Women In Audio

30 Years / 30 Studios is a new blog series highlighting some of the studios Vintage King has helped during our three decades in pro audio. We'll talk with studio owners, engineers, and producers about how they got their start, where they are heading, and all the gear they've picked up along the way. Learn more about Vintage King's 30th...

Photo by Lissyelle Laricchia The current music industry landscape finds many artists handling every aspect of their creative output. They are the performer, engineer, mixer, and promotor all wrapped up in one package. For some, it's a system that kind of works, and for others, not so much. But then there is Sarah Tudzin, someone operating on all fronts at an elite level and having a lot of fun doing it. Continue reading →

Marcella “Ms. Lago” Araica is a world-class producer and audio engineer credited for mixing more than 100 chart-topping hits. Throughout her 20-year career, she’s worked with superstars such as ​​Beyoncé, Britney Spears, Usher, Missy Elliot and many more. We recently had the pleasure of chatting with Ms. Lago for our 20 Questions series, where we discussed her journey in the music industry, from studying at Full Sail and landing her first job at The Hit Factory to opening her own studio and founding N.A.R.S. Records. Read on to learn about what gear she’s been using lately, her go-to vocal chain and her advice for up-and-coming engineers. Continue reading →

To say that Gena Johnson has had one hell of a 2021 is the understatement of the year. The Nashville-based engineer and producer garnered a nomination from the Academy of Country Music Awards for Engineer of the Year, in addition to seeing several records she worked on grab 2022 Grammy nominations. Oh, and did we mention she got married?! Prior to tying the knot, Vintage King sat down with Gena to give her the 20 Questions treatment. Read on to discover how she got started in the world of recording, learn about some of her favorite gear and find out the one artist that she's been dreaming of working with. Continue reading →

A version of this interview with Erin Tonkon was previously published in PLAYBACK Issue 002. Be sure to check out the entire issue here. Erin Tonkon broke into the world of engineering at a young age and started learning under the best at NYU's Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music. During her studies, the budding engineer began working with production legend Tony Visconti and the duo were at the helm for releases from David Bowie, Esperanza Spalding and The Damned. Erin has continued to amass an incredible discography of work, including mixing albums for Sad13, Richard Hell, Rosie Tucker, Lady Lamb and more. Read on to get the inside scoop on five favorites from Erin's career so far. Continue reading →

Erin Tonkon broke into the world of engineering at a young age and started learning under the best at NYU's Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music. During her studies, the budding engineer began working with production legend Tony Visconti. Over the course of six years, Erin would work side-by-side with Tony, including handling the engineering duties for David Bowie's final record, Blackstar, in addition to releases from Esperanza Spalding and The Damned. In recent years, Erin has continued to amass an incredible discography of work, including mixing albums for Sad13, Richard Hell, Rosie Tucker, Lady Lamb and more. She is also the co-founder of a new company that is trying to revive the New York City music scene post-pandemic by bringing together musicians, producers, multiple studios and a new live venue. Continue reading →

Lisa Bella Donna is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, and modular synthesist. She has many years of experience as a session musician and has developed extensive techniques with a variety of genres including musique concreté, micro-tonal music, orchestration, film composition, and more. Recently, Lisa put out two new albums, Night Flight and Orchards of Churchyard Departures. Both records are sonically fitting for the Halloween season, as they feature a number of dark and brooding tones created using a wide range of analog and digital synths. Continue reading →

Kim Rosen is a mastering engineer based out of Ringwood, New Jersey, where she owns and operates her own studio, Knack Mastering. Over the course of the past decade and some change, Kim has put together an impressive resume of records, including Grammy®-nominated releases from Bettye LaVette, Bonnie Raitt, and The Milk Carton Kids, in addition to a win for Aimee Mann's Mental Illness. We had the pleasure of talking with Kim as a part of our ongoing 20 Questions series in which we interview top engineers and producers about their careers and day-to-day lives. Continue below to learn more about how Kim got started in the industry, find out what song defines her mastering work, and get details on the tube amplifier she created with her husband. Continue reading →

Tamar-kali is an accomplished composer and performer, best known for her work on critically-acclaimed films such as The Assistant, The Last Thing He Wanted, and Shirley, all of which received high praise at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. In addition to her work as a film scorer, Tamar-kali also writes and performs with her rock band and her string sextet and voice project. We recently sat down with Tamar-kali for our Five Sounds With... series. Read on to learn about her approach to film scoring, her experiences recording a 16-person ensemble, and how she got her start in the New York punk scene. Continue reading →

Pinar Toprak is a renowned composer and instrumentalist with a diverse body of work spanning film, television, and video games. Known for her work on sci-fi hits like Marvel Studios’ Captain Marvel, DC Comics’ Stargirl on The CW, and SY-FY’s Superman prequel series Krypton, Pinar is a powerhouse in the superhero circuit. Born and raised in Istanbul, Turkey, Pinar began her classical music education at the age of five before moving to Chicago to study jazz. She went on to earn a degree in film scoring from Berklee College of Music, and a Master’s Degree in composition at CSUN. We recently had the pleasure of chatting with Pinar for our Five Sounds With... series. Read on to learn how she captured the iconic sounds of Captain Marvel, Stargirl, and other projects including the extremely popular Fortnite video game. Continue reading →