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The differences between music composers and sound designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a music composer, becoming a sound designer takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a sound designer has an average salary of $71,949, which is higher than the $54,646 average annual salary of a music composer.
The top three skills for a music composer include audio engineering, video games and music theory. The most important skills for a sound designer are audio assets, pro tools, and wwise.
| Music Composer | Sound Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $54,646 | $71,949 |
| Hourly rate | $26.27 | $34.59 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 3,788 | 50,235 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 44 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 2 |
Music composers and sound designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Music Composer | Sound Designer | |
| Average salary | $54,646 | $71,949 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $106,000 | Between $42,000 And $120,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Novato, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Pennsylvania |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Media | Technology |
There are a few differences between a music composer and a sound designer in terms of educational background:
| Music Composer | Sound Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Music | Music |
| Most common college | Stanford University | New York University |
Here are the differences between music composers' and sound designers' demographics:
| Music Composer | Sound Designer | |
| Average age | 44 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 86.8% Female, 13.2% | Male, 86.0% Female, 14.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 5.3% White, 74.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 8.2% Unknown, 6.5% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 5.1% White, 63.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 30% | 8% |