Set up and test a mic
Before a session or live show, place the mic, patch it into the console, and hear a test.
Career profile
Sound Engineer
Sound engineers record and mix audio for live shows, studio recordings, film, television, and video.
Instruments are drowning out a singer's voice. Your task is to figure out what to change, then rebalance the mix toward the performer's goal.
A day in the life
Keep distortion off the recording
As someone plays or sings, watch the console meters, listen, and change the level when loud parts clip.
Blend vocals with instruments
Set how loud the instrument and vocal tracks sit, then ask the performer if it's their intended sound.
Sync sound to the picture
For film or television, match dialogue and sound effects to on-screen action, then check the sync on playback.
Quick facts
Usually a postsecondary certificate
United States · 2025–2035
$73,130 a year
United States · May 2025
3.1% projected decline
United States · 2025–2035
Quick orientation
Preparation, pay & outlook
Preparation
Usually a postsecondary certificateTypical entry education is a nondegree award after high school. Requirements vary by position.
Pay
$73,130 a yearMedian employee pay for sound engineering technicians, equivalent to $35.16 an hour.
Outlook
3.1% projected declineAbout 1,000 openings a year are projected for sound engineering technicians despite declining total employment.
Fit, tradeoffs & changing tools
You might like this if…
- You enjoy listening closely enough to compare small changes in a mix.
- You like tracing a problem through cables, settings, and equipment.
- You can adjust your work after hearing what a performer wants.
Things to weigh
- Long workweeks and distracting or uncomfortable noise can be part of the job.
- Movie deadlines can mean additional hours when a production needs its sound finished.
Where AI may help
For recorded audio, tools such as RX Scene Rebalance can separate dialogue, music, and effects so you can adjust them individually.
What people still lead
You still listen for unwanted changes and decide with collaborators what the finished sound should be.
What we can’t predict yet
How much cleanup can run unattended remains uncertain: separation software can put a sound in the wrong track, leaving corrections for you.
Pay in context
Earnings
The national median is a useful reference for employee jobs, but it is not a starting salary.
The national pay spread
Sound engineering technicians had median pay of $73,130 a year, or $35.16 an hour. The 10th-percentile annual wage was $37,570 and the 90th-percentile wage was $137,370. Those points describe the wage distribution, not beginner and senior salaries.
What changes the comparison
Experience, responsibility, and location can affect pay. These employee estimates exclude self-employed earnings, so they do not tell you what a freelance project will bring in.
Openings in a shrinking occupation
Employment is projected to decline 3.1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 1,000 openings per year on average. Openings can occur as people leave an occupation even when its total employment falls.
Getting started
Study recording and audio production
St. Petersburg College’s certificate requires 24 credits.
- What the route involves
- Study studio recording, acoustics, critical listening, audio software, and live sound, with an internship included in the Audio Production and Engineering Certificate.
- What it can lead to
- Build preparation for audio-production work; the certificate also counts toward the college’s Music Industry/Recording Arts associate degree.
Train around live events
- What the route involves
- In Glendale Community College’s EnTech Audio certificate, practice with audio equipment in labs and help set up, run, and take down live events.
- What it can lead to
- Develop practical preparation for live-entertainment audio work, including mixer programming, audio networking, and recording software.
- What to check
- Required courses need grades of C or better, or P; at least six required semester units must be completed at Glendale. Prerequisites may add coursework, and this certificate is not financial-aid eligible.
Requirements range from a high school diploma to a college degree, depending on the position. These two training options emphasize different parts of sound work.
After entry
Career paths
This starts where the entry routes leave off: early work, growing capability, and advancement or specialization.
Become dependable on sessions
Get consistent at setup, testing, and keeping recording logs that others can use.
Solve harder sound problems
Learn to trace a missing signal through the system and make more deliberate choices about microphone placement and mix balance.
Specialize in the finished sound
Develop toward mixing or mastering work, refining the balance or final presentation of recordings.
Where you can work
Recording studios
Work with microphones, recording software, and studio monitors. You can compare recorded passes and refine the mix after the performance.
- Indoors
Live-performance venues
Setup and teardown surround the show. During the performance, you manage sound for the audience or the mix performers hear onstage.
- Physical demands
Film and television postproduction
Work against a picture timeline, balancing dialogue with music and effects. Movie delivery deadlines can stretch the working day.
- Indoors
Try it
See whether the job clicks before you commit to the path.
Using a phone or computer you already have, record a short spoken introduction and a separate background sound. In an audio editor, combine them and adjust the background until every word is clear. Compare versions: do you enjoy the repeated listening and small decisions?
Stay safe: Listen at a comfortable volume; louder playback is not needed to judge the balance.
Sources
- O*NET OnLine. Sound Engineering Technicians, 27-4014.00. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 national estimates. Accessed 2026-09-29.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employment Projections, Table 1.2, 2025–2035. Accessed 2026-09-29.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Broadcast, Sound, and Video Technicians. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- St. Petersburg College. Audio Production and Engineering Certificate. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- Glendale Community College. EnTech Audio. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- Arapahoe Community College. Sound Engineering Certificate — Academic Plan. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- iZotope. Fix it in post: How to reclaim the mix with RX 12 Scene Rebalance. Accessed 2026-10-10.