Published 7/6/21 by Ben Rogerson (Computer Music, Future Music, Musician, Keyboard Magazine)
The Professional Audio Manufacturers Alliance (PAMA) has announced that it is working with its members and industry trade groups "to address the issues of outdated language and terminology that are increasingly seen as hindering the spirit of inclusiveness in the pro audio community."
Terms like "master/slave" (involving clocks) and "male/female" (involving connector topology) are considered problematic.PAMA has distributed a survey among its members, including companies like Audio-Technica, Blue, Sennheiser, and Shure, to gather feedback on this problematic language.
“The intent is that Parma MPs in their organisation propose a framework for implementing uniform terminology across the industry, in the spirit of inclusivity and consistency,” explained Parma Board Chair and Inclusion Committee member Karam Kaul (Harman)."It boils down to mutual respect."
As a starting point, PAMA has created a list of recommended neutral professional audio terms.This shows that "Master/Slave" can become "Primary/Secondary" and "Male/Female" can become "Plug/Socket".It is said to be a "dynamic document" that will continue to evolve based on ongoing input from across the industry.
PAMA's initiative has already gained support, with Karrie Keyes, executive director of women's audio advocacy group SoundGirls.org and monitor engineer at Pearl Jam/Eddie Vedder commenting: "Introducing neutral language to the audio industry for PAMA. It's a tall order. , is important to continue working towards meaningful change in our industry.”
Earlier this year, a successful campaign was launched calling for a name change for the popular music tech forum Gearslutz.It is now called Gearspace.
I'm a group content manager at MusicRadar, specializing in all technologies.I previously worked on our sister magazine Computer Music for eight years.For over 30 years, I've been playing the piano, performing in bands, but failing to complete the repertoire done at home, 20 years of which I've also written about music technology.
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Post time: Feb-16-2022