# Lydia Fortuna | Sound Engineer, etc.

> My name is Lydia (she/her) and I like sounds.

## Pages
- [Demos of My Work](https://www.lydiafortuna.com/demos)
- [Free Earplugs Campaign](https://www.lydiafortuna.com/free-earplugs-campaign)
- [Home](https://www.lydiafortuna.com/)
- [Live Sound Guides](https://www.lydiafortuna.com/live-sound-guides)
- [Live Sound Services](https://www.lydiafortuna.com/live-sound-services)
- [Non-Sound Reasons to Give Me $](https://www.lydiafortuna.com/non-sound-reasons-to-give-me-money)

## Products
- [A Band's Guide to Not Pissing Off Your Sound Tech](https://www.lydiafortuna.com/c/products/a-bands-guide-to-not-pissing-off-your-sound-tech): As long as I have been working live sound, I've heard musicians sharing stories about irritable (or worse, careless) sound engineers throwing off their set. Though I do find that behavior to be unacceptable under pretty much all circumstances, to be fair, we often also find ourselves in a position where it might be rude to assume someone doesn't know how they are hindering their own ability to sound good in a given space, so it can be difficult to find a tactful way to speak up. Then, we're being prevented from doing our best work by factors we can't control, and are often going to catch the blame for it not sounding good when our hands were tied to begin with. It honestly can be frustrating! Here are some things your sound tech might be having an attitude about if they're not handling that frustration so well.
- [A Guide to Your First Sound Gigs](https://www.lydiafortuna.com/c/products/a-guide-to-your-first-sound-gigs): - Questions to ask the person who booked you before the gig - Questions to find answers to once you're onsite - Questions to ask your talent once you meet them
- [BinauraLab Donation](https://www.lydiafortuna.com/c/products/binauralab-donation): For every $15 I get donated to this, I'll work on developing this app for one hour. How do actual web devs fund their projects in this situation? Idk anyway I've been developing an app for iOS for creating your own binaural beats by playing one assignable sine wave in one ear and another in the other, and you can adjust the delta value to encourage certain mental states*** based on the delta value. It's a functional tool right now that I can run on my own phone but I would like to put more work into it before shipping it, though if you contact me and are interested in using the beta version, we can work something out! I would love people's input on it. Current ideas for features: - An "about the science" popup that you can donate to make it go away and unlock the fun features maybe? Free vs paid but not ads just the popup? - simple audio visualizer perhaps? - a pedalboard so you can turn your two sine waves into an ambient track so you're not just... listening to two sine waves... as I sometimes do... listen I'm trying to focus okay don't judge me - UI skins in a really HTML kind of way ***the science is still out in some ways on the effectiveness of binaural beats on stimulating certain electrical patterns in the brain, which is why it's BinauraLab you know? because we're just being our own lab rats here
- [Donate to the Free Earplugs Campaign](https://www.lydiafortuna.com/c/products/donate-to-the-free-earplugs-campaign): One pair is worth $0.13 - $0.19 when purchased in bulk. A case of 100 pairs is $18.99 and a case of 200 pairs is $26.99.
- [Knitting Project Consultation/Lessons](https://www.lydiafortuna.com/c/products/knitting-project-consult-lessons): I can't write a knitting pattern for EVERYTHING but I could probably help you navigate something you're trying to make, like if you want to try a new technique or maybe want to take on a project with a more advanced skill level than you feel ready for, or you're working on something and getting stuck. and could definitely get you going on the basics.
- [Live Sound Optimization Consultation](https://www.lydiafortuna.com/c/products/live-sound-optimization-consultation): Who this is for: - Bands that play or want to play club environments, maybe around 200-500 capacity - Bands preparing for a club tour or a special show - Bands transitioning from the club environment to larger-scale touring environments - Bands considering hiring their own engineer (doesn't have to be me, but you'll hate anyone you hire if you aren't optimizing things on your end first) - Brand new bands (but be sure to check out my specialized New Band Bootcamp service too) Recommended areas of focus: - Mic technique for vocalists - Monitoring strategies - Load-in/load-out efficiency - Gear recommendations How it'll go: - Schedule a band practice with an extra hour planned for talking with me about changes you could try and rerunning things differently together. If you cannot all commit to being there for the entirety of the extended practice, we'll need to schedule another date. - I'll come to a band practice and talk to y'all about your goals and concerns before you start. We'll decide together how and when I offer feedback. - I'll watch you practice as you usually do and take notes, maybe asking some questions between songs. Ideally I'd be able to pop in and listen to anything you might be running through a practice PA on headphones. - Idk I'm tired of typing
- [Making a Useful Stage Plot](https://www.lydiafortuna.com/c/products/making-a-useful-stage-plot): Making a stage plot without having a background in live sound can be super intimidating! Here are some industry standards and some explanations on what a sound engineer might be looking for out of your stage plot.
- [New Band Bootcamp](https://www.lydiafortuna.com/c/products/new-band-bootcamp): Calling all musicians new to playing shows as a band! Playing in your practice space and playing on a stage are two very, very different things. You might find that your amps sound different, you can't hear your vocals, you're overwhelmed by the sound of cymbals, and so on. Hell, you might be saddled with running your own sound if it's a DIY thing! You also, by no fault of your own, might be doing things that are inconsiderate to a venue or engineer. Please give yourself grace in these times when you're new to something - you can't know until you do it! But hopefully I can give you some tips to help you build great relationships with all the spaces you play and sound good while you're doing it. Includes access to all of my live sound PDF guides. What we'll do (at my house in Windsor Park): - Load-in/out drills - Practice mic technique - Stage plot workshop - Talk about: - Stage volume for amps, choice in cymbals - Using backline - Front of house vs. monitors - What to not waste your money on - How to not sound silly when talking to bookers and engineers - Idk I'm tired of typing
- [Shadow Me on a Club Gig](https://www.lydiafortuna.com/c/products/shadow-me-on-a-club-gig): EVEN IF YOU GIVE ME MONEY, IF YOU DON'T DO THE HOMEWORK, I WILL NOT LET YOU SHADOW. Homework required! And if you buy this and change your mind, it's fine, I'll refund you, but I will want to know what changed your mind on shadowing so I can understand people's perspectives on working live sound better. I used to let anyone who asked do this, but I want to make it a little more of a formal process and hopefully make it a more useful experience for both of us And yeah, I'm demanding homework but I don't know what it is going to be yet, fight me Comes with my PDF, which also does not exist yet, A Guide to Your First Sound Gigs.
- [Spreadsheet Consultation](https://www.lydiafortuna.com/c/products/spreadsheet-consultation): I have been known to make some pretty multi-functional spreadsheets. I honestly love it I'm such a weirdo about it, if you're reading this, just know - I want to make you a spreadsheet. Dream big because the sky's the limit - the example to the left includes a custom script that adapts the data for my boss' preferred workflow which exists outside of Google Sheets.
- [Tarot Reading](https://www.lydiafortuna.com/c/products/tarot-reading): DISCLAIMER: I do not have the ability of extrasensory perception outside of my own intuition (an ability which we have all been blessed with!). I've just been privileged enough to have been to a hell of a lot of therapy and I also enjoy symbolism, making shit up, and helping people. Maybe whatever falls out of my mouth will fall into your ears for a reason, knowmsayin? PREREQUISITE: You tell me what you hope to get out of the reading and tell me a little bit about why you're seeking it. I reserve the right to decline (and will totally give you your money back). (Wow I guess why would anyone pay for this without knowing...? I'll have to come up with a better system for booking services LOL) idk anyway if you're seeking something I can't give you or am not comfortable entertaining then we shouldn't do a reading together.
- [Tip Jar](https://www.lydiafortuna.com/c/products/tip-jar): DISCLAIMER: If I just record your set without asking, (1) sorry for being sneaky I just didn't want to psych you out before your set and (2) I really truly do not expect anything in return for that, that would be weird. I did it because I had time and bandwidth and either your show was a special occasion I wanted you to have recorded or you're just like a homie BUT if I do some extra work to get your set recorded because you asked me to, since it might have been a stretch for me to get it done within time constraints and such? Sure, I'd take a couple bucks, but I also wouldn't agree to help if I wasn't just happy to help for free anyway <3
- [Vocals for Live Sound: Dos and Don'ts](https://www.lydiafortuna.com/c/products/vocals-for-live-sound-dos-and-donts): Getting vocals clear and free of feedback for front of house and monitors is often both the most difficult and, depending on context and your perspective, the most important part of a live sound engineer's job. There are many, many ways that vocalists can tie an engineer's hands in their ability to accomplish that - here's what to do and what not to do for getting those vocals clear and feedback-free for you and your audience!