Sound Engineering Technician Assemble and operate equipment to record, synchronize, mix, edit, or reproduce sound, including music, voices, or sound effects, for theater, video, film, television, podcasts, sporting events, and other productions.
Sound Engineering Technician is Also Know as
In different settings, Sound Engineering Technician is titled as
- Audio Engineer
- Audio Operator
- Mastering Engineer
- Mixer
- Mixing Engineer
- Recording Engineer
- Sound Editor
- Sound Engineer
- Sound Technician
- Studio Engineer
Education and Training of Sound Engineering Technician
Sound Engineering Technician is categorized in Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
Experience Required for Sound Engineering Technician
Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Education Required for Sound Engineering Technician
Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Degrees Related to Sound Engineering Technician
- Bachelor in Communications Technology/Technician
- Associate Degree Courses in Communications Technology/Technician
- Masters Degree Courses in Communications Technology/Technician
- Bachelor in Recording Arts Technology/Technician
- Associate Degree Courses in Recording Arts Technology/Technician
- Masters Degree Courses in Recording Arts Technology/Technician
- Bachelor in Audio Engineering Technology/Technician
- Associate Degree Courses in Audio Engineering Technology/Technician
- Masters Degree Courses in Audio Engineering Technology/Technician
- Bachelor in Music Technology
- Associate Degree Courses in Music Technology
- Masters Degree Courses in Music Technology
Training Required for Sound Engineering Technician
Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Related Ocuupations
Some Ocuupations related to Sound Engineering Technician in different industries are
- Audio and Video Technicians
- Broadcast Technicians
- Calibration Technologists and Technicians
- Media Technical Directors/Managers
- Lighting Technicians
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians
- Audiovisual Equipment Installers and Repairers
- Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film
- Film and Video Editors
- Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment
- Robotics Technicians
- Electronics Engineers, Except Computer
- Camera and Photographic Equipment Repairers
- Motion Picture Projectionists
- Software Developers
- Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners
- Radio Frequency Identification Device Specialists
- Producers and Directors
- Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians
- Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Programmers
What Do Sound Engineering Technician do?
- Confer with producers, performers, and others to determine and achieve the desired sound for a production, such as a musical recording or a film.
- Regulate volume level and sound quality during recording sessions, using control consoles.
- Prepare for recording sessions by performing such activities as selecting and setting up microphones.
- Report equipment problems and ensure that required repairs are made.
- Mix and edit voices, music, and taped sound effects for live performances and for prerecorded events, using sound mixing boards.
- Synchronize and equalize prerecorded dialogue, music, and sound effects with visual action of motion pictures or television productions, using control consoles.
- Record speech, music, and other sounds on recording media, using recording equipment.
- Reproduce and duplicate sound recordings from original recording media, using sound editing and duplication equipment.
- Separate instruments, vocals, and other sounds, and combine sounds during the mixing or postproduction stage.
- Keep logs of recordings.
- Create musical instrument digital interface programs for music projects, commercials, or film postproduction.
- Tear down equipment after event completion.
- Convert video and audio recordings into digital formats for editing or archiving.
- Set up, test, and adjust recording equipment for recording sessions and live performances.
Qualities of Good Sound Engineering Technician
- Near Vision: The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
- Oral Comprehension: The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
- Oral Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
- Hearing Sensitivity: The ability to detect or tell the differences between sounds that vary in pitch and loudness.
- Written Comprehension: The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
- Speech Clarity: The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
- Information Ordering: The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
- Written Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
- Originality: The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
- Selective Attention: The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
- Deductive Reasoning: The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
- Problem Sensitivity: The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
- Category Flexibility: The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
- Speech Recognition: The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
- Auditory Attention: The ability to focus on a single source of sound in the presence of other distracting sounds.
- Fluency of Ideas: The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
- Inductive Reasoning: The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
- Control Precision: The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
- Arm-Hand Steadiness: The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
- Visualization: The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
- Perceptual Speed: The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
- Finger Dexterity: The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
- Far Vision: The ability to see details at a distance.
