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The differences between lighting engineers and audio engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a lighting engineer and an audio engineer. Additionally, a lighting engineer has an average salary of $85,362, which is higher than the $55,853 average annual salary of an audio engineer.
The top three skills for a lighting engineer include A/V, technical aspects and STARS. The most important skills for an audio engineer are video production, audio systems, and audio visual.
| Lighting Engineer | Audio Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $85,362 | $55,853 |
| Hourly rate | $41.04 | $26.85 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 38,070 | 1,750 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Average age | 45 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A lighting engineer oversees everything that is happening in a tv show, concert, play, or theater production. This is the person responsible for ensuring that the lighting and the visual effects are operating just right. Their skills are essential because this will set the mood for the audience with the lighting effects that they provide. Also, they monitor the work of the flight crew and technicians.
An audio engineer is a trained professional who specializes in working with the mechanics of recording, mixing, and reproducing sound. Audio engineers work with clients such as record producers, musicians, and artists to record the sound they are making and manipulate the equalizer, the compression, and the gates when mixing. They must possess excellent skills in operating recording equipment as well as maintain them. Audio engineers can also work in different audio fields that can include church audio, live performances, and internet radio.
Lighting engineers and audio engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lighting Engineer | Audio Engineer | |
| Average salary | $85,362 | $55,853 |
| Salary range | Between $61,000 And $117,000 | Between $30,000 And $102,000 |
| Highest paying City | Los Angeles, CA | Novato, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Oregon |
| Best paying company | Apple | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | - |
There are a few differences between a lighting engineer and an audio engineer in terms of educational background:
| Lighting Engineer | Audio Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Music |
| Most common college | Northeastern University | Johns Hopkins University |
Here are the differences between lighting engineers' and audio engineers' demographics:
| Lighting Engineer | Audio Engineer | |
| Average age | 45 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 93.5% Female, 6.5% | Male, 92.3% Female, 7.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.5% Asian, 14.3% White, 64.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 8% |