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The differences between audio technicians and media 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 technician and a media technician. Additionally, an audio technician has an average salary of $51,473, which is higher than the $45,576 average annual salary of a media technician.
The top three skills for an audio technician include wireless microphones, video equipment and audio systems. The most important skills for a media technician are video production, troubleshoot, and technical support.
| Audio Technician | Media Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $51,473 | $45,576 |
| Hourly rate | $24.75 | $21.91 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 30,951 | 38,422 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| 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.
Media technicians are professionals who are responsible for setting up and operating audio-visual and computer media equipment and materials. To enhance meetings, lectures, seminars, these technicians are required to schedule and assist the usage of equipment in academic or business settings. They must identify and perform troubleshooting with technical difficulties with online streaming and must effectively communicate with the staff from the information technology (IT) department. Media technicians must also identify sound or multimedia requirements for a given task and perform appropriate actions to produce this sound or media.
Audio technicians and media technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Audio Technician | Media Technician | |
| Average salary | $51,473 | $45,576 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $88,000 | Between $29,000 And $70,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Stamford, CT |
| Highest paying state | - | Delaware |
| Best paying company | - | Zoetis |
| Best paying industry | - | Professional |
There are a few differences between an audio technician and a media technician in terms of educational background:
| Audio Technician | Media Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Music | Communication |
| Most common college | Johns Hopkins University | Johns Hopkins University |
Here are the differences between audio technicians' and media technicians' demographics:
| Audio Technician | Media Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.8% Female, 12.2% | Male, 69.7% Female, 30.3% |
| 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, 8.9% Unknown, 6.5% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 5.1% White, 62.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |