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Loud: Tana Douglas Rocks Hard

 

At first glance Loud: A Life in Rock’n’roll by the world’s first female roadie by Tana Douglas is a scintillating look behind the scenes of some of the biggest rock bands.  There’s sex and drugs to go with the rock’n’roll as Douglas unloads juicy moments with every load out.  From a well-stocked trailer parked on the lawn at Windsor Gardens to a dog getting into a stash at an Australian after-party, there’s something for everyone.  Douglas also rubs shoulders with the likes of Paul McCartney, Iggy Pop, Ozzy Osbourne, and Neil Diamond.  But behind the star-studded cast is the history of the modern road crew from the 1970s to the 1990s.

After starting out in behind-the-times Australia, Douglas jumps from one mega show to the next where the cutting edge of stage shows dazzle audiences around the world.  The stories chronicle how stage lighting becomes an attraction that threatens to overshadow the bands themselves.  Through the blood and sweat of the road crews, the productions increase in size and complexity.  Sound, lighting, and rigging mature as industries and require teams and trucks.  Douglas includes the grittiness and pain of long nights and safety playing catch up to daring feats.  The drugs, and recklessness take their toll, but still, the show goes on.

How much could be packed in 350 pages?  One might be forgiven for thinking this book glorifies the roadie life from a summary.  However, Tana Douglas never forgets she is a woman in a “man’s world.”  Where Douglas bares her vulnerabilities is where this book really shines.  Her isolation, her difficulties as a child, a partner, and as a parent hits hard.  I found myself wishing happy endings for Douglas, but knowing that her truth is more common.  Loud is the perfect snapshot of the life of the roadie with all the highs and all the lows.  I recommend reading about the rock’n’roll life of Tana Douglas to anyone interested in touring shows.  Bring your earplugs.

More on Tana Douglas

Review of The First Collection of Criticism by a Living Female Rock Critic

Jessica Hopper wanted me personally to read  The First Collection of Criticism by a Living Female Rock Critic, and you, too.  In the afterword of the 2021 edition, she notes how essential it is to create and consume media outside the culturally accepted norm.  Female critics like Hopper provide a much-needed perspective on artists that would otherwise go undervalued.  It is empowering to read reviews from a feminist view, and the reader uses their purchasing power to uplift the author.

Hopper puts pieces of herself in the reviews.  We see her growth from fangirl to respected writer and her journey from Midwest suburbia to Chicago to Los Angeles and beyond.  We see the music that shapes her worldview and the music that breaks its boundaries.  Her path is both similar to her peers and uniquely her own.  Hopper’s story could be yours, and that is what makes this collection powerful.  She is a mentor through text.

Not every review is written with a feminist focal point.  However, when her sharpened pen targets the masculine majority opinion, there is no mercy.  No genre is safe: punk, country, rap, and rock.  Hopper champions women forgotten and maligned.  Her piece on Rolling Stone‘s editorial department highlighted those who blazed the path that Hopper would later trek.  There’s enough meat for a Hidden Figures treatment of their story.

In both the afterword and throughout the collection, Hopper reaches out to women in all parts of the music industry.  From fan to artist she says thank you, I hear you, keep being you.  We need each other to build a better industry.  If there’s no space for you in the pit, elbow your way in and stay there, and bring your squad.

Review of Congress Radio

 

1942 was an intense time in World History.  World War II was rampaging across Europe and expanding beyond Asia and the Pacific.  It would be easy to miss an important event trying to summarize 1942.  Congress Radio: Usha Mehta and the Underground Radio Station of 1942 by Usha Thakkar is set in 1942 as well.  However, the story of Congress Radio is not directly related to WWII, and it is one area of history that I had not heard much about India’s Independence from Great Britain.  Mahatma Gandhi began the Quit India Movement in August of 1942 at the All India Congress Committee (AICC), and from it, a series of revolts and conflicts between the ruling British and Indian citizens occurred.  Inspired by Gandhi and the lack of independent news, Usha Mehta, along with Vithalbhai Jhaveri, Vitthaldas Khakar, Chandrakant Jhaveri, and Babubhai Thakkar created the underground radio station they called Congress Radio.

Congress Radio begins with a summary of India’s independence movement.  Thakkar runs through the significant events chronologically and introduces the major players for those who are unfamiliar.  Even though the introduction discusses an emotional connection between the author, the subject, and the setting, everything is presented in a straightforward manner.  In fact, the whole book reads much like a police report.  Unsurprisingly, the appendix is full of police reports and court records.  For those into minimally biased, court proceedings of important history or those who are invested in the history of modern India, this is a perfect read.  For those wanting to be inspired by the bravery of young college students rebelling in the face of the world’s largest empire:  there are pieces that exist in College Radio, but not in the main section of the book.  Look for the inspiration and struggle in the court records, especially Mehta’s, and in Mehta’s recollections.

Usha Mehta (also referred to as Ushaben), was 22 when she helped create Congress Radio on August 14, 1942.  It was often her voice broadcasted at 42.34 m.  Interspersed between her reports of local uprisings were pre-recorded speeches of Gandhi and other leaders.  Despite relocating the broadcasting location almost daily the organizers of Congress Radio were arrested and taken off the air on November 12, 1942.  There was no mistaking Usha Mehta’s involvement, however, she chose to remain silent during the trial, even with solitary confinement and other coercion tactics.  Mehta’s strength and Congress Radio’s dissemination of uncensored news were so vital to India, that it helped earn Mehta the Padma Vibhushan (Lotus Decoration), India’s second highest civilian honor.

Passion in the face of oppression.  Strength in the face of power.  Congress Radio has those moments of inspiration, but this is a book for history buffs and subject matter experts.  However, I am encouraged to find more stories like Usha Mehta’s hiding in the world of audio.

Ancient Acoustics

Have you ever wondered about the sounds our ancestors heard?  Digging deeper into the questions surrounding ancient noises is archaeoacoustics.  Archaeoacoustics is the study of humans’ relationship with sound and music that incorporates ethnomusicology, archeology, and acoustics.  A related field is music archeology, which focuses more on ethnomusicology in ancient and pre-history.

Beyond the natural soundscapes that still exist today, researchers are able to study what our ancestors noticed via rocks.  In the famous painted caves of France, the paintings are concentrated in areas of exciting echos.  Other caves display similar relationships.  Stonehenge and Chichen Itza are civilizations creating monuments that incorporate interesting acoustics on purpose.  For Stonehenge, the circular arrangement of the stones and their spacings add intrigue to the ceremony.  The Mayans built Chichen Itza’s staircases with acoustics in mind using reverberation to mimic a sacred quetzal call when someone clapped.

From the sounds they heard came the music they created.  Anne Kilmer, an Assyriology professor poured over clay tablets with ancient languages written in cuneiform to find some of the earliest written songs.  In 1972 Kilmer and a few colleagues created an interpretation of a written song that is believed to be a cult hymn.  This hymn was preserved in its entirety for over 3,000 years.  What makes this song remarkable is that it uses harmony, a concept thought to be a much newer invention.  The lyrics even match the harmony, with the melody left as an afterthought.  Kilmer and her fellow researchers knew this discovery would fascinate musicians and have published sheet music for the Mesopotamian lyre, as well as recordings for the casual listener.

 

A Walk Through of My Soldering Station

When working on electronics it is important to keep a tidy, and safe workspace.  I thought I would show what my bench looks like as an example for others who are just starting out on their tinkering journey.

Desk & Chair

I recommend a desk that is at a comfortable working height, that is clean and resistant to static & fire/heat.  An adjustable padded chair, such as an office chair, that can keep your knees at 90 degrees and help maintain good posture is key for avoiding long-term injuries.

Soldering Iron

I have both a cheap RadioShack soldering iron and a decent Weller adjustable temperature iron (WLC100 Soldering Station).  It is okay to start with the cheap one until you can upgrade.  The basic requirements are an iron that is at least 25 watts.  Most come with a conical tip (useful for small joints), but wedge tips are better for maintaining heat, which is better for good soldering joints.

Solder & Flux

Even though Leaded solder is toxic and not used in commercial products, it is still the go-to for electronics hobbyists in the United States due to its low melting point and ease of creating good soldering joints.  Lead-free is available and recommended from a safety standpoint.  Solder with 60% tin (often called 60/40) is seen as the best solder, due to its lower melting point.  Flux-core solder, as the name suggests, contains flux, often rosin/resin, which aids in creating good solder joints.

