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Sound designer vs sound assistant

The differences between sound designers and sound assistants 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 sound assistant. Additionally, a sound designer has an average salary of $71,949, which is higher than the $67,356 average annual salary of a sound assistant.

The top three skills for a sound designer include audio assets, pro tools and wwise. The most important skills for a sound assistant are sound effects, pro tools, and audio equipment.

Sound designer vs sound assistant overview

Sound DesignerSound Assistant
Yearly salary$71,949$67,356
Hourly rate$34.59$32.38
Growth rate10%10%
Number of jobs50,235239
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 69%Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Average age4242
Years of experience22

Sound designer vs sound assistant salary

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

Sound DesignerSound Assistant
Average salary$71,949$67,356
Salary rangeBetween $42,000 And $120,000Between $39,000 And $114,000
Highest paying CityNovato, CA-
Highest paying statePennsylvania-
Best paying companyMeta-
Best paying industryTechnology-

Differences between sound designer and sound assistant education

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

Sound DesignerSound Assistant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 69%Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common majorMusicPhotography
Most common collegeNew York UniversityStanford University

Sound designer vs sound assistant demographics

Here are the differences between sound designers' and sound assistants' demographics:

Sound DesignerSound Assistant
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 86.0% Female, 14.0%Male, 70.2% Female, 29.8%
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, 8.2% Unknown, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 5.2% White, 62.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage8%8%

Differences between sound designer and sound assistant 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

Sound assistant example responsibilities.

  • Administrate sound management system utilizing analog & digital consoles in a smaller environment.
  • Initiate multimedia using LCD projectors & PowerPoint

Sound designer vs sound assistant skills

Common sound designer skills
  • Audio Assets, 24%
  • Pro Tools, 10%
  • Wwise, 6%
  • Video Games, 5%
  • PC, 4%
  • Audio Production, 4%
Common sound assistant skills
  • Sound Effects, 24%
  • Pro Tools, 21%
  • Audio Equipment, 11%
  • Sound Systems, 11%
  • FOH, 10%
  • Live Sound, 7%

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