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The differences between audio technicians and audio visual specialists 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 technician and an audio visual specialist. Additionally, an audio technician has an average salary of $51,473, which is higher than the $50,127 average annual salary of an audio visual specialist.
The top three skills for an audio technician include wireless microphones, video equipment and audio systems. The most important skills for an audio visual specialist are visualization, video production, and unity.
| Audio Technician | Audio Visual Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $51,473 | $50,127 |
| Hourly rate | $24.75 | $24.10 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 30,951 | 31,773 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
An audio technician is a person who works in a variety of media fields and broadcasting and is responsible for capturing audio signals. They are involved in maintaining audio equipment, setup, speakers and sound mixer, and everything from the cables and microphones to the monitor. Also, audio technicians repair equipment that is faulty to continue recording with minimal disruption to the recording session. They are needed for live production venues, recording studios, television, radio broadcasts, and worship spaces. An audio technician works under a sound engineer who handles the creative process and final mixing involved with audio production.
Audiovisual specialists are skilled professionals who focus on the effective operation of audiovisual systems and technology. These specialists are required to maintain and troubleshoot audio, video, and lighting equipment that are used in broadcasts and recordings. They must connect, tune, and configure audio-video setups to ensure high-quality broadcasting while operating software to control the AV technologies. Audiovisual specialists must also monitor live feeds as well as prepare teleprompters with scripts.
Audio technicians and audio visual specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Audio Technician | Audio Visual Specialist | |
| Average salary | $51,473 | $50,127 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $88,000 | Between $32,000 And $76,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | - | Apple |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between an audio technician and an audio visual specialist in terms of educational background:
| Audio Technician | Audio Visual Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Most common major | Music | Business |
| Most common college | Johns Hopkins University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between audio technicians' and audio visual specialists' demographics:
| Audio Technician | Audio Visual Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.8% Female, 12.2% | Male, 54.9% Female, 45.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 5.1% White, 62.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 5.1% White, 62.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |