Sonic Conversations: AES Governor Paul “Willie Green” Womack

Two AES announcements caught our eye in July.

We saw that Fall Registration for the 149^th Convention had opened, laying the groundwork for their first fully online expo taking place throughout October. Two weeks later, we learned the results of the Audio Engineering Society 2020 elections, revealing the names of their upcoming Board of Directors and Board of Governors.

A common thread? The name Paul “Willie Green” Womack, who we know very well as a longtime contributor to SonicScoop. Perhaps not coincidentally, our first Womack experience was at an AES convention, where we connected and he said that he wanted to write for us.

Paul “Willie Green” Womack is totally multitasking.

SonicScoop’s audience won big from his nifty networking.  Our community has greatly benefited from the sharp skills of a prolific producer/engineer/mixer with credits including Wiz Khalifa, Donnie McClukin, The Roots, and many more.

Coming into October, Womack is both an AES Fall 2020 Convention Co-Chair and Governor-elect (his term for the latter begins January 1, 2021). That alone would be enough to keep Womack busy, but he’s also maintaining a busy audio practice at his Brooklyn studio, The GreenHouse, and expecting the birth of his first child any day now. Fortunately he made some minutes for this SonicScoop interview, sharing insights on timely topics.

We discussed how the AES made a full pivot to online for this year’s convention, why joining an AES local chapter still matters in these virtual times, ways audio professionals are adapting to the pandemic, how he sees the industry progressing on racial and gender equality, and more. Don’t miss this key Q&A, with a man who definitely knows how to talk sound.  

Tell us about your audio practice today. What are the different music and sound production related activities outside of AES?

Like many people in our industry I wear a lot of different hats, doing production, mixing and mastering, plus a return to in-person recording as we start to understand more about existing in this Covid landscape.

Like most I spent the majority of 2020 working from home on my portable rig, but now I’m splitting time between home and The GreenHouse.  Many artists now have their own recording setups so they can create in quarantine, so mixing and mastering have become the main part of my work.

Womack’s facility, The GreenHouse.

What was a formative audio experience that made you want to go deeper into the profession?

I was always fascinated by music and instruments and my family always supported that. But the first time I heard Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) was the first time I can remember loving something and being totally confused about how it was made.  

I had heard samples before of course, but the atmosphere and texture that RZA put together on that album is something that still inspires me today.

Congratulations on being elected an AES Governor for 2021. Can you describe your AES journey? 

Thank you! It’s been a fast-paced trip in the organization for sure. I’ve been attending AES events for nearly 20 years now, but I became a very active member about 4-5 years ago.

I was speaking at a conference in St. Louis and met Leslie Gaston-Bird, a wonderful engineer and person, and someone I consider a mentor. We spoke for a while about the Society and about representation, and how there was a great opportunity to have an impact in the part of the world I work in. I became a member and joined the Diversity and Inclusion Committee, and eventually the convention planning committee.  

My experience in speaking at and working on the convention was always great, but it did reinforce the fact that while Hip-Hop and R&B are some of the most impactful music genres in the world, I was one of the few ever discussing it at these events. This led to the creation of a dedicated Hip-Hop and R&B Track within the convention, where we really focus on the tools and techniques needed by modern producers and engineers. There’s plenty that can be learned in magazines and online, but it’s important that up-and-comers can see people at the top of their chosen field speak directly to them about topics focused on their needs.

The success of this track led to the honor of being invited to be Co-Chair of the 2020 Convention Committee along with Jonathan Wyner and Valerie Tyler. This has been an incredible process of understanding what it takes to put together a huge convention of this kind, especially with the curveball thrown at us by the virus. 

As an AES Governor, what will your responsibilities be?

The Board of Governors is a bit like a group of advisors, helping shape the society to most benefit its members through voting on important issues and working on committees.  

I don’t hide the fact that representation and inclusion of all walks of life is something that is very important to me. I believe it’s critical that AES serves not just our wonderful current member base but is a welcoming and fruitful place for those who are interested in joining but haven’t yet.

Many people’s involvement with the AES starts and stops with the annual convention. Why might people benefit from a deeper involvement with the organization? 

Because we’re engineers year-round! The annual convention is certainly our most visible event, but there is great programming all throughout the year on a national and international level, which is even more accessible now that so many things have moved virtual.

And one of the best things members can do is to be active with their local section. Like any industry (or more so) the audio world runs on human networking. The local section meetings are the perfect place to meet like-minded people working in your field in your own neighborhood. Speaking just for myself, I’ve made great friends and contacts through our NY Metro Area section, which certainly increases my networking range, and new friends are always great!

Taking the Convention Online

This convention will obviously be different since it’s going completely online, due to the coronavirus pandemic. How has the AES approach organizing it as an online event?

Yes, that’s correct, no Javits Center this year but in a lot of ways that opens the door for a lot of great things. First, convention week has now become Audio Engineering Month. All throughout the month of October we’ll have great programming leading up to the full Technical Program Oct 27th – 30th.

 The tech program will have all of the great panels and tech exhibitions you’re used to, some being live-streamed throughout the day, and others in an on-demand library for convenient viewing. The streamed content will be added to the on-demand library after it airs, meaning you never have to miss anything.

This is huge to me because in-person there would inevitably be a hard call to make between two interesting topics.

Second, since we are now not limited to only those who could be physically in New York, we can now include content from engineers and producers around the world, really broadening the topics we can offer.  

Finally, anyone in the world with an internet connection can attend the Convention with no travel costs or hassles and at a reduced price without the overhead of a convention center. 

What did the AES feel were the opportunities and challenges inherent in switching the AES convention online? In what ways will this be the same as a typical AES, and in what ways is it going to be different?

Music tech forecaster Imogen Heap is delivering the AES Keynote Address.

A big challenge we are undertaking is preserving the in-person nature of running into someone “in the hallway.” While there’s the huge upside of a much shorter line for coffee, the networking and opportunities to meet people is something that makes these conventions special. There will be Q&A and live chats during the sessions, and some breakout room opportunities to connect directly with presenters. 

What are examples of new topics or fresh directions that the convention will be presenting this year?

 We’re very excited to welcome Imogen Heap as our keynote speaker. She’s such a creative force, I’m very excited to see what she’ll share with us. The Hip-Hop and R&B Track is back for another year with some really great guest panelists including Joey Raia (Run The Jewels, Aesop Rock), John Kercy (Lucky Daye) and more.

We’ll also have some great sessions about Immersive Audio, that’s becoming such a huge part of our industry, so we’ve got a great focus on that. And since we’ve now got all of October to work with, we have sessions like “The 7 Audio Wonders of The World” going on all month long, taking us on guided tours of the top studios around the world.

Assessing Opportunities

Shifting to the outside world, what are you hearing from your colleagues in the audio industry about the business impact of the pandemic? Are things starting to improve for any sectors that you see?

The uniqueness of something like a global pandemic means that things are constantly changing, but the audio industry being technologically focused has allowed many people to quickly adapt. Remote recording/mixing sessions are not something new, but the need for reliable quality streaming has a much more widespread need. Recording over the Internet is still a bit of a challenge depending on equipment on both sides, but, for example, being able to have “attended” mix sessions where the client listens in real-time via something like Audiomovers’ ListenTo has been huge for me. 

Many people are starting to do in-person tracking sessions again, and the Recording Academy has published guidelines for doing this as safely as possible. It still very much depends on the comfort level of the artist and studio, but if musicians are ready to record, they should reach out to their preferred studio and make some music!

Racial equality has come more sharply into focus than ever for every industry. Are there ways in which the audio world is ahead of the curve in this respect?  

I suppose in some ways the audio industry is ahead, because there’s no ignoring the impact Black music has had on the world for nearly the last century. What I’ve seen is an enthusiasm from companies, labels and organizations—especially the AES—to promote more equity and opportunity.

Conversely, in what ways does the audio industry still have work to do?

I think first and foremost change comes from people being honest with themselves and about their industry. Regardless of the impact on the charts, and in global culture, genres like modern Hip-Hop and R&B still seem to be looked down on by traditionalists, who still make up the majority of our industry.

A drum machine or sampler is looked at by many as being “not an instrument” while they forget the same thing was said about their electric guitars or synths not too long ago. It’s very important to encourage new styles and generations, and to step outside of the “Well, it’s not what I do,” mindset. That’s very damaging.

Another place we need to be honest with ourselves is gender equality in our industry. It’s wildly out of balance. There is zero reason to believe only someone who identifies as a man can be creative, but if you look at the numbers of women and non-binary members of our industry you’d never know. That has to change for those in our industry now and those who aspire to join.

Representation matters greatly in an industry that is so heavily based on mentorship and networking. Opportunities need to be given to those who haven’t had them, and young people—the future of our industry—need heroes and role models they can see and speak with and be inspired by.  

Finally, between your work as a producer, engineer, and songwriter, your AES work, and your impending fatherhood, you’ve got a lot going on! How do you keep it all spinning, while still maintaining personal balance?

 Ah, the eternal question. At the moment keeping everything going means not sleeping much! But the key to it is compartmentalizing.

I’m not a big believer in the “hustle constantly and I’ll sleep when I’m dead” mentality that is so prevalent. That doesn’t mean I don’t operate like that sometimes—more often than I’d like—but it’s important to remember that you’re not only defined by your work.

That’s become increasingly meaningful to me as my wife and I get ready to welcome our first child. He doesn’t care how good my mixes are, he just needs Daddy, so that’s a new hat I’m getting ready to wear.

— Interview by David Weiss

Please note: When you buy products through links on this page, we may earn an affiliate commission.