and often times they like it really really quiet. Don’t rely on volume to make your mix sound better. Go and explore. Churches are great communities to express yourself without having any lash back. Play with that New York style compression in your live mix, see what happens! Don’t discount anything until you try it.

If I had to stress only a few points to take away from this, it’s that listen with your ears. If you just walked in off the streets, could you understand what the vocalist was saying even if the words weren’t on screen? Would you be able to hear every instrument? Would you want to come back again and listen to music in this room?

 

On the Go With Jessica Berg

Music has played a prominent role throughout Jessica Berg’s life. From an early age, she was often singing solos in choir and performing with her cousin’s bar band near the family cabin in northern Minnesota. At age 14, Jessica began playing guitar and writing songs with her best friend, one of which they recorded for a class project, and this began Jessica’s fascination with the world of audio technology.

In high school, she would often hang out at a friend’s recording studio, and another friend gave her a Tascam four-track cassette recorder. During her senior year, Jessica began performing at open mic nights and was featured as a solo artist on a local radio station’s weekly program, “MN Homegrown.” For Jessica’s high school graduation gift, her dad brought her to a studio in the mountains of Colorado to record a three-song demo. Soon after that, she joined a band and began performing around the Minneapolis-St. Paul area both as a solo artist and in bands, all the while practicing and learning the art of four-track recording.Jess Performing Early 2000s (Minneapolis, MN)

In 2002, Jessica decided to pursue her passion for audio and enrolled at The Institute of Production and Recording in Minneapolis, MN. Within her first year, she was offered a live sound gig working with Le Cirque Rouge Burlesque Cabaret Troupe. Jessica says, “Working with this group was the best way to cut my teeth in live sound. It was a theater-type crew, who rarely stuck to the script, and I was often working on crap gear that I had to make sound good. Sometimes I even ran lights. Everyone got paid off the door. It was awesome.” Working with the cabaret troupe led to another live sound gig working with Cuban jazz group Charanga Tropical. Both clients had shows regionally, so Jessica had the opportunity to work in a variety of situations with two very colorful and talented groups.

While still in audio school, Jessica began interning at A440 Studios, one of the last large studios operating in town and negotiated a paid assistant engineering gig for regional rock band Skywynd’s “Escape Plan” album. “The lead engineer had a young child at home so that he would leave every night around 5 or 6 and I’d take over. We were tracking to 2” tape and transferring into ProTools. I was in heaven,” she says.

Jessica also interned with legendary promoter Sue McLean, and would get paid work as a runner on her shows. Around this time, she also began running sound at The Dakota, one of the top 100 jazz clubs in the world. Jessica remained on the house audio crew until she moved to Los Angeles in late 2013. “It’s an international listening room – Meyer had tuned it, it was intimate, and many shows were so attentive you could hear a pin drop,” she says. “I’ll always love that room.”

Not long after graduating from audio school, Jessica would become the dub room engineer at a top voiceover studio, Voiceworks (now Audio Ruckus.) Since the studio operated nine to five weekdays, the owner offered up the keys, and Jessica would bring in her clients in during off-hours. She was also on the call list with the Local 13 IATSE stagehand union for a year or so.

In 2006, she became the full-time Concert & Events Coordinator for the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board, running four outdoor venues with over 220 shows between Memorial Day and Labor Day, including large community festivals and other park events throughout the year. Jessica says, “I walked into a 122-year-old tradition that had been a bit neglected, and I was determined to help nurture and fix it. Gear was broken, figurative duct tape left everywhere, people were unhappy. I was given a file box with a stack of papers and a bag of keys, a Motorola phone, an office in a historical building, and told to ‘go’ – so I did.” Over the next three years, Jessica helped raised support from within the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board, built a strong team of seasonal sound engineers, worked with local community groups to purchase new audio gear and introduced the concept of allowing Music in the Parks sponsorships to the organization’s Board of Commissioners.

During this time, Jessica also served as a board member of the Jackie Lee Robinson Foundation, who was one of the original founders of IPR, and in cooperation with the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board and other professional audio companies, helped to start the Ideawerks recording studio educational program in the parks. The program is free for youths aged 12-17. After her third season of running the Music in the Parks, Jessica decided to move on. Today, the Minneapolis Music in the Parks program has never been stronger and brings joy to thousands of people every summer.

During her time in Minnesota, Jessica received certification in Festival and Event Management through the University of Minnesota Tourism Department and was introduced to the Head of Production for the WeFest and the 10K Lakes festivals in Detroit Lakes, MN. The WeFest is the largest camping and country music festival in the nation. Jessica would start out working as a stagehand and work her way up to the Backstage Production Assistant. She was in charge of backstage production parking and would run sound for the VIP area near the backstage area, post- main stage show. Jessica has continues to work these festivals and says “We are like a big family, and I have learned what it takes to run a huge, multi-act, multi-day show. It reminds me why I got into the business in the first place – I love that crew.”

Jessica would go on to work for IPR as an Academic Coordinator and become a founding member of the Twin Cities Mobile Jazz Project non-profit organization, bringing jazz music and education to youth into underserved communities throughout the local region. She would also return to school and receive a BS in Media Business. She never stops learning and seizes the opportunities presented to her.

As a graduation gift, one of Jessica’s closest friends in Los Angeles bought her a one-way plane ticket and offered her a place to live. “I knew I wanted to spread my wings and get out on the road more. I loved what I was doing in Minneapolis and the people I worked with, but it is the biggest small town you could ever be from. I figured I’d give it hell for two years and see what kind of magic I could stir up,” she says. So after breaking the news to her jobs and making sure they weren’t left high and dry, then releasing an album/love letter to her Minnesota life, giving away her furniture, and shipping a couple of pallets of boxes via Amtrak, Jessica flew to Los Angeles on Halloween in 2013. “It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made,” she says. “As many wise mentors have shared – in this industry, if you either have a job or a place to live, you gotta make that leap.”

Soon after landing in Los Angeles, Jessica discovered SoundGirls while searching the term “sound girl” on the Internet. It was too much of a coincidence that she had started her website soundgirlproductions.com a year earlier, in honor of the endearing nickname given to her by fellow Dakota crew. Not only that, but Jessica had been involved with a few different “women in music” groups in Minneapolis, and she feels none had emphasized live sound in the way that SoundGirls.Org does. “I felt like I found my tribe,”

Quadron Tour 2015

Quadron Tour 2014

Jessica would check out the site almost daily and one day, a job post flew by on my Facebook feed. It read – “TM/FOH needed ASAP…” and included an email address. I responded right away and two hours later I was in a meeting at the Avalon in Hollywood, where an upcoming concert was in pre-production.

The woman hiring for the TM/FOH position brought me on as her PA for the Avalon show to see how we would work together. When the Avalon concert was over she said, “OK you’re hired, we’ve got a lot of stuff to do!” I was on the road as TM/FOH with Quadron less than a week later, opening for Mayer Hawthorne. It was a dream come true.”

That one gig has led to the next two-plus years of mostly touring work for Jessica, and the woman who originally hired her became a mentor. When she got back from the Quadron tour, Jessica worked as a Project Manager at Biz 3 (a publicity company) for about six months, while running sound at a couple of local LA clubs and doing one-offs working with her mentor.  Jessica applied and got on the call list with a stagehand company, which has led to a variety of different gigs throughout Southern California when she is off the road.

Dr. John

Dr. John

In late 2014, Jessica was offered a gig to be Dr. John’s tour manager during his US/UK Winter 2015 run. In the interim, Jessica accepted the gig of TM for Waka Flocka Flame. These two tours took up most of 2015, minus a six-week stint running monitors and working on the audio crew at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center.

After returning from Dr. John’s tour, Jessica knew she wanted to reconnect with the SoundGirls community and signed up for the group’s SSL Live Training at Rat Sound.  She is excited to be volunteering with a growing organization and community that is achieving its mission – to help empower the next generation of women in audio, expanding opportunities for girls and women in the audio and music production fields, and sharing resources and knowledge through cooperation, collaboration, and diversity. Jessica shares, “SoundGirls is truly a haven for women in our field. I feel so fortunate to have found our community. The supportive vibes and being able to relate to each other is huge. It also led to my first paid touring gig out of Los Angeles, which has led to pretty much all the other gigs I’ve had since I left Minneapolis!”

Saint Motel Tour Crew

Saint Motel Tour Crew

As of late, Jessica is continuing her professional adventures in the freelance TM/FOH/MON world, mainly as TM with Phoebe Ryan. She also works on audio crews with a few production companies when home in the Los Angeles area. While her career is a primary focus, Jessica said that this year she’d like to pick up her guitar a bit more, sing a little louder in the car, remember to take five-minute dance parties when needed, and help our SoundGirls.Org community continue to grow and evolve on a global scale.

What do you like best about touring?

Time and space seem to shift, and there’s a lot of magic that happens in that flow.  The key is to not resist it.  Touring reminds me to live in the moment and make ‘em count.  What I like best about touring is that I get to work on my feet, literally and figuratively – tapping into all my life skills, knowledge and intuition to help make some really cool stuff happen in the moment.  I’ve also met some amazing people while working on the road, and I’ve been fortunate to have worked alongside some incredibly talented industry professionals along the way.  As an engineer and musician, for me personally, there are no other jobs that allow for such an exercise of the heart and mind quite like the ones in the touring industry.  There is always something new to learn.

What do you like least?

Being on tour can feel like living in a bubble.  It’s important to stay connected to loved ones while on the road and take time for self-care.  Post-tour depression is a real thing.

What is your favorite day off activity?

TMs don’t really get days off.  I usually enjoy my off days playing catch-up on life and work, finding some healthy food, maybe get a mani/pedi, and taking a walk in some nature if I’m lucky.  Sleep!

What are your long-term goals?

Health, happiness and love 🙂  To keep learning and evolving.  To master the SD5 and do a stadium tour.  To help make a difference every day, no matter how big or small.    

What if any obstacles or barriers have you faced?

I’ve definitely felt the challenge of having to prove my worth as an engineer and tour manager – which, being highly competitive fields, felt more like an educational lesson than any kind of obstacle.  Either I was learning or I was teaching someone else.  I dug in, took initiative, asked questions, got up in there with the rest of ‘em, pulled my weight, sweat, smiled, and kept a positive attitude throughout.  Was it easy?  Hell no.  But it has absolutely been worth it.  The uncertainty of a sustainable career in the beginning of my journey was an obstacle of sorts as well, since everyone needs to eat and have a place to sleep at night.  

How have you dealt with them?

I eat obstacles for breakfast.  We wouldn’t be worth our salt as engineers if we didn’t.  Every day on the job we are faced with creative problem-solving situations and asked to find the solution.  Whatever perceived barriers or obstacles I’ve faced, I simply try to not put too much energy into the problem and instead focus on the solution.  In the beginning of my career I worked whatever jobs necessary to survive and kept a low overhead, so that I could work with good people and take advantage of industry opportunities to further my skills.  Perseverance, connecting with my network of supporters, and my belief in myself carried me through the tough days.  Same goes for tour managers.   

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

Do it!  It’s a life-long adventure.  Prepare to be in it for the long haul.  Be patient with yourself and ask lots of questions.  There are a significant amount of men in the industry who are supportive of women working in the field – don’t let the haters ruin it for all the good ones out there.  Embrace your gifts and talents and everything unique that you bring to the table.  Remember that women scientifically have better hearing than men.  You’ll have to passionately pursue your education, whether formally or in the real world because nobody is just going to hand it over.  Stay hungry.  Keep an open mind and explore all the possibilities.

Must have skills?

Must have skills include: a positive attitude, showing up on time, perseverance, having a solid understanding of signal flow, training your ear to hear different frequencies, time management, ability to take charge when needed, ability to troubleshoot technical issues, and/or find resources, remaining calm under pressure, and being able to maintain a professional demeanor.  I think working in the service industry is the best way to prepare for working in the field, as you learn almost all of these skills but especially how to work with different kinds of people.  Learn how to solder.

Favorite gear?

I’m admittedly not a gearhead, but I do love working on a large-format analog console.  Don’t get me wrong – flying around on a digital console has its own particular merits and brand of swagger.  However, having everything all laid out in front of me has a definite charm and feels like I’m working from a different place in my brain.  My other favorite gear would have to include the SM57 and SM58 microphones – because if you can’t do a show using only these microphones then, well, I don’t even know.  Sometimes that’s all you got to work with.  I love em for their strength and reliability.  An xlr sniffer/sender cable tester will become one of your best friends.  My favorite tour manager gear is my portable printer, hands down.        

 

Changing the Dread of the Annual Review

As a manager of 12 student staff members, it is part of my responsibility to conduct annual or semester reviews.  I see the value in reviews as it is an opportunity to connect with staff, have a one-on-one conversation without racing the clock to cover the event needs, and to talk about anything that may need to be further addressed.   However, I personally hate reviews.  I hate that it can be such a formal process where there always seems to be a buildup of anxiety before the meeting, and then in my case (when I have my own review) I have to fill out a form rating and justifying myself before I speak with my supervisor.  Reviews can be really nerve-racking and sometimes some of the information shared comes as a surprise.

When I first started as a manager I followed the standard review process I had experienced.  Send off the “rate yourself” form and schedule a meeting with the employee than go through the form myself and rate them. Let the anxiety build until the meeting occurs, discuss the differences in ratings, tell them what to fix, and call it a day.  Doesn’t sound too helpful, does it?  All someone really gets out of that is what I think differently from them (usually) about their work and then we go on about our business.  I also feel as though 80% of the time new information is shared at these meetings, which I also don’t like.

I think a review should be a time to touch base, continue conversations uninterrupted from the standard workday, have two-way communication about plans and ideas, further address issues (if needed), and best of all grant raises if you can. I think reviews should be positive and oriented toward improvements than negative with reprimands and surprise information. As a result, I decided to take a new approach with my staff members.  I threw out the “rate yourself” form, stopped asking if they thought they meet expectations or exceed them, and address issues as they occur instead of once a year or semester.

Instead, I decided to change the anxiety-filled meeting into a conversation about goals and planning. This way, I gain knowledge of where they are in achieving the goals they have set, provide my 2 cents on where I think they are, continue a conversation about something that hasn’t gone well, and – if I can afford it – offer a raise.  

As a side note, I include continuing the conversation about something that hasn’t gone well in the past, as I never want a negative topic to be a surprise.  If I see something an employee needs to change I tell them right then (if time permits), otherwise sometime that day. I never wait too long or let it be a surprise later on. That doesn’t do anyone any justice. Waiting 6 months to tell someone that they did something they shouldn’t only give them more time to continue the mistake and for it to become the norm.

I always start my review meetings touching base with the staff member, asking them how they are doing, what’s stressing them out most right now in life and/or at work, and opening the door so the employees can talk to me about anything they want to first. Then we move into goals. We will discuss progress on the goals they set for the semester reviewing their progress and discussing if the expectations have been met both by me and the employee. Then we move forward with setting new goals. Usually, I have staff members set three goals. I have found that three goals in a semester seem to be achievable and we can cover a wide range of enhancements within those three.  I strive for each staff member to have one skill-based goal (communication, leadership, etc.) one technology-based goal (mic placement, board techniques, etc.), and then one in any area they desire to improve.

We determine these goals together so we both can see developments where needed, but so we can also make sure the goals are achievable and lay the groundwork to do so.  We talk right then about how they plan to reach those goals and what I can do to help them.  It is also an opportunity to make a recurring issue a goal for improvement so everyone is on the same page.

Our next conversation is about raises. If I am allowed, I give raises based on their performance and their achievements of these goals. If I can’t give a raise we have a conversation of why so they know why no raise was given. I try to not keep everything a secret; secrets don’t help create a team environment.  

Finally, I open the floor to them. I ask them if they have anything else they would like to discuss or anything they want to bring to my attention or feel that I should change. Communication is a two-way street so for all of us to be a great team together. I believe that my employees should feel like they can talk to me about or ask me to change anything. Having open conversation helps to create a positive work environment and also allows for me to be transparent about what I am working with or up against. I can learn as much from them as they can from me so keeping communication open helps me improve and develop my management skills as well.

Overall, my philosophy with my employees is that I’m a stepping-stone to whatever they desire next from their careers.  My goal is to create an employee that is prepared, educated, and qualified for their next job. Now, their next job always means they leave the operation as I can only hire students so they always move forward, but I don’t think my philosophy would change if I worked somewhere where employees had indefinite terms. However, I would adjust my orientation of the next job being within the company instead of elsewhere. My point is this: change your review tactics if you are a manager in order to make it about goal setting and moving forward instead of each staff member’s personal Yelp review from someone who didn’t even ask the server for more ranch before bashing the company online).

Living and Learning

Eid Al Fitir was announced last week, marking the end of Ramadan. The opera house is currently dark as we are out of season. This means that the strict rules of no music, no eating, or drinking are more easily adhered to during this holy month. Many expats choose to take their annual leave during this period. However, the Sound and Broadcast department uses this quieter time for maintenance and training. For us, this is pretty exciting!

