Cato Zane

Email

Primary Email: [email protected]

Building/Location

Music - 256
5500 Campanile Drive
San Diego, CA 92182

Files

• View Cato Zane's CV

Website Links

• https://www.catonoise.com/

Bio

Cato is a full-time audio engineer, music producer, and educator. She holds a master's in Music and Music Education from Columbia University, and has taught Music Technology and Audio courses for Beat Kitchen School, Platt College, San Diego, and San Diego State University. She has also taught applied studio music lessons for Teachers College, Columbia University, teaching digital composition and audio engineering to a few students each term while there earning her master’s. She is currently an audio lecturer at San Diego State University, and an instructor at Beat Kitchen School. She is a member on the High Tech High Career Technical Education Industry Advisory Board, and the Miramar College Audio Program Advisory Board.

As a freelance audio engineer and music producer, she specializes in alt rock and indie cinematic pop music. With over 20 years of experience in the audio engineering field, Cato has been fortunate to work on a wide range of projects - from traveling Broadway shows and Super Bowl commercials to working with several Grammy winners.

Currently, Cato serves as the head engineer at Lost and Sound Foundry, a boutique studio she recently opened in San Diego after years of working in larger commercial studios. She also works closely with other commercial studios as needed. Beyond her engineering work, Cato runs a small YouTube channel dedicated to audio engineering and music production. Through this work, she has collaborated with companies like Produce Like A Pro, Splice Music, Antares (makers of Autotune), Zzounds, and Tascam, among others. Cato is deeply passionate about music production and audio engineering, and continuously seeks new ways to expand her knowledge, explore the field, and connect with other audio enthusiasts.

Education

• Connecticut College (undergrad),
• Columbia University (master's),
• San Diego Community College (Electronics Technician degree) 

Areas of Specialization

Audio Engineering, Music Production, Live Sound, Recording Arts

Certifications

• SDSU Academic Applications of AI (AAAI) Micro-credential (Level 1) San Diego State University, March 5, 2025
• Dolby Atmos Music Mixer Certified
  MixHer Program through Dolby and EngineEars, Feb 2024
• Electronics Technician Certified
  San Diego Community College, 1 year certificate degree program
• Pro Tools HD 11 Operator Music Certified
  Studio West and The Recording Arts Center
• Pro Tools 10 User Certified
  Studio West and The Recording Arts Center
• Venue 3.0 Operator Certified
  Studio West and The Recording Arts Center

Awards & Honors

• NAMM-CMS Faculty Fellows Award Recipient, for the upcoming NAMM 2026
  
• Sound Designer, Mixer (Stereo & Immersive), and End Music Creator for “Lost Dreams” Film
• Winner of Best Experimental Film at the Berlin Kiez Film Festival, July 2024
• Winner of Best Story at the Experimental Film and Dance Festival, Toronto
• Semi-Finalist in the Blow-Up International Art House Film Fest, Chicago
• Winner of ITSO Ephemeral Beauty at the Magikal Charm Film Festival
• Dolby Atmos & EngineEars MixHer Program Winner & Award Recipient, Dec - Feb 2024
• Lamond GenNext Award Recipient, Jan 2024
• She Rocks Awards Scholarship Ticket Recipient, Jan 2024
• Teachers College Grant Recipient to Attend NAMM, Jan 2024
• San Diego Zoo and US State Department’s Worldwide Hackathon Winner, 2019
• Cato has also been featured guest / featured speaker for numerous events and publications, and is Featured in the NAMM Oral History Archives. For more information, please visit her online CV, which can be found at https://www.catonoise.com/cv/.

Courses

• MUS 162: Introduction to Recording and Sound Reinforcement

Research

• Tools of the Trade: An Exploratory Study Analyzing the Frequency and Potency of Tools in Hip-Hop Music Creation, Performance, and Pedagogy
  IRB 25-407
• Technology in the Music Classroom: A Case Study of In-service and Preservice Music Education Graduate Students
  IRB 24-282

Media

• NAMM Oral History Archives Featured Interviewee, May 22, 2025 - Interview Done at NAMM HQ in Carlsbad, CA - Featured Online
• Canvas Rebel “Stories & Insights” Featured Interviewee, June 26, 2025
• MixHer Featured Panelist, June 22, 2025 East Iris Studios, Nashville, TN
• Safari Pedals Podcast Featured Guest, May 21, 2025
• Celebrating Women in the Recording Industry Panelist, April 3, 2025 - University of Northern Colorado, Panel Member
• Local Stories Featured Interviewee, March 31, 2025
  San Diego Voyager,
• Careers in Music Summit Panelist, Jan 24, 2025
  NAMM 2025 Trade Show, NAMM Idea Center 
• Prepping For The Studio Podcast Featured Guest, Jan 30, 2025
• Teach Me Acapella Podcast Featured Guest, July 27, 2024
  Online/Remote
• Women in Music Panelist, Feb 29, 2024
  San Diego State University, AES event
• Hearback Technologies Featured Engineer, March 2024
• “‘Free Virtual Tarot Readings’ courtesy Clance and Imes” Article, June 22, 2023
  San Diego Reader, Cato’s Music as Subject of the Article
• Careers in Audio Panelist, Nov 15, 2023
  San Diego City College, AES event
• Splice Music Featured Engineer/Artist, April 2023
  Sound Factory, LA
• San Diego Crew Featured Member, July 2021
• Platt College Teacher Spotlight Featured Instructor, 2017
  Platt College, San Diego
• SoundGym Hero of the Month, Aug 2019
• Hype Plugin by UrsaDSP Plugin Preset Maker, March 2024
• Various Brand Partnership Collaborations:
  Avid, Antares (Autotune), Tascam, Zzounds, Audio-Technica Creator, Produce Like A Pro, Beat Kitchen School, Slate Digital, Waves, DistroKid, Splice, Kali Audio, Baby Audio, Audio Doctor, Eargasm Earplugs, Tuned Plugins, etc

Presentations

• Using Patreon to Create Community, Nov 13, 2024
  Sheridan College and Centennial College, Presentation to Music Entrepreneurship Students
• A Case Study in Democratizing Access: An exclusively free software Music Ed. Technology Class., Nov 7, 2024
  College Music Society (CMS) and Association for Technology in Music Instruction (ATMI) Conference, Presentation
• Modern Audio Engineering: The History, Technology, and Experience, Aug 28, 2024 - Museum of Making Music, Presentation
• Updating Music Technology Assessment Strategies, June 8, 2024 - Association of Popular Music Education (APME) Conference at USC Thornton, Conference Presentation

Publications

• In-Service and Pre-Service Teacher Perceptions of Music | Technology Education: An Empirical Explortion of Divergences, Fall 2024
• Issues in Teacher Education Journal, Volume 33, Number 2, Fall 2024
• Imperative Duality of Music Teacher Technological Education, 2024 | Journal of the Association for Technology in Music Instruction (JATMI), Vol. 4, No. 1 (2024)
• The uncanny valley in the music classroom: Perspectives on overcorrection, Jun, 2023 | Journal of Music, Technology & Education, Volume 16, Issue 1-2, Article Publication
• Creating Spaces for Laptops in Music Education Classrooms: Enhancing Access and Opportunities, Fall 2024 | California Music Educators Association (CMEA) Magazine, Article Publication
• Mic Mod: Microphone Modeling Software as an Educational Tool, May 20, 2024 | College Music Society’s CMS Tech Forum Journal, Article Publication

Service

• High Tech High Career Technical Education Industry Advisory Board
  Board Member, April 2025 - present
• NAMM 2025 Day of Service
  Presentation to Anaheim High School Students, Jan 21, 2025
• Miramar College Audio Program Advisory Board
  Board Member, May 2024 - present
• Guide Dogs For The Blind
  Puppy Raiser/Puppy Sitter, 2019 - present
• San Diego House Rabbit Society
  Rabbit Groomer, 2017 - present
• Writers Round San Diego
  FOH Audio Engineer & Organizer, May 2022 - Feb 2023
• Music For Peace San Diego
  Audio Engineer, 2015 - 2019 
• International Day of Peace NGO Committee, United Nations
  Music Peace Team Member, March 2015 - 2019