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Sound designer vs mixing engineer

The differences between sound designers and mixing 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 sound designer and a mixing engineer. Additionally, a mixing engineer has an average salary of $81,185, which is higher than the $71,949 average annual salary of a sound designer.

The top three skills for a sound designer include audio assets, pro tools and wwise. The most important skills for a mixing engineer are audio equipment, R, and sound design.

Sound designer vs mixing engineer overview

Sound DesignerMixing Engineer
Yearly salary$71,949$81,185
Hourly rate$34.59$39.03
Growth rate10%10%
Number of jobs50,235516
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 69%Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age4242
Years of experience22

Sound designer vs mixing engineer salary

Sound designers and mixing engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Sound DesignerMixing Engineer
Average salary$71,949$81,185
Salary rangeBetween $42,000 And $120,000Between $48,000 And $134,000
Highest paying CityNovato, CA-
Highest paying statePennsylvania-
Best paying companyMeta-
Best paying industryTechnology-

Differences between sound designer and mixing engineer education

There are a few differences between a sound designer and a mixing engineer in terms of educational background:

Sound DesignerMixing Engineer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 69%Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common majorMusicMusic
Most common collegeNew York UniversityJohns Hopkins University

Sound designer vs mixing engineer demographics

Here are the differences between sound designers' and mixing engineers' demographics:

Sound DesignerMixing Engineer
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 86.0% Female, 14.0%Male, 94.4% Female, 5.6%
Race ratioBlack 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, 9.1% Unknown, 6.6% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 5.1% White, 62.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage8%8%

Differences between sound designer and mixing engineer 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.
  • Show more

Mixing engineer example responsibilities.

  • Manage PowerPoint and mixing music at the same time.
  • Retain several local and national commercial clients while primarily engineering and producing music CDs.
  • Operate production board for high school basketball and baseball games without managerial supervision.

Sound designer vs mixing engineer skills

Common sound designer skills
  • Audio Assets, 24%
  • Pro Tools, 10%
  • Wwise, 6%
  • Video Games, 5%
  • PC, 4%
  • Audio Production, 4%
Common mixing engineer skills
  • Audio Equipment, 23%
  • R, 15%
  • Sound Design, 7%
  • Music Videos, 4%
  • SSL, 4%
  • Studio Equipment, 4%

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