While the overall objective of supporting employability in the audio industry remains as the company's unifying arrowhead, it has evolved to recognise that the Soulsound Resource Centre is equipped to reach audio students and practitioners around the world.
"The agency is very local and London-based. It keeps a small number of people - roughly 30 - in regular work," explains company founder, Darryn de la Soul. "The resource centre is aimed at improving skills all over the world, by creating a community of audiophiles and setting the standards that engineers should aspire to."
Following a period of foundation, the Soulsound Resource Centre officially launched at April's PLASA Focus: Leeds, with a daylong programme entitled Inspiring Excellence in Audio. Drawing on her own knowledge and on strong connections within the audio industry, Darryn curated an insightful series of workshops, talks and seminars by industry professionals, which attracted extremely positive audience numbers and responses. They offered a taste of what the Soulsound Resource Centre has to offer and a launch pad for its growth.
"I founded the agency in 2011, in response to the need for entry level engineers to have someone to recommend them," explains Darryn. "The word-of-mouth system that the industry generally works on is quite hard to break in to without someone established recommending you. The quality of the engineers we send out is much higher than the average, so clients can be sure they get the best workers."
Darryn developed the agency while working for Alchemea, running the Live Sound Diploma. "The agency is all about improving employability, finding opportunities for individuals and building careers," she says. "After leaving Alchemea and the subsequent demise of the Live Sound Diploma, I found my lecturers were without teaching opportunities, so decided to go online and create a resource centre for sound engineers, utilising the talents of the people who made the Live Sound Diploma great, plus adding more.
"The Soulsound Resource Centre's aim is to improve skills and provide tools to improve people's chances of getting work, as well as providing inspiration and guidance, again, all with the aim of getting engineers working."
The resource centre's expansion will see regular video content, alongside live TED-style road shows, weekend-long workshops and get-togethers. These will be supported by a blog and forum, which will be launched in the coming weeks.
Darryn is joined on the tutoring team by Marcel van Limbeek (studio and monitor engineer to Tori Amos), Jon Burton (currently with Prodigy and Bombay Bicycle Club and Justin Grealy (FOH for Biffy Clyro, Franz Ferdinand, Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros; monitor engineer for Sophie Ellis Bextor, The Editors and Pulp).
She continues, "Soulsound is not presenting a 'course' as such, and is not competing directly in the education market. We aim to supplement other forms of education and provide continued professional development, which is severely lacking in an industry that is almost entirely freelance, with no obligation on employers to provide this."
For Darryn and Soulsound, the aim is to support and inspire - something that sound engineer, Leah Brooker, recently benefitted from - "I watched your 'Foot in the Door' presentation and read some of your interviews. I was at that point in my career when you're questioning, 'can I really do this?' It really was a light bulb moment and reading your story gave me the feeling of 'yes I can' and a much-needed kick up the backside. You really are one inspirational lady. Needless to say I've taken notes and am sitting down to rewrite my CV."
(Jim Evans)
