What does an acoustical engineer do?
An acoustical engineer works primarily with sound; they reduce noise pollution in areas like construction sites and airports. Noise pollution is particularly hard to contain, which means an acoustical engineer is essential to manage the potential hazards of constant high-decibel sounds. Their job involves inspecting a location, determining the loudest areas, recommending measures to minimize noise pollution, and implementing all approved recommendations.
Acoustical engineer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real acoustical engineer resumes:
- Manage the manufacturing of defense and aerospace electro-mechanical print circuit boards from prototype to production level.
- Perform failure analysis of transducers and recommend design changes intend to eliminate cause of failure.
- Tune multiple vehicles for OEM's, that are currently in production.
- Develop the customized DSP audio tools using MATLAB and C/C++ for speech signals.
- Conduct FEA studies and develop improve modeling practices by comparing model data to test data.
- Design using equivalent circuit mathematical modeling and finite element modeling using COMSOL Multiphysics.
- Perform measurements and free-field calibrations of acoustic transducers in small tanks and open-water facilities.
- Conduct geotechnical and environmental subsurface investigations.
- Design ventilation and humidification system to provide comfort for the missile combat crews and control pollutant concentration inside the facilities.
Acoustical engineer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 10% of Acoustical Engineers are proficient in Transducers, Data Analysis, and DSP. They’re also known for soft skills such as Creativity, Listening skills, and Math skills.
We break down the percentage of Acoustical Engineers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Transducers, 10%
Performed measurements and free-field calibrations of acoustic transducers in small tanks and open-water facilities.
- Data Analysis, 9%
Conducted data analysis using Matlab and Excel including documentation of procedures and results.
- DSP, 8%
Developed the customized DSP audio tools using MATLAB and C/C++ for speech signals.
- Data Acquisition, 7%
Provided engineering support through data acquisition and ultrasound transducer testing.
- FEA, 7%
Conduct FEA studies and develop improved modeling practices by comparing model data to test data.
- System Design, 5%
Managed the system design for more than 30 new Mark Levinson loudspeakers.
Common skills that an acoustical engineer uses to do their job include "transducers," "data analysis," and "dsp." You can find details on the most important acoustical engineer responsibilities below.
Creativity. One of the key soft skills for an acoustical engineer to have is creativity. You can see how this relates to what acoustical engineers do because "mechanical engineers design and build complex pieces of equipment and machinery." Additionally, an acoustical engineer resume shows how acoustical engineers use creativity: "utilized inventor 3d cad software for all part design and drawings. "
Listening skills. Another essential skill to perform acoustical engineer duties is listening skills. Acoustical engineers responsibilities require that "mechanical engineers often work on projects with others, such as architects and computer scientists." Acoustical engineers also use listening skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "communicated failure modes back to suppliers and verified corrective actions were put in place to prevent repeat failures. "
Math skills. This is an important skill for acoustical engineers to perform their duties. For an example of how acoustical engineer responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "mechanical engineers use the principles of calculus, statistics, and other advanced subjects in math for analysis, design, and troubleshooting in their work." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of an acoustical engineer: "designed using equivalent circuit mathematical modeling and finite element modeling using comsol multiphysics. ".
Mechanical skills. For certain acoustical engineer responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "mechanical skills." The day-to-day duties of an acoustical engineer rely on this skill, as "mechanical skills allow engineers to apply basic engineering concepts and mechanical processes to the design of new devices and systems." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what acoustical engineers do: "specialized in environmental noise control, architectural acoustics, and mechanical/electrical systems noise control. "
Problem-solving skills. A commonly-found skill in acoustical engineer job descriptions, "problem-solving skills" is essential to what acoustical engineers do. Acoustical engineer responsibilities rely on this skill because "mechanical engineers need good problem-solving skills to take scientific principles and discoveries and use them to design and build useful products." You can also see how acoustical engineer duties rely on problem-solving skills in this resume example: "solved uboot and nand flash issues on a new android phone. "
The three companies that hire the most acoustical engineers are:
- MITRE8 acoustical engineers jobs
- Crestron Electronics
4 acoustical engineers jobs
- Trane4 acoustical engineers jobs
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Acoustical engineer vs. Research engineer
Research Engineers are responsible for a wide range of duties, including researching and developing new technologies and prototypes, and finding solutions to improve techniques, procedures, and technologies.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between acoustical engineers and research engineer. For instance, acoustical engineer responsibilities require skills such as "fea," "comsol," "acoustic systems," and "design changes." Whereas a research engineer is skilled in "python," "c #," "java," and "software development." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Research engineers tend to make the most money working in the start-up industry, where they earn an average salary of $141,240. In contrast, acoustical engineers make the biggest average salary, $97,267, in the technology industry.The education levels that research engineers earn slightly differ from acoustical engineers. In particular, research engineers are 2.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than an acoustical engineer. Additionally, they're 5.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Acoustical engineer vs. Integration engineer
An integration engineer specializes in developing programs and projects to improve business systems for optimal processes. Their responsibilities revolve around meeting with clients to determine their needs, coordinating with analysts to identify the company's strengths and weaknesses, implementing various solutions for business processes, and performing corrective measures as needed. They must also respond to any issues or inquiries, resolving them promptly and professionally. Furthermore, an integration manager may perform clerical tasks such as processing and preparing documentation, performing presentations, and updating clients.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, acoustical engineer responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "transducers," "dsp," "data acquisition," and "fea." Meanwhile, an integration engineer has duties that require skills in areas such as "python," "java," "project management," and "c #." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Integration engineers earn a higher average salary than acoustical engineers. But integration engineers earn the highest pay in the telecommunication industry, with an average salary of $103,429. Additionally, acoustical engineers earn the highest salaries in the technology with average pay of $97,267 annually.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Integration engineers tend to reach similar levels of education than acoustical engineers. In fact, they're 4.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 5.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Acoustical engineer vs. Operations engineer
An operations engineer is an individual who is responsible for ensuring that the operations of a company are working properly in industries such as manufacturing or shipping. Operations engineers are required to handle repairs or upgrades to the company's machinery and coordinate with department heads to assist in fine-tuning their operations system. When they have upgraded their system, operations engineers should conduct training with managers as well as employees and other workers. They are also required to examine machinery for defects and communicate maintenance schedules with department heads.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, acoustical engineers are more likely to have skills like "transducers," "data analysis," "dsp," and "data acquisition." But a operations engineer is more likely to have skills like "python," "cloud," "aws," and "linux."
Operations engineers earn the best pay in the technology industry, where they command an average salary of $100,087. Acoustical engineers earn the highest pay from the technology industry, with an average salary of $97,267.operations engineers typically earn lower educational levels compared to acoustical engineers. Specifically, they're 11.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 3.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Acoustical engineer vs. Engineer
Engineers are highly trained professionals who determine the feasibility of various projects, usually related to the construction industry. They are considered experts in mathematics and science, two disciplines that they need to use in designing and coming up with plans for projects. They should also be well-versed in different construction or industrial materials, and they ensure that appropriate materials are used for the project. They also ensure that the projects meet the requirements of the groups that hired them. They create spaces that would both address the needs of the end-users and the industry standards. They also ensure that the projects they make would stand the test of time.
Types of acoustical engineer
Updated January 8, 2025