Post formal education, the training normally received ‘on the job’ in our industry can vary wildly. From workshops with experts at hire companies, to companies selling their equipment to learning a new mix for a show. In my experience, given the nature of our work, we are always very grateful to receive any guidance at all.

Training at the opera house takes two different but intrinsically linked paths. Primarily as expats, we are employed to train Omani colleagues as part of the Omanisation programme. We also have to consider the development of the skills of all team members for an effective show running.

On my arrival last July, under the guidance of our technical director, Ric Green, and head of the sound and broadcast department, Mike Compton, I started developing a skills competency framework. It was imperative at this stage, that we were careful to limit the framework to the most basic skills that we needed our trainees to perform during the season. This would mean that progress could be easily tracked. My previous three years spent in teaching was invaluable in applying solid educational theory to teaching and learning in this new environment.

The development of the framework depends on the whole department’s collaboration. The sound and broadcast department covers two areas, so we chose to have two separate frameworks- one to cover sound and the other to cover broadcast. Because of the nature of our season, we wanted the framework to be trainee-led. After agreeing on the areas that we wanted to cover, we then created four levels of competency. Since we have to presume any trainee arriving at the opera house has no experience of a particular area this is where we started.

Based on Bloom’s taxonomy, three further levels were then developed:

None: No skill in this area

Level 1: Can memorise equipment required or reproduce a basic skill after a demonstration

Level 2: Can interpret instructions or compare suitable skills in order to select the best method to complete a task

Level 3: Can demonstrate skill by applying knowledge

The frameworks have now been in place for 12 months. They have been successful in engaging the trainees, mainly due to the clarity of showing exactly what is required of them. It is easy for us expats to forget that we come from a culture of hundreds of years of western theatre, opera, and ballet. Oman has an incredibly rich heritage of music and performance and with the opening of the opera house, it has just embarked on its engagement with classical western arts. With this in mind, we must remain open-minded to this fusing of cultures.

In a recent department review of the skills competency frameworks, we discussed how we should now move forwards. It was agreed that we shouldn’t ‘add’ increasingly more difficult levels. This is because once basic skills have been mastered, trainees are able to engage in the work and develop at their own pace- much as most trainees in western theatre environments. However, we are leaving a legacy to any future leaders of the department and we are cautious that we should develop a training ethic that can be followed. With this in mind, we will work on an approach that identifies needs and pinpoints specific areas for development.

 

Interview with Producer Sound Engineer Juno Black

Does continuing your education within audio guarantee your success? Of course, not, nothing is guaranteed. Will continuing in higher education give you some type of lead way? I’d like to think so. I was taught audio by my father at a young age. As I grew into this passion, I taught myself and continued to grow with the technology. I learned a lot of lessons through experience, failing, and trying different things.

Nothing is better than experience, that’s part of the reason I choose to attend Media Tech Institute when I relocated to Houston, TX. Media Tech provided an atmosphere not only where I could learn. But I could also apply what I’ve learned up until enrollment and actually get my hands dirty on industry-standard, state-of-the-art gear. Yes, I know many schools offer similar products and experiences, but Media Tech was the best option for me and my buck at the time. The facilities extended the opportunity to work with multiple DAW’s and analog consoles. After taking a tour of the school I knew right then it was the place I wanted to continue persisting in my passion.

Many times we hear the topics of continuing education and being well rounded. I’ve written an article on being a lifelong student myself. Everyone learns differently and at their own pace, which is fine. Because you’ll never know where you’ll end up with that knowledge. No matter what, it will take hard work, having the right knowledge, and utilizing that knowledge. Then you can harness different learning curves to help you climb up the ladder.

Juno Black 2I took some time out to chat with Juno Black. A woman who has been active in music, video, and film since 1996. Juno has expertise in production, engineering, live sound, and more. Juno was born and raised in Colombia and studied and majored in music performance at Universidad Javeriana.

She didn’t stop there. Juno went on to study computer science and then found herself at the Art Institute of New England to pursue music production and engineering. A prime example of gaining proper knowledge to start along a road to a career you desire. She continues to experience different opportunities and has invested in the growth of her own career from the beginning, which leads me right into my first question.

What’s your point of view on higher education within the audio world?   

When I first started there was only a handful of learning programs. Now there are many more options and curriculums, everything is much more, specialized. I feel a structured program can make it easier. It gives you a head start, but it is the experience and practice that is going to get you wherever you want to be.

Do you think the degrees you have earned played a major part in your growth within the industry?

Honesty, I feel the quality of your work and attitude is what creates growth. Having a degree helps in certain fields. But at the end of the day, we are problem solvers and people pay to make issues go away.

How have you managed to keep up with the rapid pace of technology?

It’s challenging. Reading trade magazines, going to conferences, and being a part of organizations like AES and Infocomm are vital.

Your career has been very diverse thus far. How have you built such a strong portfolio within so many different aspects of audio?

I have always been a curious person, I wanted to learn and feel how different aspects of the music industry felt to me. It was hard for me to decide what I was most comfortable doing as a job, so I kept saying yes to projects that presented an opportunity to do something new.

Leading to your current position at Media Tech Institute. – Austin, TX campus. Why did you go into education and what courses are you currently teaching?

I wanted to help people achieve a level of proficiency focusing on what is important. I was running into people in the field that graduated a program and didn’t know basic concepts. I remembered even though I had gone to school the most important lessons I learned in practice. Now I am teaching audio 101 and 401 live sound.

Have you always wanted to teach? What are some pros & cons?

I had been thinking about teaching for a while. It’s really rewarding, but it’s hard to maintain focus with so many career choices in the industry today. I also miss traveling sometimes. It’s funny because part of teaching’s advantages is being steady in one place.

What advice would you give to anyone looking to climb the ladder and reach greater opportunities in audio?

Observe and learn from people that are in the position you want to be in. Pay attention and be present. Learn the science and concepts behind the gear, however, is best for you. Gear is a tool like a hammer. The objective is to nail it. Regardless of what kind of hammer or how it’s built you need to nail it. Network, anticipate problems, take care of all gear, and keep clean organized cable boxes. In that order.

There are a million different ways to obtain the information you need

Sign up for Commercial Integrator Magazine or Live Sound Magazine. Each platform has something unique to offer and each subscription keeps you informed on the latest trends and technology being used in the industry.

Attend trade shows it’s a form of hands-on experience with all the training courses and demos of new gear being offered. Another reason to attend trade shows is the networking opportunities. You get to talk one on one with influencers, recruiters, and representatives from manufactures all over the world, which can lead to endless opportunities for career growth. As an engineer, producer, musician, and more. Juno utilized similar pieces of the puzzle to build her professional success.

Stay up to date on the latest technology. Sometimes it seems like once you learn one digital console the next generation is being released.

Attitude is a key factor that plays into your success, as Juno stated. Many of us have horror stories of working with an engineer or producer that may be difficult to get along with. Being able to work well with others and learning to communicate with one another will be strong assets to have when working on any production team. Word of mouth is just a powerful as social media, if not stronger. You want to have good working relationships not only for future references but for recurring work opportunities. You want your name as wells as your work to carry a good representation.

Juno Black is a woman I’ve followed in the industry. Seeing her work in many ways has inspired me. Being able to ask a few questions and tell a piece of her story has been an honor. We can create our dream job by capitalizing on opportunities, being present in every moment, and having the knowledge along with the experience to back everything up. Let knowledge and experience carry you to wherever you want to be. Having a balance between the two will come over time, follow your passion, and don’t be afraid to try new things. You don’t necessarily have to have a certification or a degree. But you must know how to obtain the knowledge you need to get the job done. You can get in touch with Juno by visiting her website Junoblack.com

Media Tech is a year-long program where you obtain an audio engineering certification. Audio 101 is the first step in the process, it covers the basics of audio and 401/live sound is the last course in the curriculum. With this opportunity, Juno is placed in a very strong position to create change and set every student up for success in the program. When I was enrolled in Media Tech my 101 teacher was my 401 teacher as well. I was able to build a relationship with my instructor. I knew his skill set and his experience which pushed me to ask questions and soak up everything I possibly could. He became more than just an instructor, he became a mentor to me.

What is a Sound Design Associate?

A Sound Design Associate works closely with the Sound Designer and Director, undertaking much of the work. It can include finding music and sound effects dictated by the Sound Designer and Director, maintaining the paperwork, and assisting the Sound Designer in cuing the show. The Sound Design Associate may also work with the Sound Board Operator providing instruction, and assistance in making changes to the cues during rehearsal.

Each designer has their way of doing things and being able to be the associate for more than one Sound Designer has been an invaluable education. It puts me in a unique and privileged position, as I get to see different techniques and how they are used by excellent designers. Did I mention I also get paid.  It’s interesting to see how another designer programs a cue list, sets up a system, or interacts with the rest of the design team.

The role is very different depending on the designer I’m working with. Sometimes I handle all the paperwork and translate the designer’s ideas into a spec sheet for a hire company. Sometimes I’m taking care of the SFX while the designer is looking after the system, and the band or the reverse situation can happen. I tune the system and work with the operator on the desk while the Designer is creating the soundscape.

I have recently been the Sound Design Associate for John Leonard. I’ve been John’s Sound Design Associate on more than one occasion, and it is always an excellent opportunity to learn from someone who is well respected and has been doing this a long time. 

My Approach to being a Sound Design Associate

I usually am hired as an associate when a Sound Designer I have worked with before has production periods that overlap, or if there is a big project that needs to be produced in a short time frame.  Designers can hire an Associate, and they can take on more than one production. An Associate will be their representative and manage the designers’ interests in their absence.

There may be days of Tech or Preview that the Designer cannot attend and I will represent the Designer. In this case, the Designer needed someone to look after the show from Preview 1 to Press night.  I went to a couple of run-throughs and I sat with John during tech to get a feel for Johns and Iqbul Khan’s (the director’s) vision for the production.  I then took over the lead after preview one.

As an Associate, I think it is important to remember this is not my show. I may have artistic input, and if the director asks for something, I will work hard to make it happen. But I always keep the designer aware of any changes I have made. When working with John, he always gives me a free hand, but I do remember I am representing the reputation of another designer as well as my own.Looking across to the Musicians Gallery

For the recent production of Macbeth, there were a lot of changes after the first preview. John trusted that I would make the necessary changes and also keep him in the loop, providing detailed notes. Although being an associate isn’t the lead role in the design process I find learning from and being exposed to different techniques a deeply satisfying experience.

More on the job duties of a Sound Design Associate

Meet our Kansas City Interns

Within the last year, I’ve had three young women join me as my interns. They’re all focusing on different aspects of audio, all in different stages of their career launch, and all are eager to learn. I love all three of them, and it’s so much fun seeing them grow into knowledgeable engineers. I would like to introduce you to them.

Chelsea Martell

 

Name: Chelsea

Age: 26

 

What’s your ultimate goal?  

I have a passion for monitors. While I strive to obtain and master monitor gigs, I’m aiming to eventually start my own sound company. Like many Americans, being your own boss seems like an incredible business. If starting my own large sound company in Texas or Florida doesn’t pan out, I’d love to work in a place with security where I’d be able to work for decades without having to scrounge for positions.

What have you found the most useful?

Signal flow. Without it, conceptualizing any of this would be impossible. It has been the most valuable lesson I have been taught. Things would be exponentially more difficult without it. I also love the sense of encouragement and community that SoundGirls.Org has been able to offer, even when it becomes easy to doubt myself.

Your most fun moment?  

Gaining enough experience to run a mix on my own.

What you’d like to see more of?

Some work with power distros, and more work with FOH, since I mostly stick with monitors.

What has SoundGirls.Org done for you?

Given me so many learning opportunities and networking opportunities.

Cierra Wenciker

 

Name: Cierra

Age: 19

 

What’s your ultimate goal?

I’d love to work on music scores or sound effects for movies. Overall, I just want to create and experiment with new ideas.

What have you found the most useful?

Being comfortable asking any questions, and having someone to help me hand-in-hand while I mix. It’s easier to ask questions during certain instances.

Your most fun moment?

Meeting and hanging out with so many other people in the industry.

What you’d like to see more of?

I’d like to get more time in the recording studio, since I haven’t had a chance to do much of that yet. I’d also like more experience in putting a live show together. All of the planning parts of it.

What has SoundGirls.Org done for you?

Given me so many learning opportunities and networking opportunities.

Hope Genenbacher

 

Name: Hope

Age: 19

 

What’s your ultimate goal?  

My ultimate goal is to establish myself as a successful audio engineer then become a tour manager.

What have you found the most useful?

Always keeping my eyes are ears open. Always paying attention to everything.

Your most fun moment?  

The most fun I’ve had so far while starting to work in the music industry was helping set-up, watch, and tear down for Guns N Roses. I didn’t get do any audio work but seeing the process of how everything works was really fun, especially being able to sit in during sound check and rehearsals.

What you’d like to see more of?

I’d like to see more of everything. I’m just soaking up as much information that comes my way.

What has SoundGirls.Org done for you?

SoundGirls has been able to help me find a great mentor and opportunity. I really enjoy reading the articles people write and how helpful and nice the SG community is!

I adore all three of these girls. I know I’m biased, but I can see all of them going on to do incredible things. I’m honored to be able to assist and teach them in any way possible.

Mind the Culture Gap

The classroom fell eerily quiet. There’s a first time for everything. I had just announced to my top set year 7 (11 and 12-year-olds) science group that I was leaving in two weeks’ time to work as a senior sound and broadcast technician at a new opera house in Muscat, Oman. I had a few slides prepared on my PowerPoint presentation to show the geographical location and a few tourist snaps of the desert with camels. A sea of blank faces and open mouths starred at me. After what felt like a lifetime, Alfie piped up with,

‘Oman is the only country in the world to begin with O… Miss’.

In retrospect, I should have been more equipped to answer the barrage of questions to follow,

‘Will you have to wear a burka?’

‘Can women drive a car there?’

‘Will you have to eat goat?’

Much to my amusement, the questions in the staff room were not dissimilar at break time. And so began the start of the most extraordinary chapter of my working career.

Five years ago, The Royal Opera House, Muscat was the first opera house to open in the Middle East. His Majesty, Sultan Qaboos Bin Said Al Said came to power in 1970 and has since transformed the country; building roads, schools and infrastructure. As part of his vision, Sultan Qaboos instructed the building of the opera house and hence the introduction of international arts and culture to the people of Oman.

The opera house essentially runs as a ‘Festival’ with our programming department booking a diverse selection of productions over the season. Last season this included opera from Vienna Opera House, ballet from English National Ballet, the Buena Vista Social Club, Maher Zain and Chinese Dragon Acrobats.

The sound and broadcast department is comprised of ten specialists, recruited internationally, including three Omanis. Between us, we speak six languages. As expats, we are contracted to train our Omani colleagues as part of a national ‘Omanisation’ programme. In day-to-day work, this presents itself as training ‘as we go’. Due to the importance and urgency of Omanisation, I have been lucky enough to be part of developing a skills-based competency framework. Although not strictly part of my job description, I have found immense satisfaction in delivering effective new training methods. Needless to say, this is now starting to be rolled out across other departments.

Having been a teacher I am aware of the sometimes subtle differences between hearing and understanding. Communication is a constant challenge within our team. A task that would be straightforward in a small sound team at home suddenly becomes a logistical (and health and safety) nightmare. Some of the practical ways in which we overcome these difficulties include employing translators, colour coding nearly everything, clear and concise labeling, and a work environment that lends itself to open team discussion. As you can imagine, the technical experience between us is immense and we are always learning new skills and different ways of doing things from each other. Diplomatic solutions are always only ever a conversation away.

It is all too easy to forget the enormity of our jobs here during our hectic season. The careful balance between respecting the Omani culture and delivering iconic opera and ballet from around the world is a constant. For example, in our department, we need to ensure that music is not playing during prayer times and that subtitles are provided in Arabic. Abiding by local customs and traditions is of utmost importance if we are going to have any hope of engaging with our audiences.

Family is an absolute core value here and an Omani will always put them first. For the expats who work here, this can be a hard pill to swallow. Our own cultures are often far from this ideal. Rehearsals can be called off at the last minute if there is even the slightest chance of rain. Many of our Omani colleagues live in villages many kilometres from Muscat and flooding wadis (normally dry river beds) can mean perilous journeys or even areas that are totally cut off for a few days. Situations like this in the West would be unspeakable. I’ve known colleagues in London to sleep in the theatre rather than stop the show during snowstorms! Likewise, if a family member needs assistance, work will be sacrificed.

Despite the searing temperatures and daily challenges of working in this diverse environment, I feel incredibly blessed to have my eyes opened to the reality of life in the Middle East. Western media is a bombardment of negativity towards this part of the world, hence the bizarre array of questions from my students and fellow teachers. Our opera house is a beacon of inspiration.

 

Kira Roessler – Bass Player, Roadie, Fan, Academy Award Winner

protools selfieKira Roessler might not view herself as a groundbreaker and even downplays the fact that she has been paving the way for women in male-dominated fields for most of her adult life. She is a bass player, singer, and songwriter and is best known for her work with Black Flag and Dos. During the period that she was the bass player for Black Flag, she was also attending UCLA and majoring in Economics and Engineering. She has since gone on to become an Emmy Award-winning dialogue editor and part of an Oscar-winning team.

Kira was born in Connecticut and started taking classical piano lessons at six years old. Her older brother Paul also took lessons, and being three years older than Kira was better. Kira, who is competitive, became frustrated and quit.

When Kira was 14, her brother’s progressive rock band lost their bass player, and Kira was determined to replace him. She was able to borrow a bass and practiced 6-10 hours a day (six on school days and ten on weekends). She even kept a log. She was never good enough, but when she was 15, Paul discovered punk rock through friends of his who were in a band called The Germs. So she followed Paul into the vortex.

Kira and her brother moved into a house with a garage converted into a rehearsal space. They jammed with people and started their own punk rock band. They went to gigs and met other people who played. Kira’s first gig was at age 16 at the Whisky A Go-Go.  By the time Kira joined Black Flag in 1983 (replacing founding member Chuck Dukowski), she had played in several bands in Los Angeles.  a838454c16c89845b6b1870c65cfba9c

When Kira joined Black Flag, she had already completed three years of her BS degree at UCLA. She informed the band that she needed to finish, but that she would take quarters off school to tour. It took her two years to complete her last year at UCLA because Black Flag did four US tours and one European tour in ’84 and ’85. It was madness. Kira would literally get dropped off from the tour at UCLA for classes. It seemed like every time the band was recording; she was studying for midterms or finals. So when she would drop to the floor exhausted from playing, she would get the books out.

As with many musicians on the road, Kira faced some difficulties. The hardest part about the touring for her was her right hand. She suffered an injury a week into joining Black Flag that never really healed. When the gigs were over, you could find her backstage with her hand in an ice bucket. She never let the injury stop her, but it certainly made her grumpy at times. The second hardest part of touring for Kira was the feeling that life is going on without you back home and the lack of stability. Relationships of any sort were affected, and there was no ‘home’ when she got back. She concludes this is why she’s a relative “homebody” now.

13f14519ef432f736a9dbf7769fe1638Kira’s tenure and life on the road with Black Flag ended with the 1985 tour. With only two gigs left on the tour, she called home and found out that a tour had been scheduled in the fall concurrently when she was to be attending UCLA to complete her degree. She knew at that point that she was going to be asked to leave. When the band returned home, she was indeed asked to leave.

Kira was featured on five of Black Flag’s studio albums. She left the band at the conclusion of In My Head Tour and graduated from UCLA in 1986. After Black Flag, she went on to form the two-bass duo Dos with Mike Watt, whom she was married to from ‘87 – ‘92. She contributed songs to the Minutemen’s final album and now works as a dialog editor, recently being part of an Oscar-winning sound editing team for work on Mad Max: Fury Road.Dos (1)

Kira credits include several films and projects: Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002), Under the Tuscan Sun (2003), and The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009). She won an Emmy for her work on John Adams episode “Don’t Tread on Me” as well as one for an episode of Game of Thrones during Season Two. She has been featured in the documentaries We Jam Econo: The Story of the Minutemen and American Hardcore.

 

 

The following Q&A was conducted by Greg Cameron. He is the former drummer of a few bands on Black Flag’s label SST Records – SWA, October Faction, and Chemical People. He is a former tour-mate of Kira’s during her time with Black Flag.  Currently, he is the house sound engineer for Miner’s Foundry Cultural Center in Nevada City, California as well as a QA engineer for video technology company AJA Video Systems, Inc. in Grass Valley, California. Greg is also a SoundGirls.Org Member and Supporter.

What field of engineering were you studying at UCLA? Did it have any bearing on your current field?

My major was called Economics/System Science. Basically, half economics and half computer studies. After college and being booted from Black Flag I needed to get a job, and I went into a computer job at Yale. After 11 years of computers, I met someone who was in post-production sound. It seemed the perfect marriage of my music and my computer background. In retrospect, the confidence I have in computer software is probably the only asset from my education and computer career.

Can you discuss what led you to post-production and dialog editing? Was it something you had aspired to do or was it something that you “fell into?”

Oh – I guess I kind of answered that. It was a fluke that my brother was writing music for this student film that this sound guy was doing post sound on. They asked me to come in and lay down a bass guitar track. He was using ProTools (very early days for digital sound editing by the way), and I was interested in the process for sure. I stayed in touch with him and eventually, ended up working for him.

What type of training did you receive as far as post-production audio? Were you self-taught or did you have formal training?

It was definitely trial by fire. The company was a four-person team when I joined it, and the guys seemed to lean towards the sound effects arena. That left an opening on the dialogue/ADR side of things. So I began trying to fill the void as best I could, sometimes taking a beating when I turned in reels to nasty mixers, but learning each time.

Did you have a mentor?

At first, this young man who ran the company, Bryan Franklin showed me the ropes. Eventually, I met a guy who had been doing it for years and years (he had been the dialogue/ADR supervisor on ET), and he became my mentor. His name is Curt Schulkey. I did about eight films working under him and then began getting offers (often with his recommendation) to do other projects.

What would you find to be the most satisfying aspects of your job?

Hmmm. Dialogue editing is kind of like how many problems you can solve before the mix. And there is generally a lot to be solved. ADR and group (where we go into the studio to record) are more about honing my limited people skills. Both are positive – but both can also be frustrating. When I am editing in a room, it is just me, and the sounds and my anti-social nature is soothed. But one cannot be truly successful in my field without also tackling the people stuff.  

What would be some of the most challenging parts of your job?

As mentioned above, I find some people’s interactions difficult. Clients can be very demanding. Schedules can be extremely challenging. One can feel very squeezed in terms of delivering quality, and also in terms of keeping that smile on your face. Often the tightest schedule demands the highest quality somehow. ADR involves a significant amount of paperwork and phone calls which make it difficult to actually do the editing. ADR and group involve being pretty organized, and that is not necessarily natural to me.

