Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between audio engineers and sound technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an audio engineer and a sound technician. Additionally, an audio engineer has an average salary of $55,853, which is higher than the $43,270 average annual salary of a sound technician.
The top three skills for an audio engineer include video production, audio systems and audio visual. The most important skills for a sound technician are sound equipment, wireless microphones, and audio equipment.
| Audio Engineer | Sound Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $55,853 | $43,270 |
| Hourly rate | $26.85 | $20.80 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 1,750 | 6,621 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Audio engineers and sound technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Audio Engineer | Sound Technician | |
| Average salary | $55,853 | $43,270 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $102,000 | Between $25,000 And $73,000 |
| Highest paying City | Novato, CA | - |
| Highest paying state | Oregon | - |
| Best paying company | Meta | - |
| Best paying industry | - | - |
There are a few differences between an audio engineer and a sound technician in terms of educational background:
| Audio Engineer | Sound Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Most common major | Music | Music |
| Most common college | Johns Hopkins University | New York University |
Here are the differences between audio engineers' and sound technicians' demographics:
| Audio Engineer | Sound Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 92.3% Female, 7.7% | Male, 82.9% Female, 17.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 5.1% White, 62.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino, 16.0% Asian, 5.0% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |