ABSTRACT
Female audio engineers were central to the “women’s music” movement, which emerged in the 1970s in reaction to a male-identified and corporate-controlled popular music industry. This chapter focuses on five pioneer audio engineers who were central to the production of women’s live and recorded music. At the time of the interviews, each of the women had worked in the industry for more than 30 years, with stellar accomplishments. They described the complicated nature of their work, identifying the various technologies used – both analog and digital – and the tasks and skills involved whether in the studio or in live concert settings. The women were drawn to audio engineering by an inherent love of music, and the burgeoning feminist movement created a demand for concerts and albums created by and for women. Learning the craft in a male-dominated industry was mostly an informal process, supplemented by formal study in most cases. The reported benefits derived from their audio engineering work were individual and societal – satisfying passions to help make music, interacting creatively with performers, and serving as part of a larger social-change movement.
