Few female recording engineers

JGriffin · Post by **JGriffin** » Wed Oct 12, 2011 8:38 pm

"...and since both microphones were manufactured by Telefunken, were they both available in metallic mint green paint?"

"They WERE!"

informationhoarder · Post by **informationhoarder** » Sun May 20, 2012 1:06 pm

Yes, women solder. We also equalize and compress, just as you do. Some women even understand the difference between a MOSFET and a JFET circuit. Is it such a canundrum to think that maybe, some of us, ACTUALLY DESIRE to revolve our lives around the manipulation of organized sound and silence? Is it a myth to believe in a woman who GETS OFF to the smell of analog tape and the hum of a tape machine in a smoke filled room with only the light of the V.U. meters guiding her mix?
It's true, this elusive creature does exist. Women like Stephanie exist; Women like myself exist. This world is full of a vast range of anomolies.
I am no mathmetician or graduate. I am simply a humble musician who would rather die than give up creative control over her music to a male. I just so happened to be born with a great deal of patience and will power to obtain the tools and knowledge I need to perfect the sound I hear in my head. The only reason I work a job is to make money to buy gear to make my own album. That's it. The drive to create and manipulate the creation is androgynous.
I have been stalking your fourms for months now, trying out your ideas and eating up your advice. This seemed like the perfect place to make a first post. Cheers.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/78989253@N04/7235924842/ (purchases, lifts, operates and mantains all of her own gear).

Angie · Post by **Angie** » Mon May 21, 2012 2:31 am

Stephanie, great post.

Bottom line, we just aren't taken seriously. I've been an engineer for 25 years and I've felt it more recently than ever before.

Gillian Lee · Post by **Gillian Lee** » Mon May 21, 2012 6:54 am

I've been mistaken for a girlfriend/relative/receptionist/lost on occasion. I bet the opposite happens to male nurses.
It's the unfortunate truth that sexism exists in all facets of life, and studios are no exception. Jerks are everywhere. I don't think this is why girls don't get into audio though.

I also don't think the 'nerdy audio guy feels awkward around pretty girls' reasoning stands up- this is just bad people-skills in action. What happens if the client is a girl? Don't we say that people skills are such an integral part of engineering, or any creative work?

I'm sure there have been times when I've not been taken seriously - I am young and lack the experience to wow people into submission with my ninja-mixing skills. Ultimately though, I would like to hope that the work I do is appreciated and sought by people without them giving a shit whether I'm a guy or a girl, or what colour shirt I have on, or whether I believe in six gods, or some other preference that has no bearing on anyone's ability to do this job well. Hopefully that's true.

I agree with Stephanie's (great) post that it's in part a 'traditional society role' reason, though the findings from that Huffington Post article could apply too, generalisations and all. I can see how it might be an intimidating job path, like any male-dominated industry. Maybe it's lack of early exposure- I've played music since I was five, but I had to try hard to seek access to studios during highschool, and our school certainly didn't teach audio. Probably a combination. I'm in two minds though, because the girl engineer thing has definitely got me noticed on occasions when I might be "just another intern-seeking audio geek", so it has upsides too.

Gregg Juke · Post by **Gregg Juke** » Mon May 21, 2012 7:19 am

Wow. How long has this thread been running? (I know I've been ignoring it for months; maybe a year?), and ya'll are just coming out of the woodwork now?

Serious question that may bring things a little more in perspective, or at least a bit closer to home-- Why did it take the four of you ladies this long to post/speak up right here at TapeOp, if you've been lurking here this long, and specifically following this thread?

GJ

Angie · Post by **Angie** » Mon May 21, 2012 7:26 am

I've been active on this board for a number of years. But this past year I hadn't the time to even lurk. Just saw the post today.

Gillian Lee · Post by **Gillian Lee** » Mon May 21, 2012 3:45 pm

Same, I only saw this thread when the May 2012 post was made.

Brian · Post by **Brian** » Wed May 23, 2012 10:39 am

I wish I'd married up with a female engineer.
The we could both talk about our day and get it. Possibly work together on some stuff.
If I'd only found the elusive female engineer, I wouldn't have married someone with nothing in common.

