Women’s Audio Mission (WAM) is all about empowering women and gender-expansive people in music technology. We were thrilled to host Bri Holland, WAM’s LA Education and Internship Program Manager, and several of their interns recently, as they met with AEA owner and CEO Julie Tan. Of course, we also showed them around our facility and gave them a behind-the-scenes look at our corner of the industry.
Since its founding in San Francisco 22 years ago, WAM has provided hands-on education, certifications, and industry access to more than 25,000 participants. Now expanding officially into Los Angeles, WAM is building programs that bring students face-to-face with the tools, environments, and professionals shaping the industry. And our Pasadena facility tour was a perfect way for them to explore the history and future of ribbon microphone design.
Holland, who is also a music educator and audio engineer, recently joined us to discuss the visit. From interacting with Julie to how the experience impacted the interns, she explains why the event was crucial for expanding their vision of a career in audio.
How did the opportunity to visit AEA come about?
Part of what we do is introduce our interns to various audio field careers. And so our tour with AEA was both introducing them to the types of careers in audio and mic manufacturing, and learning more about mic manufacturing, then applying all of those concepts to things that they’ve been learning in the studio. And it also showed the representation, having Julie in the field.
Julie and our executive director, Terri Winston, have known each other for a long time. Julie has been so supportive of WAM’s mission. It was just a matter of figuring out the right puzzle pieces so that it was not too big of a lift.
What was it like for your interns to meet Julie?
It was great. We arrived and chatted with her a little bit about her background and her trajectory in the music industry, and how she went from a sales background into the position that she’s in now. She told us about the history of the company and where they were hoping to go next. All of our interns left incredibly inspired. Many of them have reached out and stayed in touch with her.
What was the tour of the facility like?
It was a great tour. After Julie, we met with Paul (Pegas, AEA Technical Specialist), and he showed us the workshop that he works out of, since they have several buildings. He was doing mic tune-ups, doing QC, and making sure that things were ready to ship.
Then we walked through a few of their other workshops, where they had a ton of equipment. It was extremely well organized. They even had some much older RCA equipment. That was really cool to witness. A lot of it is still being used.
Then they walked us through the building process of the ribbon microphones themselves. We checked out their shipping facilities. We checked out their development facilities and chatted with all their engineers along the way.
How did the tour impact the WAM interns?
The tour was extremely informative and inspiring across the board. We did it just two weeks into our internship program, and our program is designed such that we’re walking interns through both the history of recorded audio as well as the technical skills of recorded audio. So it aligned really well with where we were. Especially because we ended it in their RCA microphone museum room, where they have a collection of hundreds of old RCA microphones.
It grounded us in a space that was so historic. I mean, these are the tools that people continue to engage with after 100 years. We’re getting marketed at all the time for audio products, and understanding the mechanics of what makes something lasting and worthwhile was really impactful.
Did the tour change their view of the audio industry?
Oh, totally. Yeah. I think the microphone manufacturing side is not one that is as glamorized, maybe, as other parts of the audio industry. So that was very cool to see.
And, actually, a couple of weeks later, we did a mic shootout at Vintage King that included one or two AEA microphones. I think the AEA tour gave them an understanding about the technical mechanics of what they were hearing. It was really impactful, and many of the interns were really excited about the sounds that they were getting on their own voices.
Why is it important for interns to get hands-on experience with professional tools like AEA microphones?
There can often be an intimidation factor to the tech side of the tools that we’re using. There’s a learning curve. And I think the more tangible aspects of what we’re doing and signal flow have gotten a little bit more obscured by doing everything in the box. So it demystifies the technical elements.
Walking through the facilities and talking about the process of actually building these mics gave them more of a sense of it being accessible. They’re something that the folks in our internship program — with the skills that they already have — can already engage with.
What do you like about ribbon microphones, and what do they bring to the learning process?
What I love most about ribbons is the dynamic sensitivity. We’re so used to hearing ribbons on music from the ’30s through ’60s that it gives them a nostalgic vibe, especially on vocalists. I find that ribbon microphones smooth out the EQ of a brassier vocalist in a way that’s really pleasing.
In terms of using the microphones as educational tools, because they’re more sensitive, we can teach things like understanding the importance of when and when not to employ phantom power and explaining the electrical mechanics of what’s happening. The engineering is more straightforward. It’s step by step in a way that makes it great for the classroom.
What’s your hope for what students take away from experiences like this?
I would hope that our interns feel that pro audio spaces are spaces where they’re welcomed, where they can be themselves, and where they can ask questions. Also that they realize that they already have a lot of the answers to those questions based on their other audio skills.
And I think seeing audio manufacturing and product development will open up those doors for them, too. I also hope that they feel much more comfortable using those tools and incorporating them into their regular audio workflows. Audio isn’t an abstract concept. It’s a craft, a community, and a career they can step into. Seeing that firsthand is invaluable, and it’s exactly the kind of experience we want to keep building for them.
Visit womensaudiomission.org to learn more about the organization, their work, and how you can get involved.
