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Arts & Media27-4014.00Specialization

Sound Engineering Technicians

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.

$59,430
Median Pay
Less than 6 months
Training
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In Transition
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This is a specialization of

Media Equipment Workers

Career Overview Video

AI Impact Assessment

AI Resilience Score

Score 2/6: declining job demand indicates this career is being transformed by AI

🟠In Transition

How we calculated this:

AI Exposure
Medium+1

43% of tasks can be accelerated by AI

Job Growth
Declining+0

-2% projected (2024-2034)

Human Advantage
Moderate+1

EPOCH score: 17/25

Total Score2/6
Methodology: v2.0 - GPTs are GPTs / BLS / EPOCH Additive ScoringUpdated: 2026-01-09
View full methodology →

Key Responsibilities

  • 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.
  • Record speech, music, and other sounds on recording media, using recording equipment.
  • Separate instruments, vocals, and other sounds, and combine sounds during the mixing or postproduction stage.
  • Set up, test, and adjust recording equipment for recording sessions and live performances.
  • Report equipment problems and ensure that required repairs are made.
  • Prepare for recording sessions by performing such activities as selecting and setting up microphones.
  • Mix and edit voices, music, and taped sound effects for live performances and for prerecorded events, using sound mixing boards.
  • Keep logs of recordings.
  • Tear down equipment after event completion.

Education & Training

Typical Entry Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Time to Job Ready

1-3 years

Based on Job Zone 3. For formal education duration only, see education_duration.

Technology Skills

Digital audio workstations (Pro Tools)Sound mixing consolesAudio editing softwareLive sound systemsMicrosoft OfficeSignal processing tools

Key Abilities

Hearing SensitivityOral ComprehensionOral ExpressionNear VisionAuditory AttentionFluency of IdeasSelective AttentionWritten ComprehensionOriginalityDeductive Reasoning

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Find jobs and training programs for sound engineering technicians- Median salary: $59K/year

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Compensation Details

$36,160
10th Percentile
$59,430
Median
$132,940
90th Percentile

Based on 14,600 employed workers

Also Known As

Acoustical ConsultantAcoustical EngineerAudio DSP Engineer (Audio Digital Signal Processor Engineer)Audio EngineerAudio OperatorAudio Recording EngineerAudio Video EngineerDisc RecordistDub Room EngineerFilm Recordist

Data from O*NET 30.1 and BLS Occupational Employment Statistics

O*NET Code: 27-4014.00