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The differences between recording engineers and play back operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a recording engineer and a play back operator. Additionally, a recording engineer has an average salary of $78,099, which is higher than the $43,574 average annual salary of a play back operator.
The top three skills for a recording engineer include digital audio, R and music videos. The most important skills for a play back operator are control room, , and .
| Recording Engineer | Play Back Operator | |
| Yearly salary | $78,099 | $43,574 |
| Hourly rate | $37.55 | $20.95 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 7,117 | 27,895 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Recording engineers and play back operators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Recording Engineer | Play Back Operator | |
| Average salary | $78,099 | $43,574 |
| Salary range | Between $44,000 And $135,000 | Between $30,000 And $62,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | - |
| Highest paying state | Oregon | - |
| Best paying company | Western Digital | - |
| Best paying industry | - | - |
There are a few differences between a recording engineer and a play back operator in terms of educational background:
| Recording Engineer | Play Back Operator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Music | Business |
| Most common college | Johns Hopkins University | New York University |
Here are the differences between recording engineers' and play back operators' demographics:
| Recording Engineer | Play Back Operator | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.4% Female, 8.6% | Male, 73.1% Female, 26.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 5.1% White, 62.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 5.0% White, 62.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |