Clair Global Backs Audio Accessibility Alliance

	"It was a learning curve for all involved; there were a lot of experienced people in the room, but most didn't know that you can use ProTools with text-to-speech without even looking at waveforms."

Michelle Guadalupe Felix Garcia must be one of the few sound engineers on the planet to have been personally asked by Chris Martin to help Coldplay record at the group's studio.

How she got there is a story of pure determination and an ambition to raise awareness that has led to the formation of the Audio Accessibility Alliance (AAA), a Clair Global-backed industry think tank that aims to open conversations and create meaningful change around disability in entertainment technology and live event production.

When Garcia, who is a blind sound engineer, contacted Live Nation about possible employment opportunities, it marked the beginning of a high-level industry wake-up call.

David Helberg, Live Nation's director of production, and Mike Marchetti, VP of concert production, invited Garcia to The Conference: Live at Lititz in December 2024 with one question in mind: How can the live events and touring industry begin making its technical, backstage world more accessible?

Cue a specially arranged event at Rock Lititz where Live Nation, Clair Global, Cohesion, DiGiCo, Midas, Sennheiser, and Tait assembled to speak with Garcia about developing a more user-friendly experience. "To have all of these multi-disciplinary creative minds in conversation was invaluable," she says. "It gave key players the opportunity to learn more about accessibility and to watch how a blind person can operate a computer, a console, and use ProTools.

"It was a learning curve for all involved; there were a lot of experienced people in the room, but most didn't know that you can use ProTools with text-to-speech without even looking at waveforms."

"It was very humbling to watch Michelle at work," says Clair account executive Jason Vrobel. "She is extremely good with ProTools. The way she hears cues and moves at speed is quite something. I don't think any of us would be able to do what she does."

Vrobel now sits on the AAA Committee alongside Garcia and fellow audio engineer Ritchell Lim, mix engineer Jon Lemon, studio engineer Cory Wilkins, and Helberg.

During the conference, Clair organized a three-hour personalized tour for Garcia. "They took me through the Cohesion wood shop, cabinet assembly, testing room, and through every component from capacitors and diaphragms, to testing frequency ranges. It was so hands-on, they allowed me to touch everything, and every question was absolutely welcomed."

Post conference, Rock Lititz donated a rehearsal space for Garcia to mix front-of-house for singer/songwriter Sara Hells. Clair Global facilitated a recording session with Lancaster County local JJ, an 11-year-old aspiring rapper, who is also visually impaired.

JJ was brought to Clair's attention through VisionCorps, a Pennsylvania-based non-profit that provides tools and training to empower individuals with blindness and vision loss to attain independence. It was JJ's dream to record a song, and with Garcia's expertise and personal experience, a perfect opportunity arose to make it happen.

When Jason informed JJ that he was singing into the same Cohesion speakers that Kendrick Lamar uses on tour, he was so excited," Garcia says.

"I've been interested in sound and music since childhood," she says. "At 13, I taught myself to use an audio interface, and I used software for studio production, learning throughout the years. Then, when I was 17, I had a dream to play the piano with Coldplay, and I began emailing their management to see if it was possible.

"I couldn't believe it, but in October 2017 they invited me to play at their rehearsal in San Diego. I got to use an in-ear monitor for the first time, and as we walked around the stadium, I felt the heat of the mixing board near me. In that moment, I realized that audio engineering wasn't a hobby for me -- I wanted to dedicate my life to it.

"The band are so humble and I'm so grateful, because without that initial request being met, I wouldn't be here, doing this now." Garcia is from Mexico, and, with her parents' encouragement, the family moved to San Diego to give her the best education in pro audio.

"English is my second language, and I moved to this foreign culture so I could fulfil my dream. We made all the necessary arrangements, I took an English test, and then once I was accepted into college, my course educator said: 'You should change your major because it's really hard for sighted people to pursue a career in sound, so it's going to be impossible for you.'

"That hit me like a bomb. But then it made me more determined to carry on."

Garcia graduated in 2022 with a music, recording tech, and audio design bachelor's degree.

She continues, "I kept in touch with Coldplay, and the band's manager asked if I'd like to come to their Malibu recording studio. Of course, I said yes! I listened to their album five months before it was released, but the most beautiful thing was that I didn't feel like a fan. They treated me like an engineer because I had studied.

"Chris looked at me and said: 'I want to record this; can you take over?' I was very impacted by that trust. He put me on their ProTools rig, and it was the most insane five minutes of my life...."

She adds, "As an organization, AAA would like to have a broad focus across accessibility, but in this moment, we are speaking about blindness because that's my lived experience. Clair Global has been such a facilitator, and after understanding fully what the company does, I feel surer than ever that I want to tour in some capacity."