Women’s Audio Mission presents WAMCon Nashville, an immersive, hands-on conference bringing together music industry leaders and aspiring audio professionals for a full day of workshops, panels, and networking opportunities. Held at the historic Ocean Way Recording Studios in Nashville in partnership with Belmont University on October 30 and coinciding with the Audio Engineering Society’s flagship convention in Nashville. This year, attendees will engage in workshops led by award winning engineers and producers, focusing on recording and mixing techniques, breaking down the production of a song, Dolby Atmos mixing, and more!
Since 2017, WAM has hosted fifteen sold-out conferences in Boston, New York, Los Angeles, and Nashville, at iconic studios and venues such as The Village, Capitol Studios, Disney Animation Studios, Ocean Way, East Iris, YouTube and NYU.
Event Schedule: The conference will run from 10am-5pm with a 50 minute lunch break in the middle of the day.
Speaker Overview:
- Gena Johnson – 2x Grammy winning Producer and Engineer (Brandi Carlile, Jason Isbell, Chris Stapleton)
- Shani Gandhi – Grammy winning Producer and Engineer (Miranda Lambert, Kacey Musgraves, Sierra Hull)
- Leslie Richter – Nashville-based Producer, Recording Engineer and Educator (Sheryl Crow, Sara Bareilles, Kacey Musgraves)
- Kazuri Arai – Producer, Engineer and Keyboardist (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Alicia Keys, Jack White)
- Alex Hope – Australian producer and songwriter based in Nashville (Troye Sivan, Selena Gomez)
- Dr. Leslie Gaston-Bird – Audio Engineer, Educator and Dolby Atmos Expert based in the UK
- Maddie Harmon – Engineer, Producer, and Atmos mixer (Noah Kahan, Dermot Kennedy, Megan Maroney)
Speaker Bios:
Gena has been nominated in 2021, 2022 and 2023 for “Audio Engineer of the Year” by the Academy of Country Music Awards. Johnson is honored and grateful to be among such brilliant engineers, standing beside them as the first female to be nominated in this particular category three years in a row. Gena received her second Grammy Award at the 2024 Grammy Awards Ceremony for engineering Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit’s album ‘Weathervanes’, which won for Best Americana Album. This follows her first Grammy Award for engineering Chis Stapleton’s album ‘Starting Over’, which won for Best Country Album at the 2022 Grammy Awards Ceremony held in Las Vegas. Gena engineered and mixed Ashley McBryde’s album ‘Lindeville’ that was nominated at the Grammy Awards for Best Country Album in 2023 and is also nominated for a 2023 CMA for Album of the Year.
Gena is a true patron of the journey of sound — she is passionate about fostering new voices as well as protecting and expanding legacies. She considers writing, playing, engineering, mixing & all the elements of producing to be a privileged part of shepherding great art into being and feels personally connected to that role.
Gena’s engineering and production contributions have supported artists such as Chris Stapleton, Morgane Stapleton, Jason Isbell, Dolly Parton, Amanda Shires, Lawrence Rothman, Brandi Carlile, John Prine, Anderson East, Marcus King Band, Lori McKenna, Rival Sons, Brent Cobb, Brittney Spencer, Colter Wall, Corrina, A Star Is Born Soundtrack, The Oakridge Boys, Lillie Mae, A Thousand Horses, Chris Shiflett, .Kaleo, Kacey Musgraves, Lee Henke, Ruston Kelly, Dillon Carmichael, Randy Rogers Band, Gloria Gaynor, The Highwomen, Ashley Monroe, Jillette Johnson, Corrina, The Lone Bellow, Ben Folds, Jim Lauderdale, Hunter Hayes, Lyle Lovett, Malcolm Holcomb, The Revivalists, Lee Brice, Zac Brown Band, Yola, Tenille Townes, Caitlyn Smith, Brent Eldredge, Christina Perri, Tommy Prine, Ashley McBryde and more.
Her most recent note-able projects include producing, engineering and mixing Jason Isbell’s solo album ‘Foxes In The Snow’ at the infamous Electric Lady Studios in NY, John Prine’s last recorded song which won two GRAMMY awards in 2021 for ‘I Remember Everything’, Jason Isbell’s albums ‘Weathervanes’, ‘Reunions’ and ‘Georgia Blue’, Ashley Monroe’s album ‘Rosegold’, Chris Stapleton’s Grammy winning album ‘Starting Over’, Corrina’s single “Too Much”, Brittney Spencer’s single “Sober & Skinny”, Caitlyn Smith’s album “High & Low”, Ashley McBryde’s Grammy nominated album “Lindeville” and Blind Boys of Alabama’s Grammy nominated single “The Message” Featuring Black Violin.
Alex has co-written and produced singles for Alec Benjamin, Ben Platt, Troye Sivan, Alanis Morissette, & Tegan and Sara. Hope started their career with their contributions to Troye Sivan’s album Blue Neighbourhood, including singles “Wild” (feat. Alessia Cara), “Heaven”, and “YOUTH”. Hope is also known for their production, writing and collaborations with Selena Gomez, Tove Lo, Alec Benjamin, Ben Platt, Jack Antonoff, Wrabel, Broods, Years & Years, Missy Higgins, Carly Rae Jepsen, and Marina and the Diamonds, among others.
Shani Gandhi is a Grammy Award–winning producer, engineer, and mixer based in Nashville, Tennessee.
Her work has earned a Grammy for Best Folk Album, along with nominations across categories including Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical, Best Bluegrass Album, and Best Contemporary Country Album.
After earning her B.S. in Recording Industry: Production and Technology in 1999, she began her career as a staff engineer at the acclaimed Ocean Way Studios in Nashville. There, she not only developed her ear and style working on countless award-winning records but also gained experience in studio wiring and electronics by decommissioning and rebuilding several large-format consoles.
In 2008 she joined Ben Folds’ team to bring his then-private studio (Historic RCA Studio A) back to life for commercial use. Since handing the reigns of Studio A over to producer Dave Cobb and his team, Leslie continues to work as a freelance producer/engineer/mixer in the Nashville area. She is an active member of Audio Engineering Society and The Recording Academy, having served on the Nashville Chapter’s Board of Governors, as co-chair of the Nashville Producers & Engineers Wing, on the P&E Wing Steering Committee and Advisory Council, and as a mentor in the GrammyU mentorship program. She’s both an ally and an advocate who supports organizations such as Women’s Audio Mission, Soundgirls, She is the Music, and Change the Conversation. She’s also a member of Leadership Music class of 2022.
Leslie’s credits and clients have grown into a delightfully eclectic cast of characters, including Sheryl Crow, Spoon, Sara Bareilles, Wynonna, John Hiatt, Kacey Musgraves, Jim Lauderdale, Ben Folds, Elizabeth Cook, Jessi Alexander, and Brandy Clark.
In addition to her work in the industry, Leslie is grateful for the opportunity to educate and mentor our next generation(s) of creators. She is a witness to how much Belmont University has grown and looks forward to being part of its continued growth.
Kazuri Arai is a producer/engineer/keyboardist at Anything Kreativ, as well as the general manager of George Massenburg Labs. Arai began her career in Nashville, Tennessee, as the assistant engineer to George Massenburg, during his residency at Blackbird Studio C. She has worked with such artists as Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Alicia Keys, Jack White, The 5.6.7.8’s, The Rankin Family, The Subdudes, John Cowan, and Dawn Langstroth, among others. While she continues to work often with Massenburg on a variety of audio/music projects, she’s also focused on using her experience and knowledge to develop independent artists and help them achieve their creative visions. Arai lectures at Berklee College of Music, Belmont University, and Interlochen Center for the Arts on such subjects as career development, entrepreneurship, and the challenges and opportunities that exist in the new music business.
Dr. Leslie Gaston-Bird CAS, MPSE is currently a Senior Lecturer in Sound Recording & Music Production at City, University of London. She is the former president of the Audio-Engineering Society (AES), founder and director of Immersive and Inclusive Audio, CIC, which provides training in Avid Pro Tools and Dolby Atmos certification for underrepresented groups, aninitiative which she created as part of her PhD at the University of Surrey.
She is the author of the books Women in Audio (Routledge) and Math Fundamentals for Audio (A-R Editions). She is a Pro Tools | Dolby Professional Avid Certified Instructor and Dante Level 3 Certified audio engineer specializing in re-recording mixing and sound editing. She is a member of the Recording Academy (The Grammys®), BAFTA, Cinema Audio Society, and Motion Picture Sound Editors (MPSE). She has worked for National Public Radio (Washington, D.C.), Colorado Public Radio, the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Post Modern Company, and was a tenured Associate Professor at the University of Colorado Denver.
Venue:
Ocean Way Nashville Recording Studios, founded in 1996 by Gary Belz and Allen Sides, is located in the heart of Nashville’s famous Music Row. Purchased from the founders in 2001 by Belmont University, the studio is both a commercial facility and classroom, in conjunction with the school’s Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business.
Housed in a 100-year-old Gothic revival grey stone church, Ocean Way Nashville provides an exceptional acoustical space, all in the rich visual beauty of a church sanctuary. Among the world’s finest recording facilities, its client roster reads like a who’s who of the music world. Clients span a range of styles from pop/rock to country to classical. Besides being a sought-after space for full band tracking, Ocean Way Nashville has become an internationally favored destination for orchestral recording and scoring for today’s most popular films and video games.
Recent Artist Clients include: Bon Jovi, Cody Fry, Dan + Shay, Hardy, JellyRoll, Morgan Wallen, and many others.
Recent Scoring Clients Include: Amazon Prime, Disney, DreamWorks Animation, EA, Lionsgate, Netflix, Paramount Plus, Sony PlayStation, and many others
Pricing and Refunds:
Attendees can receive refunds up to 7 days before the event start date. Registration is non-transferable and will not be available once the event begins. If you are a WAM member or Academy student, please email education@womensaudiomission.org for your discount code.
Important Note:
Women’s Audio Mission focuses on increasing the gender balance in audio production and technology sectors. Less than 5% of the population employed in these sectors are women or gender-expansive people. Though we will not turn anyone away, there are limited spots available in our events, and they often sell out, so we ask that if you are not a woman (transgender or cisgender), non-binary, gender-expansive, or gender non-conforming, you reconsider registering or, alternatively, donating the price of a ticket. We thank you for your understanding in advance and for joining us in our mission to advance women, girls, and gender-expansive people in music production and the recording arts.
Photo Release:
Please note that by purchasing a ticket for this event, you are granting Women’s Audio Mission and its staff, volunteers, professional photographers, and the media the absolute right and permission to take during the event and to use and publish photographs of you, still or moving, with or without your name, and to reproduce same through any media, for artistic, promotional, advertising, web content, or other commercial and non-commercial purposes, and you shall not be entitled to any monetary compensation of any kind in respect thereof. We appreciate your support of WAM and our ability to share with our funders the work that we do to serve women and gender-expansive artists in audio.