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or is this mostly for guys?

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anonymous Fri, 01/14/2005 - 00:53

better late than never

so while searching the internet for any sign of other femal engineers, i found this forum posting. a little late but better than never, i say. well, so far it looks like there's three of us. basically, that smart guy's attitude at the top of the forum is what is amiss with the technical side of a male dominated industry. i'll have you know that i'm way better working an ssl than working a blender. i'd probably kill you if i tried to cook for you. any ball buster of a woman can be a studio manager, but we can't be engineers? THAT'S CRAP. as far as clients being uncomfortable with females behind the desk, i think it depends greatly on what sort of woman she is and how she carries herself in the studio. of course the big chested, little skirt wearin ladies ARE going to find it hard. for now, anyways. i personally don't think that it sould be that way, but unfortunatly, the industry and it's clients aren't ready for both beautiful AND valuable technical staff. so, for now, it looks like becoming 'one of the boys' is the best way to make an entry into the field. but i think any woman that lets someone say that we can't be behind that desk shouldn't be behind the desk. so when my records wins a grammy and goes gold, we'll see who's mixing my dinner, mister. :)

anonymous Fri, 01/14/2005 - 04:52

the first time ever i got into a studio, was to do a two-day demo-recording with a band of mine.
that studio got me into this whole audio-stuff. and the female-engineer/producer, who was, besides being extremely knowledgeable, extremely kind and social. i think had something more to offer than i think any man can do. (and no, u wanker, not that)
women just have different views on stuff. and a lot of men can learn from them especially at social level.
so i definitely think women belong in the audio-world/studio! 8-)

Guest Fri, 01/14/2005 - 06:09

Yep... being female has really gotten in [="http://www.trinashoemaker.com"]Trina Shoemaker[/]="http://www.trinasho…"]Trina Shoemaker[/]'s way... totally killed Sylvia Massey's career... and has really hurt [[url=http://="http://www.thelodge…"]Emily Lazar[/]="http://www.thelodge…"]Emily Lazar[/]'s business...

Women are definitely "under represented" in most aspects of the entertainment industry... but they do make the best "chick singers" and "actresses".

anonymous Fri, 01/14/2005 - 09:00

Yeah, female engineers definately rock, and that nice smell of perfume in the control room, really enhances a session! 8) A little OT here but... have anyone ( besides me) noticed the way female keyboardist play? There is something just soothing in the way they seem to voice their chording, everything just seems to sound "pretty, delicate, etc.". Not saying that women can't rock when needed, but maybe it's just a natural thing, women being pretty and all! :| .... Thanks for your time and ears!

anonymous Fri, 01/14/2005 - 12:26

Fletcher wrote: Yep... being female has really gotten in [="http://www.trinashoemaker.com"]Trina Shoemaker[/]="http://www.trinasho…"]Trina Shoemaker[/]'s way... totally killed Sylvia Massey's career... and has really hurt [[url=http://="http://www.thelodge…"]Emily Lazar[/]="http://www.thelodge…"]Emily Lazar[/]'s business...

Women are definitely "under represented" in most aspects of the entertainment industry... but they do make the best "chick singers" and "actresses".

Yeah whatever happened to Sylvia Massey? Those Tool records sound great.

Emily Lazar is hot.

anonymous Fri, 01/14/2005 - 18:30

when i start a session with a new band/client, of course i worry whether i'll get slack from bull headed blokes. there's always one alpha male who needs to piss on everything and mark his territory once he gets a whiff of perfume. but i'm not a guy, and i don't feel the need to do the same. usually, he realizes that i'm not out to challenge him or his status, and i can redirect that energy into playing. and that's the key difference between male and female engineers. i think some women are better at keeping their heads on when trouble happens, communicating, and generally making folks comfortable. so, there's a different mood in the studio when a woman's behind the desk. i think the old school, over macho, and insecure men make the studio more tense and hold back women engineers.

anonymous Fri, 01/14/2005 - 19:42

I personally don't have a problem with a female behind the desk. If she is good, then she's just another good engineer from where I see it! I have a good friend of mine that's female, she has a nice modest project studio. She writes,plays, record,and mix her own songs, and does a great job! I hear ya trixie, keep it going! 8-)

anonymous Fri, 01/14/2005 - 20:11

thanks for the love! i love my profession, i love making music, and i love helping others capture their creativity. i'm a hopeless tweaker and a certified microphone geek. i'm glad that i've found something i want to get up and do every day, and it's reassuring to know that not every man in the industry is out to keep it an gentleman's club. in general, i've been lucky in my still young career. i've managed to become the first woman in my studio's technical staff. and i've been grateful for the experience so far. my biggest concern is what any professional should worry about- getting through the shit, fixing what is amiss, knowing my gear, and getting the job done. oh, and having it all sound good when it's finished. :)

i'm not sure about women's ears being more sensitive to high frequencies. this is the first i've heard of it, but it's an interesting point. i think some late night internet research might be in order...

anonymous Fri, 01/14/2005 - 21:10

also found this...

http://stereophile.com/news/10986/

couldn't find any hardcore medical material, but all the pages seemed to say that women are more sensitive to HF. there was much mention of women also having less HF loss with age. it seemed that around 45-55 years of age men's ears are worse off than women's. i know that i don't record with the monitors pumping, and i mix as low as i can possibly go. curious....