Empowering the Next Generation of Women in Audio

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Live Sound Engineer Sana Romanos

 

Sana grew up in Lebanon, Beirut, a region that is hostile to women and their advancement, yet Sana prevailed as a native Arab woman, running mixing consoles and leading teams. Something that had never been seen before. Sana says  “I come from a third-world country that most people have never heard of unless it made the news for wars and bombings but I am now working for one of the top international companies in our industry. All of this to say – there was a lot of betting against me going into the live sound field, but none of that mattered in the long run- so the lesson to learn: aim, focus, work and you will find a place for yourself in this industry.”Sana currently works as a specialist for Meyer Sound and is a freelance live sound engineer.

Early Life

When did you discover audio as a career path?

My parents took me to my first large-scale concert when I was 15 here in Beirut. I was fascinated that sound can be “spread” into such a big space, beyond just headphones or car radio systems. During that same concert, I saw a person behind a big board full of knobs and thought well this must be a cool job to have! That concert I believe was the trigger of my interest in audio and in a career in this field.

Did music and audio interest you while you were growing up?

I always loved listening to music and had a very varied taste while growing up but I never was able to learn to play any instruments. I was more into the sciences – math and physics. – and I entered this field not from the musician’s side like most but more from the scientific side.

Educational Background

Did you attend a University/College/Trade School?

Yes, I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Physics from the American University of Beirut (2012) and a Master of Science in Audio Engineering from Université Blaise-Pascal in France (2014)

 

Career Start

How did you get your start? 

I did an internship in the summer of my first year of master’s back home in Beirut in one of the largest rental companies there. I then went back to France finished my masters and then returned home to Beirut to be hired by that same rental company. I worked there for the next 3 years (2014- 2017)

How did your early internships or jobs help build a foundation for where you are now? 

That internship led to my first job offer. I consider the 3 years spent at that rental company as the years that really formed and shaped my career. I was doing all sorts of work with them from managing teams to running set-ups and beginning to mix at large-scale events and festivals in the region.

What did you learn interning or on your early gigs? 

Speed in troubleshooting and working under pressure. Mainly the internship and then first job exposed me to a variety of sub-fields so that later on I was able to choose and be more selective in the jobs that I wanted to take on as a freelancer.

Did you have a mentor or someone that really helped you?  

A few worth mentioning along the way. The owner of the rental company I worked for, Fida Zalloum, was the one who gave me my first shot at mixing and managing projects. Then along the way very few local engineers were helpful except for one, Wissam Jarrah, who I still consider as my mentor and who I go back to for questions and support when needed. Then after I joined Meyer Sound I can honestly say that the entire technical team at Meyer has been beyond supportive and helpful, it has been great being part of this team.

Career Now

What is a typical day like?

I am mostly traveling for my work with Meyer Sound – which I love because not a week is like the other. If I am not on the road then I am working remotely from my apartment in Beirut doing system design, technical support, and education work for the company. I am also still taking on selective projects as a MON or FOH engineer and technical concert/festival management locally.

How do you stay organized and focused?

I am not great at working ahead of time I am more of a work-under-pressure type of person but what helps me stay on time is being organized and sorted in my to-do list and priorities.

What do you enjoy the most about your job?

That there is no overwhelming routine. It is always varied- always on the move in different settings especially when traveling and being in different countries, witnessing and working with different cultures and people.

What do you like least?

Sometimes the extensive traveling takes a toll on me physically but I am learning to take breaks when that happens – still a work in progress!

What is your favorite day off activity? 

Relaxing, reading books, catching up with my loved ones.

What are your long-term goals?

To keep doing what I love and keep learning and exploring new things in this field,

What if any obstacles or barriers have you faced?

The obvious thing about being a woman in this male-dominated field especially in the Middle-East where I come from.

How have you dealt with them?

I just focused on what I wanted – it was clear to me from the beginning that this is what I wanted to be this is what I wanted to work in – and that is the only thing that at the core mattered as long as I was convicted and motivated all the obstacles were obsolete.

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

Be sure this is what you want because it is not easy – but if it is truly what you want then the difficulties won’t matter in the big picture.

Must have skills?

Emotional intelligence – especially when doing monitors. It is important to know how to read people and how to react and support them in the high-pressure environment that is the stage and performance time.

 

These Women Are Fixing The Gender Problem in Music Tech

Making up just 5 percent of the music tech industry, women are vastly underrepresented. There is a long way to go to achieve gender parity across the board. However, as Chandler Shortlidge discovers, welcome and overdue change is in the air. 

Great strides have been made across the electronic music industry in recent years to bring more visibility and opportunity to women and non-binary artists on stage. Major drink brands have launched entire campaigns around the issue, helping to highlight the work done by groups like female:pressure, Keychange and Discwoman to make lineups gender equal. And while there’s still much work to be done, few would argue that the efforts have been in vain. But beyond the stage, and into major audio production and engineering studios, women are still greatly underrepresented, currently making up just 5 percent of the music tech industry.

The question of why this imbalance exists has been well covered and is seen by some in the industry as counterproductive. Focusing on the disparity itself only “reinforces the message that women and non-binary people working in sound are an anomaly,” says Kirsty Gillmore of SoundGirls, a non profit organisation founded in 2013 with the mission of inspiring and empowering the next generation of women in audio. Instead, women like Gillmore think the message now needs to be focused on solutions.

Kirsty Gillmore

Kirsty Gillmore, photo by Issac Peral

Gillmore has worked professionally in the sound industry for 17 years. She graduated in New Zealand in 2001, and says she was one of only two women in her class studying sound engineering. “Sound design wasn’t really a known thing in New Zealand,” she says. So she moved to the UK, earning a job at the BBC, where she worked for eight years in a variety of sound-related roles. Now she does sound design for theatre and opera, where she’s responsible for everything you hear. “So that’s everything from the speaker selection to microphone selection to the soundscapes and sound effects,” she says. She also creates soundscapes for audio drama, where she shapes and selects sounds before mixing it all together. As for SoundGirls, Gillmore works on a volunteer basis as the European co-director and UK chapter head.