Female engineers, here's my new personal ad, tell me how to make it better:

"Need new wife or partner, old one exploded. (Spinal Tap reference) Must be able to mix well."

dfuruta · Post by **dfuruta** » Wed May 23, 2012 11:46 am

Brian wrote:Female engineers, here's my new personal ad, tell me how to make it better:

Just want to say this is a fucking stupid thing to post; the tendency of male recordists to treat the women working in audio as first and foremost a potential dating pool is a big part of the reason it's not a welcoming environment.

jhharvest · Post by **jhharvest** » Wed May 23, 2012 12:15 pm

dfuruta wrote:
Brian wrote:Female engineers, here's my new personal ad, tell me how to make it better:
Just want to say this is a fucking stupid thing to post; the tendency of male recordists to treat the women working in audio as first and foremost a potential dating pool is a big part of the reason it's not a welcoming environment.

Wait, that's just the same as in any other industry? Likewise women, in female dominated trade, will prey upon the men at the workplace. Said men of course mostly turn out to be gay, how else would they be in nursing or ballet?

Personally regardless of the job I'd never date a colleague. It's just asking for trouble. I've worked with some female engineers. Can't say it's any different to working with male engineers. They put some mics up, hit record. If you know your stuff I don't care if you are man, woman or the abominable snowman.

informationhoarder · Post by **informationhoarder** » Wed May 23, 2012 4:51 pm

Gregg Juke:
It seems that any post made by a female on a seemingly male-dominated fourm will be judged more analytically and critically, as well as taken less seriously (perhaps due to subconsious sexism). That is why I personally stay in the woodwork. I prefer to lurk, learn from your shootouts, rants, debates and boyish quarrels, swiftly pocket the knowledge I need to aquire, and log off. The more I know, the bigger my metaphorical balls grow until one day, they'll knock ya'll out.

Brian:
Get a divorce.

chris harris · Post by **chris harris** » Wed May 23, 2012 5:03 pm

I'm pretty sure that Brian already answered Gregg's question.

Gregg Juke · Post by **Gregg Juke** » Wed May 23, 2012 5:57 pm

Dig, y'all; I kind of figured it was something like that. And in a big way, I understand that it still _is_ a lot like that (boys club).

But if we're going to hold everybody to the same professional standard (and believe me, this wasn't a set-up, I only looked at them _after_ I posted my question)-- Well, I see that Miss Rose has removed her flickr link from the last post... those pictures are, really, really nice and all, but not exactly what _I'd_ post if I was worried about sexism in the industry, and about myself being a possible target. It would seem to be sort of, well, more than counter-intuitive. It would seem sort of, counter-productive and disengenuous. Just sayin.'

BTW, _nobody's_ will ever be as big as mine, since the subject was brought up.

Serious BTW-- Hey, you should post anyway. If you want to be taken seriously, you should know that there are at least _some_ men that would take your participation as a breath of fresh air, and would welcome the input. Provided it's not about balls or sexist photos...

GJ

Snarl 12/8 · Post by **Snarl 12/8** » Thu May 24, 2012 12:23 am

Gregg Juke wrote: But if we're going to hold everybody to the same professional standard (and believe me, this wasn't a set-up, I only looked at them _after_ I posted my question)-- Well, I see that Miss Rose has removed her flickr link from the last post... those pictures are, really, really nice and all, but not exactly what _I'd_ post if I was worried about sexism in the industry, and about myself being a possible target. It would seem to be sort of, well, more than counter-intuitive. It would seem sort of, counter-productive and disengenuous. Just sayin.'

Gregg, not to get pedantic on you, but she didn't really say any of that in her post even though she's chimed in on this thread on that topic. I think the pics kindof back up the tough talk in her post.

Nick Sevilla · Post by **Nick Sevilla** » Thu May 24, 2012 7:37 am

Hi,
Ladies, you do great work.

Be patient with us guys... you have to remember we're wired in the brain, by nature, for reproduction. Some of use more than others. This wiring naturally creates some pretty dumb assertions about the opposite sex.

I've been lucky to work with a number of female artists, and always enjoy their different perspective on how things sound. It is a refreshing thing to look at music differently enough from one's own view.

Hope to see some of you at the upcoming PotLuckCon, in august.

Including some of you dudes...

http://messageboard.tapeop.com/viewtopic.php?t=79703

Cheers

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Few female recording engineers

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