Rhythm With Rae

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Ottawa, ON
Rhythm With Rae

Charae Degrow (also known as “Rae”) is a Canadian producer, engineer, and mixer working across live and studio environments. Welcome!

RWR is a creative business that is built around adapting to the artist rather than reshaping their sound.

05/20/2026

So this happened today….. A year ago, I was still sitting in classes at . Today, I’m honored (and honestly ecstatic) to be nominated for Sound Engineer of the Year at the Capital Music Awards.

This one means a lot.

I hope this nomination connects with every rising engineer, every woman, and every underrepresented person climbing their own mountain in this industry. There is space for us here. We are capable of incredible things.

Keep learning. Keep showing up. Keep building your own table.

🪻

05/10/2026

… from student to teacher… 🫣🤯

Last August (2025), I graduated from the program at Algonquin College.

Now, I’m officially joining THE PROFESSOR LINEUP!

I’ll be teaching Audio Production 2. The course has a specialization focus on mastering. It is absolutely surreal to be building a curriculum for the next generation of students entering the industry.

This program challenged me creatively, technically, and personally. Some of my biggest growth happened inside classrooms. I remember the long nights, self-doubts, the friends who could help trouble shoot when the mind was blank.

Now I get to step back into that environment from the other side of the classroom.

I’m incredibly honored the program trusted me with this opportunity. The previous professor left very big shoes to fill, and I have a deep respect for the foundation that was built before me.

What excites me most is helping students strengthen not only their technical skills, but their listening, creativity, confidence, and ability to think critically about audio.

Still wrapping my head around it a little bit… but for now… AHHHHH MY GOOD GODDESS IM SO HYPED!!

🪻

📸

04/07/2026

MY GOOD GODDESS. I think I just experienced the future of studio culture.

Two days in a studio in Hamilton with 20 women in music. Artists, engineers, and producers sharing knowledge with glistening blue, gooey energy. The weekend was PACKED with experimenting in the studio spaces, where 6 artists had full vocals tracked for personal projects. When questions were asked, they were answered in a way that allowed everyone to feel like they were on the same professional level. No sizing up. No “faking it” when someone didn’t have an answer. Instead, we pulled out Google and discovered the answers together. Genuine feminine power.

Women leading sessions. Women trusting their ears. Women collaborating instead of competing. It just felt natural. Like this is exactly how creative spaces are supposed to feel.

I left riding the energy wave of these women and thinking…

Ottawa needs an experience like this.

So I’m putting this out there…

Would you be part of something like this?

I’m calling for my allies who own studios, have experience engineering, desire to produce, or artists trying to find space to grow within the songs they are writing.

Comment or DM and I’ll add you to my list. Thank you and Bright Young Women for bringing us all together and leading us forward.

🌻

04/04/2026

One year ago, I was finishing my second semester and felt completely out of my depth with live engineering.

The M32 Edit app confused me (still does to be honest)…
Ringing out a PA didn’t feel solid…
Don’t even get me started on gain staging…

I had started building skills, but I didn’t trust them yet 🤷🏼‍♀️. I genuinely thought it would take YEARS before I could handle any live sound on my own.

Something inside me kept pushing me to keep going, so I kept showing up. I pushed through feeling “behind” and that voice that said “I don’t know enough”.

Last night, I mixed FOH for a very special band because the founder of my school program plays electric guitar with them!

This is a moment that landed for me.

Yes, I am still learning and growing. The cool thing is, I’m not “trying to get there” anymore.

I’m here… and I’m just 8 months into my audio career. Thank you MIA for the jump-start and to Mesa for being so lovely to work alongside last night!

🪻

03/10/2026

One thing I’m learning about live production is how easy it is to get fixated on mastering “all the lanes”. In this industry there’s a lot of talk about becoming a “triple threat” tech…that’s someone who can run audio, lighting, and video. My hat is off to the people who can truly do all three well.

For me, I want to master audio. BUT! Understanding the whole ecosystem still matters.

The more time I spend around lighting techs, video teams, broadcast crews, and stage builders, the more I realize how interconnected everything is. The best learning moments often happen when I step into areas where I know the least.

We should all get comfortable with not knowing everything! There is always more to learn to take our skills to the next level. This photo was actually the first time I helped set up a full video wall from start to finish.

Aside from discovering how strange it feels to stare directly into thousands of LED pixels… 🤣 which I DO NOT RECOMMEND… I learned a lot. And it created a lot of camaraderie with the team too.

Growth isn’t about mastering everything. It’s about being comfortable learning beside people who know more than you do.

03/08/2026

AHH!! Rhythm With Rae will be partnering with this summer. I will be stepping in as Technical Director.

If you are performing at an OMIC show this summer in our beautiful city, there is a very good chance you will see me or members of the RWR team behind the scenes helping bring those shows to life.

This moment feels really meaningful to me because it reminds me HOW MANY PEOPLE helped get me here!

From the outside it can sometimes look like momentum or success happens on its own. The truth is that none of this has happened alone. I have been invited into rooms. Doors have been opened for me to step through. And I did a TON of work/studying in my own spare time.

The program at Algonquin College played a huge role in relighting the spark for me. They helped me realize that it was not too late to build a career in this industry. I am deeply thankful for the community found within this program.

Wayne Hawthorne () saw potential in me as an audio engineer before I saw it in myself and started bringing me out to real shows. One of my very first behind the scenes experiences was the tour at the NAC, where I met Brent Washburn () for the first time. Since then Brent has continued to welcome me whenever tours come through town and has shown me how exciting this world can be. (Swipe to see the photo from that day!)

I also want to thank Maxine Brunet (). She paved the way before me and shares her knowledge openly. She treats me like a colleague and a friend. On the days when I am convinced I have completely messed up a mix and no one will ever hire me again, she is one of the people who reminds me that learning and mistakes are just part of becoming better. So much love for you Max!

There are also venues that have trusted me with real opportunities along the way. with , with Gille, with Mike, and the Hard Rock Ottawa team. Each of those rooms helped me grow.

Thank you ! Excited to be apart of the team!

📸:

02/17/2026

January took me to Los Angeles for the first time to attend . I’m really glad I took the risk! I went alone, not knowing a single person. I left with new friends and an inner affirmation that I am heading in the right direction.

🤞🏻putting it into the universe that I will be back again one day for more music things…

Address

Ottawa, ON

Website

https://www.rhythmwithrae.ca/, https://www.instagram.com/rhythmwithrae/, https://www.linkedin.com/in/charaedegrow/

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