Women in Pro Audio: Toyin St Matthew-Daniel Women in Pro Audio: Toyin St Matthew-Daniel...

While the pro audio world rightly celebrates veteran road dogs with decades of touring under their belts, the most exciting shift in live sound is happening right now with the next generation. Visibility is essential, especially in an industry where navigating the ranks as a woman can feel like finding a clear RF frequency in a packed stadium. In this installment of Women in Pro Audio, we turn the spotlight on a rising force behind the console: a technician early in her career who is already proving to be someone you need to watch.

Meet Toyin St Matthew-Daniel—a live audio technician supporting festivals and live events with backline, audio setup, cabling, patching, microphones, DI boxes, signal checks, and equipment build, and a Technical Production Trainee at BBC Open Music supporting BBC Radio 3. Her rapid trajectory from solitary bedroom producer to handling front-of-house (FOH) and monitor mixing for a high-stakes four-day jazz residency proves she’s a formidable talent actively shaping the modern soundscape.

The Pivot from Dorm Room Beats to the Festival Stage

Born and raised in South London with Nigerian roots, Toyin didn’t follow a conventional path into audio engineering. She initially studied International Relations as a safe backup plan, but everything changed when she stumbled upon fellow students tracking vocals and putting on shows at campus venues.

“I was always intrigued by the guy behind the computer who was pulling the strings and essentially making them sound good,” she recalls.

That spark ignited a drive. After graduation, she dove headfirst into beat-making and production, spending long hours in her bedroom studio uploading tracks, recording local artists, and mastering the fundamentals of mic selection, signal chain, and mixing. Yet as her skills sharpened, her curiosity pulled her deeper toward the physical foundation of live hardware.

“The turning point in wanting to specifically be in live sound was realizing that I wanted to stop working completely on my own and become part of the wider production world,” Toyin says. “I also wanted to have a more direct and immediate impact on the projects I was working on, which I felt I didn’t have just being a music producer in a studio.”

That desire for high-energy collaboration propelled her into broadcast and live production, landing a key placement with Serious Music where she shadowed seasoned pros and learned by fire. Still, cracking open the door was no small feat.

“A lot of technical roles ask for live experience, but you need someone to give you the opportunity to gain it in the first place,” she notes. Rather than waiting for permission, she hunted down shadowing opportunities and entry-level placements. Once inside, her next challenge was mastering the sheer volume of gear while conquering imposter syndrome. “There are so many systems, consoles, and technical disciplines that you can’t possibly know everything at the beginning,” she admits. “I’ve learned to be comfortable saying, ‘I don’t know that yet, but I can learn it.'”

Women in Pro Audio: Forging Space at the Console

Stepping into a heavily male-dominated arena heightens awareness of representation. “When I’m entering a technical environment and don’t see any women around me, it can make me question whether I belong there or if I can even do the job, particularly when I’m still developing my confidence,” Toyin shares. Yet, finding supportive mentors along the way has fueled her belief in building spaces where women are welcomed natively rather than forced to prove their right to exist.

Toyin points out that the imbalance starts early, with girls rarely being nudged toward electronics or engineering. “Then, when women do enter the industry, a lack of representation can become self-perpetuating,” she observes. “If you don’t see people like yourself doing the job, it can be difficult to picture yourself doing it.”

Her solution? Early exposure, accessible training, active mentorship, and unapologetic visibility. We need to “normalize women being behind the console, on stage, in the truck, in the studio, and in the technical team—not treat their presence as unusual or gatekeep these opportunities, but respect them equally.”

Whenever friction arises, Toyin treats the obstacle like an upgrade in a game. “I remember that these challenges can only make you stronger and more resilient,” she says. “I try to think of it like a game; like if it was all easy, it’d be boring. Every time I understand a new piece of equipment, work on a bigger production, or solve a problem that I couldn’t have solved six months earlier, it reminds me that I’m moving forward.” And when a pivot is required, she frames it as strategic agility: “I realized I never gave up; you just have to redirect and pivot or change tactics sometimes to reach your end goal or what your heart truly desires.”

Live Power Cuts, Favorite Gigs, and the Bigger Picture

Toyin has already racked up impressive credits across prestigious broadcasts and major outdoor stages, from working the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall to BBC Radio 3’s Friday Night is Music Night and the Music Is Black Festival at Olympic Park. The latter delivered a high-octane crash course in festival pacing. “I got to experience what it’s like working a festival as an audio tech and dealing with fast and hectic changeovers while being surrounded by music I genuinely love and cool artists,” she beams.

Live sound also means surviving wild curveballs. Like watching a festival stage lose total power in pouring rain and needing instant technical triage to get the PA back online. But for Toyin, nothing beats the thrill of complete autonomy, like the day she successfully mic’d and configured a full setup—hi-hat, drums, Pioneer CDJs, and stage monitors—entirely on her own with zero prior warning. “What I love most is being able to do something fun and engaging for work,” she says. “I love that I get to enjoy parts of the show after everything has been set up and know that I had a direct impact in it coming to life.”

To continually level up, Toyin aggressively leverages key industry resources, including 3T (a live music training course for underrepresented groups) and the Women in Live Music community. She has already earned her Audinate Dante Level 1 and 2 certifications, completed DiGiCo beginner and intermediate digital console training, attended the Production Futures fair, and regularly mixes audio for her local church. Her mantra is simple: “For me, it’s really about combining structured training with real-world experience, asking questions, and repetition.”

Looking ahead, Toyin wants to see the industry preserve its essential human touch while throwing the doors wide open for new talent. If she could rewrite the industry rules, she’d create clearer pathways for women from all backgrounds. “I’d love to see more paid entry-level opportunities, structured mentoring, and clearer routes for people from different backgrounds to get their first real experience,” she emphasizes, pointing out that breaking in shouldn’t depend on financial privilege or existing insider connections.

Her advice for women looking to break into audio? Focus on clear communication, stay cool when gear fails, and jump in before you feel 100% ready. “Don’t wait until you feel completely ready,” Toyin urges. “Get in the room. Ask questions. Learn how things work. Volunteer, shadow, train, and take every appropriate opportunity to get hands-on experience.”

And the golden rule passed down to her from a veteran FOH engineer?

“The best engineers are the nicest ones and the ones who understand everything happening on the stage before the desk.”

To follow her journey as she learns from the ground up, find her on Instagram at @prodby.t2

To read last month’s Women in Pro Audio interview, click here.

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