- Flexibility of Closure: The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
- Manual Dexterity: The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
- Speed of Closure: The ability to quickly make sense of, combine, and organize information into meaningful patterns.
- Visual Color Discrimination: The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.
- Time Sharing: The ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources).
- Memorization: The ability to remember information such as words, numbers, pictures, and procedures.
- Multilimb Coordination: The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
- Number Facility: The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly.
- Mathematical Reasoning: The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
- Static Strength: The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.
- Depth Perception: The ability to judge which of several objects is closer or farther away from you, or to judge the distance between you and an object.
- Wrist-Finger Speed: The ability to make fast, simple, repeated movements of the fingers, hands, and wrists.
- Response Orientation: The ability to choose quickly between two or more movements in response to two or more different signals (lights, sounds, pictures). It includes the speed with which the correct response is started with the hand, foot, or other body part.
- Trunk Strength: The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without "giving out" or fatiguing.
- Extent Flexibility: The ability to bend, stretch, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs.
- Rate Control: The ability to time your movements or the movement of a piece of equipment in anticipation of changes in the speed and/or direction of a moving object or scene.
- Reaction Time: The ability to quickly respond (with the hand, finger, or foot) to a signal (sound, light, picture) when it appears.
- Sound Localization: The ability to tell the direction from which a sound originated.
- Spatial Orientation: The ability to know your location in relation to the environment or to know where other objects are in relation to you.
- Dynamic Strength: The ability to exert muscle force repeatedly or continuously over time. This involves muscular endurance and resistance to muscle fatigue.
- Gross Body Coordination: The ability to coordinate the movement of your arms, legs, and torso together when the whole body is in motion.
- Stamina: The ability to exert yourself physically over long periods of time without getting winded or out of breath.
- Speed of Limb Movement: The ability to quickly move the arms and legs.
- Night Vision: The ability to see under low-light conditions.
- Peripheral Vision: The ability to see objects or movement of objects to one's side when the eyes are looking ahead.
- Gross Body Equilibrium: The ability to keep or regain your body balance or stay upright when in an unstable position.
- Glare Sensitivity: The ability to see objects in the presence of a glare or bright lighting.
- Dynamic Flexibility: The ability to quickly and repeatedly bend, stretch, twist, or reach out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
- Explosive Strength: The ability to use short bursts of muscle force to propel oneself (as in jumping or sprinting), or to throw an object.
Tools Used by Sound Engineering Technician
- 1/3 octave equalizers
- Amplifiers
- Audio compressors
- Audio filters
- Audio mixer consoles
- Cable testers
- Channel equalizers
- Condenser microphones
- Desktop computers
- Digital audio recorders
- Digital delay pedals
- Digital oscilloscopes
- Digital samplers
- Dynamic microphones
- Dynamics processors
- Electret microphones
- Laptop computers
- Microphone pre-amps
- Multitrack tape recording machines
- Musical instrument digital interface MIDI sequencers
- Noise reduction systems
- Parametric equalizers
- Peak equalizers
- Personal computers
- Polarity checkers
- Pressure zone microphones
- Reverb devices
- Ribbon microphones
- Shelving equalizers
- Soldering irons
- Studio intercom systems
- Volt-ohm meters VOM
- Wireless microphones
- Wireless receivers
- Wireless transmitters
Technology Skills required for Sound Engineering Technician
- Adobe Acrobat
- Adobe Audition
- Adobe Creative Suite
- Adobe InDesign
- Adobe Photoshop
- Adobe Premiere Pro
- Apple Final Cut Pro
- Apple macOS
- Audio editing software
- Autodesk AutoCAD
- Avid Pro Tools
- Avid Technology audio visual editing software
- Avid Technology Pro Tools
- Cisco IOS
- Computer aided design CAD software
- Git
- Linux
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft operating system
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Visio
- Microsoft Windows
- Microsoft Word
- Musical instrument digital interface MIDI software
- Oracle Java
- Perforce software
- Real time operating system RTOS software
- UNIX
- VMware
- Voice over internet protocol VoIP system software