@alinaberger_I'm a part-time audio engineer with over ten years of experience in musical theater and concerts, including complex shows with 100+ inputs. My day job is as a software developer and consultant.
Trained on or experienced with
Musical theater
I have mixed 42 shows for the nonprofit Musical Inc. e.V. in Mainz, which I joined in 2019 as the audio lead. Productions usually consist of a cast of around 40, all individually mic'd, and a pit orchestra of roughly 15, including Brass, Reeds, and Strings. My duties include technical planning, preprogramming, and sound design. Beginning with my second production, I took over as the tech lead and am, as of 2023, leading the whole nonprofit. With 100+ channels and almost as many cues, the productions are technically challenging and push my skills every year.
In 2019, we started on a maxed-out Soundcraft Vi400 console with 96 inputs and 32 busses. Back then, we used a combination of shotgun choir mics and headsets. In 2022, we switched to a Yamaha Rivage PM7, for which I did in-person training. Rivage has been my favorite platform thus far and has only increased in capability with recent updates such as scene-based fader-layer assignments and Genius.LAB macros. We're running 42 channels of Axient Digital over Dante directly into the console, plus up to 64 channels of analog audio from the pit orchestra, backstage choir, and other sources. We use Waves SoundGrid for virtual soundcheck, as it allows for up to 128 channels of connectivity without a PCIe or other hardware interface—clicks and playback run on a shared QLab session with surround output. Our band uses Behringer P16 in-ear monitoring mixers. We use a flown d&b Y-Series array with array processing and XSL-Subs.
I've also been booked as an operator or to do all audio planning and preparation for one-off shows and other productions. I've always done sound design and SFX production for shows and increasingly do sys-tech duties. I prefer to mix by hand, relying entirely on DCA automation and the script, but I have recently started incorporating QLab-based timecode automation for shows with little rehearsal time.
Because of my day job, I can't do as many shows as I'd like, so I'm seeking new opportunities to expand my involvement. I'm a fast learner, and with over 80 shows under my belt, I'm confident I can quickly learn new shows and would love to work as a cover or backup operator. I'm also interested in doing more preprogramming work.
Das Erbe der Dämmerung
StageFactory e.V. in 2023
KuSch Company musical gala
KulturScheune Herborn e.V. in 2022
Concerts
Since graduating high school, where I focused exclusively on theater audio, I have mixed a variety of bands, primarily at fairs, parties, and small venues. These gigs were often improvised and on tight schedules, frequently without proper sound checks. However, I now almost exclusively mix concerts at venues where I can devote the necessary time and care to ensure excellent sound.
Due to my experience with high channel counts, I'm often booked for larger ensembles, especially those with choirs or a significant number of instruments. I'm also frequently responsible for managing audio networks and multi-console setups. I like working in teams and prefer to work with a second FoH engineer, often splitting band and vocals.
Occasionally, I still do regular bands. Unfortunately, none of the groups I've previously worked with made it out of the coronavirus pandemic intact, so I'm looking for a new small band, preferably with a tight stylistic focus.
Gospel meets Big Band at Frankfurter Hof
New Spirit Gospel Choir and Down Big Band Darmstadt in 2023
Lisa, Nico and Friends
KulturScheune Herborn e.V. in 2022
Studio and post-production
During Corona, I became interested in broadcast audio and studio work. Adapting from live sound to the requirements of studio mixing was a challenge at first, but I've come to greatly enjoy this side of audio work. MontyTown will release the first single I've tracked and mixed in a few weeks, and I'm looking forward to expanding my studio work in the future.
With this foundation and my previous experience with theater SFX, I've also started to work on film post-production and sound design.
Software
I created some projects that combine my interest in audio and software.
- wing-docs.com: An unofficial documentation page for the Behringer WING mixing console, including a list of all onboard Compressors, Gates, EQs, and other FX, as well as documentation for many of the settings.
- p16-labels.com: A small utility for printing channel labels for the Behringer P16 personal monitoring mixer.
- klick.studio: A not-yet-released app to create click tracks. It includes export to WAV with cue points for easy vamping and alignment with SFX playback, MIDI commands, or timecode.