With over 6,000 members and chapters worldwide, SoundGirls first launched a directory for women in audio two years ago. It was a place where anyone looking to find a woman for their engineering or production needs could find one. But early this year, Spotify reached out to SoundGirls about updating the directory in the hopes of giving it more visibility. “Spotify has made an ongoing commitment to making strides towards equity in the industry,” Gillmore says. Together, they launched The EQL Directory, a revamped version of the original database that’s more dynamic and user-friendly.

You can’t keep saying that there’s no female producers because you just don’t know them. We know them, and we gather them here.

“A lot of what was heard in the industry was, ‘oh, we really wanted to hire a woman engineer but we didn’t know where to find one,’” Gillmore says. But by creating a focal point to easily find female and gender non-conforming sound engineers, designers, producers, mixers and editors, Gillmore hopes the days of claiming ignorance will soon be over. “This is a way of saying, actually, there are a lot of women working in the industry, and now we’ve made it easier for you to find them, so you don’t have that excuse anymore.”

This ethos is echoed closely by Anna Ingler, who helped establish the Upfront Producers Network. Like its name implies, the Stockholm-born network is producer orientated and helps connect and highlight non-male artists in pop, electronic music, and occasionally hip-hop. Artists come mainly from Stockholm, but also Berlin, London, Finland and Denmark.

Anna Ingler

Anna Ingler

“It’s a way to tell the industry, look, there’s a lot of producers here,” Ingler says. “You can’t keep saying that there’s no female producers because you just don’t know them. We know them, and we gather them here.”

Anyone wanting to join the network must apply. Ingler says this is for quality control, so anyone looking to hire a producer through the network already knows the artists have been professionally vetted. The network also serves as a way to connect non-male artists who have shared backgrounds. “They have experiences with sexism, or just people not believing in them or being degrading in some way,” Ingler says.

This isn’t universally true, of course. But male-dominated production and party crews are already a backbone of the electronic music industry, in part because men already gather in their own spaces. However, analogous female and non-binary crews are still rather rare. By meeting other like-minded producers, they can develop their own creative spaces where they feel safe, learn from one another, have fun and grow as professionals. “To get jobs or to become a professional producer, you need that kind of time to develop and refine your skills,” Ingler says. “I think it’s important to do that in a safe space.”

SoundGirls members are already audio professionals, but many women listed in its original directory obtained further work because of it. And with EQL, Gillmore expects that only to improve. Now she says the focus should be on increasing the visibility of women and non-binary professionals across the entire audio industry so that women and girls who are less experienced have someone they can look up to. “I know when I was starting out in sound, there very few female role models,” Gillmore says. “They were out there, they just weren’t visually represented.” Famous female engineers are still rarely used as spokespeople for audio equipment advertisements, or listed amongst many manufacturers’ famous clients when touting the quality of their brands. “I would like to see those manufacturers pledge to have gender equity on their websites,” Gillmore says. Women and non-binary people should be given equal representation in interviews with audio publications too, so future generations can clearly see someone like them they can aspire to.

“You can’t be what you can’t see,” Gillmore says. “We obviously want younger women and girls to come into the industry, and if they look at these publications and manufacturers and all they see are men, then it’s difficult to then go, well, there’s a path for you there.”

Saffron Laura Lewis-Paul also wants to give women a path. Though initially, her background wasn’t in music or technology, she’s long been interested in making creative spaces more diverse. But while working for Creative Youth Network, a youth creativity outreach program, she set up a “very small” label, and soon noticed the music industry’s lack of diversity. “[It’s] not a very diverse industry at all,” she says. And music technology even less so.

So in 2015 she launched Saffron, a music label and artist development program with six to eight week courses in DJing, Ableton Live, Logic and sound engineering, aimed at teaching women the skills necessary to empower them in traditionally male spaces, like music studios. “It’s a difficult place to hold yourself, to navigate a career,” Lewis-Paul says. “By giving women those skills, they can reclaim creative control over their work, and know exactly what needs to be done to make their careers the best they can be.”

Saffron Laura Lewis-Paul

Saffron Laura Lewis-Paul

Heavyweight studio veterans like Katia Isakoff agree. “Walking into a professional recording studio armed with session files and the necessary skills and confidence to communicate one’s technical and creative ideas can be very empowering and liberating,” she says. A veteran composer and producer, Isakoff owned a commercial studio in West London for 12 years, composed and produced for Mute Records in 2002. She also co-owned a commercial studio which she co-designed and built, and her lengthy resume is dotted with a host of other equally impressive achievements.

You can’t be what you can’t see.

Today, she works in experimental avant garde electronic music using hardware synthesisers, voice, DAWs, Theremin and other hardware and software. She knows better than most, how powerful professional knowledge can be when working with a recording or mix engineer. “Especially for a self-producing artist—it can indeed help reclaim or maintain creative control over their work and career,” she says.

Katia Isakoff

Katia Isakoff

Last year, Lewis-Paul says roughly 15 percent of Saffron graduates went on to study higher education in audio at dBs Music—a production, sound engineering and electronic music performance school with campuses in Berlin, London and Bristol. It’s a Saffron partner, and where Lewis-Paul’s students learn the tools of the trade. Lewis-Paul is hoping she’ll soon be able to further track how many of her students then go on to work professionally in the music industry, but that’s still a work in progress.

