Sound Check

Name: Marcella Araica
Age: 31
Job: Producer and Sound Engineer
Education: Bachelor of Science in Recording Arts from Full Sail University
Location: Los Angeles
Credits: “Gimme More” by Britney Spears, “The Way I Are” by Timbaland, “Love In This Club” by Usher, “Knock You Down,” by Keri Hilson, “Sober” by Pink, “Promiscuous” by Nelly Furtado, “4 Minutes” by Madonna, and other artists including Mary J. Blige, DJ Khaled, and Duran Duran

Making a living recording, editing, and mixing music requires a discerning ear. For Araica, her early training in audio mixing came long before her introduction to Pro Tools, a digital audio workstation used for editing music. She was just a kid when she began tinkering with her father’s stereo system, adjusting the EQ (equalizer) and wondering how she could change the sound of a record. “I was curious to see how something would sound at, like, 60 hertz.” Today, Araica is one of the most highly sought sound engineers, mixing for some of music’s top hit makers.

Salary: “It is quite a big range. An engineer can earn anywhere between $50 an hour to $125 hour, or your day rates can go anywhere from $500 to $1,500 a day. Mixes can go anywhere from $2,000 to $6,000, it just depends on your level and your résumé–it all takes part in what you can command.”

Education: Araica graduated from Full Sail University’s Recording Arts program in Winter Park, Florida, in 2002. She was one of five women in a class of roughly 170 students, graduating with honors and receiving the Advanced Recording Engineer Award that is bestowed upon one student each semester. “I definitely had a couple of people who really tried to discourage me along the way, and it was almost like they made a point to say this is a very male-dominated industry and it’s really tough. For me, that was almost like fuel to get me to go even harder.”

Internship: “I started my internship at the Hit Factory in Miami as a general assistant. I did everything from running food, to cleaning, to painting walls, and blowing leaves out of the parking lot. About two months into my internship I got a call from the studio manager. He said, ‘Missy Elliott just called. She’s on her way here in 15 minutes, and I don’t have anyone to be the second engineer in the room. Do you think you can do it?’ I went from all that grunge work to working with Missy. She took a real liking to me, and from that first session on she requested me as the second engineer. Be ready, because you never know.”

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Philanthropy: Araica launched the Red

Bottoms Foundation to support the growth of women in the music industry through internships and scholarships. She also awards annual scholarships to female students at her alma mater. “I try to do as many panels and speaking forums as I can, and let them know that they shouldn’t be discouraged by people who say women don’t do this or do that. Don’t be discouraged by what is ‘normal.’ It’s really important to think out of the box, that is what I attribute my success to. I see myself as a trendsetter. When I’m in the studio mixing I try to find that next thing. I ask myself what hasn’t been done or what can I do to really bring this song a unique sound that people are going to be talking about–like I left a footprint, my trademark. It’s not just a job, it’s a legacy. I see myself as a pioneer in what I do, being one of the very few women out there doing it.”

Favorite Part of the Job: “The engineer is a big asset in the equation of creating a record. People just think it’s the producer and an artist, and then a record comes out. But the mixing process is the final stamp on the song through sounds. You can spend anywhere between 6 to 8 or 15 to 24 hours, or maybe two days or more, on a song just making sure that everything is in its right place, from levels to the effects that you want to put on vocals, to the type of kick that you’re using and EQing. It’s very intricate, but that’s my favorite part of the job because to me, it’s like painting a picture. You’re really painting the whole story behind [a song] through sound.”