Take 5 with Lara Soulio
From mixing intimate gigs in local venues to international tours with acts like Mo’Ju, Julia Jacklin, Chelsea Wolfe, Miss Kaninna, and Barkaa, Lara brings passion and expertise to every performance. She also dedicates time to community radio, recording live- to-air sessions for stations like 3CR, RRR, and 3ZZZ. Reflecting on her approach to engineering, Lara says, “As engineers, I think it’s so nice to buy a record directly from the artist you are about to do a show for. Supporting the community ensures that we have jobs to go to, and listening to the set beforehand makes things sort of second nature at the show.”
1) Could you tell us a bit about your background in audio engineering and what first sparked your passion for live sound?
'I think listening to my parents records growing up. There was no ownership over the hi-fi system and my parents allowed us to play records and mess with the settings from a young age. I played guitar but soon realised that I was not a great player and was more interested in how things sounded, fx and eq.
I spent hours playing with amps and creating sounds with the limited tools I had. I then did a short course in Audio Engineering but did not really mix a live show until an engineer didn't turn up to my friend's gig. I arrived to a broken down PA, set everything from scratch without a huge amount of practical experience and mixed a successful show.
After that, I did many shows in many places and learned a lot from house techs all over the country and overseas. I also performed and recorded experimental music, kept up my interests and creativity outside of doing sound.
2) Walk us through your recent show. How did tonight’s experience differ from others?
'Tonight's show was Dallas Frasca and Orianthi at the Corner Hotel. Even though I have been at the Corner a lot, every show is really different and I think being true to the band's sound is at the forefront of my process. I have been mixing a lot of singer-songwriters, electronic and hip-hop music lately.
My focus was on guitars...sometimes I am guilty of mixing vocals loud (being an 80s baby!), I usually send vocals on a aux to the center fill of the PA and focus on vocals and FX. Tonight, I started from scratch from the house-file, tuned a little and really let the band's stage sound guide the check and mix.
Both Dallas and Orianthi have great guitar tone, which made things really easy!
3) Which feature or aspect of the gear impressed you the most, and why?
'The new Adamson system (E12s and E119s) at the Corner is great, there's a lot more control. I've mixed there when they had the analog desk, switched to the SD10 and now the combo of a familiar desk with a lot more control is perfect.
4) Which piece of equipment or software could you not imagine working without, and why?
'I think it really depends on the artist but I use a C9 plug in a fair bit. The piece of equipment I need at every show (especially festivals where there is no sound check or near-fields) is my Sennheiser HD25s. Such a basic thing which is mostly about familiarity and comfort in knowing.
5) Any advice for up-and-comers looking to get into the industry?
'Definitely get into a venue and on a desk, especially if there's access to a simple analog rig or even basic PA with a digital console. Ask to shadow someone and learn what you can from everyone.
Experiment and have fun. Think of how the artist would like their music/ the stage to sound and apply that to every show.