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Sound designer vs public address technician

The differences between sound designers and public address technicians 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 public address technician. Additionally, a sound designer has an average salary of $71,949, which is higher than the $39,375 average annual salary of a public address technician.

The top three skills for a sound designer include audio assets, pro tools and wwise. The most important skills for a public address technician are photoshop, GIS, and press releases.

Sound designer vs public address technician overview

Sound DesignerPublic Address Technician
Yearly salary$71,949$39,375
Hourly rate$34.59$18.93
Growth rate10%10%
Number of jobs50,23513,327
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 69%Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Average age4242
Years of experience22

Sound designer vs public address technician salary

Sound designers and public address technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Sound DesignerPublic Address Technician
Average salary$71,949$39,375
Salary rangeBetween $42,000 And $120,000Between $25,000 And $60,000
Highest paying CityNovato, CA-
Highest paying statePennsylvania-
Best paying companyMeta-
Best paying industryTechnology-

Differences between sound designer and public address technician education

There are a few differences between a sound designer and a public address technician in terms of educational background:

Sound DesignerPublic Address Technician
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 69%Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Most common majorMusicBusiness
Most common collegeNew York UniversityNew York University

Sound designer vs public address technician demographics

Here are the differences between sound designers' and public address technicians' demographics:

Sound DesignerPublic Address Technician
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 86.0% Female, 14.0%Male, 43.7% Female, 56.3%
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, 8.7% Unknown, 6.8% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 5.0% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage8%8%

Differences between sound designer and public address technician 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

Public address technician example responsibilities.

  • Lead false-positive team to identify and resolve network service issues and produce a manual for outsource providers to troubleshoot technical issues.
  • Increase company SharePoint knowledge and assist staff in meeting firm wide SharePoint goals.
  • Utilize SharePoint for document management and control.
  • Work consist of calibration and installation of many electronic transmitters used in monitoring power boiler operations.
  • Operate FOH for various live events including music concerts, comedians, presentations, and speeches.

Sound designer vs public address technician skills

Common sound designer skills
  • Audio Assets, 24%
  • Pro Tools, 10%
  • Wwise, 6%
  • Video Games, 5%
  • PC, 4%
  • Audio Production, 4%
Common public address technician skills
  • Photoshop, 36%
  • GIS, 32%
  • Press Releases, 32%

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