Helping Hands

Circuits and components get hot when soldering, so helping hands are a must.  There are several styles depending on your needs and budget.  I recommend one with alligator clips and a magnifying glass as a bare minimum.  Upgrades include a mirror with a light, a fan attachment, and different style clips.  There is even a silicone connector holder called a Hot Holder that is a must-purchase for anyone creating a variety of custom cables.

Fan & Airflow

A fan is a necessity in order to avoid inhaling fumes from the heated solder.  Airflow must be directed away from the working area, which means there must be at least one open window/door in addition to the fan if you are working indoors.

Light

I recommend an adjustable desk lamp for any soldering project.  I inevitably find myself in rooms with insufficient light and a desk lamp is key for inspecting tiny soldering joints.

Wirecutters & Strippers

Generic wire cutters are so important, that one might even have multiples, like angled wire cutters for circuits in a small housing.  While some use pocket knives for wire strippers (to trim the plastic coating off wires), I prefer having a multi-gauge wire stripper.

Sponges, solder suckers, scrapers, wicks

Over the course of soldering, the solder coating the tip of the soldering pen will discolor and become ineffective.  To clean the old solder one can use a small wet sponge, it often comes with the soldering kit, or a brass wool solder scraper.  I use both.  Solder suckers and solder wicks are useful when one accidentally uses too much solder on a joint and bridges two wires together.  Solder wicks are copper braids that soak the excess solder, while solder suckers are retractable pen that sucks a small chunk of solder.

Other Helpful Tools

With tiny components, fingers are often too clumsy or too large, that is why I have tweezers and needle nose pliers in my kit.  I also keep cotton swabs and isopropyl alcohol to clean up my finished board.  Multimeters are useful to double-check connections within the circuit.  If there are any accidental shorts or missed joints, the multimeter should find them.

Safety notes

Wear safety glasses to protect your eyes from flying wire fragments and hot solder.  Use a bubble wand to find out if the airflow of your work area is directed away from your face.  If the bubbles are floating towards the open window, you are all set.  When the bubbles just hang in the air, it is time to add another fan or open another window/door.  Take regular breaks from the soldering and take a short walk.  It is not good for your overall health to work in a fume-filled and cramped position (even when trying to maintain good posture).  If you have a drink in your work area, make sure that it is covered (to prevent contamination), and wash your hands before handling any food or drink after soldering.  Overall it is good practice to wash your hands after soldering.

Ham Activities 

Here I am back with my Amateur Radio Technician License. Now what? Where will my radio take me? Amateur radio enthusiasts often explore several niches without limiting themselves to one genre of radio. However, their activities can be broken down into five categories: radio contesting, research, public service, digital and computer networking, and technical experimentation.

Contesting

Contesting refers to radio operators contacting others like a scavenger hunt. These can be at events, where the most contacts at the event is a winner, or collecting contacts of a certain category. Ongoing contests include getting all 50 states in the United States or contacting all the National Parks. Field Days are annual events that occur in June and October where contesting happens, but also many clubs set up in local parks to show off their gear to the public. I attended my local one a few weeks ago and one radio operator contacted a Park On The Air in New York. While these contests can be purely for verbal bragging rights, there is a tradition of QSL cards. These postcards show the call signs of the conversation participants and are exchanged as proof of contact. The most unusual are displayed as trophies. As a fan of postcards, I made a stamp of my call sign to create my own QSL card.

Research

Amateur radio enthusiasts are already science-minded individuals, so citizen science research naturally shoehorns into the hobby. By using a variety of equipment and transmitting in all weather conditions, radio operators can observe the propagation of radio waves in less than ideal conditions or even during rare phenomenon like auroras. Also by communicating with amateur satellites, radio operators can monitor weather patterns and gather data.

Public Service

To take this altruism further is public service. In the United States, the two major organizations for emergency communications via amateur radio are RACES (Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service) and ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Service). These two organizations set up networks of volunteers who facilitate communication between the government and other groups. When cell phone towers are down and power is out amateur radio can still get messages through. There are even protocols in place to get messages from survivors to their families around the country.

Digital and Computer Networking

While amateur radio as a hobby is more than a century old, there are a variety of digital avenues to use for communication. Software-defined radio is an inexpensive way to use radio integrated into a computer. Other formats are Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), radio teletype (RTTY), and packet radio. Some of these can be used in conjunction with the other categories.

