Sound Engineering Technician
A Sound Engineering Technician is a professional who specializes in recording, manipulating, and editing audio for various media formats, including music, film, television, and live events. They play a crucial role in ensuring high-quality sound by setting up microphones, adjusting audio levels, and synchronizing sounds during production. This occupation typically requires a high school diploma, although many positions may require a college degree or specialized training in audio engineering. The median annual earnings for sound engineering technicians are approximately $54,160, with job prospects growing at an average rate of 2%.
Sound engineering technicians work primarily in studios, on film sets, and at live event venues, often collaborating with other media professionals to achieve the desired audio effects. They need strong attention to detail, excellent concentration skills, and the ability to work in teams, as their tasks can vary significantly based on the specific project and its requirements. Education and training opportunities in sound engineering are widely available at technical schools and universities, covering essential tools and technologies in the field. This profession attracts individuals with a passion for music and technology, providing diverse pathways for those interested in the audio production industry.
Sound Engineering Technician
Snapshot
Career Cluster(s): Arts, A/V Technology & Communications, Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics
Interests: Audio engineering, audio production, acoustics, sound effects
Earnings (Yearly Median): $54,160 per year $26.04 per hour
Employment & Outlook: 2% (As fast as average)
Entry-Level Education Varied based on specific positions, but a high school diploma is required for most and a college degree for others.
Related Work Experience None
On-the-job-Training Short-term on-the-job training
Overview
Sphere of Work.Sound engineering technicians record, manipulate, and edit music, speech, and other sounds. They work across various media-related industries, from motion picture and video production to performing arts, recording arts, and television and radio broadcasting. Sound engineering technicians set up microphones to capture live broadcasts, musical recordings, and speaking and news events. They also synchronize and adjust sound levels for optimum audio quality and remove outside interference. Sound engineering technicians in the music industry adjust instrument and vocal volume levels for optimum output, a task known as mixing and mastering.
Work Environment. Sound engineering technicians work primarily in studio environments, on both television and film production sets, and in recording studios. Technicians who record live events use mobile audio-recording technology capable of being set up wherever an event occurs. Sound engineering technicians also work in concert venues and theaters. Full-time work is typical, but technicians typically work sporadic schedules and hours, depending on the type of media production with which they or their company are involved.
Occupation Interest. Sound engineering technicians enter the profession from various academic and professional backgrounds. Many technologically savvy people transform their love of music and recorded sound into a career. In contrast, others are musicians who enter the field by recording their own work or students and professionals who enjoy the media production process. Because of the duration and intensity of the focus required in sound engineering, strong concentration skills and deft attention to detail are hallmarks of all sound engineering professionals. Professional sound engineering also requires strong collaboration, teamwork, and leadership skills.
A Day in the Life—Duties and Responsibilities. Sound engineering technicians are responsible for anticipating, capturing, and editing audio. A technician works closely with others to capture and produce a desired sound type and ensure a high-quality recording. The tasks involved can change daily depending on a sound engineering technician’s particular realm of work.
Sound engineering technicians who work in television or film usually develop audio-recording strategies in collaboration with visual production staff. This traditionally involves setting up, modifying, and testing microphone equipment to ensure proper audio levels. Technicians responsible for recording live events may take several days or weeks of preparation to ensure that quality audio recordings can be captured. These sound engineering technicians record everything from roundtable discussions to lectures, large conferences, important speeches, and presentations at colleges and businesses. They are also often responsible for disassembling the audio or audiovisual (AV) equipment after the event.
Sound engineering technicians in the music industry are specially trained to capture the sounds produced by musical instruments and voices. Working primarily in studios, these technicians are skilled at capturing the highest-quality sound possible and arranging their equalization to create the best track possible. They may also add artificial and prerecorded sounds to musical recordings to alter and shape their artistic breadth. Adding sound effects is also essential for sound engineering for television and film production.
Editing recorded sound for quality and desired effect is crucial to the job. This can require lengthy and laborious review and computer editing of recorded audio content. Regardless of specialty, sound engineering technicians are responsible for tracking recording events, ensuring the operability of the audio equipment, and arranging for repairs when necessary.
Work Environment
Immediate Physical Environment. Studio settings such as television production and musical recording studios predominate. However, many sound engineering technicians travel to record sound at live events or unusual locations. As such, they must be able to maneuver and operate audio-recording equipment in harsh conditions and hard-to-reach places.
Human Environment. Sound engineering technicians work with other media production professionals, from writers and camera operators to producers, directors, and recording artists.
Technological Environment. Sound engineering involves a complex array of technologies. Professionals in the field must be well versed in choosing project-specific recording devices, such as microphones and radio transmitters, and using numerous audio or AV editing, effects manipulation, and preproduction software programs.
Education, Training, and Advancement
High School/Secondary. High school students can prepare to work in sound engineering with coursework in the arts, music, and computers, as well as English, history, mathematics, and physics. Participation in scholastic media arts projects or local media production can also be tremendously beneficial. Summer internships or volunteer work at local music and television studios can bolster the credentials of those interested in exploring audio engineering at the postsecondary level.
Postsecondary. Sound engineering and audio production are featured in hundreds of postsecondary programs at technical schools, colleges, and universities throughout the United States. Associate-level programs in sound engineering and audio production familiarize students with the essential tools and technologies of the craft. In addition to teaching critical listening and acoustics, certificate programs familiarize students with popular mixing and mastering software.
Undergraduate audio-production courses combine the technical aspects of sound engineering with a survey of the music business, audio production, musical theory and history, and compositional arrangement. Students who major in sound engineering master topics such as advanced mixing techniques, sound design, and film scoring, which may be beneficial in future sound engineering employment.
Related Occupations
Bibliography
"Broadcast and Sound Engineering Technicians." Occupational Outlook Handbook. Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Department of Labor, 17 Apr. 2024, www.bls.gov/ooh/media-and-communication/broadcast-and-sound-engineering-technicians.htm. Accessed 27 Aug. 2024.