Right now, her focus is on encouraging new students into the program, and organically developing the Saffron artists who are starting to show potential. “It’s a slow process, and I think I’m okay with that,” she says. One graduate of Saffron’s DJ program is now playing on Worldwide FM. And while it might be easy to try and quickly push her up through the ranks, Lewis-Paul says it’s “really important not to skip over some of those processes in the journey.”

When it comes to encouraging women into Saffron’s classrooms, Lewis-Paul says DJ classes fill up almost instantly. She thinks this is due to the high visibility of women on international and local DJ circuits. “In terms of what we’ve created in Bristol, there are women on nearly every lineup,” she says. But studio work is done behind the scenes, so “you can’t see them being celebrated,” she says. Which is why she thinks EQL is so important, closely echoing Gillmore’s “you can’t be what you can’t see” mantra.

“You can’t see there are other people like you going into these engineering positions,” Lewis-Paul says. “And there’s a fear with that where you might think, ‘well that’s going to be intimidating. It’s going to be men. If I’m going to have to spend more than a day in that environment, I’m going to feel vulnerable.’” But with the EQL database, women can see that there are people like them in those behind-the-scenes roles who they can connect with. “It’s about having a community and feeling supported in what you’re doing and what you want to go into so that you’re not the only one,” she says.

Saffron Masterclass

Saffron’s Masterclass. Photo by Rianna Tamara

As for the future of women in audio, Gillmore says she’s optimistic. “Well I have to be, really,” she half-jokes. In terms of actual numbers of women working in audio, “there’s a long, long way to go.” But there is more awareness, she says, and a willingness to do something about the gender imbalance. That includes initiatives like the EQL Directory, Girls Make Beats—an American school similar to Saffron—and Red Bull’s Normal Not Novel campaign, a monthly series of workshops for women led by

female electronic producers, engineers, and DJs. And although she’s heard the gender imbalance hasn’t greatly improved in her New Zeland class since 2001, she’s also heard about post-production studios in Australia that are half women. Things are improving with manufacturers and the media too. “ProSound News Europe does a regular podcast about women in sound, and they’re very good at featuring equal numbers of sound engineers, designers and producers,” she says.

As for Lewis-Paul, she thinks change needs to start even earlier, by erasing antiquated gender stereotypes as young as possible. “Around 13 to 15 years old, a lot of girls can start to lose their confidence and not want to go into some of those tech subjects,” she says. “So it’s about education starting from a young age, and continuing that so that there isn’t a drop off [in interest].”

With more focus on early education, an emphasis on highlighting female and non-binary role models, and the continued success of empowering networks and education programs, a large and lasting gender shift in the audio industry does look set to happen. Which Upfront’s Anna Ingler says is something we should all be excited for. “I see equality more like a resource than a problem that we have to fix,” Ingler says. “I mean in a company, if you have a diverse staff, you’re going to have different perspectives of a problem and you’re going to solve that problem better. It’s the same thing with creating music. If you have a more diverse, creative team, you’re going to come up with a more creative product.”

Chandler Shortlidge is a dance music journalist based in Berlin. Follow him on Twitter

Consideraciones para realizar un diseño de refuerzo Sonoro.

Que es el diseño de refuerzo sonoro? Reproducción del sonido en una determinada área de audiencia mediante medios artificiales, que tienen como finalidad realizar una amplificación del sonido para obtener un nivel de presión sonora homogéneo (se consideran aceptables las diferencias de +-6dB) en todos los puntos del recinto a sonorizar, además de asegurarle la inteligibilidad del mensaje a cada uno de los escuchas.

A continuación, mencionaremos algunas consideraciones a tener en cuenta para el diseño de refuerzo sonoro:

1) Consideraciones acústicas previas. Se deberá realizar un análisis de diferentes parámetros, tales como: Tiempo de Reverberación(RT60), inteligibilidad, Definición (D), Claridad de la voz (C80), RASTI, %ALcons.

PARÁMETRO ACÚSTICO VALOR RECOMENDADO
Tiempo de reverberación medio (500 Hz – 1 kHz), sala llena 0,7 ≤ RTmid ≤ 1,2 s
Claridad de la voz C50(“ speech average), sala llena C50 > 2 dB
Definición D (de 125 Hz a 4 kHz), sala ocupada D > 0,50
Relación primeras reflexiones ERR, sala vacía u ocupada 2 ≤ ERR ≤ 6
STI/RASTI, sala ocupada STI/RASTI ≥ 0,65

 

TIPO DE RECINTO REVERBERACION (s)
Cine 0.4 s
Salón de Clases 0.6 s
Teatro y Música Auto amplificada 1.0 s
Sinfónica 2.2 s
Iglesias 3.0 s

2) Debemos preguntarnos qué tipo de recinto vamos a sonorizar

 

3) Solicitud de planos del reciento a diseñar.  En este punto se recomienda tener medidas del lugar por medio de un scouting al recinto; se deberán solicitar planos en AutoCAD, tanto en vistas en 3D, 2D, plantas y cortes del recinto, para poder realizar un análisis exhaustivo. Asimismo, debemos recordar que este diseño se llevará a cabo en la práctica, por lo que no debemos olvidar hacernos diferentes preguntas que nos permitan determinar el alcance adecuado del proyecto: ¿que se espera de este diseño de refuerzo sonoro por parte del solicitante?, ¿existe alguna obstrucción visual posible?, ¿existe limitación en cuanto a peso del equipo?, ¿es un espacio abierto o cerrado? a nivel subjetivo ¿que se busca o que se espera?, ¿qué tipo de sistema se solicita: arreglo lineal o sistema convencional?, todo esto encaminado a determinar el alcance adecuado del proyecto.

