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The differences between sound designers and music 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 music engineer. Additionally, a music engineer has an average salary of $80,422, 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 music engineer are audio equipment, music production, and R.
| Sound Designer | Music Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $71,949 | $80,422 |
| Hourly rate | $34.59 | $38.66 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 50,235 | 3,210 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 41% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Sound designers and music engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Sound Designer | Music Engineer | |
| Average salary | $71,949 | $80,422 |
| Salary range | Between $42,000 And $120,000 | Between $53,000 And $121,000 |
| Highest paying City | Novato, CA | - |
| Highest paying state | Pennsylvania | - |
| Best paying company | Meta | - |
| Best paying industry | Technology | - |
There are a few differences between a sound designer and a music engineer in terms of educational background:
| Sound Designer | Music Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 41% |
| Most common major | Music | Music |
| Most common college | New York University | New York University |
Here are the differences between sound designers' and music engineers' demographics:
| Sound Designer | Music Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 86.0% Female, 14.0% | Male, 94.1% Female, 5.9% |
| 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, 10.3% Unknown, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.7% Asian, 5.0% White, 62.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |