Penelope Walker - Detroit, Michigan

Penelope Walker
Detroit, Michigan Recording Connection Student

Karaoke has got to be one of my most favorite things from the list of brilliant innovations from the Japanese. And that's quite a long list! It's like having our very own concert, and our family and friends are our fans.

Of course, for me, that was about a decade ago. And because of the love for music that karaoke has helped instill in me, I've gotten the courage to go out and work to making a name for myself in the recording industry. But this time, I've gone from behind the microphone to behind the stage.

There's nothing like the adrenaline rush of being at a live concert. Aside from getting to see your favorite musical acts, there's a certain excitement to live events that can't be paralleled elsewhere. Since it's live, there's no way to cut, cover, and edit certain mistakes. And you either go down sinking in embarrassment, or you work your way through them and not let those gaffes get the best of you. You've got to always think on your toes.

Still, there's a pressure when you're the one working the sounds for these events. No matter how great the musical act is, if you screw up with your equipment, you'll destroy that greatness. And you'll have a talented act humiliated and an audience disappointed and most like frustrated. It's your responsibility to give the concert audience the recording connection to greatly experience the music they love from their speakers at home to the live concert stage.