 

4) Análisis de cobertura.  Se aplicarán y comprobarán diferentes técnicas de diseño apoyándonos de un software de predicción, tal como MAPPXT el cual se utiliza para medir y cuantificar parámetros. En este punto debemos ser capaces de resolver problemas de interacción entre altavoces, selección de nivel de presión sonora adecuado, análisis de la respuesta en frecuencia y fase en diferentes puntos del recinto, cobertura vertical, horizontal, ubicación de altavoces, ángulo de inclinación y peso de altavoces, distribución de señales para un adecuado ajuste del sistema buscando así una cobertura homogénea en todos los escuchas por igual. Asimismo, debemos aplicar parámetros de referencia o normas existentes según el tipo de aplicación; por ejemplo: en cines con formato de reproducción ATMOS existen normativas por parte de Dolby que ofrecen especificaciones a cumplir referentes a nivel de presión sonora, altavoces en pantalla, posición de altavoces, niveles de presión sonora en la zona de baja frecuencia, entre otros. En recintos deportivos existen normativas que ofrece la FIFA como guía para realizar un diseño. De igual forma, se deberá realizar el análisis de qué tipo de sistemas serán necesarios con base a las necesidades de cobertura de los altavoces: sistema principal, sistema frontal, sistema bajo balcón, sistema de retraso, sistema lateral, sistema de baja frecuencia, sistema multicanal 5.1, 7.1, por mencionar algunos. Al finalizar dicho análisis se genera una memoria de diseño del mismo.

 

5) Supervisión de montaje.  Una vez que se terminó la etapa anterior, lo más importante que se debe considerar y no debemos olvidar es que ese diseño se llevará a cabo en la práctica, por lo que debemos asegurarnos que el diseño se lleve a cabo tal como se planteó. En ese momento debemos contar con las herramientas adecuadas para poder supervisar dicho montaje, tal como inclinómetro, láser, cintas métricas y memoria de montaje.


Gabriella Galán Mendicuti estudió audio estudios como ingeniera de telecomunicaciones con especialización en audio y video en la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. Ella ha estado involucrada en audio profesional durante los últimos 12 años con un énfasis especial en el diseño de refuerzo de sonido. Actualmente trabaja en Meyer Sound México como Especialista en Servicios de Diseño para México y América Latina. Ha participado en varios diseños de refuerzo de sonido de los lugares más importantes en varios países, como teatros, iglesias, espectáculos en vivo, eventos especiales y lugares.

 

 

Boom Op: Head to Toe

There are many articles that cover technical gear of location sound, but I want to focus on the skills and personal touches that will make a Boom Operator more efficient on set.  While the majority of these guidelines come from my own experiences, I also draw from Richard Patton’s Sound Man:  An Introduction to the Art, Science, and Business of Location Sound.  Richard Patton is a film Sound Mixer with 40 years of experience and over 70 credits.  Patton describes the job of a Boom Operator as the “placing of all microphones.” including the boom mic, lapel mics, and other miscellaneous mics planted for the scene.  It is important to note that sometimes there is only one location sound person on set, and therefore they become the Mixer, Recordist and Boom Operator.

Set etiquette

A hierarchy on set exists that determines who is in command of whom.  The two main groups are divided into “Above the Line” and “Below the Line.”  This refers to how the budget is arranged but is a smart way to think about interactions with others on set. The Sound Department’s domain is audio, and so even if the crew consists of two other people, a Boom Operator’s job is never to direct the actor. Therefore do not interfere with eye-lines.  Direct interaction occurs only when wiring an actor, or when someone Above-the-Line initiates conversation.  Getting a repeat contract depends on respecting these rules.  Speaking of wiring talent, be professional.  Respect boundaries and let the actor be in charge of how much help they need.  When wiring younger actors, have their guardians present and walk them through the process.

Head

Not every set is a temperature-controlled warehouse.  There will be sun, cold, and extreme heat from halogen lights.  I keep a hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, and a bandana with my kit no matter the season.  Other creature comforts include headphone covers (they make a huge difference), and a towel.  I have depended on towels for drying hands, puddles, tears, and cables.  They are the true answer to life, the universe, and everything.

During a take, a Boom Operator must capture the dialog.  They have to know who is talking and direct the mic to them.  Even during a monolog, the boom operator is thinking of more than just the script. Is the actor on or off axis?  Loud noises like airplanes or dogs barking will require more takes, but sometimes now is not the time to cut the current take.  Patton gives an anecdote in his book about caramel keeping loud pups occupied.  There is also the housekeeping of collecting room tone and making track notes.

Eyes

While sound is the medium of the Boom Operator, the camera is king on set.  It is crucial to watch the camera’s movements and to get a feel for different lenses and focal points.  The last thing any director wants is the perfect take ruined by the boom.  Often the Boom Operator dances a duet with the camera crew.  This can be complicated by a wire tether (recording audio to camera) or an intricate long take.  If the choreography was not complicated enough, the mic must be just out of shot and not visible via shadows or reflections.  Whenever possible rehearse the scene.  And while each crew is different, learn to communicate with the camera team; a good relationship can facilitate recording.

Arms

A tense body is one that fatigues faster.  Keep hands and arms relaxed. The hand closest to the mic should act as a shelf to hold the boom, while the other is a counterweight that controls mic direction.  The boom is steadier when hands are further apart.  There are several arm positions that rely on the skeleton rather than muscles to support the weight. Therefore these are the most natural positions to hold.  The first is the arms straight up.  This is the stereotypical boom position. The second is elbows at the sides with the hands straight out and facing upwards.  Often one hand is staggered higher to get the boom above the camera.  The third is arms completely down.  This one is used for when the boom is below the actors.  Other positions can be used but at the expense of the Boom Operator’s energy.

Body

Actors are meant to be seen; the crew are meant to be invisible.  This means wearing black clothing with quiet fabrics.  Long sleeves are better than short sleeves, but it is not a hard rule.  Make sure to dress for the weather.  Merino wool is an excellent place to start, and Army Surplus stores always have good deals.  Fingerless gloves are useful for keeping hands warm while maintaining dexterity.  Make sure they do not have tacky (and therefore noisy) grip enhancers.

The secret to surviving long set days is core strength.  Good posture includes keeping the stomach sucked to the spine, relaxing shoulders, and having a wide leg stance.  Wide stances are more stable, especially when standing on a step stool.  To not fall, one’s center of gravity should be kept between one’s feet.  It is better to lunge than lean. Locked knees is a recipe for disaster as it restricts blood flow and can lead to fainting.  Cue half of all America’s Funniest Home Videos.

Feet

Twelve-hour days last an eternity if one does not have proper footwear.  Boots are often required or requested for safety, but that does not mean fit has to be compromised.  I know that several respected brands have models that are custom built for women instead of “smaller men’s” boots.  It is essential to break in boots before working in them for a full day, and there is no shame in swapping for a more comfortable insole.  During the colder months make sure that boots accommodate thicker socks.  Boots that are either too tight or too loose cause blisters.  And keep in mind that although athletic socks are okay, merino wool is better.  I suggest keeping an extra pair in with the gear.

Sometimes a scene is relatively stationary, but not to the point of requiring a stand.  A rubber mat works well as a foot silencer, but also to make concrete floors more forgiving. And if a boom operator is short, like me, then an apple crate can be used as a step stool. Apple crates deserve more than a few sentences but note that film apple crates can hold weight, the local grocery store’s probably won’t.

As I mentioned before:  boom operators dance with the cinematographers. Therefore one should traverse like a dancer. Someone who is light on their feet will fall less often.  When walking backward the weight should be on the balls of the feet, and the body should lean ever so slightly forward.  Falling forwards means a bloody nose, but falling backward means a concussion.

Film crews can be like family, and by using these tips, I hope that future boom operators are seen as assets rather than glorified Production Assistants.

 

The Best Response

This week I was once more asked a question that has been a recurring theme during my career. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve been asked to comment on why there aren’t more women in the music business, and my answer has always been the same – I’m the wrong person to ask because I am a woman in the music business. I can’t comment on why someone wouldn’t want to be a part of this, for the very reason that I wanted it more than anything. I’m fortunate to be able to say that after 23 years in the industry I’ve done everything I set out to do and quite a few things that I didn’t. I’ve toured with numerous theatre, arena and stadium productions; mixed monitors for bands whose albums I had as a kid; run sound for the Queen at Buckingham Palace; been paid to travel the world; and been in charge of monitors at the world’s biggest greenfield festival. It hasn’t all been smooth sailing, but neither has it been the sexism-infused nightmare that some people seem to imagine. Indeed, some people seem almost disappointed when I tell them it really hasn’t been that bad, and it has me wondering: is it this idea of victimisation that puts some women off?

Now it’s possible that I walk around with my head in the clouds and don’t notice sexist behaviour, but I think it’s more likely that I’ve simply learnt to pick my battles. If I called a tribunal every time someone made a sexist crack I’d be in court for the rest of my life; but there’s a world of difference between sexist cracks and true misogyny. Tribes of people (i.e. a crew) naturally seek out what is different about a newcomer and zero in on that to test them. A smart newcomer will give as good as they get in return, show themselves to be a valuable commodity to the existing tribe, and in doing so establish common ground and become accepted. It would be a mistake to think that cracks are made simply because I’m a woman; anyone who’s heard crew banter will know that it can be brutal between guys, and the only reason gender is raised is because it’s the most obvious difference.

I can count on one hand the number of times that I’ve encountered true misogyny. Whilst I did speak up for myself at the time, in every case, I also found that the best possible response is simply to prove them wrong.

One odious production manager told me I’d never make it unless I learnt to open my legs. My satisfaction upon seeing him at an industry event many years later, wearing a badge stating my position at the PA company I worked for and having very much made it without doing any such thing, was immense. I didn’t need to say anything – the look that passed between us said it all.

Not long ago I ran into someone who bullied me for a period of time in my early days. Back then he was senior to me (though not by much) and was fond of telling me how useless I was. But now, many years later, the status quo was reversed, and I was in a very much senior position to him. It made me realise just how far I’d come, and that bullies are, as we all know, just fearful cowards. I considered taking him to task in defence of my younger self but decided against it. He now cut such a pathetic figure that I felt no need to make explicit who was the winner here – it was obvious.

And the sorry behaviour from a couple of local crew whom I encountered in the States just seems laughable now, as it did then – how sad, to have to get your fun by trying to tear others down. I’ll bet their lives aren’t a barrel of laughs – after all, people who are secure in their own talents just don’t do that. How small they must feel, in their quieter moments. Not to mention having the entire visiting crew now think you’re a complete idiot. (Wait, you didn’t think I’d keep their nonsense to myself did you? Oh, their cracks were far too amusing not to share them with my compatriates – and the guys on a tour soon become like brothers who are very much on their sister’s side!)

So my point is this: if a young woman likes the idea of a career in live music, she shouldn’t worry too much about being in the gender minority, because she’ll quickly get used to it, and most guys are decent folk. The things for her to concern herself with are working hard; learning all she can about her chosen field; forging alliances; and yes, building resilience and comebacks to wisecracks. Learning to tell the difference between crew banter and abusive behaviour is important because the former is far more common than the latter. On the (hopefully) rare occasion that she does experience abusive or inappropriate behaviour she should always call it out, whilst also knowing this: that the best response she can ever give to her detractors is simply to prove them wrong.

From the Mosh Pits of Orange County – Whitney Olpin

hdotd2015Whitney Olpin has been working in Live Sound for the last six years, working as an Independent monitor engineer and stage manager. She has spent the last year touring with Fitz and the Tantrums. Based in Los Angeles, when she is not on the road she picks up local work through Live Nation.

Whitney grew up in Utah and took part in church and school choirs as well as the internationally recognized Salt Lake Children’s Choir. She would teach herself piano at age 12. Whitney says she was always interested in music but growing up in Salt Lake her exposure to music was limited. “In middle school, my family moved from Salt Lake City to California, and I suffered complete culture shock. I went from being a Mormon raised, Mariah Carey listening kid to living in mosh pit loving Orange County, CA”.

Whitney remembers during the early 2000s when she was in high school that Orange County had the best alternative music scene –

“It consumed my life, all music — all the time. We’d pile into cars and drive to shows all over Southern California. Sometimes we didn’t even know who was playing. This was before smartphones or iPads; there was no Googling the set times or previewing bands on Spotify first. That wasn’t what it was about. It was about the scene, the music, and the experience. I’d be in the crowd waiting for the next band to start just watching all the techs setting up and checking microphones, etc. I’d see them outside loading the van, talking about where they were going and where they’d been. I made a lot of friends that played in bands locally. I think the first ‘gig’ I ever had might have been loading their drum kits into their trucks or carrying a guitar or two. I just wanted to be part of the action. If it hadn’t been for that music scene, I wouldn’t have all these tattoos, and I’d probably have been a lawyer by now. Sorry, Mom”.whitneyleigh

After high school, Whitney would go on to attend college in Orange County. She enrolled as a music major and took a few basic electronics and tech classes for fun. She realized quickly that tech was more her speed and transferred to an audio engineering program in Massachusetts. During this time, she would strike up a friendship with someone who worked at a local theatre, he would recommend her to the local sound company, where she would start working and interning. She also worked as a bartender, a runner, and stage-hand, and sold merch in the local punk/metal scene.

The venues were full of vintage analog gear that would break all the time, and this taught Whitney to be incredibly resourceful. She also learned how small the touring world is, seeing a lot of the same engineers coming through over and over. This allowed her to make some strong connections and friends, a few that she remains in touch with and hits up often for their “Ninja Skills.”

whitfohAfter college, Whitney would move back to Los Angeles and start working at various local venues including the House of Blues Sunset and Saint Rocke. This is where she would learn digital boards and spend a lot of time mixing house and monitors. She was also introduced to mixing new genres Pop, Reggae, Jazz, Country, Hip Hop, Gospel and Acoustic acts. “The House of Blues Sunset was notorious for doing underplays, so I got the opportunity to mix for a lot of big-name artists. It was challenging and exciting”. At Saint Rocke, she would meet sound engineer Grace Royse. A few months later Grace would call asking her to fill in on a gig with Fitz and the Tantrums.

melodygardotpiano

Melody Gardot Piano

Whitney would hit the road for the first time in the fall of 2015, as a monitor engineer for blues and jazz musician Melody Gardot. “Melody insisted on picking up a different piano in each city for her to play on that night. We never knew what style we would get, and with so many live instruments on stage, that tour kicked my butt. Every place we went, I would sit down and play, move mics, phase reverse, eq, etc. until the piano sounded as natural in the monitors as possible. I can mic that instrument like nobody’s business now! But most importantly, I learned the subtle art of annoying the FOH engineer to death with Journey piano covers. Epic”.

She would move from that tour to Sublime with Rome, where she would work with Grace Royse at FOH. “Switching from jazz to punk was a whirlwind in the best way. I grew up in punk and metal clubs, so this tour felt a lot more like home. The bond between the band and crew is family strong; in fact, I still think that camp is one of the best around”. (Meet the Women Running Sound for Sublime for Rome)

Since then it has been a whirlwind of shows and tours for Whitney. She has done local and fly dates with Dirty Heads as TM/ME, FOH for SWR, and ME for Toni Braxton. She also has mixed monitors for Ms. Lauryn Hill. Whitney’s favorite thing about touring is Learning. “Every time I go out on the road I come face to face with all the technical things I have and haven’t mastered yet. You just can’t get it all from working in a club. I enjoy learning from other engineers on tour and asking their opinions”.

She also loves traveling and finds waking up in a different city invigorating. At the same time, she dislikes the lack of sleep, eating mystery food every day and being away from loved ones. On days off she likes to find a local hiking spot or drops in on a fitness class.

“When I first got started I remember hearing a lot of warnings from other people, like get out of this industry while you still can’ and stories of smelly 15-hour plane rides, sweaty summer tours, overnight load-ins, etc. So I think it’s important to for me write about what keeps the fire burning when the gig gets tough”.

Warped Tour 2011

Warped Tour 2011

“I remember one of the first shows I mixed monitors for; it was on Warped Tour, on a local stage in Boston, MA. It started pouring rain, and all the other stages shut down, but our stage was totally covered with tarps, so the singer looked at me like, ‘fuck it, I’m gonna keep going.’ So I ran out, flipped all the wedges over, and they kept playing. Since all the other stages were closed, all the fans started following the music to our stage. Suddenly this little no-name hardcore band had hundreds of spectators and kids moshing in the mud. I still think back to that moment– this band did it with no monitors in the pouring rain because they love this shit”.

“Sometimes shows don’t go perfectly; mistakes happen, it rains, whatever. I make it a point during every show to breathe and take a minute to take it all in. I take a look out at the crowd and see these fans just losing their minds. I was just like them. I’m still just like them. When times get tough, I remind myself that I got into this for a reason and I’ll keep going for that same reason. Never lose sight”.

Whitney keeps her skills up to date by attending trainings and seminars completing training for Midas, SSL, Soundcraft and Rational Acoustics. She also reads audio books when she has time. She is fascinated by how large-scale events are produced and feels it important to understand it from the production side and touring side. Her future goals include moving into bigger tours with larger productions. She wants to learn more about audio systems, and as much as she loves mixing, she would like to move into system teching.

What if any obstacles or barriers have you faced?

For me, the biggest obstacle has been juggling multiple jobs while building my career. It was scary to walk away from a steady bartending job of eight years, a job I relied upon almost my entire adult life. I used to say it supported my audio addiction.

How have you dealt with them?

In 2014 I quit my bartending job. I was beginning to get more sound gigs and just couldn’t handle the scheduling nightmare anymore. Plus the more audio I did, the more I realized I had outgrown bartending. I didn’t realize it then, but all the years I spent behind the bar would actually make me a better engineer. It taught me fundamental skills like multitasking, maintaining a sense of urgency, speed, and communication.

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

I don’t really look at myself as a ‘female audio engineer.’ I just think of myself as an engineer. However, I can’t ignore the blaring fact that  women make up just a small fraction of this industry both on and off stage. With advances in technology and social media, I think the general public is becoming more aware of live sound engineers. When I get fans asking to take a photo of me at the monitor console after the show because ‘they never see women mixing’ then I know there’s a problem. I’ve straight up had a male engineer tell me thinks girls can’t mix and we can’t hang. I still laugh thinking about it. Haters, unfortunately, are a part of life. I just think of it as fuel for the fire.

My advice for women is the same as it would be for men. Be prepared to work hard and from the bottom up. Get a job at a local venue or studio and be persistent about wanting to move up the ladder. Learn everything you can from everyone you can. Also, “Fake it ‘til you make it” never worked for me. Don’t let your pride get in the way of asking dumb questions. That’s how you learn. It’s amazing how far, “Hey, your mix sounds great. What are you doing on that vocal effect?” goes over. We’re all nerds at heart, and from my experience, we all love to geek out about it; use that to your advantage.

When the time comes, don’t be afraid to accept or reach for gigs that intimidate you. I’m not going to pretend I wasn’t apprehensive about some of the shows I’ve mixed, but some of them led to more significant opportunities. I’m still trying to master the art of not psyching myself out. I’ve been in multiple situations where an engineer couldn’t make the show, and I got to mix, which in turn led to future gigs. Don’t let self-doubt hold you back.

Must have skills?

Signal flow, signal flow, signal flow. Cable management. Maintaining composure. Attention to detail. A strong sense of self-awareness. People skills. A sense of humor. Integrity. As a monitor engineer specifically, having the ability to gain and maintain an artist’s trust is paramount.

Favorite gear?

I’ve admittedly never been much of a gear head. I learned on the basis of ‘make it work with what you have,’ but there are a few pieces I really can’t live without. One is RF coordination software (currently I use Vantage and Shure Wireless Workbench) and a good spectrum analyzer (I tour with an RF Venue Rackpro and a handheld RF Explorer). No kidding, there have been shows I couldn’t have gotten through without them. Also my JH Roxanne In-Ear Monitors. They have an adjustable bass feature and sound better than any other IEMs I’ve tried. The cables are also easy to repair on the fly if need be.

Parting Advice:

Whitney’s offers this advice to those wanting to go into audio I knew early on that I wanted to go to school for music technology but had trouble finding a good fit, program wise. I think society imposes this idea that you need to get a degree, so I shied away from anything that didn’t offer one. In retrospect, I wish I hadn’t. When anyone asks me what I think of audio schools I tell them what one of my engineer friends said to me once, “ You could’ve bought a console with that money!” That has always stuck. He’s right. Look, I’m not saying school isn’t important. Just be wise in what you choose. Maybe take a workshop and see if it really interests you before you jump in. I believe strongly in music performance and electronics degrees, but audio engineering can be learned on the job. I got book smart in school and street smart at the venue. There’s no reason you can’t do both economically”

Everyone’s journey in audio is different, and opportunities arise when you least expect them. My best advice is whatever path you choose, make sure you live every moment. Get the most out of every relationship and connection you make along the way. I’ve been doing audio for only six years now, but not once has someone looked at my resume. I would be ignorant to say I’ve gotten to where I am all on my own. I’ve always gotten gigs by endorsement from someone I know who has a little faith in me. Trust me when I say it counts to call and check in with the people who were there from the beginning. The ones that make you re-wrap all your cables because you do it wrong, or call you out because your mix sucks. Embrace the tough love. It might sting in the moment, but they are preparing you for the battles ahead. There are a few of these engineers in my life that I will always look up to. They are constantly setting the bar higher and higher. Surround yourself with people that inspire you, and you can do great things.

We caught up with Whitney in August of 2019:

Since talking about her touring in the original interview, she continued to tour with other acts like Sofi Tukker, X Ambassadors and Walk the Moon. She currently mixes monitors at the iHeartRadio Theater in Burbank and production manages for Live Nation Clubs & Theaters in Los Angeles.

Kim Watson- You Have to Learn From the Best

UK-based sound engineer Kim Watson has been a freelance audio engineer since 1999.  Kim’s foray into live sound started with a love of music and a desire to work in the music business.  “I always knew I wanted to be in the music industry, I just never quite knew in what respect.”  Although having started her training in recording school, she found recording sessions boring and monotonous.  Kim was attracted to the challenge of live sound, “having one chance to get it right and then, that moment is gone.”

