Sound designer vs film sound coordinator

The differences between sound designers and film sound coordinators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a sound designer and a film sound coordinator. Additionally, a sound designer has an average salary of $71,949, which is higher than the $55,776 average annual salary of a film sound coordinator.

The top three skills for a sound designer include audio assets, pro tools and wwise. The most important skills for a film sound coordinator are film festival, press releases, and radiology.

Sound designer vs film sound coordinator overview

	Sound Designer	Film Sound Coordinator
Yearly salary	$71,949	$55,776
Hourly rate	$34.59	$26.82
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	50,235	22,104
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	2	2

Sound designer vs film sound coordinator salary

Sound designers and film sound coordinators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Sound Designer	Film Sound Coordinator
Average salary	$71,949	$55,776
Salary range	Between $42,000 And $120,000	Between $35,000 And $87,000
Highest paying City	Novato, CA	-
Highest paying state	Pennsylvania	-
Best paying company	Meta	-
Best paying industry	Technology	-

Differences between sound designer and film sound coordinator education

There are a few differences between a sound designer and a film sound coordinator in terms of educational background:

	Sound Designer	Film Sound Coordinator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Most common major	Music	Communication
Most common college	New York University	New York University

Sound designer vs film sound coordinator demographics

Here are the differences between sound designers' and film sound coordinators' demographics:

	Sound Designer	Film Sound Coordinator
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 86.0% Female, 14.0%	Male, 51.4% Female, 48.6%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 7.4% Unknown, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 5.2% White, 63.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between sound designer and film sound coordinator duties and responsibilities

Sound designer example responsibilities.

Manage PowerPoint and mixing music at the same time.
Record live performances to multitrack DAW.
Implement audio using FMOD, Maya and proprietary tools.
Edit and master pre-record shows and audio clips and prepare for play on air.
Supervise load in and load outs and sound checks and run FOH day of event.
Set up, run and break down live shows.

Film sound coordinator example responsibilities.

Manage and coordinate the workload of the release team members and are responsible for organizing and hosting all production release windows.
Act in agreement with the NAIA, NCAA, NJCAA, and college rules and regulations.
Second source assessment (CVD, WSi quartz assessment).
Assist in the integration of PVD, lithography and RIE with the electroplating process.
Edit raw voice recording, add sound effects, and mix to DAT format.
Audit foreign organizations royalty payments to ensure BMI writers are compensate properly on film releases.

Sound designer vs film sound coordinator skills

Common sound designer skills

Audio Assets, 24%
Pro Tools, 10%
Wwise, 6%
Video Games, 5%
PC, 4%
Audio Production, 4%

Common film sound coordinator skills

Film Festival, 47%
Press Releases, 13%
Radiology, 12%
Event Planning, 8%
RAN, 7%
Sound Equipment, 5%

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Sound Designer vs Film Sound Coordinator

Updated January 8, 2025

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