As a woman in this field, did you encounter any issues regarding getting jobs or issues being on the job?

Of course, it’s hard to compare my experience to what it might have been like if I was not a woman. I do sometimes get the feeling that someone is reacting to me for no reason, and that may be related to my gender or the combination of my gender with my assertive personality. Learning to keep one’s mouth shut is probably useful for everyone. I do think a man may be able to get away with more.

If so, how did or do you deal with them?

In my opinion, the only way to battle any people issue is to contain reactions and propose solutions. “How can I help?” “Ok, let me try to find another way to tackle this” Phrases like that diffuse tension quickly because I am no longer pushing back. Showing emotion (of course) is the worst thing because any preconceived notion about women will be confirmed.

What advice would have for young women trying to break into your field?

It is a tough time for this industry. Budgets are tighter, and teams are smaller. Being multi-faceted is a must. I believe you will have to present yourself well, learn a great deal on your own, and then get lucky or have an “in.” I would not recommend it as a career because people are being squeezed out all the time. Mostly because they aren’t learning the new technologies and demands fast enough or are resisting working as hard as we are expected to. There have to be industries that are growing right?

Let’s talk a bit about the technology you work with. What are your preferred tools or platforms in audio post?

Well – it isn’t like I had that much of a choice. I worked at that first company on ProTools 3 when it was just starting to become a tool being used in film. And what I do is work in a continuum. I am handed material from the picture department and have to deliver to the mixing room. This puts me in an agreed-upon context, not in a vacuum.

I could do my music in whatever tool I wanted, but since Pro Tools can be used for my work (pretty much the industry standard), I may as well use it for music. If the industry shifted, so would I. The tools are the hammer – we are just trying to get the nail in the wood.

What’s your general or even specific workflow?

The picture department – where the director and editor create a version of the film selecting takes within scenes and building scenes within reels – will then generate material to send to the sound department (and the composer, and the visual effects department). For the dialogue, there is a track-by-track layout which is the little bits they selected and cobbled together for me to then work with. My job is to make that cobbled-together reel, scene by scene, line by line sound smooth and clean with as few audio issues as possible. If there are lines that are utterly unintelligible, I will recommend we re-record them in the studio. I also have to record what we call “group” or “loop group” which includes background voices and additive material for non-principal characters on the screen.

During this process (right while this is going on) we usually have to generate material for quick temp mixes so the filmmakers can preview the movie to a test audience. They will then change things (new takes, pulling out or adding in material) and send us a new version which we then have to adjust to.

At some point, the final mixing dates arrive, and we jump off the hamster wheel. That is where the final music and tracks are mixed into what you will hear in the theater.

Do you have experience with other platforms than your preferred one?

I do not. But I am confident that I can pick up whatever alternate tool I need to when the time arises.

Do you have any inclination to venture into other fields of audio production or post-production?

I am not particularly ambitious really. I find this level of insanity plenty challenging. The money is decent. If anything I would like more time to spend on my musical ventures, my dogs, or whatever which often get shoved to the side.

What advice do you have as far as dealing with technology in your field?

Do not be rattled by the tool. Concentrate on what you are trying to do. You will have to continue to adapt and adjust as you go, so don’t get attached to things working in one way. Use forums ask people who are good at it for help.

Can you share any anecdotes about your time working in post?

It can be disconcerting how much schedules change and how much we are at the bottom of the totem pole and the end of the process. Everyone wants to feel valued, and do good work, but sometimes you just gotta be fast and figure out what has to be done rather than what should be done. Your schedule is really not your own while you are on a project. And while you are off, you tend to want to be available to get on one. So it is hard to plan anything.

Oh yeah – anecdotes – “we are giving you a new version of the movie Wednesday or Thursday for a Saturday temp mix.”

“We have decided to create two versions of the movie and mix them both, then play them for two audiences and see what people like.”

“well yes we are doing the final mix, but let’s do a temp mix of this new material and also re-record all of that character’s lines” (or how to be in three places at once)

How about your time in music & Black Flag?

Being in Black Flag taught me about endurance. At the time I didn’t realize much about people politics and because of that, I wasn’t necessarily very good at that end of the business. Being in a band is like a marriage of several people and demands work, just as a marriage does. It demands acceptance of each other, supporting each other even in disagreement, and all sorts of things I did not get then. I thought it was about playing well and surviving. I guess that is important too, but not nearly enough.

Specifics are tricky. It is a blur at this point of gigs, practices, recordings, pain, exhaustion, sadness, regret, and fond memory. I gave it all I had, as I had promised myself I would. At times it did not seem enough. I was physically and emotionally ragged from it. And I behaved badly more than once. But I learned and grew musically and in other ways. I met people who would go farther at music than I knew anyone could.

I have been asked many times what it was like being a girl doing this. How would I know? Stupid stuff happened. Wake up in the night in the van with someone looking at you, whatever. But aside from that stuff, my experience was just one of fighting off the doubts within me, not from the outside. Is that because I am female or are we all like that?

Did your time in Black Flag have any influence at all on what you do now?

I don’t think so. I am not the starving artist type. I always intended to work, if not touring then at a job. I had some hard times early in terms of being broke and was pretty determined to do what I could to avoid going hungry at least.

Are you still performing?

Interesting question. I have not in a little while. I play my bass often and still record, both my own stuff and sometimes for other people.  I do not know if the occasion will arise or not. I am not actively seeking it out.

And please throw in anything else you might what to impart or just share.

Greg – I remember you as one of those who fought so hard at music. You have also grown and expanded sound into a career right? There are lots of ways to skin that cat if one is in a band and wonders what is next. I find I have to be willing to let the answer be something totally unexpected (as post sound was for me).

Me n sweet KoalaMore on Kira

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