Hinter den Kulissen #2 | Berufe im Musikbusiness
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Wir haben diese neue Reihe nicht vergessen, nur etwas vernachlässigt. Nach wie vor wollen wir Euch aber weiterhin ab und zu Menschen hinter den Kulissen, hinter den Mischpulten, Vorhängen oder Schreibtischen vorstellen, die den Musikzirkus am Laufen halten und zum Teil natürlich auch erst möglich machen. Falls Ihr Euch nicht mehr an den ersten Teil erinnert, schaue bitte bei Flo von Handshake Booking vorbei.
Heute möchte ich Euch Mirna vorstellen, Musikerin und Tontechnikerin. Vornehmlich sorgt sie für den Sound im Prachtwerk Neukölln, wo in regelmäßigen Abständen u.a. der Songcircle Berlin stattfindet. Dass es im Gegensatz zu männlichen Kollegen immer noch viel zu wenig Frauen gibt, die als Musikerinnen von der Presse Beachtung erfahren, Führungspositionen bei den „Big-Playern“ besetzen oder eben den „alltäglichen Jobs“ im Musikgeschäft (damit meine ich eben Tontechnikerin, Lichtgestalterin, Produzentin etc.) nachgehen, ist kein Geheimnis. Freuen wir uns also darauf, hier von Mirna zu erfahren, wie ein Arbeitstag einer Tontechnikerin aussehen kann und welches ihre Aufgaben sind.
Ich hatte ja schon angedeutet, dass Mirna auch Musikerin ist. In Kroatien geboren, zog es sie zuerst nach Brighton und anschließend nach Berlin, wo sie seit zwei Jahren heimisch ist. Als Minni arbeitet sie an neuem Material, ihre erste Single soll in Kürze veröffentlicht werden. Ihr könnt sie ab und zu auf Soundcloud besuchen, dann bekommt Ihr auch mit, wenn dort Lieder veröffentlicht werden.
Interview mit Mirna
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What ist the correct term for your job?
I’m a live sound-engineer.
How does a usual workday look like for you?
I come to work around 5pm and start setting up for the soundcheck that usually starts around 5.30 or 6pm. When the band is set up on stage, and all the microphones and gear is plugged in, we start with the sound-check The sound check takes about 45minutes. After the headliner, the support act sets up on stage and then I soundcheck them. It’s usually a solo act but sometimes can be a band as well. Then everyone takes a short break before the start of the concert.
The support act goes on stage first and plays for half an hour or so. Then there’s another short break during which we do a change over on stage and make the stage ready for the headlining band. When everything is ready, we restart the show. The show usually last for an hour. We have a 10pm curfew at our venue. After the concert I need to put all the gear away, and that includes cables, microphones, DI’s, sometimes instruments, microphone stands, and then switch everything off. Then I’m done.
Do you work alone or with a team?
I usually work alone.
You are working in an environment still dominated by men. How is the contact between you and your male colleagues? Do you feel like you are not taken seriously sometimes? Or do you think the gender is not really an issue?
I think people do take me seriously so I don’t have any problems with that luckily. My experiences have mostly been very positive. I think most people enjoy the fact that I’m a female sound engineer because it’s quite unusual. I often get comments like this. I think I create an atmosphere in which the artists feel comfortable, not only to do with technical aspects of the event, but also just general hospitality, kindness, understanding etc. Maybe women are a bit better at that…
In a city like Berlin, there are less gender issues than what you would encounter in smaller communities I’m sure.
What are you aiming for in your job? What does it come down to?
I usually feel like I’m part of the band when I mix. So every show is a new experience. You can’t really just plug everything in and forget about it. And it’s not just about keeping your faders up. It’s about understanding what the band wants and feeling the music. I’m always painting a new soundscape with each show. It’s never exactly the same. So i keep learning new tricks. That’s my aim I guess. To keep learning. Keep improving. And to feel like I’m doing something creative.
What do you think are the most important skills you need for your job?
Technical knowledge of course but this doesn’t mean anything without having musical sensitivity. A sound engineer needs to be creative and be able to „envision“ the sound she/he wants to create. And then know how to get there! Of course this also depends on the instruments the band is using, their amps, the PA of the venue etc. And above all their musical skills. The better these things are, the better job I can do.
Do you have to travel a lot for your job?
Not really. I’m the house technician at a venue in Neukolln called Prachtwerk so I work mostly there. I’ve been there for 2 years now. But sometimes I get an invitation to work at a festival or record somebody in a studio or something like that. This year I worked for Pop Kultur Festival and Melodica Festival.
What ist he most fun part in your job and what ist the part you don’t like that much?
The most fun part is definitely mixing and meeting new people. The least fun part, although sometimes quite meditative, is tidying everything up after the show.
What was the latest music you discovered?
A band called Vetiver. A friend of mine played them to me and now I have them playing on repeat. Also two local musicians called Isabel Ment and Crook. You should check them out! They’re one of the best singer-songwriters in Berlin.
Lückentext:
To work in the music industry means that _I’m doing what I like most_. If I did not become a sound-engineer, I would probably be working _in tourism on the coast of Croatia by now_. First thing I do when I arrive at work is _have an espresso macchiato_. _I don’t really know how a “nine-to-five-job” feels like. I’ve never had one! And I’m not looking for one either. I think I would get bored and would feel uninspired probably. But maybe I’m wrong._ A workday is perfect if _I feel like the mix I did for the band is good and everyone’s happy afterwards_.
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Du kennst jemanden, der/die auch einen Job hinter den sagenumwobenen Kulissen hat? Melde Dich oder noch besser: die Person darf sich bei uns melden, wir freuen uns darauf!