It never hurts to ask

While she was at a show, Kim approached the FOH engineer to whom she expressed her interest in live sound.  Luckily for her, he was the owner of a local PA system and gave her a call the next week to show up for work.  Kim recalls how she was the 3rd person on the show and was ‘paid in pizza and information.’   It was a proper sound company, and Kim spent the next three years learning as much as she could.  “First thing he showed me was how to coil cables.  Then how he wanted mics plugged in Stage box end first, roll the cable to mic stand, so it lies flat, coil left at the bottom of the mic stand in case it needs to move, etc…” She got on very well with the crew, earning their respect by getting her hands dirty, asking questions, and learning how to not get in the way if a problem arose.  Her fellow crew guys became very protective of her, jumping in if anyone gave her a hard time.  One bit of wisdom she retains to this day, ” If a mic goes down on stage, you have 30 seconds to fix it before everyone notices, and the band stops the song and kills the flow of the show.”  Kim paid close attention to the crew guys when they were talking tech, ” At first I didn’t understand much, so I picked up on words- ‘Crossover,’ and would then go home and research what it does.  The next time I would ask questions. I made it my mission to read the Live Audio Boards every day, even if I didn’t understand it, things would sink in.”

Festival FOH Four years later while she was working with another company, Kim would get her big break as a monitor engineer, when she got drafted to replace a co-worker who didn’t show up for a festival.  It was a 50’s Rock and Roll weekend with ten bands a day and a crash course in mixing monitors.  “First time on the monitor board was fun.  Feedback wasn’t so much an issue as we set up the day before, and Barry, the guy I was working for, had me ring the monitors out, teaching me as we went.  Barry introduced me to the principle of subtractive mixing, pulling back something that’s in the way of the item they want more of, be it through EQ or nudging the aux back a touch”, she says.  Kim’s been doing monitors ever since.

She is currently the monitor engineer for The Subways.  When she isn’t touring, Kim works freelance for PA companies, such as ESS (based in Mansfield), and is also an audio tech for the O2 Academy in Newcastle, UK.  Having a sweet house gig at the Academy is a huge advantage for Kim, being that she can always find work in the downtime between tours.

Kim is an experienced system/fly tech and more than capable of mixing FOH when required, but most often finds herself at the stage end of the snake.  “Primarily I tend to end up being Monitor Engineer and these days specializing in mixing IEMs.”  The close interaction with the band and the on-stage shenanigans that the audience doesn’t see is one of the things she enjoys most about doing monitors.

FestivalmonitorsNever stop learning

During her school years, Kim went to careers meeting with her parents where she was told that being a “sound engineer” wasn’t a real job.  While her parents tried to guide her to a more reliable career as a music teacher, she knew it wasn’t for her.  “It wasn’t until after I had started work experience with the PA company, that they realized it could be a job, but I would have to MAKE my way job in the industry.  For me, it was all or nothing.  I got into the habit of giving 110% on every show.  People are always watching, and that is what gets you up the ladder.”

Her educational background includes; studying music throughout her school years, Technical college, which included education in Music Tech, Math, Computing, and Physics, also getting her HND* in Music Production, while she was cutting her teeth working at the PA companies.  Kim also plays several instruments and has a background in music theory, which she finds very helpful in mixing.

Kim continues educating herself to this day.  To keep her chops up, besides working and mixing as much as possible, Kim also makes an effort to attend manufacturer’s training seminars.  “I did the Meyer Sound Comprehensive System Design (5 days) and the SIM3 (5 days) courses a few years ago.  I learned so much from both.  Understanding a lot more about the physics behind the sound system, audio interactions, and system measurement has helped a lot.”  Kim is also grateful for having studied Physics at College; she says it “made understanding the principles of phase and wave interactions (in wave theory) very easy.”

She has done training on every digital console she could get her hands on.  “I have always been a computer nerd and got my head around digital desks very early.  I am one of those engineers, that even though I have never used a certain type of board, I can make the show happen the same as I would on analog.  This makes festival walk-up gigs really easy.”

EmiliSande monsystemtech Royal Albert hall

Emili Sande at Royal Albert Hall

For The Subways, who she’s been with for going on two years, Kim is mixing IEMs.  The band usually carries their own LS9 and Sennheiser transmitters, and she’s hoping to have them fully self-contained on stage by next year’s tour.

Kim has been working for the O2 Academy since it opened in 2005.  Recently, she was Monitor System Tech for the two UK legs of Emili Sande’s tour, Monitor tech and Fly tech for Brit Floyd UK and Europe, and Monitor Engineer for “Wow- A celebration of the music and artistry of Kate Bush.”   Kim loves the people she meets on tour.  Familiar friends of The Subways will show up at their local gigs, sometimes joining band and crew on the bus for a few days.  She is also lucky enough to work with a band that enjoys organizing days off in towns with something interesting to do or see, such as visiting a castle or museum.

Lack of sleep is the hardest part of touring for Kim.  “There have been a few tours where hours of sleep at night are very minimal, with lots of back-to-back shows.  That nearly killed me, pushing me right to my limits and making me quite ill.  It’s learning to get the balance.  When you are on tour and you have the option of one of- shower, food, or sleep – choose wisely as it can be your undoing.”
While she admits to having difficulty picking a favorite piece of gear, since gear is always changing, she says, “ My favorite piece of gear is the one that works when you plug it in, and it’s right for the job at hand.”

From the start, Kim’s long-term goal has been to be in the top 10% of live engineers.  “I was told early on by one of my mentors, to be the best you have to learn from the best.  I went out and found out who the top engineers in the world were and read everything I could online that they had written, (through prosoundweb.com and other sites).  It’s been awesome over the years meeting, working with, and hearing the engineers I looked up to.”

Britfloyd Systemandmontech

Brit Floyd

When she first got started in the business, Kim asked another female engineer for advice which she quickly adopted as her own rules.

And one final word of advice: “The most important skill in this job is attitude.  Do it all with a smile and your day will be very easy.  Become a ‘yes person.”

*An HND is roughly the equivalent of two years of university and generally vocational in nature leading to work in a specific industry and entry into advanced levels of the university, somewhat similar to an Associates degree in the USA

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