SoundGirls.org was co-founded by Keyes and fellow audio engineer Michelle Sabolchick Pettinato around seven years ago. It supports women working in professional audio and music production by highlighting their success and providing a place for them to connect, network, and share advice and experiences.
Our goal was mainly to find other women in audio. We had been working in audio for 20-plus years and we were tired of people going, I've never seen another woman do this', , says Keyes. So we built a website and found other women, because we knew they existed! We offer support and guidance for people starting out and have amazing women blogging for us. We do workshops and meetups and it just keeps growing. Now we're trying to figure out what we can do for our community in this time of need.
Keyes and Pell met online through SoundGirls.org and although the pair have never met in person, they have developed a strong bond.
We keep trying to meet, but our tour schedules never seem to line up, Keyes laughs. Becky is amazing. She used to blog for SoundGirls.org and she's a huge supporter. We've bonded and just stay in touch online.
I didn't realise there were many other women doing this, adds Pell. It's fantastic to have this place where we can come together and support each other. It was hugely inspiring to me, and a bit of a fangirl moment. Pearl Jam is one of my favourite bands, so to discover that the monitor engineer was a woman was really exciting!
Keyes has been with Pearl Jam for 30 years. Her big piece of advice to any engineer is be nice to your support bands. Pearl Jam was my support band when I was out on tour with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, she recalls. I was asked if I would mix Pearl Jam for a half hour slot by the road manager. I said yes and we've been together since then. You never know what's going to happen. So be nice to those departments.
Pell notes that any monitor engineer will tell you the job is 50% technology 50% psychology. When she started working with Westlife, technology was starting to come into its own, but was not as refined as it is today. In their earlier days, the screaming level coming out from the audience was just nuts, like any boy band very young girls with high pitched voices. Technology has improved and progressed since then, and the band have honed their craft. I can make them much more comfortable on stage now; they can hear themselves and actually enjoy the performance thanks to the improvements in technology.
But as important as the technology is trust. It's everything, Pell adds. The band need to feel heard. They need to feel that you've got their back because they're totally reliant on you. You need to be on your A game for them. We all have different ways of doing things and different modes of mixing. With Westlife, the guys just liked the sounds that I made, and we seem to click. So much of it is down to relationships and not assuming that you know what they want. It takes time to build up that kind of relationship.
Both Pearl Jam and Westlife use a mixture of wedges on stage and in-ear monitoring, which makes for a more complicated set up. Both rely on DiGiCo consoles to give them the capacity and flexibility they need, with Keye's using an SD5 and Pell and SD10, SD5 or SD7, depending on availability in different territories.
The SD5 has been amazing, says Keyes. I love the sound and the power it has, and I can set it up however I need it to be. I've set mine up pretty much to run as an analogue console. My main job is to be paying attention to the band, so I have I pretty much have everything I need on the surface.
I like to keep things fairly simple, so I only use additional processing if it's really necessary, adds Pell. I'm a big fan of getting the gain and EQ right, so I tend to use parametric EQs on the vocals and across all the output mixes. I like the multiband compression and the dynamic EQ that the DiGiCos have on board these days. The multiband compression is very sensitive and just lets me smooth out any slightly barking frequencies or anything when they're really belting.
The SD7 has been my usual package, But I agree with Karrie about the fact we're supposed to be looking at the guys, not at the desk. I love the way you can lay things out however you want and use them - and the fantastic processing power. I find DiGiCo's very intuitive to use and you can tailor them to your workflow and the way your mind sees things. That means you can look at that stage, rather than the console.
This is particularly handy, as both engineers have developed their own short hands with their bands.
Last time we were doing a run of baseball stadiums, Eddie invited some baseball players to the show, smiles Keyes. He introduced me to a pitcher, or a catcher, and he was explaining to them that just like they have hand signals, that me and him have signals too!
More often than not it can just be a glance and you'll lock in with what it is that they want, says Pell. Some of [Westlife] like to be a bit cheeky with me and give me the oh my God, I can't hear anything!' look, and then go haha, I'm just joking'.
The overarching piece of advice both engineers have for when the industry opens up again is to have a good attitude.
Attitude is everything in this industry, says Keyes. If you go to work, you have a good, gung-ho attitude and work as a team: you're going to get it done and you volunteer when you're done doing whatever you need to be doing. If you're generally in a good mood, people are going to want to be around you and continue to work with you.
It doesn't matter what age you are and how long you've been in the business - if you're a pain in the butt to work with, people
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
19/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/03/2026
How Chris Bolte Builds the Sound of PlayStation Games Chris Bolte '16 is a technical sound designer at Sucker Punch Productions, where he helps create the...
18/03/2026
Newly named chief product officer (CPO), Larissa G rner Meeus will return to Net Insight on May 4.
Larissa G rner Meeus will become CPO of Net Insight on May 4...
18/03/2026
SVG Europe's The Football Summit 2026 explored how the sports broadcasting i...
18/03/2026
The 2026 NAB Show kicks off one month from today and SVG is once again set to cover the show from every angle. SVG's SportsTech@NAB Show Blog is now live - ...
18/03/2026
(L-R) The cast and crew of Dead Lover at The Ray Theater for its premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. (Photo by Robin Marshall/Shutterstock for Sundan...
18/03/2026
Yamaha C7 captured in Nashville
Wiltone Productions have announced the release of Music Row Piano, a deeply sampled Yamaha C7 piano library that's been ...
18/03/2026
Bass-enhancement plug-in upgraded
Along with a steady stream of new releases, Techivation have recently been revisiting some of the older plug-ins in their ...
18/03/2026
Mix-reference plug-in overhauled
iZotope's powerful mix-referencing plug-in has just reached its third major version, and now boasts a new capture proce...
18/03/2026
Latest EZKeys 2 expansion arrives
Toontrack's staggering collection of EZKeys 2 expansions has grown once again, and the latest instalment delivers a on...
18/03/2026
Jess Ho explores the politics of food in new SBS Audio podcast For The Culture
18 March, 2026
Media releases
New SBS Audio podcast For The Culture, hosted ...
18/03/2026
Future-ready broadcasts with ATSC 3.0 and enhanced services from Rohde & Schwarz...
18/03/2026
London Calling - When The Industry Convened to Help Streaming Find its MoJo In this blog, Laura Rognoni reflects on key discussions from the Connected TV World...
18/03/2026
SMPTE Unveils 2026 NAB Show Educational Presentations
Brie Clayton March 18, 2026
0 Comments
SMPTE , the home of media professionals, technologists, a...
18/03/2026
Auditel Ad Campaign Shot on Blackmagic PYXIS 12K
Brie Clayton March 18, 2026
0 Comments
LED wall virtual production blends 12K open gate acquisition w...
18/03/2026
Brainstorm transforms productivity and sustainability with Suite 7 at NAB Show 2...
18/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/03/2026
SMPTE , the home of media professionals, technologists, and engineers, today unveiled its educational presentations for the 2026 NAB Show. This year SMPTE will ...
18/03/2026
Maxon, maker of powerful, approachable software solutions for creators working in 2D and 3D design, motion graphics, visual effects, gaming, and more, today ann...
18/03/2026
Digital Alert Systems
Preview
2026 NAB Show
April 19 - 22
Booth C3452
At the 2026 NAB Show, Digital Alert Systems will showcase Version 6.0 of its DASDEC ...
18/03/2026
Setplex today announced that it will showcase its complete, fully integrated Zapflex platform for the first time at the 2026 NAB Show, introducing powerful new ...
18/03/2026
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT RELATES TO THE DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION THAT QUALIFIED OR MAY HAVE QUALIFIED AS INSIDE INFORMATION WITHIN THE MEANING OF ARTICLE 7(1) OF THE ...
18/03/2026
COW Jobs: Seeking DP for Low Budget Dramedy - Chicago
Brie Clayton March 17, 2026
0 Comments
Seeking Director of Photography for Low Budget Dramedy Fe...
18/03/2026
COW Jobs: Seeking Gaffer for Low Budget Dramedy - Chicago
Brie Clayton March 17, 2026
0 Comments
Seeking Gaffer for Low Budget Dramedy Feature Film- I...
18/03/2026
COW Jobs: Seeking Location, Sound for Low Budget Dramedy - Chicago
Brie Clayton March 17, 2026
0 Comments
Seeking Location/Sound for Low Budget Dramed...
18/03/2026
COW Jobs: Seeking Child Wrangler for Low Budget Film - Chicago
Brie Clayton March 17, 2026
0 Comments
Seeking Child Wrangler for Low Budget Dramedy Fe...
18/03/2026
Calrec Redefines Broadcast Workflows at NAB 2026 with its Most Powerful Hardware...
18/03/2026
Oscar Nominated Two People Exchanging Saliva Posted with DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton March 17, 2026
0 Comments
DaVinci Resolve Studio handle...
18/03/2026
Boston Conservatory Presents Celebrated Musical Satire Urinetown Performances for this Center Stage production will take place at Boston Conservatory Theater ...
18/03/2026
Charlie Puth Joins Switched on Pop at Berklee NYC The Berklee alum spoke with host and Berklee NYC professor Charlie Harding for a live taping, answering audi...
18/03/2026
X-Rite Pantone Demonstrates Advanced Color Management Solutions to Support Smart...
18/03/2026
Wednesday 18 March 2026
BAFTA winner James McAvoy to star in Sky Original serie...
18/03/2026
Wednesday 18 March 2026
Sky Sports and Zuffa Boxing announce multi-year agreement for the UK and Ireland
Sky Sports and Zuffa Boxing have announced a new mult...
18/03/2026
Wednesday 18 March 2026
Sky Unveils Poster and Trailer for Original Feature Fil...
SoundGirls.org was co-founded by Keyes and fellow audio engineer Michelle Sabolchick Pettinato around seven years ago. It supports women working in professional audio and music production by highlighting their success and providing a place for them to connect, network, and share advice and experiences.
