Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between sound designers and music producers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a sound designer, becoming a music producer takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a sound designer has an average salary of $71,949, which is higher than the $56,752 average annual salary of a music producer.
The top three skills for a sound designer include audio assets, pro tools and wwise. The most important skills for a music producer are R, audio engineering, and music production.
| Sound Designer | Music Producer | |
| Yearly salary | $71,949 | $56,752 |
| Hourly rate | $34.59 | $27.28 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 50,235 | 13,950 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Average age | 42 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 12 |
Sound designers and music producers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Sound Designer | Music Producer | |
| Average salary | $71,949 | $56,752 |
| Salary range | Between $42,000 And $120,000 | Between $39,000 And $81,000 |
| Highest paying City | Novato, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Pennsylvania | New York |
| Best paying company | Meta | Amazon |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a sound designer and a music producer in terms of educational background:
| Sound Designer | Music Producer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Music | Music |
| Most common college | New York University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between sound designers' and music producers' demographics:
| Sound Designer | Music Producer | |
| Average age | 42 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 86.0% Female, 14.0% | Male, 91.1% Female, 8.9% |
| 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, 8.0% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 6.4% White, 65.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 14% |