We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Catharine Wood a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Catharine , so excited to talk about all sorts of important topics with you today. The first one we want to jump into is about being the only one in the room – for some that’s being the only person of color or the only non-native English speaker or the only non-MBA, etc Can you talk to us about how you have managed to be successful even when you were the only one in the room that looked like you?
In my life, I’ve always felt more “other” from being gay (vs female). In my industry, the music and audio engineering industries – women represent 2% professional producers, 5% engineers and 2 % composers. I work primarily with indie artists and directors – many of whom are female and also gay…so there isn’t much “otherness” in my immediate world. But generally speaking – if miscommunications arise because of gender differences or societal preconceived norms…I’ve always found humor to be the best ice breaker. And not taking things personally. I consider myself human before I think of myself as female.
Like in the early days – when a band of guys would book my studio and arrive – asking if the studio was “my boyfriend’s” – and exclaim that they’d never worked with a woman before…I’d just smile and say, “who knew!?”…and move forward with the work. Typically if I’d explain something technical – above a guy’s knowledge-base, respect was more easily acquired. I wouldn’t say earned – because I don’t owe anybody anything.
I’ve also been a bit oblivious, historically, about being the only woman in the room. I was the only female in my audio engineering school class…but I was also the #1 student in my class – and have always gotten along with guys…so have never had many issues (that I was aware of). It’s only been in the last ten years or so that gender disparities have been broadly talked about – and I’ve had a light shone on me by organizations like SoundGirls.org for being one of “the first of the 5%”…i.e. one of the first female engineers in the history of audio. I honestly had no idea the numbers were that sparse when I began my audio journey in the late 1990s. But I wouldn’t change anything – I love what I do and how I’ve gotten to where I am.
I am most interested in harmony in any collaboration or work situation where there are multiple people involved…focusing on commonality and positives is always a good tactic in achieving success. In any room. After all, we’ve all got a pair of ears.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am a producer/engineer/composer and studio owner. I’ve spent 20 years in Los Angeles and have recently begun building a new house and studio facility in Colorado. Splitting my time now between LA and Southern Colorado. Whether it’s creating a song as a producer – or designing and building a new studio from the ground up – I am most excited by the process of creating…and problem solving.
As an engineer, there is almost never one way to do something. There are multiple ways to achieve any task – and finding the best solution for any given task is a thrill. Fundamentally. I’m a lifelong learner – and am constantly learning for, and from, my job. In a technology field, things are always changing; new operating systems, versions of software, new iterations of plugins…new ways of doing things – like Dolby Atmos. I’m future proofing my new studio with both a stereo workspace and a Dolby Atmos workspace – both dedicated spaces…as well an isolation room for drums and other instruments that require separation from the control room.
For many years, with the evolution of 5.1 and other immersive formats…there has been an industry quandary, in music, as to whether or not any of these formats are “here to stay”. Some still are arguing the point; some love Atmos, some hate it – but I’m decided on it…and taking steps to incorporate it.
Stereo audio has been the default since the 1970s for music – but Atmos is already quickly becoming a film standard – with Netflix (and, I believe Amazon as well) remixing their back catalog in Atmos…and, on the consumer side, companies like Apple are creating headphones, in recent years, that allow listeners to hear the spatial sound using algorithms…although a well tuned Atmos room with speakers is, as I am learning, the most true listening environment for Atmos. So, I’m making it a priority – to learn how to create mixes in Atmos (and how to master)…from what I’ve learned so far, all of my knowledge in stereo has almost nothing to do with how things are done in Atmos.
As the new studio is wrapping up building completion around September of this year, I plan to spend the remainder of the year installing the new system speakers, acoustics and hardware – and learning how to use it. As Atmos is a common label delivery spec now, with music labels also remixing back catalogs in Atmos as well, I’ll want to make sure I can say “yes” to beautiful, new projects that have an immersive need. I also have a background in audio post-production (for TV and Film)…and will be learning how to apply my new Atmos skills to media needs as well.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Everybody’s journey is different. And each person learns different things from their own obstacles and successes.
For me, my dyslexia was a huge contributor to my own patience — and learning to address the abstract concepts required for many aspects of my job(s). I couldn’t really read, and comprehend what I was reading, until around my junior year in high school. It was incredibly frustrating to know that I’m smart – but have a challenging time accomplishing “simple” tasks. Once I slowed my brain down and connected the words with the meaning of what I was reading, my world opened up. Oddly, I was always a good writer – so, my grades went from B’s to A’s in high school…but then back down to B’s in college (so much Life was happening…I attended Colorado College for my BA – where we were on the Block Plan…so, we studied one course at a time for around 3.5 weeks with the remaining days of the month as “block break” – i.e. time to ski, go camping, hiking, go be in nature etc.). And resumed my A’s in audio engineering school.
Learning the ins and outs of computers – and becoming a technologically able person was very frustrating and required so much patience – but after awhile, I built my understanding of the fundamentals and do all of my own studio tech work. Computer upgrades, repairs, making sure all of my studio gear is compatible. It’s really a necessary skill set – when you’re in the middle of a session and start to hear the signs of a tube failing in the compressor you’re recording piano on that day…or your Pro Tools decides it doesn’t want to play nice with the external word clock – in a client-attending mix session where digital “tick” sounds start happening and they’re not actually in the mix. It’s a special, learned skill to calmly breeze through those moments and not freak anybody out. A quiet victory when disaster is averted and nobody knows that anything was amiss.
My first “LA studio job” was as an Assistant Engineer and Dub Room Manager for Play Studios, a top boutique audio post-production mix house for commercials. I engineered on the first iPhone commercial, the entire “Get A Mac” campaign (Justin Long, John Hodgman), the iPod “Silhouette” campaign, Geico “Caveman” and Priceline “Negotiator” spots…to name a few. I was at that studio from 2005-2007 and, among many things, learned how to use the quick keys on a keyboard for audio post editing…but I’ve transferred that speedy audio-post knowledge to my music work – and that skill, along with being trained to work well under pressure and extreme time deadlines, makes it really easy to make music (and record) in realtime. The flow of ideas – and the ability to collaborate – is much quicker in my music endeavors (I write, produce, mix and master music for TV and also produce, mix and master songs for predominately indie artists).
The third valuable asset I’ve had the biggest takeaway from has been as an athlete. As a “tomboy” in elementary school, I was always very athletic and played at recess with the boys – and in high school, earned a Varsity letter in Soccer, Basketball and Tennis. My sophomore year, we won the Connecticut state soccer championship for our division. My athletic focus in college switched to cycling and skiing…and later, Olympic distance triathlons. The self-motivation, training mindset and competitive spirit of sport has been very useful when it comes to working for myself in the extremely competitive, global epicenter of the music industry (Los Angeles). With a couple “9-5” jobs sprinkled in around 2008-2009, I have been self-employed since 2007.
It takes a huge amount of discipline, hard work and inborn confidence to succeed as a self-employed music producer/engineer/composer and studio owner – but the lifestyle of working for myself resonates deeply with me – and I’m always up for the winding road. It is never a straight shot from A to B in this industry – and enjoying the journey is a hugely important element to my success in this field. Focusing on areas of expertise that I’m passionate about gives me a competitive edge – as an engineer becomes known for their specialty skills – so in many respects, it’s a highly individualized field – except that working well with others is critically important – and that’s where a team experience really has helped me in creating a harmonious experience.
All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?
At the end of 2022, I drove back to Colorado from Los Angeles for the holidays. My parents are located in Southern Colorado, and, to make a long story short – I discovered just after Christmas of 2022 that, after a number of repeat injuries, my back was broken in multiple places and I’ve ended up staying in Colorado to heal. And I’m still healing. Because of the abrupt need for treatment, I was unable to work for January and February of 2023 and ended up having to sell my Los Angeles property (on which my studio was located). I set up an interim studio in Southern Colorado where I can work while the new house and studio go up – and it’s working out really well.
I’ve recently learned that the back and neck breaks are permanent (two collapsed vertebrae that are not eligible for surgery), so am having to drastically adjust my general lifestyle. I am now able to lift up to 30lbs – up from 2lbs one year ago – but am nowhere near the strength that I used to be.
One of the injuries occurred when I was lifting an 80lb mixing board by myself – into my car to take it for service. Typically, I’m an unusually strong person, extremely self-sufficient, and can execute most studio tasks – from wiring to mounting acoustic treatment, etc. But for now, I’m only able to use my brain as the architect and engineer of the new project – no heavy lifting. It has been such a joy to see the building come from my mind to paper and into reality. It’s a huge adjustment to have to ask for help where I didn’t used to have to…so I’m taking inventory of my resources and finding solutions.
Selling my LA property ended up erasing my Covid debt (the Pandemic nearly put my company out of business with the government deeming my studio “non-essential” for a couple of years)…but there are always solutions to be found…and I’m finding them.
At the end of 2023 I was cleared by my doctors for travel – and attended the 2024 Grammy Week (and the Grammys) in LA – and will be splitting my time in the future between Los Angeles and Southern Colorado, now that I’m able to travel again. As my work is primarily done while sitting, I can still engineer and produce — and I’m getting strong enough to play my various instruments again (guitar, piano, drums, bass, etc). Taking things one day at a time and always finding the positives.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://planetwoodstudios.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/planetwood5163/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/planetwood5163
- Other: https://credits.muso.ai/profile/eabd5f91-074d-a172-f8ae-b4598b314f92
Image Credits
1) GrammyWeek_ProdEngWingParty2024.jpg photo by GEM MCCORMACK 2) PlanetwoodStudios2019.jpg photo by GEM MCCORMACK 3) PlanetwoodStudios2022.jpg photo by Planetwood Studios, LLC 4) GrammyHouse_WomenInTheMix2024.jpg photo by gettyimages/Emma McIntyre 5) PlanetwoodStudios2024.jpg photo by Planetwood Studios, LLC
