Reviews
&
Interviews

"I think, being women,
we get a lot of shit
from people, particularly
because we didn't always
come across as rowdy and
boisterous, good-time girls.
We gave the audience
a harder time in terms of
coping with our music.
We took ourselves seriously."
-- GINA BIRCH
THE RAINCOATS

Previous Articles:

Women's Audio Mission: Changing the Face of Sound

by M.R. Daniel

Even if you love distortion, you might be less than pleased with your live sound. Maybe you're still challenged by a hand-me-down 4-track. Want to make your own cables, or produce your own or a friend's CD? Editing live sound with programmed samples? Need to know what type of mic to use so you sound your best?

If you're thinking, "yeah, so tell me already!" That's probably because most women don't get the opportunity to learn about audio recording and engineering. Unfortunately, women professionals comprise less than 5% of the recording industry.

Not prepared to just accept those numbers, Women's Audio Mission (WAM), a new, all volunteer, women-run organization dedicated to the advancement of women in the recording arts, has arrived on the scene.

Since R&B singer Ruth Brown became the top-selling artist of the mid-1950's, increasing numbers of women recording artists have enjoyed successful careers in mainstream and independent music. However, the number of women "behind the glass" (at the recording console) has not changed in over 30 years!

WAM works to create an environment that will encourage and enable the aspirations of women in the recording arts, and, in turn expand the vision and voice of media and popular culture. The organization provides access to audio technology, and training in its use to record sound for music, radio, film, television and the internet for women and girls.

How does WAM do it?

Project GROW's "Girls Rock! A career as a recording engineer" workshops introduced over 75 girls to the recording arts at
Skyline College's Expanding Your Horizons,
an annual event introducing technology-based
careers to young girls.

Project G.R.O.W. (Girls Recording Outreach Workshops) exposes young girls to women mentors and sound recording technology to facilitate small-scale recording projects that mirror professional activities and techniques.

Check out the interview with Michelle Malone (a financially and artistically successful independent recording artist!).

Women on Sound is an audio interview archive project produced and maintained by Women's Audio Mission. Women on Sound promotes, preserves and shapes the history of women in the sound recording arts by recording the stories of ground-breaking women in their own voices.

WAM Workshops are designed to introduce, support, and expand on a traditional recording arts course of study. This helps advance women in the field by providing training and hands-on experience that is either hard to find or typically denied to women.
To date, WAM workshops have covered: Wiring, Live Sound: Mic Placement and Mixing, Recording/Arranging/Songwriting for Music Production, and included a tour of a professional mastering studio. Some examples of future workshops are: Making Cables, More About Equalization (EQ), More About the Patchbay, and Choosing the Right Mic.

WAM is based in San Francisco, but has members across the United States and overseas. If you're in the Bay Area and want to check out WAM, member meetings occur once a month. Call the contact number to find out the date and location of meetings. Check online for upcoming workshops.

If you're located elsewhere you can still get on the WAM e-list through the website. Ask questions, learn more about WAM activities, and share information about what's happening in your area. Get involved, and be a part of changing the face of sound!

For more information, contact WAM:
Women's Audio Mission
P.O. Box 410663 San Francisco, CA 94141
415-425-1597
twinston@womensaudiomission.org
www.womensaudiomission.org
www.womenonsound.org

Terri Winston,
Founder and Executive Director

Terri Winston has a unique combination of expertise and experience that led her to the creation of WAM. She has 20 years experience in the music industry as a major-label recording artist/engineer and producer, and is trained as an electrical engineer. Currently Winston is a tenure-track professor of Sound Recording Arts at City College of San Francisco. WAM began when Winston discovered her women students’ difficulties finding internship opportunities that treated them with respect and provided the hands-on experience necessary to succeed in a very competitive field.

Interview with Michelle Malone at Bottom of the Hill, SF

WAM Studio Wiring Workshop