Technical Experimentation

As with other hobbies, amateur radio enthusiasts try to push the boundaries of the craft. There is the fairly obvious homebrew or do-it-yourself aspect of building your own equipment. For low power and high noise situations, radio operators use Continuous Wave (CW) and Short Wave (SW). CW often employs morse code instead of vocal communication. These modes can even be used to bounce waves off of the moon! Audio is not the only medium that can be transmitted either, there is Fast Scan television to send amateur signals short distances.

Currently, I have a handheld transceiver and an RTL-SDR dongle (for passive listening to software-defined radio). However, that is only the start of my amateur radio journey. I hope in the future to take you through some of these different categories of radio. This is Nicole KQ4BHO signing off.

Becoming a Ham:  Venturing into the World of Amateur Radio

 

Late last year I saw a post calling for individuals to sign up for a class to become an Amateur Radio operator.  In the back of my mind flashed the opening scenes of Contact starring Jodie Foster.  Long story short, I signed up.  The Make Amateur Radio Easier (MORE) Project was started by Dr. Rebecca Mercuri for Amateur Radio outreach in order to attract underrepresented demographics of radio operators and is backed by Amateur Radio Digital Communications and by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).  Through MORE I and my classmates will receive a hand-held 2-way radio, training, and pass the Technician exam (fingers crossed) to be able to Get On The Air (GOTA).

Dr. Mercuri

Amateur Radio, or Ham as it is affectionately known, is communication by radio waves for non-commercial purposes.  Radio operators use frequencies within a designated band to broadcast text, data, voice, and even images.  They identify themselves with callsigns, a combination of letters and numbers assigned by their home country’s broadcast governing body.  While their host country is in charge of licensing, a radio operator with the right radio and antenna can broadcast all over the world.  Referencing Jodie Foster’s character in Contact again:  she contacts Australia from her midwestern home, and later is part of the search for extraterrestrial life.

Shortly after the advent of telegraphy, amateurs began broadcasting.  Women were there too in the earliest days of radio as landline telegraph operators circa 1840s.  As maritime radio gained steam, cultural ideas about the fragility of women in emergency situations led to the ousting of women from professions in telecommunications.  When the rise of amateur radio occurred in the beginning of the twentieth century, the hobby attracted fans indiscriminately.  Mrs. M.J. Glass and Olive Hearberg were two of the first women to the hobby, registering in the 1910s.  In the lingo of Ham Radio, male operators called each other “OM” or “old man” in addition to their call signs.  Starting in the 1920s women used “YL” or “young lady.”  Young Ladies Radio League (YLRL) was founded in 1939 by Ethel Smith after seeing an ad in the membership journal of the National Association for Amateur Radio.  She became curious about how many women were Hams and wanted to reach out to them.  After writing a letter of her own to the journal, she created the YLRL that exists to this day offering scholarships and networking opportunities of all kinds.

Owning an amateur radio involves more than just knowledge of antenna and equipment, there is a whole language and etiquette involved.  Morse code no longer is required for United States licenses, however, there are many Hams that still use it.  The International Phonetic Alphabet is useful for intelligibility, especially when many phrases are shortened to acronyms.  In turn, the acronyms are useful when a broadcast signal is full of distortion.  Often local Ham radio clubs offer mentorships to encourage new Hams to keep broadcasting.  Other advantages of clubs include access to more advanced equipment and opportunities to broadcast from unique locations like lighthouses.

I am excited to participate in the MORE course and find another way to marry my electrical and audio worlds.  To be fair, I am also excited to emulate Jodie Foster in some way.  Well, I need to jump off to study for my Technician exam, wish me luck.  I don’t have a call sign yet, so this is Nicole, final clear.

For MORE information: n2re.org/m-o-r-e-project

Dr. Rebecca Mercuri, Grant Administrator, rtmercuri@ieee.org

Dr. Rebecca Mercuri interviewed by SoundGirls here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAOEL-VR6yc

Website for Young Ladies Radio League:  https://ylrl.net/

2022 Leading Women in Audio

The Sound of Strength Conference

On a surprisingly mild February weekend, I attended the 2022 Leading Women in Audio (LWIA) conference at Elon University in Elon, NC.  The theme for this year was The Sound of Strength focusing on the voices that one can hear in performances and the silent voices that create the art.  In the current era of COVID-19, this conference was held as a hybrid event of in-person panels and live-streamed attendance options.  Panels and presentations were recorded for future viewing opportunities.

In changing the face of audio, the LWIA conference focused on High School and College students.  Students were invited to attend a studio tour, a conference dinner added to the ample networking opportunities for presenters and students to mingle, and there were panels for alumni and early career professionals to bridge the gap between dreams and starting out in audio.  In the past I have attended student-centric summits while enrolled in college, but this time I went as a guest of Christa Giammattei, both a presenter and vendor at the conference, to help out her Command + S Apparel booth.

Sabrina Smith, a sophomore from Elon University, who volunteered as the Public Relations Director for the conference, helped me gain insight into the event.  While it was also her first time attending the event, this is the LWIA’s 4th year.  Smith noted that it’s empowering to bring a variety of women in demographics and industry together to push through the stereotypes and to see what we are capable of in highlighting our contributions.  The panels that caught Smith’s eye were Jasmine Battle’s “DJ Techniques” and Marcella Araica’s “Mixing Vocals.”  Networking was also important to Smith, both with peers and panelists.  In the future Smith wants to DJ and to give back to her local community in Charlotte, NC.  Just like the people she grew up with, Smith wants to show people there’s always a way for you to belong.

In many of the conferences I have attended before (the exception of the SoundGirls conference) the only all-women panel was also the token diversity panel.  At LWIA the “Diversity, Equity & Inclusion” panel was less about how hard it is to be a woman in the Audio Industry, but instead how to thrive in a positive environment.  The entire career arc was covered from having a day job and leaving a toxic workplace, to defining success and avoiding burnout.  However few work alone and as panelist leader, Aurelia Belfield stressed, “You heard of the boys club?  Make a new club.”  There’s plenty of work to go around, recommend your peers who are better for a certain job.  Have each others’ backs, our failures, and successes happen as a team.  LWIA gave me lots of hope for the future of Audio.  We are in this together, let’s help each other up.

Review of Behind the Sound Cart

 

If you are looking for a master class in production sound, Behind the Sound Cart: A Veteran’s Guide to Sound on the Set by Patrushkha Mierzwa is just that.  From gear to career development this book covers it all.  With her many years of experience as a Utility Sound Technician (UST), Mierzwa provides more than tips and tricks.  Packed in each chapter is a guide to best practices and the reasons why.

Behind the Sound Cart is divided into chapters based on topics beginning with an overview of the UST’s duties.  Also known as 2nd Assistant Sound, they work on everything sound-related not covered by the Mixer or the Boom Operator, even then the UST might have to use a second boom, or even cover for the mixer.  In light of how flexible the UST must be, it makes sense to use them as a focal point for a guidebook on production sound.  Mierzwa has the reader follow her footsteps through nearly every scenario a UST might face.  I cannot believe I ever set foot on a set without Behind the Sound Cart.

Mierzwa stresses the importance of safety with every chapter.  Current events show us that this emphasis is always necessary.  However, safety is not just protection from a dolly running you over:  heat, stress, and fatigue can also be deadly.  Don’t skip the sections on first aid and COVID protocols either.  Gear cleaning and maintenance fall into this category as well.

From cover to cover, Mierzwa leads by example of professionalism and integrity.  Do not expect this book to be full of celebrity anecdotes.  Part of being a respected UST is respecting the cast. One might expect a book on the basics of production sound to be dry without juicy gossip, but there are plenty of stories and jokes peppered through each chapter.  Attached in the appendices are forms, paperwork, and other documents used throughout the film production process.  Those alone are worth the price of this book.  Refreshing is the way Mierzwa uses “she/her” as the default pronouns over “he/him.”  Sure, a more neutral pronoun like the singular “they” would be optimal, it allows one to imagine a film crew that is more diverse than the “industry standard.”

I recommend Behind the Sound Cart to anyone looking to succeed in the film industry.  That includes early career professionals, as well as students and production assistants.  I would even recommend this book for fledgling directors and cinematographers.  Patrushkha Mierzwa has put a career’s worth of information into a manageable package, and it should be in every production sound engineer’s library.

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